Monday, March 3, 2008

Spinach & Fruit Salad

This is my new favorite salad, and it's from my new favorite cookbook! It's called Country Home Cooking by Marjorie Anna Rohrer (a local in these parts); and it was one of the gifts Jeff gave me on Valentine's Day, so it's extra special to me. :) And, let's face it, you just gotta love a cookbook that includes recipes for:
~ Homemade "Fizzy" Root Beer
~ Farmer's Breakfast
~ Mollie's Squash Rolls
~ Great Grandma Knicely's Soft Sugar Cookies
~ Spring Tonic "Joggin' In a Jug"
~ Washday Dinner
~ "Old Lady on a Bus" Chicken
Looks like my family can look forward to sampling lots of fun, new recipes! :)

This particular salad caught my eye immediately and was the first thing I tried from the cookbook. Here is the recipe:
2 qts. fresh spinach, torn
1/4 small sweet onion, diced
1 qt. strawberries, sliced OR
2-3 cans mandarin oranges, drained
1/2 c. toasted, sliced almonds or pecans
1/2 c. feta cheese, crumbled

Dressing:
1/2 c. sugar
1/3 c. vinegar*
2 Tbsp. honey
1/2 c. oil

Mix together and pour over salad ingredients just before serving. Looks pretty and is delicious!
*I use red wine or raspberry vinegar. Purchased raspberry vinaigrette dressing is very good, too. 1 Tbsp. poppy seeds may be added to the dressing for variety.

When I made it, I used strawberries, not mandarin oranges (though I'd like to try it with the oranges sometime), and slivered almonds, not pecans. I used red wine vinegar and olive oil in the dressing.

It really was an easy salad to make, and I loved it. I always love fruited salads though (fruited anything, for that matter); but even Jeff who doesn't always care for fruit in salads, liked this one very much. My parents were here that evening for dinner, of course; and my dad's comment was, "It seems like something that would be served at the Joshua Wilton House!" (which is a fancy schmancy B&B here in our town). I took that as a high compliment. :)

One of the nice things about this cookbook is the poems and sayings scattered throughout. Some are funny, some are thought-provoking. The one at the bottom of the page where this recipe appears says this: Serving food is not about impressing people, it's about making them feel comfortable. Knowing the Mennonite heritage that Marjorie Rohrer comes from, I think it's safe to say that normally both goals are accomplished by these famous Mennonite cooks. They make you feel right at home, just like a part of the family; but along the way, we find ourselves impressed, to say the least!

1 comment:

Bonnie said...

I too love salads like this! One of the best ones I've had was with blueberries, provolone cheese, red onion, sugared almonds, spinach, and raspberry viniagrette.
I'll have to see if by chance our library has this cookbook, With a recipe called "Old lady on a bus chicken", I have to see it for myself!