Sunday, April 19, 2009

Salad Anyone?

Since I began to serve on my church's Women's Ministry Board, I have been able to do many new things. I now publish a church newsletter for the women that has become a ministry all of its own, use Microsoft Publisher like a pro, know how to use nifty machines that fold paper into a variety of folded brochure type shapes, can speak in front of the entire church without so much as a nervous sweat...I have discovered that I very much enjoy serving my fellow sisters in Christ through leadership and organizational duties. Yesterday, I got to try something new again - prepare a salad to feed forty women! I didn't want to bring a plain salad with various bottles of dressing (although there would be nothing wrong with that), so I put together this beauty:

You should try it! (Although, you should probably scale down the amounts...)

Johanna's Extra Tasty Salad (feeds 40)

  • 9 pounds spring mix lettuce
  • 3 Granny Smith apples
  • 2 bags dried cranberries
  • 1 large bag chopped walnuts
  • 1 large purple onion
  • 2 blocks feta cheese
  • 1 recipe Apple Cider Vinegar Salad Dressing

Thinly slice the apples and toss them with 1/4 c. salad dressing to prevent browning. Thinly slice purple onion and set aside. In a large bowl, toss 4 1/2 pounds lettuce mix with half of the remaining salad dressing in a large bowl. Top this salad with half the apples, one bag of cranberries, half the onion, half the walnuts, and one block feta cheese (crumbled). Repeat this process with remaining ingredients. Serve to a large group of hungry women.

This salad was awesome! I like that there was a combination of sweet, sharp, bitter, sour, and pungent flavors and also crunchy and soft textures. Very satisfying.

I rotate off the board this June, although I am going to continuing writing the newsletter. I will miss it, but for now I need to focus on my family a bit more. I'm sure I'll be back on some day!

4 comments:

Unknown said...

That's awesome! What an accomplishment! I'm always impressed when people are able to get in front of an audience and speak with confidence. I had to do it quite a bit in school, but I can't say I ever did it with it confidence.

The salad looks interesting. I've never eaten a salad with fruit in it, but I've seen it at restaurants. Maybe I will try it out at a restaurant before I make it myself. I once ate with a friend who ordered a salad with strawberries in it and I thought it sounded so weird! But she loved it!

Krystal said...

I make a similar salad, and I throw candied pecans onto mine. I need a good recipe for the dressing, though. I'm going to print out that recipe for the dressing!

Joanna said...

I have to tell you honestly that I'm not very fond of fruit in my salad...unless you count tomatoes. I am impressed with the size of that bowl though.

Johanna said...

I cannot believe that you ladies don't like fruit in your salads! I love the contrast of sweet and savory. I like to add strawberries, apples, pears, mandarin oranges, segmented grapefruit, or halved grapes. Yum! You are just missing out! :)

Oh, and the size of the bowl was impressive! I couldn't fit it in my refrigerator! I had to make this salad right before walking out the door and taking it to church to put it in their industrial refrigerator!