Jello Salad

3 c water
1 pkg small vanilla pudding
1 pkg small tapioca
1 pkg small jello (your choice)
1 tub of Cool Whip
Fruit to cordinate with jello flavor

Boil 3 cups water. Stir in pudding, tapioca, and jello. Remove from heat and stir until dissolved. Pour into a small to medium size bowl. You will now cover with a plastic wrap, but the plastic wrap needs to rest right ontop of the jello mixture so as it stiffens it doesnt get crusty on the top. Place in fridge until hard. Take out of fridge. Fold in thawed Cool Whip and fruit. Place in serving bowl (or serve from bowl that you mixed in. It just won't look as pretty).

When I make it I use orange jello with mandarin oranges, peach with fresh peaches, strawberries with fresh strawberries. I'm sure raspberry would be good too.

California Pasta Salad

1 lb penne pasta, cooked
1 ½ lbs salami, cut in 1/4s
1 ½ cups frozen peas
¼ cup chopped green onions
1 cup chopped artichoke hearts
½ cup olives
2 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered
2 avocados, peeled and diced
1 cup fresh Parmesan Cheese

Dressing

3 TBS water
½ tsp basil
¼ tsp oregano
3 TBS green onion
4 garlic cloves
1 ½ tsp dried mustard
1 ½ tsp salt
3 TBS sugar
¾ tsp pepper
½ cup salad oil
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup cider or wine vinegar

Combine all salad ingredients together in large bowl. Mix dressing in a food processor. Chill for at least 2 hours. Stir into salad and serve.

Strawberry Jello Salad

*Strawberries are not mixed together because my 2yr old threw a fit when I tried to combine them. But it sure looks pretty with the strawberries sprinkled on top.

1 16 oz carton Cottage Cheese
1 8 oz Cool Whip
1small pkg Strawberry Jell-o, dry mix
1 1/2 c mini marshmallows
Fresh Strawberries, sliced

Combine all ingredients together and fold until blended.

It's a great summer dish! Especially with BBQ meat and veggies! I try and sneek anything healthy in my kids dishes, and this pleases the sweet tooth and the nutritionist.

Strawberry Pretzel Jello

Courtesy of Mary Jean Robinson.

I almost forgot to take a photo...that's why it's almost gone and not very pretty...sorry.

2 c pretzels, crushed in 1/4 inch pieces, roughly

1 1/2 sticks melted butter

3 TBSP sugar

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1 c sugar

1 TBSP milk

4 TBSP crushed pineapple, drained (optional)

1 12 oz cool whip

2 c water

1 large pkg strawberry jello

20 oz or so frozen sliced strawberries

.

Add pretzels, butter and sugar together. Stir until pretzels are evenly coated. Press into a 9x13 dish. Bake at 400 degrees for 8 minutes. Set aside and cool completely.

In a large mixing bowl, combine and mix well: cream cheese, sugar, milk, pineapple (if used) and cool whip. Pour this mixture over cooled pretzel crust. Be sure there are no gaps when spreading this mixure over crust. Any openings will allow strawberry juice to seep through and the crust will become damp and mushy. Set aside dish.

In a medium pot boil water. Add jello package and stir until dissolved. Add frozen strawberries, stir well. Make sure the jello mixture is not hot before pouring it over cool whip mixture. Slowly pour over white, cool whip mixture. Refrigerate until set.

Chicken Salad

2 head Romaine lettuce
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 can corn or frozen
1 avocado
4 roma tomatoes
3 chicken breasts, cooked, diced
4 green onions
¼ bunch cilatro, remove stems and minced
1 cup cheddar cheese (optional)

Dressing

¾ cup white vinegar
½ cup oil
1 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Dissolve sugar and salt in vinegar; add oil and pepper

*Use ½ the dressing if only 1 head of lettuce

Orange Jello Salad

1 pkg small orange jello
1 pkg small vanilla pudding- cook and serve
1 pkg small tapioca- jell0, cook and serve
3 cups water
8 oz cook whip, thawed
1-2 can mandarin oranges, drained

Boil water. Add to jellos and pudding. Boil for 1 minutes then remove from heat. Cool completely. Pour into a small bowl. Cover with plastic wrap so the plastic is down touching the jello. Place in fridge (I like to do over night, then I don't have to worry about it for dinner the next day) until completely set. Fold in cool whip and mandarin oranges.

**one of the BEST things about this recipe is that it can be changed to different fruits. ie. strawberries/strawberry jello, peaches/peach jello (personal favorite)**

Spinach Salad

2 bags spinach
½ lb mushroom, marinated in dressing
¾ lb swiss cheese
5 strips bacon
small purple onion

Dressing
½ tsp dry mustard
½ cup sugar
½ cup cider vinegar
1 cup oil
1 TBS poppy seeds
1 TBS mined onion
1 tsp salt