Cooking Up Cottage

Category: Salads

  • Chicken Apple Pecan Salad


    Today I am featuring a delicious salad loaded with chicken, apples, cranberries, blue cheese, a wonderful pecan mix, and a raspberry vinaigrette that adds the perfect sweetness!  Like most people…I  just went to an apple orchard, and now I am surrounded by bags of apples sitting around my kitchen.  After seeing all of these apples over and over again, I decided to do something with them by making a fantastic salad.  I love how apples add that fresh crisp taste that enhances the flavor of all of the other ingredients.  So let’s get out some apples and make this healthy fall favorite.

    First cook four chicken breasts seasoned with salt and pepper in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Cook until it temps at 165 degrees on a meat thermometer.  While your chicken is cooking, clean and chop one head of iceberg lettuce into a large bowl. 

    Next chop up 4 apples.

    Then add the apples to the salad.

    Now add 1/2 cup of dried cranberries, 1 (4 oz.) package of Sahale Maple Pecan Glazed Mix, and 1/2 cup of Kraft blue cheese crumbles to the salad.

    Next chop the cooked chicken breasts and add it to the salad.

    Then add Kraft Raspberry Vinaigrette to each bowl as you serve your salads. 

     

    Now you are ready to enjoy this fresh wonderful salad. 

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  • Strawberry Fluff Salad

    Strawberry-Fluff-Salad

    Are you having a 4th of July party this year? If the answer is yes then you need to try this fun, light, and fluffy salad.  It will satisfy your party guests with its sweet flavor and heavenly fresh strawberries.  And it’s so simple to make with four ingredients that it won’t keep you from your party and the fireworks. 

    Strawberry-Fluff-Salad-2

    When I was creating this recipe I had an idea that it would be great served over angel food cake with blueberries and strawberries for the 4th of July.  Well trust me, though it tasted delicious…it was a visual disaster!

    angel food cake

    So I had some leftover topping in my refrigerator after the experiment and since it tasted so good I thought it was worth a little tweaking. I added marshmallows, left out the blueberries, and viola this salad (come on, who are we kidding, desert, right?) was created.

    So let’s get started whipping up this fun salad. Start by making a 3 oz. package strawberry Jello according to the package directions. Place bowl of Jello in the refrigerator for about an hour or until thickened but not set. While you are waiting for the Jello to be ready you can clean and chop up the 1 pint of strawberries.

    Strawberries

    chopped strawberies

    Then when the Jello is ready after an hour then mix it in a bowl with an 8 oz. container of Cool Whip that has been thawed in the refrigerator.

    Adding Jello

    Next fold in the chopped strawberries.

    adding Strawberries

    Then add in 2 cups of miniature marshmallows.

    Adding marshmallows

    Now chill the salad for at least 3 hours in the refrigerator.  Now you are ready to enjoy this salad at your 4th of July party.

    Strawberry Fluff Salad
     
    Ingredients
    • 1 (3 oz.) package of strawberry Jello
    • 1 pint of chopped strawberries
    • 1 (8 oz.) container of thawed Cool Whip
    • 2 cups of miniature marshmallows
    Instructions
    1. Start by making a 3 oz. package strawberry Jello according to the package directions. Place bowl of Jello in the refrigerator for about an hour or until thickened but not set. While you are waiting for the Jello to be ready you can clean and chop up the 1 pint of strawberries.
    2. Then when the Jello is ready after an hour then mix it in a bowl with an 8 oz. container of Cool Whip that has been thawed in the refrigerator.
    3. Next fold in the chopped strawberries.
    4. Then add in 2 cups of miniature marshmallows.
    5. Now chill the salad for at least 3 hours in the refrigerator.
     

    Strawberry-Fluff-Salad-Long-Pin

  • Spring Pasta Salad

    garden pasta salad 8

    The first day of Spring was last Sunday and if you are like me you are starting to plan and dream about your garden. I have a large flower garden in my back yard so usually I am dreaming about what flowers to plant.

    FullSizeRenderHowever, for the past few years I have grown a few vegetables, and many of the vegetables I have grown are included in this flavorful Spring Pasta Salad: radishes, green pepper, red onions, and grape tomatoes.  These four main vegetables come together beautifully as they get tossed into a tangy dressing with shell pasta.  This combination is perfect for any celebration including Easter which will be here before you know it.

    pasta salad 12pasta salad 10

    Start by boiling 1 (16 oz.) package of medium pasta shells according to the package directions.shellsboiling pasta

    While the noodles are boiling, chop 1 cup of red onions, 1 cup of green peppers, 1 cup of sliced radishes and cut 1 pint of grape tomatoes by cutting each tomato in half.tomaotes , onions, green peppers and tomatoes

    Now set the vegetables to the side and mix up your dressing.  In a bowl combine the 14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk, 2 cups of mayonnaise, 1/2 cup of white vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 cup of sugar.

    mixing dressing

    Drain your pasta and rinse it in cold water.  Now you can mix everything together in a large bowl.

    shells mixed into pasta

    Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before you serve to let the flavors mix together.

    garden pasta salad 14

    garden pasta salad 11

    Spring Pasta Salad
     
    Ingredients
    • 1 (16 oz.) package of medium pasta shells
    • 1 cup of chopped red onions
    • 1 cup of chopped green peppers
    • 1 cup of sliced radishes
    • 1 pint of grape or cherry tomatoes (cut each tomato in half)
    • 1 (14 oz.) can of sweetened condensed milk
    • 2 cups of mayonnaise
    • 1/2 cup of white vinegar
    • 1/4 teaspoon salt
    • 1/2 cup of sugar
    Instructions
    1. Start by boiling 1 (16 oz.) package of medium pasta shells according to the package directions.
    2. While the noodles are boiling, chop 1 cup of red onions, 1 cup of green peppers, 1 cup of sliced radishes and cut 1 pint of grape tomatoes by cutting each tomato in half.
    3. Now set the vegetables to the side and mix up your dressing. In a bowl combine the 14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk, 2 cups of mayonnaise, 1/2 cup of white vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 cup of sugar.
    4. Drain your pasta and rinse it in cold water. Now you can mix everything together in a large bowl.
    5. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before you serve to let the flavors mix together.
     

     

     

     

  • Ham and Dill Pasta Salad

    pasta 4Today’s recipe is an easy pasta dish loaded with fresh tomatoes and dill.  It’s late July, which means you are going to start seeing ripe tomatoes in your garden.  And now all you need are some great recipes to use them up.  This is the perfect recipe for you to showcase your garden favorites.  And if you love dill, you are going to love this recipe’s incredibly creamy dill dressing.  Attention dill lovers: This will become your favorite summer picnic recipe.

    pasta 6This dish is very easy to make.  Overall it’s about a 30 minute project with a delicious reward.  The first thing you will need to do is boil 3 cups of Rotini pasta according to the package directions.

    boiling pastaDrain the pasta and let it cool. Now set the pasta to the side and chop up the 1 1/2 cups of tomatoes, then chop the 1 cup of ham, and chop 1/4 of a cup of onions.

    tomaoteshamMix the tomatoes, ham, onions, and 1 cup of frozen peas in with the pasta.  Then chop 3 tablespoons of fresh dill and set it to the side.

    dill

    chopped dillNow whisk the dressing together. Take 1 cup of buttermilk and whisk it in a 1/2 cup of mayonnaise.  Then whisk in the chopped dill, 1/2 teaspoon of garlic salt and 1 tablespoon of distilled white vinegar.

    buttermilk dressingNow mix the dressing into the pasta and vegetable mixture.

    mixed pastaNow refrigerate until ready to serve.  You can always lighten the recipe up by using low-fat mayonnaise.

    pasta 5

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