With the arrival of Facebook, I quit blogging. But here’s the thing - as I read my old blogs, I’m carried away with the memories. Facebook just cannot take the place of a blog where I share my thoughts. 

I started back in February because I couldn’t figure out how to add a recipe to Pinterest from my talk with ChatGPT, so I had to put it here and then link to Pinterest  

Therefore here is another recipe that interested me that I will add to Pinterest and I think I’m going to start blogging my thoughts again  

Curried Fruit

1 very large can peach halves

1 small can apricots,

1 very large can pears,

3 small cans pineapple pieces,

10 Maraschino cherries

Drain fruit and turn into a glass Pyrex pan over which a mixture of 1/3 cup melted butter, 3/4 cup packed brown sugar, and 4 teaspoons curry powder has been poured.

The trick is to bake the mixture slowly, at 325ºF, and to baste it frequently.

Then let the casserole come to room temp and cool and if possible, chill for at least a day and reheat when you are ready to serve. The flavors will bloom.

Curried fruit can be covered with foil and taken straight from oven to table.

 

 

 

I love this salad kit from WalMart and the dressing is fabulous - it’s sweet and just plain yummy. David and I gobbled it up. 

ChatGPT helped me figure out a copycat recipe for the salad and the dressing. If you make it let me know what you think. 

 

Sunflower Bacon Crunch Power Bowl

MarketSide copycat – entrée size

Serves 2 large bowls or 3–4 side salads

 

Sweet Onion Dressing (packet style)

Ingredients

½ cup mayonnaise

3 tbsp white vinegar

3–4 tbsp sugar (start with 3, add more if you like it sweeter)

1 tsp onion powder

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp black pepper

1 tbsp neutral oil (vegetable/canola)

2–4 tbsp water (until pourable)

 

Optional “make it taste store-bought”

¼ tsp xanthan gum

tiny pinch smoked paprika or celery seed
(shouldn’t taste smoky — just deeper)

 

Directions

Whisk or blend until smooth.
Refrigerate at least 1 hour (huge difference).

 

Greens Mix

2 cups chopped green cabbage

1 cup chopped green leaf lettuce

1 cup chopped kale

¼–½ cup shredded red cabbage

Chop small like the kit.

 

Cheese

¼–⅓ cup grated or shaved Romano/Parmesan
(dry & salty works best)

 

Bacon

¼–⅓ cup bacon crumbles
(Store bacon bits = very close to kit flavor)

 

Crunch

2–3 tbsp roasted salted sunflower kernels

 

Optional extras

small handful shredded carrots

light sprinkle dried cranberries

 

Protein (for power bowl)

Add 4–6 oz per person of:

grilled chicken

crispy chicken

or rotisserie chicken

Warm is best 👍

 

Assembly (restaurant method)

Put greens in bowl

Add cheese

Add bacon

Pour dressing

Toss very well

Add chicken

Add sunflower seeds last

Seeds stay crunchy this way.

 

Café Upgrade Moves (pick 1–2)

squeeze lemon on chicken

extra cheese

flaky salt

fresh cracked pepper

drizzle more dressing

avocado

pickled red onion

roasted sweet potatoes

hot honey

 

If you follow this, you’ll get:

✅ sweet
✅ creamy
✅ oniony
✅ crunchy
✅ salty
✅ filling