Asparagus Dressing

This is a simple Hollandaise-style dressing to serve with cooked asparagus. I roasted my asparagus at 425 degrees (tossed with olive oil and salt, pepper, and garlic salt first) for about 10 minutes. Older/thicker asparagus would need a bit more time. Asparagus can be served at room temperature when prepared like this. Recipe is from The Recipe Box Project and was typed on an old typewriter by PW (I think).

Asparagus Dressing

~from my grandmother's recipe box

1 T. vinegar
3 T. vegetable or canola or other neutral oil
yolk of one hard-boiled egg, mashed
1 t. Dijon mustard
Roasted asparagus

Mix dressing ingredients together, whisking until emulsified. Drizzle over cooked asparagus.

~Makes almost half a cup, enough for a couple pounds of asparagus.

Recipe card typed on an old typewriter

Fresh Spinach Salad

A fairly standard fresh spinach salad recipe, this came from my grandmother's recipe box! I used green onions instead of red, and they worked fine. The dressing makes quite a bit (2 cups!), so be prepared for leftovers!

Fresh Spinach Salad

~from my grandmother's recipe box

1 pound fresh spinach

1 small red onion, sliced

3 hard-cooked eggs, chopped

6 slices bacon, cooked, chopped

1 small onion, minced

1 c. vegetable oil

1/3 c. vinegar

1/3 c. sugar (or less)

1 T. Dijon mustard

1 t. celery seed

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. pepper

Directions:

1. Wash and tear spinach. 
2. Combine dressing ingredients in a lidded jar: minced onion, oil, vinegar, sugar, mustard, celery seed, salt, and pepper. Shake and chill. 
3. Arrange spinach, eggs, bacon, and eggs on plates and drizzle with dressing.

Recipe card in my grandmother's handwriting

Fresh Fruit Salad

This simple, delicious fruit salad can be made ahead of time and uses fruit that is readily available year round. Fruit amounts are flexible; I added a few more grapes. Note: this is very similar to Aunt Elsie's Fruit Salad, but it uses more natural ingredients and isn't quite as sweet.

Fresh Fruit Salad
~from my grandmother's recipe box

2 small bananas, sliced
2 small apples, diced
1 8-oz. can pineapple chunks, drained
1/2 c. seedless red grapes
1/2 c. seedless green grapes
1/4 c. sugar
1 T. cornstarch
1/2 c. water
3 T. orange juice
1 1/2 T. lemon juice

Directions:

1. Combine all fruit ingredients in medium-sized bowl. Set aside.
2. Combine sugar and cornstarch in small saucepan. Gradually whisk in 1/2 cup water, orange juice, and lemon juice until blended. Bring sugar mixture to a boil, whisking constantly, over medium heat. Boil, whisking constantly, 1 minute. Pour mixture over fruit, tossing gently to coat. Cover and chill 4 hours.

~Makes 6-8 servings

Recipe card from my grandmother's recipe box--in her handwriting