Coleslaw with Almonds and Dried Cranberries

I happened to see Paula Deen make this recipe on her show a few years back and knew I had to try it!  We often have this in the spring when my hubby is fishing and we have lots of fish in the freezer!  It's also great with pulled pork or sloppy joe sandwiches!  I don't use the exact measurement of cabbage the recipe calls for.  Instead, I just use one bag of shredded cabbage for convenience.  I leave out the chopped celery as well.  The original recipe calls for almonds but I prefer sliced almonds instead.  Hope you love this recipe as much as I do!

 Did I mention how easy this is to make???

 Pour the bag of cabbage in a serving bowl.  Add chopped green pepper and green onion.

 Toss in the almonds and dried cranberries.

 Toss well!

In a small bowl, mix together mayo, pickle relish, honey mustard, honey, salt and pepper.  Mix with coleslaw mixture prior to serving.

A great side dish to our pulled chicken sandwiches!!

Coleslaw with Almonds and Dried Cranberries

Adapted from :  Paula Deen's  recipe - Rene's Coleslaw

1 bag of shredded cabbage (coleslaw mix)

1/2 cups sliced almonds

1 1/2 cups dried cranberries

1/4 cup chopped green onions, white and green parts (I used two.)

1/2 cup chopped greeen pepper

Mix above ingredients in large bowl.

Dressing:

1/2 cup mayo ( I used Hellman's light.)

1 T. sweet pickle relish

1 T. honey mustard

1 T. honey

salt and pepper to taste

Pour dressing over slaw mixture just before serving.  Mix well!

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Everyday Mom's Meals

Colorful Bean Salad

Going to the ladies salad luncheon today made me think of the little cookbook I purchased at a previous luncheon.  There are lots of great salad recipes in there!  One of my favorites is the Colorful Bean Salad!  It's a very healthy snack, side, or even meal!  Another great option is to use it as a salsa for tortilla chips!!  It's delicious!!  ( . . . and very easy to make!!)

Colorful Bean Salad

3 T. olive oil
3 T. cider vinegar
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. ground cumin
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1 can kidney beans
1 can black beans
1 can Mexicorn
1/4 c. thinly sliced green onions

Drain and rinse beans.  Drain Mexicorn.  In a bowl, combine the first six ingredients for the dressing.  Mix well.  Add beans, corns, and green onions.  Stir to coat.  Cover and refrigerate!  Enjoy!

Grape Salad

My sister-in-law Julie gave me this recipe at my bridal shower in '04 and it is definitely a crowd pleaser! A few years ago I was asked to make a salad for the ladies luncheon (fundraiser) at church. When I looked at the signup sheet, all the salads I would've chosen to make were spoken for. However, there was an "other" category. So, I chose this recipe. That same year, the ladies created a cookbook of everyone's salad recipes and the cookbooks were sold at the luncheon. Inadvertently, my recipe for grape salad was left out of the book. When the ladies who were attending the luncheon discovered the error, I was bombarded with requests for the recipe and they all began writing it down in their new cookbooks! Needless to say, the second printing of the book included this recipe!! The following year, as the signup for the salads was passed around the congregation, I began looking at the list of salads that were needed. At the bottom of the list, a new salad was added- Kristi's Grape Salad- and I signed my name next to it! I make this every year!!

Note: I've doubled the recipe in these photos! Remember, I'm making this for a crowd today. The luncheon is tomorrow.

First, you will need 8 cups of red or green grapes. Don't forget to wash them!

You will also need 1 cup of sugar, 2 8 oz. packages of cream cheese softened, and a 16 oz. container of sour cream.

Using a mixer, blend the softened cream cheese, sour cream and sugar until creamy. (Note: I should have let my cream cheese soften a little longer! Oops! It will still be delicious!)

Add cream cheese mixture to grapes. . .

. . . and fold the grapes into the cream cheese mixture.

To make the topping, mix together 1 cup pecan pieces and 1 cup brown sugar.

I divided the cream cheese/grape mixture between two crystal serving dishes. (Remember, I doubled the recipe!!!) Finally, sprinkle the pecan/brown sugar mixture over the top of the mixture! Be sure to use it all!! It may seem like a lot but it will settle into the mixture some and get all caramelly (is that a word?) and delicious! This dish is best made the day before you will be serving it!

Grape Salad (original recipe)

4 cups red or green grapes
8 oz. softened cream cheese
8 oz. sour cream
1/2 c. sugar

Mix cream cheese, sour cream, and sugar with mixer until creamy. Fold in grapes.

Topping:
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. pecan pieces

Mix together and sprinkle on top of grape mixture. Refrigerate overnight! Enjoy!