Fruit Ambrosia - Susanna Winston

1 cup coconut
1 cup small marshmallows
1 cup mandarin oranges
1 cup grapes
1 cup drained fruit cocktail
1/2 cup sour cream
3/4 cup cool whip
chopped pecans - optional (but makes it wonderful!)

Mix and chill before serving

Apple-Pear salad with lemon-poppyseed dressing

  Being over-stocked with pears last week, I put some effort into finding some recipes to use them up before they spoiled. I ran across this salad recipe I ripped out of a Southern Living Magazine several years ago, but never made.  It was so good, it's a shame I didn't make it sooner! I tweaked it using the ingredients I had on hand, which I put in parentheses.

1 (16 oz.) package romaine lettuce, thoroughly washed (I used baby spinach)

1 (16 oz.) block swiss cheese, shaved (I omitted the cheese)

1 cup roasted, salted cashews

1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries

1 large apple, thinly sliced (I used 2)

1 large pear, thinly sliced (I used 2)

Lemon-poppyseed dressing

2/3 cup light olive oil

1/2 cup sugar (I used evaporated cane juice, but you could use honey, maple syrup, or agave nectar)

1/3 cup lemon juice

1 1/2 Tbsp. poppy seeds

2 tsp. finely chopped onion

1 tsp. Dijon mustard (I used honey-mustard)

pinch salt

Process 2/3 cup light olive oil and remaining ingredients in a blender until smooth.  Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to one week; serve at room temperature.