Honey Lime Fruit Salad

Another winner from Melanie at My Kitchen Cafe, this salad was a perfect compliment to the BBQ chicken and steak we had with a group of friends. I have a hard time with the texture of canned madarin oranges, so I actually opted to use fresh fruit instead of canned. It did make it more expensive, but I didn't mind. To me, there is nothing better than fresh fruit during the summer! Yum!

Honey Lime Fruit Salad

1 (20 oz.) can pineapple chunks, drained well (I used one small fresh pineapple, peeled and diced)

1 can mandarin oranges, drained well (I used 2 fresh oranges, peeled and diced)

2-3 ripe kiwi, peeled and sliced into thick half moons

1 cup green grapes, halved

1 cup strawberries, quartered

Zest from one lime (I also added a squeeze or two of fresh lime juice)

about 1 tablespoon2 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon poppy seeds (optional- I left them out)

Combine the fruit in a medium-large serving bowl. Add the lime zest and poppy seeds, if using, and gently toss. Drizzle the honey over the fruit and again, gently mix until the fruit is evenly coated with the honey. Serve.

**Note: This fruit salad is best served right away (or at least within an hour of making) because the strawberries tend to stain the light colored fruit. It doesn't affect the taste at all but is a slight bummer for presentation.

Pistachio Fruit Salad

After I had my second baby, a good friend brought me dinner and as dessert, she made this. It is quite possibly the most delicious fruit salad I have ever had! My absolute favorite part was the tiny pistachios from the pudding mix that are crunchy and almost remind me of toffee bits. I am so glad that I asked her for the recipe because it is something I'll be making again and again. Plus, it is very versatile as you can use whatever fruit you want. I chose to use grapes and oranges, but you could use anything you want. I wanted to put bananas in it, but I knew we would have leftovers and I didn't want them to go brown. I listed the ingredients below, but besides the pudding and whipped topping, it is more of a guideline. So use as much or as little of the fruit and marshmallows that you want.

Pistachio Fruit Salad

1 box of pistachio pudding mix (the 4 serving one)
1 large container of frozen whipped topping, thawed
mini marshmallows, either fruit flavored or regular, as many as desired
around 2 cups chopped fruit, either fresh or canned

Combine pudding mix with whipped topping. Fold in marshmallows and fruit. Chill until ready to serve.

Italian Pasta Salad

I took this dish to a dinner we were invited to, and everyone seemed to like it. The recipe is mostly to taste and is completely versatile as it is easy to adjust it to your family's preferences. (Sorry the picture is a little blurry!)

Italian Pasta Salad

16 oz. small pasta (you could use elbow macaroni, rotini, pinwheels, etc.)
Chopped veggies of your choice (cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, red onion, etc.)
Pepperoni (either use the small pepperoni pieces, or cut larger slices into fourths)
Freshly grated parmesan cheese (we used about 1-1/2 cups)
Italian dressing (bottled or homemade is fine; we used about 1-1/2 cups)


Cook pasta according to directions on package. Allow to cool in refrigerator (if you coat the pasta with a little bit of either olive oil or the dressing, it will help it not stick together).
Once pasta is cooled, combine all ingredients and mix until well combined. Serve salad chilled.

Salata de Beouff: Romanian Potato Salad

First of all, sorry for the picture. I know it isn't the greatest, but this dish is really hard to get a good picture of. :)

My husband served his mission in Romania and this was one of his favorite dishes to eat while he was there. I was fortunate enough to meet one of his friends that lives in Romania, and luckily for my husband, I was able to pick up a few Romanian recipes. I've made this potato type salad several times, and I'm yet to find someone who doesn't like it. It's a very rustic recipe, so there aren't any real measurements so you can make it suit your family's tastes. One disclaimer though- I've adapted the original recipe to fit my every day lifestyle. If you are interested in the full blown-out version, you can find the recipe on my other blog here. I've been told that the best way to serve this is with a great bread to scoop the salad up with. (I make a very simple pan bread to serve with it. Then we tear off chunks of bread and then scoop some of the salad onto the bread and eat it.) We can eat this version's yield for 2-3 meals between just me and my husband, so it does make a lot. However, like I mentioned earlier, this recipe is very forgiving and also very easy to reduce.

Salata de Beouff: Romanian Potato Salad

5-6 potatoes (I've used both reds and russets with good results- I prefer the russets though)
1 can (or about 2 cups) of sweet peas*** (I've used both canned and frozen/thawed)
1 whole dill pickle (I usually just use 2 dill pickle spears)
2-3 carrots***
2-3 chicken breasts
1 small jar mayonnaise
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste

Peel potatoes and carrots. In a large pot, boil potatoes, carrots and chicken until the chicken is cooked and the potatoes are fork tender (Note: don't overcook the potatoes or else dicing them will be impossible). Remove from the water and allow to cool. Dice the potatoes, carrots, chicken, and pickles into small, uniform pieces. Combine diced ingredients with peas and mayonnaise until desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Chill and serve with paine (a crusty bread).

Chicken Salad

I skeptically made this dish a couple weeks ago. I didn't think that fruit would taste good mixed with chicken in some mayo. But it was delicious! Who'd have thought? We serve it on homemade pitas as a sandwich spread with either fresh fruit or salad on the side.

Chicken Salad

2 1/2 cups diced and chilled, cooked chicken meat (about 2 breasts)
1 cup chopped celery(optional- I didn't use this, but all it would do is add crunch to the salad )
2 green onions finely diced (I diced the green and white part of the onions)
1 cup sliced, seedless grapes (I used apples instead- granny smith are our favorite so far)
1/2 cup sliced almonds (I didn't use, but again would add crunch)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (or 2 tsp dried parsley, which is what I used)
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup mayonnaise (I found that 1 cup was too much for my taste. When I remade it I used 3/4 cup and it tasted better to me.)
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

In a medium bowl, whip cream to soft peaks. Combine meat, celery, green onion, grapes/apples, almonds, parsley, salt, and mayonnaise with whipped cream. Chill and serve.