Moo's Salmon Aspic Mousse

2 env. unflavored gelatin
2 cans jellied madrilene
2 cans salmon (you could substitute 2 pounds of fresh poached salmon)
1/4 cup Miracle Whip
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup sour cream

Soften gelatin in 1 can of madrilene in a large sauce pan over low heat. Stir constantly until gelatin is dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in the second can of madrilene. Measure out 1/2 cup of the mixture and set aside for the moment. Stir wine into the remaining madrilene mix in the sauce pan. Drain salmon, bone and flake (or flake your freshly poached salmon). Put salmon in a large bowl. Beat in the 1/2 cup of gelatin mixture and the Miracle Whip. Fold sour cream into the salmon mixture.

Pour gelatin wine mixture into a fish-shaped mold and chill until almost set. Then pour in salmon mixture and chill mold overnight.

When ready to serve, unmold salad and garnish with greens. You may want a little extra Miracle Whip on the side in a bowl. We like to tint it a light green.

Moo's Exotic Chicken Salad

This is a very good salad that's easy to make and hard to resist. Moo wrote up this recipe to enable you to make as large a salad as you need to feed your family and guests.

Cooked chicken, diced
Celery, sliced
Water chestnuts, sliced
Seedless grapes, sliced in half
Slivered almonds
Mayonnaise
Curry powder
Soy sauce

Combine 2 parts diced, cooked chicken with 1 part sliced celery, 1 part sliced water chestnuts, 1 part seedless grapes (sliced in half) and 1 part slivered almonds. Mix in mayonnaise to create the consistency you prefer. Season with curry powder and soy sauce to taste. Mix well, mound on lettuce and surround with lichee fruit.

Moo's Cold Shrimp-Stuffed Avocado

There are about 2 1/2 feet of snow on the ground here in Maine, and I guess I'm sorta dreaming of the summer sun. Also my brother reports that it's 70 degrees in Southern California. So here's a little summer treat for him. In fact, you can enjoy this summer palate pleaser anytime.

3 large avocados
Juice of 1 lemon
1 pound cooked shrimp, coarsely chopped (But put 6 whole shrimp aside)
1 jalapeno chili, finely chopped
1 hard-boiled egg, chopped
2 dozen pitted black olives, coarsely chopped
Mayonnaise
Salt & pepper to taste
3 T coriander, minced

Carefully cut avocado in half. Remove pit and scoop out the avocado flesh. Keep the shell halves intact because you'll be refilling them and using them like little bowls. Put avocado in in a bowl, sprinkle with lemon juice (this will help keep avocado from turning brown). Mash avocado, then add chopped shrimp, jalapeno, egg, and olives. Mix. Add mayonnaise to the consistency and taste of your choice. Season with salt and pepper. Fill the 6 avocado shells equally. Sprinkle top with coriander and top each with a whole shrimp.

Moo's Marinated Mushroom Salad

1 1/4 lbs small mushrooms
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup parsley, chopped

Marinade
6 T olive oil
2 T lemon juice
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp. whole black pepper, crushed
1/2 tsp. whole coriander seed
1/2 tsp. whole mustard seed
1/2 tsp. salt

Wash mushrooms and remove stems. Add mushrooms to a sauce pan of boiling salted water (enough water to cover mushrooms). Simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. Drain and let mushrooms cool. Set aside. Mix together olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, pepper, coriander seed, mustard seed, and salt. Add mushrooms, onion and parsley. Blend thoroughly. Cover and chill, stirring occasionally. Set aside for at least 2 hours (best overnight). Serve in the marinade.

Moo's Maui Papaya Salad

On one of the family's trips to Hawaii, Moo had a room with a small kitchen. And she had access to all the wonderful fruit and seafood. This recipe was the result. A Hawaiian palate pleaser.

1 head lettuce, torn to bite-size pieces
1 bunch watercress, stems removed
1 pound cooked shrimp, lobster, crabmeat (any one or all)
1 papaya, peeled, halved, seeds removed
1 can hearts of palm

Dressing
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup pineapple juice
2 T white vinegar
2 T ketchup
salt and pepper to taste

Select a very fresh, flavorful lettuce, mound seafood in center. Slice papaya and arrange in a pinwheel around the seafood. slice palm heart and arrange around seafood. Decorate center with a few watercress leaves.

Moo's Cold Poached Salmon w/ Cucumber Salad

Nothing says summer party favorite like cold salmon. Moo had several recipes, and this is a favorite...a real palate pleaser.

4 salmon steaks, about 3/4" thick

Stock for Poaching
1 cup water
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 small onion, sliced
1 small carrot, sliced
2-3 parsley sprigs
1 small bay leaf
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. peppercorns

Green Sauce
2 egg yolks
1 T prepared mustard
1 T lemon juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
3/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup parsley, minced
1/3 cup watercress, minced
1/3 cup spinach, minced
1 tsp. sage, crumbled

Cucumber Salad
2 T olive oil
1 T lemon juice
2 tsp red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
2 medium cucumbers, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded and sliced thin
1 T fresh dill weed
Mix oil, lemon juice, vinegar, salt and pepper. Add cucumber slices and dill weed. Toss.

Prepare Green Sauce: With a small whisk, beat egg yolks, mustard, lemon juice, salt and pepper until well blended. Slowly beat in oil, drop by drop at first and then in a thin stream until mixture forms mayonnaise. Fold in parsley, watercress, spinach and sage. Refrigerate overnight.

Poach Salmon: In skillet, bring stock ingredients to a boil. Add salmon steaks, cover and simmer until fish flakes easily (about 10 minutes). Do not overcook. Cool salmon in stock at room temperature. Carefully transfer steaks to serving platter with slotted spatula. Spoon on some green sauce (serve remainder on the side). Garnish and serve with cucumber salad.

Moo's Gingered Melon Balls

Let the quality and ripeness of the melon in your supermarket dictate what melon you choose. They're all good. Enjoy a palate pleaser.

6 cups melon balls
3 T honey
1/2 cup crystallized ginger, finely chopped
Garnish with mint leaves and a little more chopped crystallized ginger.


Combine the melon balls with honey and crystallized ginger. Spoon fruit into a large glass compote or serving dish. Cover and chill until you're ready to serve. Garnish with fresh mint leaves and a little chopped crystallized ginger.

Kendra's Cold Zucchini with Salsa Verde

You have a few options with this recipe. You can serve it as an appetizer or as a salad. With the exception of the herbs, I did not tell you how to chop the vegetables. This should be your preference. Some people like a smooth salsa, others like it chunky. Personally, I think you might want to blend in food processor until smooth if you are serving this as a salad.

8-10 small zucchini, trimmed and cut in half lengthwise
1 cup fresh parsley, chopped coarsely
1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 small onion, chopped
4 anchovy fillets
3 t. capers
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 shallot, chopped
1 tsp. seasoned salt
1 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/2 cup fresh basil, finely chopped
Ground pepper to taste

Cook zucchini in boiling salted water for about 4 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold water to cool quickly. Drain. Refrigerate. Combine coarsely chopped parsley with olive oil, lemon juice, onion, anchovies, capers, garlic, shallot and salt in food processor. Blend on pulse so you can control the consistency. Transfer to a bowl for serving and stir in finely chopped parsley and basil. Season with pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate until cold.

When ready to serve, arrange zucchini on cold platter. For appetizers, slice zucchini into sticks and serve salsa in a bowl for dipping. As a side dish/salad, arrange zucchini halves on cold plate and spoon salsa over the top.

Moo's Cauliflower Salad

This is a vegetable salad of cauliflower, celery and onion (I think you could easily add some sliced carrots too). Moo received this recipe from a friend, but she then took the recipe apart and recreated it. The lemon dressing makes it a Moo palate pleaser.

fresh cauliflower, sliced
celery, sliced
raw onion, chopped
salt & pepper

Lemon Dressing
2 large lemons, use juice of both and grated rind of one
2 T sugar
3 large egg yolks, slightly beaten
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1 cup sour cream

Lightly beat the egg yolks and set aside. Combine lemon juice, sugar, salt and pepper. Reserve the rind. Bring ingredients slowly to a boil, swirling the pan to dissolve the sugar. Stir a little of the hot juice into the egg yolks to warm them. Return all the egg mixture to the juice saucepan over low heat. Whisk briskly until the eggs have thickened slightly. Remove from heat and immediately whisk in sour cream and rind. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

Pour over vegetables, mix well and serve.

Moo's Avocado-Chicken Salad

It's a simple salad but always good for a quick, light lunch.

2 ripe avocados
2 cups chicken, cooked, diced
2 eggs, hard boiled, sliced
2 T sweet red pepper, diced
2 T coriander, finely chopped
1 cup celery, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
pinch of tarragon
salt to taste
pepper to taste
3 T lemon juice
Romaine lettuce leaves, cherry tomatoes, cucumber slices

Combine the first 10 ingredients and toss with lemon juice. Serve on a bed of lettuce and garnish with tomatoes and cucumbers.

Imperial Moo Chicken Salad

This is a palate pleasing salad with an Asian flavor.

2 large chicken breasts, boned
1/3 cup sherry
1/4 cup soy sauce
6 thin slices ginger

Olive oil for frying

1/2 head iceberg lettuce, shredded
6 scallions, chopped
1/2 cup almonds, toasted and chopped
1/4 cup sesame seeds, toasted

2-3 ounces of Chinese rice sticks or bean thread

Dressing
1/2 cup olive oil
2 T lemon juice
1 T plus 1 t. soy sauce
3 t. sesame oil
2 t. dry mustard
2 t. sugar
1 t. fresh ginger, minced
1/2 t. hot chili oil

Combine sherry, soy sauce and ginger slices to create marinade. Marinate chicken breasts for several hours (overnight, if possible). Turn chicken breasts over a couple times. When ready to cook, drain chicken breasts, pat dry and lightly salt. Then coat with cornstarch. Refrigerate for an hour to allow cornstarch to set.

Heat olive oil in skillet and deep fry chicken breasts for about 5 minutes per side or until golden and crisp and cooked through. Drain chicken on paper towel then slice into bite-sized pieces. Place in a large bowl. Add lettuce, scallions, almonds, sesame seeds.

Heat olive oil in skillet or wok. Deep fry rice sticks or bean threads. They will puff up very quickly. Drain, salt lightly and add to salad. Mix dressing ingredients, add to salad, toss and serve.

Blue Cheese and Pear Mousse

Okay, at first glance this may not seem too exciting, but let me give you a little context. Moo would often make a quick salad for dinner consisting of cold, canned pear halves covered with a little blue cheese dressing and a little crumbled blue cheese sprinkled on top. It's a terrific combination. Also Moo was an active cook during the hayday of gelatin mold salads. My sister, brother and I grew up on those things. And while I was never a big fan of the molded salad in general, I do have some favorites. This is one. Personaly I think the gelatin mold is about due to make a great reappearance on the cooking scene...everything old is new again. This one is worth trying...a real palate pleaser. Enjoy!

Lightly oil and chill a 5 cup ring or mold
1 envelope gelatin
1 1 lb. can of pears
6 oz. Blue cheese, room temperature
3 oz. Cream cheese, room temperature
Pinch of salt
Reserved gelatin
½ cup sugar
1 cup cream, whipped

Soften the gelatin for 5 minutes in the liquid from the pears. Then dissolve it over simmering water. Set aside for the moment. Drain pears, pat dry, dice and set aside.
In a bowl, beat blue and cream cheese, salt, and gelatin. Whip until light. Gradually add the sugar so you can control sweetness to your taste. Continue beating until the sugar is dissolved. Chill until it just begins to set. Whip cream, then fold into cheese mixture. Mix thoroughly. Arrange diced pears in the bottom of the chilled mold. Then transfer the cheese mixture to mold, covering pears. Chill thoroughly.

Moo's Taco Salad

Want a fast way to make tacos for a crowd? So did Moo. She developed her own version of the taco salad. This is a palate pleaser every time.

1 head lettuce, chopped
2-3 tomatoes, diced
1 cup Longhorn or cheddar cheese, grated
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 avocado, sliced
1 lb. ground round
1 onion, sliced
Medium bag of Fritos or other tortilla chips

Dressing
1 cup mayonnaise
¾ cup chili sauce
1 hard-boiled egg, chopped
2 Mexican chili pepper (clean out seeds first)
Juice of ½ lemon
Salt, pepper and garlic pepper to taste

Brown and cook ground beef with onions until fully cooked and onion soft. Add the beans. Set aside to cool. Cut up lettuce, dice tomatoes, add cheese. Pour on the warm meat mixture. Break up the chips and add. Pour on the dressing. Toss and serve.

Moo's Potato Salad

There are certain recipes that are as individualistic as the family, region or nationality that cooks them. Potato salad definitely falls into this classification. Moo was so devoted to her own potato salad that she wouldn't even try anyone else's. I have to admit that I'm a fan of hers too...but then it is what I grew up on. Give it a try and let me know if this is a palate pleaser for you too.

4 large potatoes peeled and cooked in boiled salted water till tender but not mushy
When cool, cut into bite-size chunks
Hard boil 6-8 eggs, cool and chop in bite-size chunks
Finely chop at least 1 large onion
Add1-1 ½ T celery seed
Bind with Miracle Whip and mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
Let sit overnight. Taste to adjust seasoning.
Serves 8.

Chinese Noodle Salad w/Spicy Peanut Sauce

I love this salad. In my book, it's a real palate pleaser. Moo knew I liked anything with Asian peanut sauce so she came up with this one for me. Of course, Thai cooking uses a lot of peanut sauce...Chinese less, which makes this a bit more unusual. If you're an Asian peanut sauce fan, you have to try this.

Salad
1 package (8 oz) fine egg noodles
2 t. vegetable oil
1 bunch broccoli (c. 1 ½ lb) or 2 packages (10 oz each) of frozen broccoli spears, thawed
2 c. (½ lb) roast pork, cut into thin strips
4 c. (8 oz) fresh bean sprouts
2 c. shredded Chinese cabbage (iceberg lettuce can do in a pinch)
1 c. slivered radishes

Sauce
¼ c. creamy peanut butter
¼ c. warm water
¼ c. chopped green onions
2 garlic cloves, crushed
¼ c. soy sauce
¼ c. peanut oil (vegetable oil okay)
2 T wine vinegar
4 T sugar
1 t. salt
½ t. cayenne pepper

Cook egg noodles. Drain, rinse, drain again. Place in bowl, toss with 2 t. oil. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours. Trim enough stalk from broccoli so you have about 2” of flowerettes and stalk remaining. In saucepan heat, 1 quart of water to boiling. Add broccoli and return to boil. Cook 3 minutes, drain and cool under cold water. Cover and refrigerate. (NOTE: If using frozen broccoli, thaw, drain, don’t cook.) Prepare remaining salad ingredients and wrap each separately for the moment.

Now for the sauce. In a small bowl, combine peanut butter and water until smooth. Add remaining ingredients. Stir until well mixed. Pour in a small bowl and store at room temperature.

To serve, add broccoli, roast pork, sprouts, Chinese cabbage and radishes to noodles. Add sauce and toss lightly.

Moo's Curry Salad Dressing

Actually, Moo and I created this one together. It's our effort to recreate the salad dressing we used to enjoy at a small French restaurant in Westport, Connecticut, back in the 60s. I just love this. It's a palate pleaser...no doubt about that.

½ T G. Washington bouillon
1 cup salad oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 T curry powder
¼ t. Worcestershire sauce
6-8 dashes Tabasco sauceDissolve bouillon in ¼ cup hot water. Add oil and other ingredients. Chill. Shake well before using.

Moo's Cucumber Ring Supreme

I've never been a big fan of Jell-o salads with lots of ingredients, but Moo was. I think it's fair to say that she never met a molded salad she didn't like. And she loved pretty molds (rings, fish, turtle, castles) to set them up in. This one is best displayed in a ring, and I have to say that even I like this one. It's refreshing and pretty to look at. If you want a simple molded salad, this is a palate pleaser for you.

1 pkg. lime Jell-o
2 T sugar
2 T fresh lemon or lime juice
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened (you can cut with some sour cream if you wish)
6 medium peeled cucumbers
1 cup mayonnaise
3 T fresh chives, chopped
3 T fresh dill, chopped

Prepare Jell-o according to package instructions. Pour a small portion of Jell-o into ring mold and let it set up slightly. Keep the rest of the Jell-o warm (unset). Halve cucumbers, remove seeds and grate or finely shred. Measure out 2 cups of drained cucumber. Set aside. Mix rest of Jell-o, sugar, lemon or lime juice, softened cream cheese, mayonnaise, chives, dill and beat gently with rotary beater until smooth. Add cucumber to the creamy mixture. Pour into the ring mold on top of the slightly set Jell-o. Chill until firm.

Moo's Green Noodle Salad

This is Moo’s favorite salad. She didn’t write down quantities for most of the ingredients. Once you have the basic ingredients of noodles and cheese, everything else is added to taste and personal preference. You can't screw this one up. And if something else sounds good to you...add it. The dish is that flexible. How can it not, then, be a palate pleaser?

2 cups green (spinach) noodles
1/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated
Pitted Greek olives
Anchovies
Croutons
Italian frying peppers
Monterey Jack, grated
Scallions, chopped
Celery, chopped
Italian sausage, cooked and sliced
Tomatoes, diced
Basil
Coriander
Pastrami, chopped
Creamy Italian dressing

All-Purpose Ginger Sauce

This sauce is good for dipping, marinating, sasting and even as a salad dressing. It was one of Moo's staples. Try it...you'll like it. More importantly, you find dozens of ways to use it and give a little distinction to an ordinary dish. I have friends who use it and literally come up with new uses for it every day. This palate pleaser is becoming a staple in their kitchen too.

2 inch piece of ginger, remove skin and chop coarsely
½ cup oil, your choice (I prefer a good olive oil)
¾ cup soy sauce
1 small wedge of orange, seeded
½ small onion, sliced
¼ cup rice vinegar
1 small wedge lemon, seeded
Blend all ingredients in blender or food processor until smooth. Serve as a dipping sauce for steak, chicken, seafood or salad dressing.

Molded Gazpacho Salad

Because my father was crazy about gazpacho, Moo was always trying to come up with new gazpacho recipes. I guess you could call this one of his personal palate pleasers. This salad was a particularly good effort in her "how many ways can I server gazpacho" quest.

1 ½ envelopes gelatin dissolved in ¼ tsp water. Dissolve in 1 cup boiling tomato juice. Add ¼ tsp oregano; 1 jar of tomatoes, drained; clove of garlic; ¼ cup vegetable oil; 2 T wine vinegar; dash Tobasco; salt; pepper; chopped canned frying peppers; chopped green pepper; chopped cucumber; chopped onion. Chill several hours.