So I just got done telling the story of how, whenever I would go with my friend Lynzi to her family’s house her mom would make us our two favorite things: chicken tacos and frog-eye salad. We insisted that she make us those two things every single time we went out there. Whenever Lynzi would go to visit them alone, we would all make her bring home a big batch of her mom’s frog-eye salad home to us!

Now, her mom’s frog-eye salad is famous in my family too! I bring it to almost every family function and my family just can’t get enough…and the kids love it because they can talk their parents into considering something sweet a salad instead of a dessert (not to mention the name…they love the thought of eating “frog’s eyes”)! My sister-in-law and one of my cousins give me a huge hug every time I make this, and you should see their plates…tiny piece of chicken, a couple chips, and a HUGE serving of frog-eye! It makes me laugh every time. Also, I keep trying to make larger and larger batches of this, hoping that I can actually bring some home to eat the next day…hasn’t worked yet. I’m not gonna lie, it takes just a little while to make (and some planning, because you want to let it sit overnight), but it is SOOOOOOO worth it! (and you all know that I’m not a huge fan of anything that takes a long time to make, so if I say it’s worth it, I promise it’s worth it!).

Barcy’s Frog-Eye Salad

• 3 qts water
• 1 pkg (16 oz.) adini de pepe
• 1 c sugar
• 3 Tbsp flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 3/4 c pineapple juice
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 2 cans (11 oz) mandarin oranges, drained well
• 2 cans (20 oz) pineapple tidbits, drained well
• 1 can (20 oz) crushed pineapple, drained
• 1 (9 oz) whipped topping (cool whip)
• 1 c. mini marshmallows

1. Bring water to a boil.
2. Add acini de pepe. Cook at rolling boil for 11 minutes. Drain & rinse with cold water. Drain again; cool to room temperature.
3. Meanwhile, combine sugar, flour, & salt. Gradually stir in pineapple juice & eggs. Cook over medium heat, stirring until thickened (let it reach a boil). Add lemon juice. Cool mixture to room temperature.
4. Pour mixture over acini de pepe; mix lightly but thoroughly.
5. Refrigerate overnight (at least 3 hours) in air tight container.
6. Add remaining ingredients & mix. Refrigerate until serving.

Notes:

• Acini de pepe:  In case you don’t know what acini de pepe is, it’s the tiny ball shaped pasta.  Even though they’re pasta, they taste GREAT in this sweet salad!  Here is a picture of acini de pepe in case you haven’t seen it before:

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