2 Summer Salads!!!

Hi all! It is going to be soooo hot this weekend here in NC- a perfect time for Summer Salad Saturdays! This little blog party is hosted by KD at Southern Whimsy. Make sure to check it out-we're sure there are going to be some yummy new recipes shared.

Pattie's summer salad:

So my contribution this week is a very refreshing Watermelon Feta Salad. As I plated it, I realized that it would be perfect to serve on the Fourth-check out the beautiful colors.

Here are the ingredients-VERY quick and easy:

1/2 a watermelon (for this pic I used some pre-packaged from Harris Teeter)

1 small onion (i like Vidalia or a sweet white), sliced into very thin rings

1/4 cup wine vinegar (my new favorite is infused with pomegranite-a gorgeous ruby color)

salt and pepper to taste

about 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

a good handfull of chopped basil or mint

4 ounces or more (I like extra) crumbled feta cheese

garnish with a few whole mint or basil leaves

The chopped mint smells SOOOO good!

Okay-cut the melon in bite-size cubes and combine in a bowl with onion and feta.

Whisk together remaining ingredients and pour over melon mix. Fold all together till everything is coated. To serve, use a slotted spoon to put a mound on top of a plate of mixed greens. You may sprinkle with more crumbled feta and garnish with mint or basil leaves.

This salad is best served very col-chill for 15 minutes before serving and enjoy!

Allie's summer salad:

ok, so my contribution to this post is a macaroni salad. It's my favorite salad. ^_^ My mom usually makes it for me but I made it this time so I could make it the way I like it. :]

The ingredients for my version of this summery macaroni salad are:
- red bell peppers (seeded and chopped)
- 1 can of large pitted black olives (sliced)
- a pound of elbow macaroni (cooked aldente or in other words, cooked but not mushy)
- a small bag of frozen peas (dumped in with the elbow macaroni during the last 3 minutes of cooking, drained together, and rinsed with well with cold water, then drained again)
- Cucumber (chopped)
- 1-2 pints of brape or cherry tomatoes
- mixture of mayo, Ranch dressing, a bit of milk, and pepper to taste
(my mom usually puts in red onions, but i Hate raw onions so i didnt include it in my version ;]
and we also didnt have any cucumbers so I just didnt include that in the salad)

okay, so when I started making my Summer salad. I started by boiling water for the elbow macaroni to cook and started to cut the red peppers.....

and slice the olives. i also put in the peas with the macaroni for the last 3 minutes

(this was especially hard, i loveeee olives ^_^ i wanted to eat them but my mom wouldnt let me :( )

by now, the peas and macaroni are done, once they are done being drained and rinsed, they vegetables all get mixed in with the macaroni and peas.

next, now we put mayo, ranch dressing, and a bit of milk in a bowl whisked together till it has the consistency of very soft whipped cream. (it should look kinda creamy) and add pepper to taste

after making that mixture, you want to add it to your salad and mix with a large spoon until the entire bowl of salad is completely covered in this mixture. then you add the cherry/grape tomatoes and mix until they are covered as well. and then you can put a few on top to look nice. when your done it should look something like this...

this salad is perfect for BBQs or picnics and is very summery. but remember, it has to be refrigerated if it isnt being served or the veggies will go bad.

So thanks, Mrs. Whimsy for hosting and everyone have a great summer weekend!

READ! COMMENT! FOLLOW! ^_^ <3

Allie and Pattie