Fall Celebration Salad

 

This truly is a wonderful salad and one that will go over well at any celebration with family and friends. My friend, Terrie, brought a variation of this salad to our Labor Day party we hosted up at our lake cabin this year. Here are some pics from the lake and, of course, one of my dear friend, Terrie. Our cabin is seasonal so when Labor Day rolls around I start to get a bit sad. I know that the cooler weather is soon to follow and we'll have to close the cabin up before or shortly after the first freeze.

 

 

 

Alright, let's get to this salad. The older I get, the more I appreciate the freshness of a salad. . .the more my body appreciates it as well. For this salad, you'll need fresh spinach, olive oil, red wine vinegar, blue cheese crumbles, sliced red onion, avocado, diced Roma tomatoes, raspberry jam with seeds and Salad Pizazz -Raspberry Cranberry Walnut Frisco (like I used) or you can use toasted chopped walnuts and dried cranberries. Just for the record, Terrie used the walnuts and cranberries. It turns out fabulous whichever you choose.

 

Start by dicing up your tomatoes (I used 3) and slicing up about ½ red onion.

 

 

 

My almost two-year-old is present during almost every recipe I do for this blog. I can't wait until she's ready to start helping in the kitchen. She absolutely loves kittens and puppies right now. This is her favorite puppy that she loves to feed her "magic" milk and juice to. Forget baby dolls, it's all about puppies.

 

 

 

Next, wash your spinach and tear into bite-sized pieces.

 

 

Add your tomatoes and onions to the spinach and throw in an avocado or two (peeled, pitted and diced). Now sprinkle in 1 cup Salad Pizazz -Raspberry Cranberry Walnut Frisco (Or you can use ½ cup toasted chopped walnuts and ½ cup dried cranberries). Toss gently and sprinkle on some blue cheese crumbles.

 

 

To make the dressing, combine 2 tablespoons red raspberry jam (with seeds), 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar and ⅓ cup olive oil. Mix until you're not seeing any more "separation" occur. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper in there for good measure.

 

 

Add the dressing "to taste." A little of this dressing can go a long way. I wouldn't suggest pouring it all on. You'll end up with a really soggy salad. Instead, add a little at a time and toss gently to mix. If you're making this salad for a party, take the dressing along with you and toss it in right before serving. Once the dressing has been mixed in, you'll want to eat it right away.

And as far as leftovers, there won't be any left anyway so you shouldn't have to worry about it. If you're just making this for your family, you could always just add dressing to half of the salad and whip up a little more dressing the next day to eat the rest. Try this recipe for your next get together or potluck. I promise you'll have people asking for the recipe. And when they do, please send them here! I'd love to have them as MY guests as well!