Israeli Salad is a favorite, easy, fresh tasting, and it goes with anything. Chop equal amounts of cucumbers & tomatoes in about a 1/4 inch dice. Add your choice of other veggies...sweet onions, bell pepper, radishes, frozen corn kernels or peas, apples, pears (crisp varieties), melon, jicama, etc..you get the idea. I prefer to limit it to 4 items, so that each flavor can stand on it's own, without being too confused. Finely chop herbs of your choice. I like parsley, or mint, and sometimes one of the mint cousins like marjoram. Sometimes I use chives. Mix a dressing of extra virgin olive oil, salt and fresh lemon juice, in the proportions you favor. I like to use 2 parts of lemon juice to 1 part oil as I like the tart flavor, and tend to go easy on the salt as people can always add it at table. I love this with Meyer lemons, as the juice is on the sweet side, but you can use the more acidic varieties if that's what you have, though you may want to add a bit of sugar. Anyway, toss it all together and let it sit to "moogle" for at least 15 minutes before serving.

I use Zesty Italian dressing. Pasta, onions, green pepper, red pepper, black olives, green olives, good pepperoni, shredded parmasan cheese, and whatever else you like, but don't forget to add the salad seasoning. Add at least half a bottle! It is not pasta salad without it. It is found in the spice section of the grocery. Add the cheese last. Use the Zesty Italian dressing until it looks the right consistency, may have to add a little more before serving.

Here is another recipe I have used for many years; it always gets rave reviews. To my way of thinking, this is one of those recipes that tastes like you have spent hours preparing the dish from scratch. Toasted Almond Pudding 1 stick margarine -- melted and cooled 1 cup flour 7 ounce can coconut 1 cup blanched-slivered almonds 1/4 cup brown sugar 2 3.4 oz boxes French vanilla instant pudding 2 cups milk 8 ounce tub Cool Whip® Mix margarine, coconut, flour, brown sugar, and almonds together. Put in a large jelly roll pan or a large cookie sheet with very shallow sides. Bake at 325 degrees, stirring frequently, until mixture is brown. Cool and reserve some for topping. Mix together vanilla pudding, milk, and cool whip; chill. Spread toasted almond/coconut mixture evenly in bottom of 9 X 13 glass dish. With a light touch spread the pudding mixture evenly over the almond/coconut mixture. Sprinkle the top with reserved almond/coconut mixture. Refrigerate. NOTE: I have used this recipe for many years and have learned that browning the coconut mixture at 325 degrees is just too hot of an oven. I heat the oven to 325, then turn it down to 300 degrees. You do have to watch and stir very frequently.

I have not tried this recipe yet, just got it from a friend. However, it sounds delicious so thought I would share. 7 Layer Pasta Salad Source: http://www.deepsouthdish.com/2013/08/7-layer-pasta-salad.html DRESSING: 1 package dry Ranch salad dressing mix 1 cup real mayonnaise 1 cup buttermilk 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley 2 teaspoons granulated sugar 1/8 cup sliced green onion 1/4 teaspoon Cajun seasoning (1/4 to 1/2 to taste), optional Freshly cracked black pepper to taste SALAD: 2 cups fresh chopped broccoli 1/4 pound farfalle bowtie pasta (about 2 cups dry) 2 cups thinly shredded lettuce 2 cups chopped cooked chicken, smoked ham or turkey 1 cup frozen green peas -- thawed 1 large slicing tomato -- seeded and diced 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese GARNISH: 2 slices bacon -- cooked and crumbled 1 tablespoon sliced green onion Mix the salad dressing ingredients and set aside. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add plenty of salt. Add the raw broccoli, return to a boil and let cook for about a minute. Remove and plunge the broccoli into iced water to stop the cooking process, but reserve the water for cooking the pasta. Add the pasta and cook al dente according to the package directions. Drain and rinse pasta with cold water to stop the cooking process; set aside until cooled and no longer steaming. When ready to prepare the salad, toss the pasta with 2 tablespoons of the dressing mix. To layer, add lettuce to the bottom of a clear bowl approximately 3 quarts in size, and top with layers of the meat, broccoli, pasta, peas, tomatoes and the cheese. Pour the remaining dressing on top and if serving right away, sprinkle the top with the chopped bacon and 1 tablespoon of sliced green onions. Toss before serving. May also prepare, cover and refrigerate up to 6 hours. Bring to room temperature and wait to add garnishes before serving. Serves 8 Cook's Notes: Substitute 2 cups of a bottled Ranch or other flavored dressing if desired. May also use different pasta shapes or cooked cheese tortellini, and substitute thawed, frozen broccoli in place of the fresh. Substitute other cooked proteins, such as seafood. Additional suggestions for layers: Sliced or chopped red or sweet onion, sliced or chopped red, green or yellow bell peppers, drained, chopped pimentos or roasted red peppers, sliced or roughly chopped boiled eggs, sliced black or green olives, chopped avocado that has been tossed in fresh lime juice, well drained and chopped marinated artichoke hearts, fresh pan sauteed or steamed chopped asparagus, or a variety of canned beans that have been drained and rinsed are all good choices.