Frog Eyed Salad

Thats right... Frog Eyed Salad!!!  Until last week I had never heard of such a thing...  so when my husband called and asked if I had ever eaten it... and... would I make it for him... I thought... WHAT??!! But I googled it, and indeed found a recipe for Frog Eyed Salad.  It's actually an italian pasta salad made with fruit juices, fruit, mini marshmallows and whipped cream.

Today I actually made a batch of Frog Eyed Salad... and I have to say... it is yummylious!  It is more of a sweet treat/dessert kind of salad than a salad that would or should be served with dinner, but it is definitely worth the effort.  This would be the perfect 'covered dish' to take to any kind of social gathering, especially a church social.  I as always will include the recipe I used at the end of this blog for any of you who wish to give it a try yourselves.

My husband Joe is a true 'Foodie'.  I am always saying... "He will eat anything that doesn't eat him first!!", which is a very true statement.  If any of you are familiar with Anthony Bourdain or Andrew Zimmerman... then you would understand my above statement about my husband, because these men are on Joe's bucket list of men to meet and/or dine with as they introduce any new and/or exotic foods to his palate.  Both of us enjoy watching cooking and food shows, and often end up preparing various recipes, and dishes we have seen on these shows.  In fact... if you have read my "Love Through the Male Tummy" blog, the ragu recipe in that blog came from an Anthony Bourdain episode that Joe watched and described the recipe to me so I could prepare it for him... my ragu is now one of his all time favorite dishes I make for him.

I must admit that I am the complete opposite of Joe... known very well to my friends and family as "Picky Vickie"(In fact... the Meg Ryan/Sally Albright character in the movie "When Harry Met Sally" is exactly how I am)... but I must say that my palate has improved and grown because of Joe's influence and from my experience from culinary school.  I am still quite picky, but I now enjoy tons of food I would have never gone near in the past.  However, I will read a recipe and tweak it as I am making it to suit my personal tastes and preferred flavor profiles.  As a child it was a rare moment when I would go near a vegetable, in fact as a child I have sat at the dinner table many a night for hours and hours after everyone else had eaten and been excused from the table because I refused to eat vegetables or other foods, and now I eat lots of fresh vegetables and foods.  My Mother is amazed at some of the things I prepare and eat these days!

If you have read any of my blogs in the past... you will notice it has been since December that I last published anything on my blog.  The reason is... I have been recovering from foot surgeries and haven't had the focus or inspiration to write anything... that is until this whole Frog Eyed Salad discovery.  I'm assuming this salad gets it's name because the italian pasta used in this recipe must resemble the texture of frog eyes... which is completely gross... so I think it should be renamed... Yummylious Pasta Fruit Salad!  Here below is the recipe... it takes less than 20 miniutes to prepare, but 8 hours to set in the refrigerator before serving.

FROG EYED SALAD

1/2 cup - Sugar
2 - egg yolks
1 heaping TBSP - flour
1 cup - pineapple juice
1- 1/2 tsp - lemon juice (Fresh... NOT imitation or bottled)
8 oz - acini di pepe pasta (italian pasta)
1 (20 oz) can pineapple bits or chunks (in pineapple juice... NOT syrup) - drained
1 (11 oz) can mandarin oranges - drained
1/3 cup - maraschino cherries, chopped
8 oz - miniature marshmallows
6 oz - whipped topping

1.  In large saucepan over low heat, combine sugar, egg yolks, flour, pineapple juice, and lemon juice.  Stir and cook until thickened... (it will be more like a thickened sauce vs a custard consistency).  Remove from heat.

2.  While sauce is cooking, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add pasta and cook for 8 - 10 minutes or until al dente (al dente has a slight soft crunch to it), drain and rinse with cold water.

3.  In large bowl, combine cooked mixture with pasta and toss to coat thoroughly.  Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.

4.  Toss pasta with pineapple, mandarin oranges, maraschino cherries, marshmallows, and whipped topping.  Refrigerate until serving.