Strawberry Bacon Salad

Living in Arizona, the summers are HOT...waaaay too hot to be cooking in the oven or on the stove and sometimes even too hot for the crock pot! So, we ate a lot of salads this summer and this is one of my family's favorites! I have also made this salad with other fresh fruit or combinations of fruits. Peaches, nectarines, blueberries and raspberries are all delicious in it.

SALAD:
1 head of lettuce (romaine, green or red leaf lettuce all work), chopped
2 cups fresh strawberries, sliced
1/4 cup toasted almonds, chopped
8 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled (or if you hate the smell of bacon lingering in your house for days, you can be lazy and use 1/2 cup-ish of the bacon crumbles you can buy at costco.)


DRESSING:
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup white vinegar
4 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. poppyseeds
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together until combined (or mix in your food processor). I have found that we only use about half the dressing or less for per head of lettuce in the salad, so I make a couple of salads that use this dressing over the course of a week. :)

Berry Slush

This is a great drink for when you are serving a large crowd and you want the drink to be extra pretty! It can also second as a fruit serving. I remember drinking this every year at our Young Women's Christmas Brunches and it was always something to look forward to! It does take some preparation and planning, but it is worth it! As written below this makes 40-50 servings.

2 quarts water (8 cups)
1 quart suger (4 cups)
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 cups pineapple tidbits
2 16 oz. bags frozen raspberries
2 16 oz. bags frozen blueberries
8 sliced bananas
sprite (optional)

(You could substitute 32 oz. of a frozen berry mix for the raspberries and blueberries if you prefer...I like to get the mixed berries at costco)

1-2 days before you plan to serve the drink - stir water, sugar and lemon juice together until dissolved and freeze in tupperware or bundt pan. (it doesn't have to look pretty frozen)

1 hour before serving - dump pineapple tidbits over frozen block in your serving bowl and keep out at room temp.

15 minutes before serving - mush with fork to get slushy. Add berries and bananas. Add sprite for a more liquid slush (I prefer this method).

Call for Canning Recipes and Tips

Alright all you domestic divas out there...it is the thick of canning season and we want all your best tips, secrets and recipes for canning. We would especially love any recipes for salsa, jams, stewed tomatoes, strawberry sauce and spaghetti sauce.

Canning Recipes

I am getting excited for this year's canning and preserving season! I dipped my toes in last year and was hooked. This year, I am more excited than ever about my growing garden (and I probably went a little overboard with all that we planted) because I know that we will be able to enjoy the harvest throughout the coming year.So I am looking for new recipes and I need your help! I am specifically after a strawberry sauce recipe that is canning friendly and the best recipe for canning tomatoes and tomato sauce, but post any canning/preserving recipes you want to share! Happy growing season!