Spinach Salad

We had this Sunday at Mercede's Birthday party, and Hannah wanted the recipe on the site.

Spinach Salad

1 bag baby spinach

1-2 heads romaine

2 small cans mandarin oranges

2 c swiss cheese, grated

1/2 lb cooked bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

poppy seed dressing

Optional- sliced strawberries

De-vein and clean the spinach and romaine. Tear them into bite size pieces.

Just before serving toss all the ingredients together in a bowl.

Make sure you get some before Adam eats it all. ( He loves this salad and requests it whenever we are asked to bring a salad to a function)

Poppy Seed Dressing

1/4 c. white vinegar

1/2 C. sugar

1/2 to 1 t. dry mustard

2T Dried onions or to taste

1 T Poppy Seeds or to taste

1/2 C. good olive oil (or canola oil)

Combine in blender and mix until smooth. I always taste for the sugar and adjust accordingly. Pour on salad and toss. It will keep, refrigerated, for severaI days.

I learned this recipe from Tammy, and it has been served often at weddings (can you say bags and bags of spinach?), showers, and many family dinners.

Chocolate Sheet Cake

Chocolate Sheet Cake

• 2 c. sugar
• 2 1/2 c. flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 c. hot water
• 1 tsp. soda
• 3 Tbsp. cocoa
• 1 c. oil
• 1 c. buttermilk (I use 1 Tbsp. vinegar + 1 c. milk, mix and let sit for a few minutes)
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• a few drops of red food coloring (I omit this when my family will be eating the cake, but it does give it a rich color)

Dissolve soda in hot water. Add all ingredients to a large bowl. Mix till batter is smooth. Pour into greased and floured (I just spray mine with non-stick spray) 10 1/2 x 15 cookie sheet pan. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Spread with icing while hot.

Icing

• 1/2 cup butter or margarine
• 2 Tbsp. cocoa
• 3 Tbsp. milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• powdered sugar

Melt margarine in a saucepan. Mix in cocoa and milk until well blended. Remove from heat. Add vanilla and enough sifted powdered sugar (this is one time I do make the effort to sift… I don’t want lumpy icing) until icing is creamy and a good spreading consistency.

From: The Finer Things in Life