Frog Eye Salad
The image above came from the cutest little ‘scrapbook-style’ cookbook that my sister-in-law Shannon made. Shannon is so talented and has excellent taste in food. She made this little scrapbook years before pinterest and blogs existed. I’m a little attached to this image from Shannon’s little cookbook so for now I will keep it. Keep reading for more…
This frog eye salad reminds me of my sweet sister-in-law Leah and all the times we stayed with her when she lived in Utah and we visited from Arizona. Now we are in Utah and Leah and her kids are living in California. 🙁 We can’t seem to be in the same place at the same time. When Leah and her kids moved to California I saved her big plastic Sterilite brand bowls from her donation pile to remind me of all the “good times, noodle salad” we had during our summer visits to Utah. Leah always made this for Thanksgiving, Christmas or big summer picnics. Whenever I would visit her I would secretly sneak bowls of this throughout the day. It’s that good.
I have to be honest, a child with texture food issues may not like the small bits of acini pasta and canned fruit. Definitely a chunky fruity salad. I think Scott and I eat more of this than the kids. Excellent midnight snack on a hot day. Leah used either colorful mini marshmallows or the regular white mini marshmallows. Use whatever you prefer. Be sure to drain the canned fruit well or you will have a soggy, watery mess. I love and miss you Leah!!
Frog Eye Salad
- 1 box Acini de Pepe pasta
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 Tablespoons flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 and 3/4 cups pineapple juice (reserved from canned fruit listed below)
- 2 beaten eggs
- 3 cans (11 oz. each) mandarin oranges, drained well
- 2 cans (20 oz. each) chunk pineapple, drained well
- 1 can (20 oz.) crushed pineapple, drained well
- 1 container (8 oz.) Cool Whip
- 1 bag mini marshmallows
Boil Acini de Pepe pasta until tender. Drain and rinse cooked pasta. Place pasta in a large microwave safe bowl and to that bowl add the 1 cup sugar, 2 Tablespoons flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, the 1 and 3/4 cups pineapple juice and the two beaten eggs. Mix gently and microwave pasta mixture for 10 minutes, stirring at least twice during the 10 minutes. Place in a large bowl with a tight fitting lid and refrigerate for at least 6 hours. Before serving, gently mix in the drained mandarin oranges, pineapple, cool whip and mini marshmallows. I find this tastes best after sitting in the refrigerator over night. (Maraschino cherries, drained and sliced are an optional addition. I never add them because I love the recipe as is). This makes a ton!! Like mega family size serving. We only make this for huge family gatherings.
