This is one of my favorite salads-I also like to stuff a tomatoe with it also. "Sharon's Shrimp Salad" ************************ *4 cups cooked pasta (the tiny "O" ring pasta..al dente) * 1/2 lb cooked shrimp-sliced in half lengthways 1 cup thinly sliced celery 1 cup frozen green peas-cooked till just done! 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes-diced 1/2 cup diced sweet onion 1 small jar of marinated artichoke hearts, cut in chunks salt & pepper to taste grated rind & juice of 1 lemon DRESSING: ********* Equal parts of MARIE'S Blue Cheese Vinagrette (in produce case at the grocery) and Catalina dressing.Blend together & mix into the pasta salad. Mighty Tasty!!

Doris, here are three of my favorite appetizer recipes. All 3 can be made ahead. The egg rolls are frozen untill time to cook or can be cooked then reheated,(300 oven for 30 min or so) as can be the Shrimp Puffs. The Shrimp spread could be made to the point of adding the shrimp, do that after you get there and go the the fish market. All are T+T recipes we made at the deli for several years. I have made so many you would think I'd never want to see a shrimp puff or SW egg roll again, but they are soooo good! I am even trying to make and can my own raspberry sauce this year. South West Egg Rolls 2 C cooked chopped chicken breast meat 2 Tabsp oil ¼ C finely chopped red pepper ¼ C chopped green onion ½ C black beans, rinsed and drained ¾ C frozen corn ¼ C jalapeno peppers, chopped fine ¼ C frozen chopped spinach, thaw and squeeze out extra moisture 1 Tabsp parsley or cilantro, chopped 1 Tsp chili powder 1 Tsp ground cumin 1 Tsp salt ¼ Tsp cayenne pepper 2 C shredded Mexican blend cheese 10 flour tortillas, 6 inch, may need more. oil for deep frying Heat 2 Tabsp of oil in a 10" skillet over med heat. Add red pepper and green onion. Cook about 5 minutes, till tender. Add chicken, black beans, corn, jalapenos, parsley (or cilantro), spinach, chili powder, cumin, salt and cayenne. Stir while cooking about 5 minutes. Stir in cheese and remove from heat. Warm tortillas in microwave for about 1 min, to make more pliable. Spoon approx. two big tablespoons of filling in a tortilla, fold in the sides and roll up. Secure with toothpicks. I just keep filling totillas untill filling is used up. Place in a 9X13 pan, cover and freeze about 6 hrs. Heat oil in a deep pan to 375°, fry frozen egg rolls about 10 min, untill golden brown. Drain on paper towels. I have cooked without freezing but the freezing really does help to hold the rolls together and keeps the filling in place. Don't forget to remove the tooth picks before serving. Serve with sour cream or a raspberry dipping sauce. SHRIMP PUFFS 3 C cooked rice 1 lb uncooked cleaned shrimp, chopped 2 eggs ¾ C milk 1 Tabsp veg. oil 1½ tsp baking powder 1½ tsp onion powder 1 tsp salt ½ tsp pepper ¼ C minced parsley ½ tsp hot pepper sauce Oil for deep frying Separate eggs and place whites in a small bowl, beat to soft peaks. In a large bowl beat egg yolks, milk and oil. Combine flour with baking powder, onion powder and salt and pepper. Add to egg yolk mixture. Stir in rice, shrimp, parsley and hot pepper sauce. Fold egg whites into shrimp mixture. Heat oil to 350° in a deep pan. Drop shrimp batter by spoonfuls into oil and fry until golden brown. Remove and drain on paper towels. I like to serve with a honey mustard sauce. Just a couple of tabsp of honey mustard mixed into 1 C of mayo. These are also good made into a larger size for dinner instead of traditional fried shrimp. Chutney Shrimp Spread 12 oz. cream cheese 1/3 C sour cream 1/4 tsp. garlic powder 1/4 C chutney 1 C cooked shrimp, peeled and chopped Place cream cheese, sour cream,garlic powder and chutney in bowl of food processor. Process to combine but don't over process as you want small pieces of the chutney to show. Place in small bowl and stir in shrimp. Chill and serve with crackers. Makes about 2 cups. Nancy

This one tastes the most like the dressing in many of the Japanese steak houses I've visited. I have used regular vegetable oil in place of the peanut oil, if I don't have any on hand. BENIHANA GINGER SALAD DRESSING 1/2 cup minced onion 1/2 cup peanut oil 1/3 cup rice vinegar 2 Tbs. water 2 Tbs. minced fresh ginger 2 Tbs. minced celery 2 Tbs. ketchup 4 tsp. soy sauce 2 tsp. sugar 2 tsp. lemon juice 1/2 tsp. minced garlic 1/2 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. pepper Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend on high speed for about 1 minute or until all of the ingredients are well pureed. (Source: Linda in Tennessee  2001)

This is a favorite in my part of the South. Who knows what size cans we have these days, so the size can is approximate. Hot Curried Fruit 1 can (16oz.) pear halves 1 can (12oz.) pineapple chunks 1 can (16oz.) peach hlaves 1 can (16oz.) apricot halves 1 small jar maraschino cherries 1/2 to 3/4 c. dark brown sugar 1/2 t. each cinnamon and nutmeg 1 TB (or a little less) curry powder, to taste 1/3 to 1/2 c. butter, soft Arrange drained fruits in a buttered, shallow 2 qt. baking dish. Place cherries in the center of the fruits. Combine butter, sugar, and spices and crumble over the fruit. Bake at 375F for 30-40 minutes. Better if baked a day in advance and reheated just before serving. Source: Something Southern, Jr. League of Americus GA, 1976