This is our families all time favorite salad! It goes perfectly with any main dish and can become a main dish when you add chicken or pork.

Spinach salad recipe

Fresh spinach

Pears or apples cut up

Mandarin oranges, fresh raspberries or strawberries

Small handful of shredded mozzarella cheese

Honey roasted slivered almonds

Craisins

Brianna's poppy seed dressing along with a tablespoon of real maple syrup! Or Brianna's blush wine vinegarette is also a favorite! (This is my own suggestions I am not being compensated)

I LOVE fresh Green Beans when they are cooked properly...no mushy beans for me! The secret is to blanch or par boil for 5- 7 minutes depending on how thick they are and then plunging them into ice water to keep them bright green and stop the cooking process. Then dry them and either store them for up to 2 days in the fridge or sauté them for just a few minutes in olive oil until heated through add salt and pepper!

Green Bean Recipe

Fresh green beans (approx. a handful per person washed and trimmed)

1/4 cup sliced onions (less or more depending on taste)

1-2 tbls Olive oil

1/4 cup slivered almonds

1/4 c craisins

After beans have been blanched set aside. In a frying pan add 2 tbs olive oil and heat on med. high heat, add onions and sauté for a few minutes or until softened, add green beans, nuts and craisins and sauté until the nuts just start to brown a little and beans are nice and hot, season with salt and pepper...Yum!

One more deliciously addicting thing I like to serve with French bread....and there is never leftovers....is herb butter...it is so addicting...EVERYBODY goes nuts over herb butter on bread, vegetables, potatoes and fingers :)

Herb butter

1 cube butter

Fresh herbs..we like thyme, oregano, sage, basil and rosemary

Pinch of salt

I take some of these herbs and mix them up on my cutting board and finely finely chop. I remove any woody stems prior to chopping..I would say I usually have about a tablespoon give or take of the chopped herbs when I am done chopping, and then I mix it into the butter with a fork and add a tiny pinch of salt to bring out the flavors...and BOOM BABY..you have the best tasting butter ever!!! ...oh and you might want to pick up an extra loaf of your favorite French bread because everyone eats at least 3 slices each!!

Enjoy!

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