Candied Walnut Spinach Salad

I wanted to share this yummy salad with you. My Grandma gives me walnuts from her own trees and this is a great way to eat them. The salad is versatile, basically a sweet dressing and your favorite salad ingredients. You could add strawberries and poppy seeds, lettuce and red onion, whatever you like. I made it first with lettuce and apple slices, then with spinach and craisins. 

You can try candied nuts besides walnuts... like pecans and almonds. Once you've made the nuts and dressing, you can whip up the delicious salad in no time!

Candied Walnut Spinach Salad

Dressing

Ingredients:

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup pure maple syrup

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

1 teaspoon white sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1.            In the container of a blender, combine the mayonnaise, maple syrup, vinegar, and sugar. Cover and blend on low speed. Gradually pour in the vegetable oil while mixing until fully incorporated. Taste and season accordingly with salt and pepper. Set aside.

        

Candied walnuts

Ingredients:

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 pound walnut halves

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon milk

1 egg white

Directions:

1.            Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2.            In a bowl, toss sugar with remaining ingredients and mix well.

3.            Pour mixture on to a cookie sheet, spread evenly, and bake for 20 minutes.

4.            Remove from oven and mix. Allow walnuts to cool before serving.

       

Salad

3 heads butter lettuce or spinach - rinsed, and torn

1/2 cup dried cherries or craisins

2 Granny Smith apples, cored and cut

into matchsticks

4 ounces goat or feta cheese, crumbled

3 ounces chopped candied walnuts

Directions:

1.            In a large serving bowl, combine the lettuce, cherries, apples, goat cheese and candied pecans. Toss with just enough of the dressing to coat, then serve with the remaining dressing on the side.

Enjoy!

Tutorial: Miracle blanket wrap for baby WITHOUT the Miracle Blanket and NO SEWING

A friend of mine showed me her baby's miracle blanket while I was pregnant. She impressed me with stories of laying baby down and having him go to sleep on his own.

I planned on making my own using a pattern I found at Put Up Your Dukes while I was pregnant, but the fatigue was overpowering...

I thought I'd sew one after baby was born. You know, measure using his exact dimensions and get a perfect fit. But I never made it to the fabric store with my newborn...

The concept that makes Miracle Blanket unique is the extra flaps for securing baby's arm so he can't squirm out of the swaddle. Then when he's asleep and has a dream about kickboxing, he doesn't jerk himself awake. It really helps with teaching baby to sleep longer at night as well as keeping those cute chubby appendages inside the warm blankets.

So, I just started swaddling baby Miracle-style with blankets I already had. Ha. That didn't cost me anything.

Here's my step by step tutorial

My 3-month-old ready to be swaddled

Step 1: Get baby and two blankets

One blanket will wrap baby's arms, the other will go around all of baby to keep him warm. I put the second blanket slightly to the side so that when it wraps around, the two ends are underneath.

2 baby blankets for swaddling

Step 2: Position baby on blankets

Place baby so that second blanket lines up with tops of baby's shoulders.

Step 3: Wrap first arm

Pull blanket across arm to be swaddled and tuck it behind baby's back. Try to spread it flat so baby doesn't have to lay on a pile of wrinkles.

Here is baby with blanket tucked behind. Notice while blanket is snug enough to hold baby's arm, it is not tight. I don't want to force baby's arms behind his back or make his position uncomfortable.

Step 4: wrap second arm

Here comes blanket around second arm and behind baby's back.

Sorry for my amateur pictures; I haven't won any awards for photography. But baby could probably win an award for cuteness.

Step 5: Wrap outer blanket around baby

This one keeps his body and legs warm.

All done!

I can put baby to bed while he's still awake and if he's tired he'll fall asleep on his own. Amazing!

All wrapped up!

Now you can try swaddling your baby Miracle-blanket style and see if it works on your baby.

To my friends

After 30 years, my parents are preparing to put their home on the rental market so they can serve a mission. I feel a little nostalgic, since I lived there from the time I was four until I went to college. Of the many friends I made growing up in Utah, many no longer live there. Now they are spread across the country. Too far for visits.

I'm grateful for each of the people who have touched my life. I see my friends face their life challenges with courage and faith. It inspires me.


I just wanted to tell you that I hope you have a wonderful Christmas season.

Happy Holidays!