Hawaiian Salad Recipe

Wow!!  Two posts in 1 day!  My husband cleaned out our back room so that I would have a quiet place to go and blog (and you wonder why my blog is called The Happy Wife?).  It is my little haven off the back porch, but because it is only a 3 season room, I can only guarantee that it will be usable until the temperatures fall too much.  However, we do own a small space heater, so who knows?

Anyway, we hosted a BBQ a few weeks ago and I served Hawaiian Salad (sometimes called Ambrosia Salad).  Several people asked me for the recipe so I am sharing it now.  I love this recipe because it is extremely versatile and can be altered to suit your needs and tastes.  Here is how we like it:


1/2 cup fat-free sour cream (can use regular sour cream, or even Greek yogurt)
1 large box sugar-free pistachio pudding (can use regular, but we like to cut down on the sweetness)
2- 11 oz cans of mandarin oranges, drained (for both this and the pineapple, I prefer them canned in their own juice to cut down on the sweetness a bit)
1- 16 oz can crushed pineapple, drained (can substitute chunks)
3 1/2 cups fat-free frozen whipped topping, thawed (can use regular or light if you prefer)
1 1/2 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)

1 cup maraschino cherries, chopped ( can use whole or halved if you prefer)
2 cups miniature marshmallows (we use white, but rainbow can be fun)

 1) Mix the sour cream, whipped cream and the pudding together, in a large bowl, until well blended.
 2) Add the fruits (oranges, pineapple, coconut and cherries) and the marshmallows to the sour cream mixture.  Gently stir the salad together.
 3) Refrigerate for 1 hour and then serve.

Some hints:
- This can be made ahead of time, but do not add the marshmallows until a few hours before serving.  They will disintegrate into the salad if allowed to sit overnight.  You can always add additional marshmallows if this happens, but the overall salad will be sweeter.
- You can add or substitute any other fruits as you desire.  Canned or fresh will likely work best though.
- You can also add slivered almonds or any other nuts you choose.
- We have yet to try this with other pudding or whipped topping flavors, but I am sure they would work fine as well.

Enjoy!