Summer Delights

I mentioned getting some recipes from my sister-in-law Monica - I have now tried three of the four and they are all perfect summer dishes!  If you're planning a get together for tomorrow and need just one more dish, give one of these a try!

Layered Salad

1 head lettuce, break in bite size pieces
1 head cauliflower, break in bite size pieces
1 bunch green onion, chopped
1 bag frozen peas
2 cups mayonnaise
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup sugar
1 lb. bacon, fried and chopped

Layer first four items in that order.  Mix mayonnaise, cheese and sugar, spread on top of salad.  Refrigerate overnight or several hours.  Add bacon.  Toss before serving.

I cut this recipe in half knowing that it would probably be soggy before we finished eating it - that did not happen!  We chowed down on this and it was gone in 24 hours.  I'm planning to make another one today - that's how good it is!  We had this with lunch and dinner on Tuesday and finished it off at lunch on Wednesday.  It was best the first time, after just a few hours the peas were still partially frozen and crunchy.  It is one of those dishes that each bite tastes a little different.  Very refreshing!

 Fruit Torte

1 stick butter, melted
1 cup flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 8 oz. packages cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup sugar
2 tsp. vanilla

Add flour to melted butter, mix in brown sugar and press into 9 x 13 pan.  Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.

Mix cream cheese, sugar and vanilla.  Spread evenly over crust.

Top with fruit and chill.

I also cut this recipe in half and used an 8 x 8 pan - we still have some of it but it seems to keep well for a few days.  I opted for a red, while and blue mix in honor of Independence Day!  I think if you were in a hurry (or didn't want to turn your oven on for 10 minutes), you could buy a pre-made graham cracker crust.

Sunshine Chicken Salad

1 pkg. ranch salad dressing mix
1/2 cup mayonnaise
4 oz. cream cheese softened
1/4 cup honey
2 cups chicken, cooked and cubed
1 cup celery, sliced
1 8 oz. can pineapple tidbits in juice, drained
1 1/2 cups seedless grapes
1/2 cup slivered almonds or pecans, toasted

Combine dressing mix, mayo, cream cheese, and honey thoroughly in a small bowl.  Chill 30 minutes or overnight.
Place remaining ingredients, except almonds, in a large bowl.  Toss with chilled dressing.  Sprinkle almonds or pecans to serve.

This makes a great sandwich alternative!  I was out of grapes when I made this, so I added dried cranberries and of course cut the recipe in half.