Key Lime Pie

Source - the Joy of Cooking

1 - 15 oz can sweetened condensed milk
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup strained fresh lime juice
3 tsp lime zest
1 graham cracker crust

Whisk all ingredients, pour into pie crust. Bake at 325 ° for 15-17 minutes. Let cool completely and refrigerate until cold. Top with fresh whipped cream.

*My love for Key Lime Pie began at Joe's Crab Shack when I lived in AZ. Tricia and I may have made complete fools of ourselves with our excitement there.

Raspberry Pretzel Salad

2 cups crushed pretzels
3/4 cup melted butter
3 Tbsp melted butter
8 oz cream cheese
8 oz Cool Whip
1 cup sugar
1- 6 oz pkg. raspberry jello
10 oz frozen raspberries

Spread crushed pretzels in bottom of 9x13 glass pan. Sprinkle 3 Tbsp sugar over pretzels and drizzle butter overtop. Bake at 350° for 10 min. Let cool.

Cream sugar and cream cheese. Fold in Cool Whip. Spread mixture over pretzel crust and chill. Stir jello into 2 cups boiling water. Stir in raspberries. Chill for 10 min. then pour over cream cheese mixture. Refrigerate until firm - at least 4 hours. Overnight is best.

*Not really so much a salad as it is  a dessert, but we always have this for Thanksgiving, and this can't be the dessert!

Mexican Street Corn Salad

Source: Six Sisters Stuff

4 cups corn, fresh or frozen (I like Costco's)
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 Tbsp mayonaise
4 oz cotija cheese (can sub feta)
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1 Tbsp jalapeño pepper, finely chopped
1/3 cup cilantro, finely chopped
2 Tbsp red onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp chili powder
salt and pepper to taste

Sautee corn in olive oil until slightly charred, 6-7 minutes. In separate bowl combine remaining ingredients. Stir in cooked corn.

Melon and Prosciutto Salad

source: Mary Crafts-Homer

1 cantaloupe
4 oz prosciutto - crisped in a frying pan
2 cups fresh mini mozzarella balls
2 cups arugula

Dressing:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
3 Tbsp honey
salt and pepper

Use a melon baller to scoop out cantaloupe balls. Place cantaloupe balls, prosciutto, and mozzarella  on bed of arugula.  Drizzle dressing.

Packable Lunches

-salad in a jar- make salad I a mason jar, put dressing in bottom with heartier ingredients, like chick peas, black beans, etc, layer with lettuce on top so it doesn't get soggy.
-pasta salad in a jar-put a little pepperoni, olives, cheese, tomatoes, in the  bottom of jar with Italian dressing, put pasta on top, shake and mix before eating.
-taco salad in a jar: layer beans, chicken or beef (optional), salsa, sour cream, lettuce, top with a few tortilla chips
-lettuce wrap with chicken salad
-tortellini kebab- with leftover tortellini from night before, skewer tortellini, cheese, pepperoni, tomatoes
-hummus and pitas
-pita or naan bread pizza
-cucumber and cream cheese sandwich, or tortilla wrap
-egg salad sandwich
-make your own grown up lunchable, cheese, crackers, sliced hard boiled eggs,lunch meat, nuts, etc.
-greek pita sandwich: chick peas, chopped lettuce, tomatoes, onions,  oil and lemon juice
-calzone: make or buy pizza dough, cut into small rectangle, fill with sauce and cheese, other toppings if desired. fold dough over and seal edges - bake at 350° for 20 min. Freeze, then just pull one out in the morning to take for lunch - also can fill with ham and cheese.
-plan at dinner and alter leftovers into a packable lunch
-pizza pinwheel- make pizza dough, roll out into rectangle, spread with sauce and cheese, roll and slice like cinnamon rolls - bake and freeze to put into lunch in the morning

Garden Salsa

source: Tami Richardson

6-8 medium tomatoes
1 poblano pepper
1 anaheim pepper
1/2 large white onion
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 bunch of cilantro, stalks removed
jalapeño pepper- optional

Roast peppers over gas burner or broil in oven for until skin blisters and is slightly blackened. Remove top and seeds. Put 2 tomatoes and remaining ingredients to blender. Blend until onions and peppers are chopped fine. Add remaining tomatoes and pulse several times until tomatoes are diced.

*The roasted peppers give the salsa and nice smoky flavor and just a little heat. Add jalapeño if you like more heat.

Granola

Source: adapted from Marlene Ellingson


4 cups old fashioned oats
2/3 cup honey
1/3 cup canola oil (coconut oil is good too)
1/2 tsp salt

Heat honey, oil, and salt in large pot. Stir in oats. Spread on greased baking sheet. Bake at 300 for 30 minutes, stirring twice during baking time. Add in nuts or dried fruit to your liking.

*Sometimes I add a few tablespoons of water to the honey and oil mixture to make it a little thinner and easier to stir with the oats.