Sticks 'N' Stones

I wanted to use up the rest of our Yves veggie ham, so I made shmoo some roll-ups filled with homemade tofu-cashew creme cheeze (from Bryanna's book Soyfoods Cooking for a Positive Menopause) and packed them with organic pear slices and Reduced Fat Triscuits. I came across this Sticks 'N' Stones Salad in one of my mom's old "Taste of Home" magazines -- blanched carrot and celery "sticks" and water chestnut "stones" (I used whole chestnuts to make it even more stonelike, and the magazine recipe added 1/4 tsp. dried dill weed to the dressing). I think the name alone might entice kids to give it a try!
Verdict: The salad was really good! Blanching the celery and carrot sticks in boiling water for 2-3 minutes then plunging them in ice water changed their texture just enough -- still crunchy but tastier than raw, and the dressing was fantastic. Don't forget the dill. It was nice to get away from Tofutti cream cheese and try something homemade; the cheeze was a bit softer to work with when making the roll-ups, but the flavor was excellent. 5 sticks 'n' stones, no broken bones.