Chicken & Berry Summer Salad with Strawberry Vinaigrette

This is surprisingly tangy and more flavor than you'd expect in a salad! Here's the steps to making it:

Ingredients:
2 Chicken Breasts
Italian Dressing/Poppyseed dressing (or you could sub 1 TBSP honey)
Spring Mix Salad
Blueberries
Strawberries
Cinnamon Toasted Almonds
Strawberry Vinaigrette (see below)

Marinate chicken in about 1/2 cup of Italian dressing with a few TBSPs of poppyseed dressing (or honey if you'd rather). This makes a tangy but slightly sweet marinade. Grill 7 minutes on each side on medium high and remove. Put in a ceramic plate tented with foil, this will cook the inside if it wasn't fully cooked and lock in the juices.

Prepare Vinaigrette:
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup honey
1/2-1 clove garlic
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 cup strawberries

Throw all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. While blending add 1/2 cup oil.
Then remove from blender and stir in 1 1/2 tsp. poppyseeds

This is crazy tangy stuff, apply in small amounts and add as your taste buds desire.

Plate spring mix and top with sliced strawberries and blueberries. Add the cinnamon almonds crushed coarsely. Slice your chicken in bite sized slices and add to salad. Add vinaigrette in small amounts until it suits your taste.

Fruit Dip

Ingredients

• 1 (3 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
• 1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
• 1/2 cup yogurt

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, mix the vanilla pudding mix, sour cream and yogurt. Chill in the refrigerator at least 2 hours before serving.

Carmel Apple Dip

Ingredients

• 16 individually wrapped caramels, unwrapped
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
• 1/2 cup brown sugar

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, or in the microwave, melt caramels with water, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. In a medium bowl, cream together cream cheese and sugar. Fold in caramel mixture. Serve immediately.

Buttermilk Syrup

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 tablespoons corn syrup
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

1. In a saucepan (use a large one because it will boil up about 4x's its size), stir together the sugar, buttermilk, butter, corn syrup, and baking soda. Bring to a boil, and cook for 7 minutes. Remove from the heat, and stir in the vanilla.

Cheese Fondue

Ingredients

• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 pound shredded Swiss cheese
• 1/2 pound shredded Gruyere cheese
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg (sometimes I omit)
• 1 (1 pound) loaf French bread, cut into 1 inch cubes

Directions

1. Simmer wine in fondue pot. Add Swiss cheese, Gruyere cheese, 1/4 pound at a time. Stir after each addition of cheese until melted. Stir in flour. When all the cheese has melted, stir in salt and nutmeg. Serve with cut-up French bread.

Dad's Friday Tomato-Cream Sauce

Dad makes this nearly every Friday to carb load before a long bike ride on Saturday. It's always a family favorite, even if a little different than traditional sauce.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 tablespoon dried basil leaves
• 3/4 teaspoon white sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 lb chicken or sausage (optional)

Directions

1. In a saucepan, saute onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat. Make sure it doesn't burn. Add tomatoes, basil, sugar, oregano, salt and pepper. Bring to boil and continue to boil 5 minutes or until most of the liquid evaporates. Remove from heat; stir in whipping cream and butter. Reduce heat and simmer 5 more minutes.

Pina Colada Salad Dressing

For Dressing: 1 pound pineapple flesh 1/3 cup coconut milk 2 tablespoons white rum

RECIPE METHOD

TO MAKE FRUIT SALAD: Peel and slice all of the fruit into bite-size pieces and toss together in a serving bowl.

TO MAKE DRESSING: Place the pineapple in a food processor and process to a puree. Strain through a sieve.

Return to the processor, add the coconut milk and rum and process until combined. Pour the dressing over the fruit salad and serve.

CAFE RIO DRESSING

2 cups mayonaisse
2 cups sour cream
10 sprigs of cilantro
3 los tomates (green tomatoes-fresh or canned
2 green onions (washed and chopped)
2 cloves of garlic
1 jalapeno pepper (seeds and all)
juice of 1 lime
1 or 2 tsp. of salt (depends on how much salt you like)

Blend together in a blender until well mixed.

CAFE RIO DRESSING

2 cups mayonaisse
2 cups sour cream
10 sprigs of cilantro
3 los tomates (green tomatoes-fresh or canned
2 green onions (washed and chopped)
2 cloves of garlic
1 jalapeno pepper (seeds and all)
juice of 1 lime
1 or 2 tsp. of salt (depends on how much salt you like)

Blend together in a blender until well mixed.