Napa Crunch Salad & 4th of July!

Happy July 4th!!
Adam and I spent two wonderful days at my mom's cottage this weekend, and we had a great time sitting in the sun. We played bean bags (well, Adam did) and rode the wave runners and pontoon! My sister was in town from Chicago with her boyfriend Tyler, and my brother was there too. On Friday, my mom's friend Suzanne came for the day, and we really enjoyed talking with her and squeezing incriminating "Karen" stories out of her - which were actually not all that incriminating after all. :) On Saturday, my uncle Bob, Kerri, and Angie were there, and we had fun playing with Angie in the water and taking a very exciting pontoon boat ride. :) I was able to assist my mom in making dinner both nights, and the salad was such a hit (and it is whenever anyone brings it) - so I decided to post the recipe for my version. Someone brought it to our neighborhood party this summer, and it was repeatedly talked about there, too. Enjoy!

Nappa Crunch Salad
Salad
1 head Nappa cabbage (yes, there are 2 p's) shredded
1 bunch green onions, sliced
1/4 cup margarine or butter
2 pkgs. Ramen noodles (any flavor), broken into small pieces (crush in bag before opening)
**note - do NOT use flavor packets
3 oz. slivered almonds
1/8 cup sesame seeds

Dressing (you will not use all of it)
3/4 cup canola oil (I always take a little away and sub with sesame seed oil - just a bit)
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup cider vinegar
2 tsp soy sauce
1/8 tsp black pepper

1. In a large bowl, combine cabbage and onions
2. In frying pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add Ramen noodles. As noodles begin to brown, add almonds, then sesame seeds, stirring frequently. When everything is golden brown, remove from heat; allow to cool completely.
3. For dressing: in jar with a tight fitting lid, combine oil, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, and pepper; shake well.
4. When ready to serve, add browned noodle mixture to cabbage. Toss well with dressing.
**NOTE - you will not use all the dressing! Less is more with this salad.

On the 4th of July evening, we watched the fireworks from the sports deck of Plaza Towers (downtown GR) with Kurt, Brandi, Aaron, Erin, and KC. We tried to have dinner somewhere downtown with Erin and KC beforehand, but we found that the majority of the restaurants downtown were completely closed!! So weird. We ended up eating at The Woods and it was actually quite good. After the fireworks, we went out for a drink and I had an absolutely terrible headache, so we left and went home. I believe it was a migraine, as I've never experienced anything that bad before!

It's now Sunday, and in about an hour, we're headed out to Aaron and Heather's for a beach day and a cookout for an early dinner. Adam has decided that I have to apply his sunscreen from now on, as when he does it himself, he still burns quite ridiculously...we'll see how he handles day 3 in the sun today! I watched him do it, and I believe the problem is that he's just too fast...he rubs it on himself at lightning speed!! Really. I tease, but Adam is such a good sport about pretty much everything...whatever plans we have or end up making last minute, he goes with the flow and has a good time - no complaints. What an awesome guy. :)