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End of the Road Recipes:
Life has been busy lately. More often than not, I’ve opted to roll through the drive-through instead of coming home and having to cook. Cooking isn’t usually something I feel I have to do, but something I want to do. Typically, I look forward to the relaxing sound of a pan sizzling or a pot boiling.
As much as I love to cook, I’m pretty worn out at the end of the day. My feet hurt, my back hurts, and I just want to lie down. My coworkers often ask when I’ll bring in more treats, and I always feel the need to apologize for my recent lack of offerings. Sometimes, I just need to take a break.
I had a different recipe planned for this week, but my refrigerator and freezer broke, so I had to toss almost everything inside. Sometimes life has a funny way of telling you to slow down. Still, I was determined to put something together. If you’ve read this column for a while, you know about my undying devotion to the infamous Minnesota potluck staple; the Cool Whip salad.
Thankfully, after my refrigerator fiasco, I was able to make it to Zup’s shortly before they closed. Just after walking through the door, I noticed Pearson’s Nut Goodies were on sale. I was reminded of a riff on Snickers salad that I shared last year using Pearson’s Salted Nut Rolls. Nut Goodie Salad needed to happen.
This simple salad creation came at the perfect timing, as one of my coworkers is moving to another state. A few days ago, we had a potluck to celebrate her hard work and dedication to our office. She has never lived outside of Minnesota, so the move is bittersweet. I couldn’t think of a sweeter sendoff than this non-salad salad.
Ingredients:
1 large tub (16 ounces) Cool Whip, thawed
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1/2 tablespoon maple extract
4 Pearson’s Nut Goodies, chopped
2 honeycrisp apples, diced
1/2 cup chocolate covered peanuts, chopped
Instructions:
In a large bowl, stir together the cool whip, condensed milk, and extract. Gently fold in the nut goodies and apples. Cover and refrigerate (or in my case, place in the snow), for one hour. Just before serving, sprinkle with chocolate covered peanuts.
Yield: 16 servings
