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First you need a rather tall narrow bowl, rather than a huge round bowl so each layer is thicker.
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Brown the bacon, and set aside to drain on a paper towel and cool. Meanwhile, gently tear up an entire bag of spinach leaves and if you want to, remove the stems from the larger leaves. Toss the spinach gently with sugar and salt into the bottom of bowl. This is the last time you'll stir this salad until you serve it!
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Now layer the bacon and thinly sliced onion (break the slices apart into ringlets - it's just so pretty) over the spinach. Layer over that the cranberries, bags of greens, eggs and cheese.
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Mix the mayo and Miracle Whip together and spread this over the salad all the way to the edges to seal it all in. Don't be tempted to try low-fat or (shudder) fat free substitutes for this, it just doesn't work!
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Now, put it in the frige and walk away. Don't get in a hurry. Do this the day before your family gathering, then relax. Because it's TIME that makes this sooooo good!
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Just before serving give it a good toss and throw in your nuts and croutons, this way they are super crunchy!
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Now, here is the fun part....you can be so creative with this salad, you can tailor the flavor to your family's tastes. Do you want a good old fashion Baptist Pot lunch flavor? Use Velveeta shredded cheese, and pecans, with raisins instead of the cranberries. Do you love Caesar salad? Use Italian cheese blend, and sunflower seeds. The type of salad greens you use also make a big difference....there is rich and delicious butter lettuce, or spicy spring greens...the sky is the limit with flavor combinations here.
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Oh...and don't tell anyone there is spinach in this salad, or they turn their nose up at it...wait until they are done to let them know they have just eaten something so good for them.
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It really is good for you, because mayo is a food group, right?
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You can easily feed more people by using more salad greens, and you don't have to increase any of the other ingredients, just be aware than the more lettuce you use, the less dressing will cling to each peice, but honestly, the difference is hardly noticeable.
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Enjoy !!!!
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Note about sizes. I've made some discoveries since moving from Missouri to Iowa, things don't always come in the same sizes. The smallest jars of mayo I could get in Missouir was 9 ounces, but here in Iowa, they are 8 ounces. I can't tell the extra ounce makes that big of a difference....so you could easily use an even cup of each if you buy the bigger jars.
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Also the pre-washed salad greens come in different size bags depending on the variety of greens. You can use as little as one bag, or as many as four bags depending on how many people you are feeding. If you are using home grown (and if you are, I'm so jealous) salad greens then simple wash and gently tear up 6 or so cups of greens.
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I promise, this is fool proof, and no matter to whom I serve it, it's always something that people go back for 2nd helpings.
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I judge how much people like something by how much they eat, not by what they say....ha ha
