Even though salads have been enjoyed since ancient times, the variety can be both tempting and visually pleasing. As we become more and more health conscious, salads become more popular. Usually people think of vegetables when salads are mentioned.

However, there are numerous fruit salads at every family gathering and pot-luck in the country! Salads can contain anything from apples to zucchini and anything in between, just use your imagination.

Although lettuce has been the starting point for most salads, there are many other foods
favorites you can start with:

*Watercress, cabbage or spinach

*Oranges, apples or grapefruit

*Beans or frozen peas

*Broccoli

*Potatoes

*Meats and seafood

Just about any food you can think of can be turned into a salad with a modest amount of creativity! You can create many kinds of salads:

*Jell-o salads with fruit

*Fruit salads with yogurt

*Green salads with every kind of
vegetable imaginable

*Coleslaw

*Potato salad

*Tuna salad

*Chicken salad

Again, the varieties are endless, and the list can go on and on to eternity.  One of my favorites includes a green salad with sunflower seeds or cashews, lettuce, tomatoes, celery, onions, carrots and ranch dressing.

With the dressings you can get just as creative, ranch, French, blue cheese and Italian are your basic dressings. Now try some of these, mix a little concentrated orange or lemon juice to French dressing or mayonnaise for a delicious fruit salad dressing.

How about a dressing for grapefruit made with, sugar, pepper, paprika, dry mustard,
grapefruit juice and catsup?

Add a little chili powder to concentrated juice, horseradish, a cooked egg and mayonnaise for a spicy new taste.

Every nationality has their own favorite flavors in salads, get together with a few friends for a salad party; you would be amazed at the variety you will see.

FEATURES include:

• EXTRA LARGE 3-LB. FOOD CAPACITY (4 LITERS OIL) Ample space allows food to fry evenly and completely, for delicious results every time. Its generous capacity makes the Dual Zone deep fryer perfect for meals – and families – of all sizes.
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• DIGITAL TIMER Allows you to accurately set and monitor cooking time, for perfectly fried food.
• DIGITAL ADJUSTABLE THERMOSTAT Lets you easily set the temperature, giving you the flexibility to fry foods just the way you like them.
• ADJUSTABLE THERMOSTAT WITH INDICATOR LIGHT Handy control allows you to set frying temperature, giving you the flexibility to fry foods just the way you like them.
• REMOVABLE PARTS Make cleanup quick and effortless. The bowl, frying basket and lid are all dishwasher-safe.
• DUAL ZONE TECHNOLOGY The “cool zone” located beneath the heating element, prevents food from burning. This unique technology reduces odor and keeps oil clean, for tasty fried food every time.
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DeLonghi 3-lb. Esclusivo Deep Fryer, Stainless Steel

If you want a real cooking challenge, go from cooking for a large family, to cooking for one
or two!  Most recipes make 4 to 6 servings, which is just too much for one or two people. Here are a few tips, including a chart to reduce ingredients that will make cooking for fewer people a lot easier, without an abundance of leftovers!

One of the first things to think about is that smaller portions require smaller tools; you won’t really need a large crock-pot for a meal for one or two. Remember also that large casserole dishes, cake pans etc. are too large, they allow for too much evaporation.

There are many scaled down baking dishes available, as well as crock-pots, electric skillets, coffee pots, and toaster ovens, choose a pan that is slightly larger than the amount you will be cooking.

If you are like me, you love biscuits, there are many frozen biscuits on the market, and all  you need do is take out one or two. If you like your own biscuits, just make a batch and freeze them on a cookie sheet covered in wax paper, when they are frozen, put in a freezer bag. When you want biscuits, take out the number you want and bake them.
Cooking times may also need to be adjusted; a good instant-read thermometer is
invaluable for this.

Remember reducing your ingredients is invaluable when you only want to make a certain amount. Reduce smart!