Rotisserie Chicken Salad

 This classic chicken salad is made super easy by using a Costco Rotisserie chicken.  

5 Cups cubed Rotisserie chicken meat
1 Cup Celery, diced
1/2 Cup red onion, diced
3 Cups Tart apples, diced
1 Cup mayonnaise
1 Tbls. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning
1/2 tsp. salt

Optional add-ins: sliced purple grapes, green onion, pecans, or cranberries.

Remove and dice meat from the chicken, add to large bowl.  Dice celery, onion and apple and add to bowl with chicken.   In a bowl combine mayonnaise, lemon juice, poultry seasoning and salt, mix well.  Add this to the chicken mix and coat evenly.  Chill for at least 1/2 hour, but it's best overnight.  I serve inside croissants for sandwiches, can be served on crackers, with vegetable sticks, in lettuce as a wrap, or on a salad.

Crab Salad

2 1/2 lbs. crab legs
1 1/2 c. mayonnaise
1 c. chopped celery
2 Tbls. dill weed
2 Tbls. lemon juice
1 tsp. pepper

 lettuce leaves
buns

Add chopped crab leg, mayonnaise, dill, lemon and pepper into a bowl.  Serve in buns with lettuce.

Cranberry Salad (Sauce)

1 1/3 cup sugar

12 oz. fresh cranberries, halved.
1 can pineapple tidbits, drained (reserve juice)
2/3 cup chopped walnuts.
2 stalks celery, diced.

Drain and reserve the juice from the pineapple.  In a medium pot bring sugar and pineapple juice to a boil.  once it comes to a rolling boil, add cranberries and boil on medium/high for 7 minutes, stir often.  Remove from stove.  Add pineapple, chopped walnuts and diced celery.  Transfer to a storage bowl and refrigerate.  Can be eaten/stored for a week.

Three Bean Salad

1 can garbanzo beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can green beans
1 can sweet corn
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped red onion

1/4 cup red wine vinegar
4-5 Tbls.  sugar
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 tsp. Minced garlic
*Rinse and drain the vegetables add to bowl.
*Combine vinegar sugar celery salt oil and garlic.
*Pour over vegetables and chill the salad

Potato Salad

6 to 8 medium potatoes 1 1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4 to 5 stocks celery
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped dill pickles
6 to 8 boiled eggs
*boil potatoes til cooked but firm. Drain add to bowl the cut celery onion and pickles. add potatoes and diced  eggs. Mix in remaining ingredients, cover and chill.

Broccoli Apple Salad

• 4 cups fresh broccoli florets, (about 2 medium heads)
• ½ cup shredded carrots
• ¼ cup diced red onion
• 2 large apples, finely chopped (I used gala apples)
• ½ cup pecans, coarsely chopped
• ½ cup dried cranberries

Creamy dressing ingredients:

• ½ cup lite mayonnaise
• ½ cup low fat greek yogurt
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ⅛ teaspoon pepper

Combine the dressing ingredients in a small bowl set aside, prepare and combine salad ingredients and put in bowl, toss with dressing and keep refrigerated.

Broccoli Bacon Salad

2 heads of broccoli, cut into bite size pieces
1 lb. Bacon cooked and crumbled
2 C. Shredded cheddar cheese
1 1/2 C. Mayonnaise
1/4 C sugar
2 Tbls. Red Wine Vinegar

Cook bacon crumble, chop broccoli and combine with cheese into bowl. Make deessing and toss the salad til coated. Keep rrefeigerated.

Creamy Coleslaw

From Better Homes and Garden Cookbook

1 head Green or Red cabbage, sliced
1/2 Pound baby Carrots
1 C. mayonnaise
2 Tbls. vinegar
4-5 Tbls. sugar
1 tsp. celery salt
1/2 tsp. salt

Slice cabbage place in large bowl.  In ninja shred carrots and add to cabbage.  Place remaining ingredients in the bowl and stir til combined.  Refrigerate.  Best if chilled for 2-24 hours.

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

6 oz strawberry jello
2 cups boiling water
2 cups salted pretzels
1/4 cup sugar
1 stick butter

8 oz. cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
8 oz. tub coolwhip
1 lb. strawberries

*Preheat oven to 350*. combine strawberry jello with the water and stir until dissolved.  Set aside to cool to room temperature.
*Crush pretzels in a zip lock back.  in a saucepan melt butter than add 1/4 cup sugar, stir.  Mix in pretzels.  Transfer to 9*13 pan press into bottom and bake 10 minutes, than cool.
*While pretzel is cooling use a hand mixer to beat cream cheese and sugar until fluffy.  Fold in whipped cream.  Spread mixture over cooled pretzels and pressing all the way to the edge to create a seal.  refrigerate 30 minutes.
*Slice the strawberries and than stir them into jello.  Poor and spread jello mixture evenly over cooled cream cheese layer, and refrigerate until jello is set about 4 hours.

Creamy Macaroni Salad

1 pound elbow Macaroni

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 bunch Green onion

1 can black olives, sliced

1 cup, dill pickles, diced

12 oz. mayonnaise

3 Tbls. Sugar

2 Tbls. red wine vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Cook macaroni, shock in cold water and let drain, dump into large bowl.  Mix mayonnaise, sugar and vinegar, pour over macaroni and stir.  Add diced pepper, onions, olives and pickles, stir. Season with salt and pepper  Chill for at least 3 hours before serving, chill overnight for best effect.

Holiday Chicken Salad

We also call this holiday chicken salad for it's red and green colors

4 Cups Cubed Cooked Chicken meat
1 c. mayo
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. season salt
1/2 tsp. basil
1 c. craisins
1 c. quartered grapes
1 green onion sliced
1/8 C. red onion diced
1/2 green bell pepper chopped
1 C. chopped celery
1 c. chopped roasted pecans
black pepper to taste

In a medium bowl mix together mayo, paprika, season salt, basil. Add the next 7 ingredients. Mix in chicken. Add pepper to taste. Chill for 1 hour. I serve in hollowed out tomatoes over lettuce greens.

To roast your pecans preheat oven to 275, melt 3 Tbls. butter and stir 2 cups pecans in the butter. Lay on Cookie sheet and lightly sprinkle with salt. Bake for 1 hour, stirring twice.

Carrot Raisin Salad

3 Cups shredded carrots
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. white vinegar
dash of salt
dash of pepper

Mix all ingredients, and let sit 1 hour or more before eating

Chicken Pasta Salad

4 C. bow tie pasta
4 c. chicken, cooked and cubed
1/2 c. chopped green onion
1 c. water chestnuts
1 can pineapple tidbits
1 1/2 c. mayonnaise
1/4 c. red wine vinegar
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 c. red grapes, halved
1 c. pecans, coarsely chopped
1/2 c. craisins

Cook pasta according to directions. Drain. In a large bowl combine all ingredients except grapes, pecans and craisins. Marinate mixture in refrigerator for several hours or overnight. Add grapes, pecans and craisins just before serving. Makes 12 cups.

Pepperoni Pasta Salad

2 cups uncooked small pasta shells
3/4 c. chopped green peppers
3/4 c. chopped fresh tomatoes
1 c. chopped pepperoni
3/4 c. black olives quartered
3 oz. cheddar cheese cubed
1/3 c. chopped onion

DRESSING
1/3 c. vegetable oil
1/4 c. red wine vinegar
2- 1/2 Tbls. sugar
1 -1/2 tsp. salt
1 -1/2 tsp. ground oregano
1/2 tsp. pepper

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse in cold water. Meanwhile prepare vegetables cheese and meat and place in large bowl. Pour strained and cooled pasta in. In a jar with a lid combine the dressing ingredients, shake well. Pour over pasta mixture and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate until serving, at least 3 hours.

Corn and 3 Bean Salad

1 can garbanzo beans
1 can green beans
1 can kidney beans
1/2 of a chopped red bellpepper
1/3 c. chopped red onion
1 Can Corn Kernels
1/2 tsp. celery salt
1/4 c. red wine vinegar
3 Tbls. sugar
2 Tbls. vegetable oil
1 tsp. minced garlic

Combine all beans and corn in a collinder and rinse. Place in bowl. Add, pepper and onion. For dressing in a jar combine the remaining ingredients and shake well. Pour over vegetables and beans stir, cover and chill...may be eaten immediatly but it actually gets better the longer it chills. Stir often.

My favorite summer salad, it's soooooooo refreshing I can't get enough of it!

Creamy Red Cabbage Slaw

1 lb. red cabbage, shredded
1 small red onion, sliced thin
1/3 c. sour cream
1/3 c. mayonnaise
1 tsp. tarragon
1 Tbls. balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper

Combine ingredients, cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight.