Suzanne's Potato Salad

This is a wonderful potato salad recipe given to me by a good friend. And, you guessed it, her name is Suzanne. Definitely a family favorite.

1/2 cup Real Mayonnaise (do NOT use light or fat free)
1/2 cup Miracle Whip
2 tsp vinegar
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
4 cups cooked, peeled, cubed potatoes
1 cup sliced celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 hard-cooked eggs, chopped (I usually cook an extra egg and slice it to garnish the top of the finished salad)

In a large bowl, stir together first five ingredients until smooth. Add remaining ingredients; toss to coat and cover. Chill.

(I really do like it this way, but I can't stop myself from picking out the onions and celery. I'm just not a huge fan of raw onions and celery. I have also left them out and thrown in a dash of onion powder and celery seed for flavor.)

Broccoli Salad

This is a yummy salad. Nuff said.

1/4 cup bacon bits (I prefer to make my own)
1 (16 oz) package fresh broccoli florets, trimmed and cut into bite size pieces
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup Miracle Whip
1/4 cup white sugar
chopped green onion to taste (optional)

In a large bowl mix bacon, broccoli, cheese, raisins, sunflower seeds and onion. In a small bowl, whisk together the Miracle Whip and sugar. Pour Miracle Whip mixture over broccoli mixture and toss well to coat. Cover and refrigerate until chilled.

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

This is one of my all time favorite dishes. The salty sweet combination is so yummy. I could eat this every day.

3/4 cup butter, softened
3 Tbsp brown sugar
2 1/2 cups crushed pretzels
1 (6 oz) package strawberry Jell-o
2 cups boiling water
3 cups strawberries, sliced and chilled
1 (8 oz) block cream cheese
1 cup white sugar
1 (8 oz) container Cool Whip, thawed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter with brown sugar. Mix in pretzels and press into a 9 x 13 pan. Bake 10-12 minutes. Set aside to cool. In a medium bowl, dissolve Jell-o in boiling water and stir in strawberries. Chill until partially thickened. In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and white sugar together until smooth. Fold in Cool Whip. Spread mixture over top of cooled crust (seal edges). Chill then pour Jell-o mixture over cream cheese layer. Chill until firm.

Chinese Salad

My dear friend, Sarah, passed along this recipe to me. It is absolutely the best Chinese Salad recipe in existence.

3 Tbsp sunflower seeds
1 small bag sliced almonds
2 pkgs Ramen Noodles (discard seasoning packets), break noodles into pieces

In a large skillet, brown above ingredients in 2-4 Tbsp butter and then set aside to cool.

1/4 cup vinegar
3/4 cup oil
1/2 cup sugar

Boil above ingredients in a small saucepan for 1 minute and then set aside to cool.

1 med to large Nappa cabbage
2 green onions

Slice cabbage down to 2-3 inches from core. Slice green onions and combine with cabbage in a large bowl.

When ready to serve, pour vinegar mixture over cabbage and onions and toss. Add noodle mixture and toss. Serve immediately. (You can make this ahead of time, but don't combine dressing mixture, cabbage, and noodle mixture until ready to serve.)