Spinach Salad and a Meme

Yesterday, my Sunday school class had a potluck lunch. I ended up taking two dishes because I couldn't decide which to make. Later, I'll post the recipe for the pineapple casserole; tonight it's all about spinach. Now before you think "Ew, spinach," listen! You may think of spinach as that stuff that popeye pops out of his cans when he needs strength...I agree, THAT spinach is gross. However, fresh spinach is a totally different story. Fresh spinach is one of the healthiest and most delicious greens you can use. Even if you don't like it cooked, there is a high possibility that you will like it as a salad green. Also, this salad has TONS of yummy extras in it! SO, check out my Aunt Margaret's spinach salad. As it is full of antioxidants, this is my entry for Sweetnicks, ARF Tuesday.

Mandarin Orange, Bacon, and Brittle Spinach Salad

1 bag fresh spinach

1 large can mandarin oranges in orange juice

7-8 slices of turkey bacon (this really is better because it gets crispy and is easy to break)

1 box peanut brittle (I use about half but you can use more)

1 small bottle Italian dressing (light or fat-free will work as well) - I don't use the whole bottle, just put enough on to cover the spinach when tossed

Cook bacon until crispy. Put spinach is a large bowl. Crumble bacon over the spinach. Drain oranges and add to the greens. Break brittle into small pieces and add to salad. Just before serving, pour desired amount of salad dressing over the salad. You need enough to cover the spinach. Toss and enjoy.

Now for the meme. I've been tagged by Rachel at Rachel's Bite to tell 6 weird food things about myself. Here goes:

1. I've never had sushi. Apparently this is really a horrible thing. When I was teaching an ACT review session one Saturday, I told the kids this and they all just gasped in horror. Maybe I should try it!

2. I've eaten horse. Yes, when I lived in Kyrgyzstan, we ate at the home of a national (for about 5 hours, 8 courses, a LOT of food!). One of the appetizers they had was horse. It's pretty fatty but tastes alright. Can't say I'd eat it again, though.

3. I can't drink tea. Yes, I'm from the South and I don't like tea. I taught myself to like coffee but there is just something in my body that keeps me from liking tea. sorry!

4. I like butternut squash but I don't like sweet potatoes. Once again, something in my body just can't handle it. The first two bites are okay but after that I can't swallow any more potato. Sweet potato fries, however, are a different matter!

5. When I was little, I would mash my cake and ice cream together until it resembled mush. It's really very good. Try it some time in the privacy of your own home.

6. I think Papa John's pizza is really gross. The crust is gummy and the sauce just isn't right. This is a bad thing when we have pizza for free lunch at the med center...the ALWAYS get papa john's.

Okay, I'm not tagging anyone this time because I've tagged for a meme like this before and don't remember who I tagged. If you'd like to do this, go ahead and they let me know! :-)