Mom's Potato Salad

This is, by far, THE BEST potato salad you will ever eat. So yummy.

Potato Salad

By: Judy R.

5 lbs. potatoes
1 cup diced onion
6 boiled eggs, chopped
1 cup pickles, chopped (dill or sweet whichever you prefer)
1 1/2 cups salad dressing mayo (sandwich spread)
3T yellow mustard
salt & pepper to taste


Peel all potatoes then cut up into medium cubes. Put in large pot, cover with water, add tsp salt, and bring to a boil on high. Then turn down to medium heat and let cook until tender, about 15-20 minutes. Drain well, then return the potatoes to the pot. Add all remaining ingredients and mix well. Pour into a serving bowl, can be served chilled or at room temperature.

Caprese Salad

I love Caprese Salad. Who doesn't love mozzarella and tomatoes?! So here are two ways you can make it.

3 tomatoes, sliced
1 lb fresh mozzarella, sliced
fresh basil
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

layer alternating tomatoes, mozzarella, adding a leaf of basil between each layer, on a platter. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

You can also make a bite size version of this by chunking up mozzarella into bite size pieces, slicing cherry tomatoes into halves, and either chopping your basil or using the herbs in a tube where the basil is already finely chopped in oil. Toss it all together with some light extra virgin olive oil, add a little salt and pepper, and you have a bite size version that your guests can spoon out a little easier. Same great taste.

This past weekend I bought some goat cheese curds at the farmers market and decided to use that in my bite size caprese instead of mozzarella. It has a great bite to it that also works with the basil really well. I loved it.

This is a super fast way to put something fresh out for your guests, or for yourself, that's a little different from the norm.

Pasta Salad- Mix and Match!

This is a great article I found in the last issue of Food Networks Magazine. I had been looking for a GOOD pasta salad and this was a great answer. It gives you lots of options to change it up, and to pick according to your tastes. First I will post the article with all the options, and then I will tell you what I picked to put together at the end. Here is a link to the article online as well. 

Mix and Match Pasta Salad

Food Network Magazine

1. Choose a Pasta

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook 1/2 pound of any of these pastas as the label directs; drain and rinse under cold water. Transfer to a large bowl.

2. Pick a Protein (Optional)

Add 1 cup of any of these ingredients, if desired.

Chicken, cooked and chopped

Steak, cooked and chopped

Ham or salami, cubed

Roast beef, chopped

Canned tuna, drained and flaked

Lump crabmeat, picked over

Shrimp, cooked and chopped

Eggs, hard-boiled and chopped

Baked tofu, chopped

3. Pick Your Vegetables
Add 2 of these vegetables or beans, 1 cup each. (To blanch vegetables, boil until crisp-tender, then drain and cool in ice water.)

Broccoli florets, blanched

Corn kernels, blanched

Carrots, shredded

Cherry tomatoes, halved

Green beans, blanched and chopped

Frozen peas or snap peas, blanched

Celery, sliced

Cucumber, diced

Red onion, diced

Bell pepper, diced

Asparagus, blanched and chopped

Canned chickpeas or white beans, drained and rinsed

4. Pick a Mix-In
Add 1/3 cup of any of these ingredients.

Sun-dried tomatoes, chopped

Roasted red peppers, chopped

Olives, pitted and chopped

Any cheese, shredded or crumbled

Any nut, toasted and chopped

Bacon, cooked and crumbled

5. Dress the Salad
Make one of these dressings, then pour over the pasta salad and toss. Season with salt and pepper. Chill for up to 3 hours.

Vinaigrette

Whisk 1/3 cup olive oil, 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar, 1 minced shallot, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste.

Creamy Herb

Whisk 1/3 cup mayonnaise, 3 tablespoons sour cream, 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1/2 cup chopped mixed herbs, and salt and pepper to taste.

Garlic Oil

Cook 3 thinly sliced garlic cloves and a pinch of red pepper flakes in 1/3 cup olive oil over medium heat, stirring, 3 minutes; let cool. Season with salt and pepper.

Creamy Parmesan

Mix 1/4 cup each mayonnaise and sour cream, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon finely grated garlic, 3/4 cup grated parmesan, and salt and pepper to taste.

What I picked: I chose a regular rotini pasta, boiled 3 chicken breast and cut them into chunks, diced celery, diced green bell pepper, shredded mozzarella, and sliced greek olives. The dressing I chose was the creamy herb and it was delicious! For the mixed herbs I bought a tube of herbs in oil from the produce section of cilantro and basil and used about a tablespoon of each one instead of chopping them fresh. It worked out perfectly. I wasn't totally in love with the olives with this mixture, would be better in one of the vinaigrette dressings I think, but mom loved them. Next time I make this with the creamy herb dressing I think I will do boiled eggs instead of the olives, and I think tomatoes would have been perfect in this as well. I can't wait to try the other 3 dressings and different ingredients to find the right mixture for the right dressing. It was fun! :-) Pasta salad doesn't have to be boring and tasteless- this was delicious and I will make it again!!

Tip: Another reason I like this dish is it is a good way to use what you have in your pantry already. The chicken I used was leftover from homemade pizza I made. I boiled the whole package and only used 1 chicken breast so I had it in the fridge ready to go for this one. Most of the vegetables I used I had cut fresh in my fridge for snacks and I just diced them into smaller pieces. So this is a good way to use leftovers up or use up any fresh produce you may have before it goes bad. It seems I always have a tupperware container of something in my fridge that I end up having to throw out because I bought more than we needed. This way I didn't have to do that this week! Yay!  

Better Than Potato Salad

This is another one emailed to me by Nelline. Thank you!! ;-) 
Nelline wrote- "This is a WONDERFUL cold salad"

Better Than Potato Salad

4 cups cooked long grain rice

8 radishes, sliced

4 hard boiled eggs, chopped

1 medium cucumber, seeded and chopped

2 cups thinly sliced celery

½ cup chopped onion

1 ½ cups mayo

3 T prepared mustard

¾ tsp. Salt

In a large bowl, combine rice, radishes, eggs, cucumber, celery and onion. Combine mayo, mustard and salt and mix well. Pour over rice mixture and toss. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour. Yield: 12-14 servings.  

Cornbread Salad

This was sent to me by Nelline. Thanks for all that you sent! I will add them a little at a time. This one I am gonna have to try soon, it sounds good! 

Denise Beam's Cornbread Salad

1 box Jiffy cornbread mix- cooked and crumbled

2- 15 oz. Cans pinto beans, drained

3 large tomatoes

½ cup chopped bell pepper

½ cup chopped onion

2- 15 oz. Cans whole kernel corn, drained

2 cups shredded sharp cheese

1 package Hidden Valley Original Ranch dry mix

1 cup sour cream

1 cup mayo

Mix Hidden Valley, sour cream, and mayo and set aside.

Mix tomatoes, peppers and onions together and set aside.

Put ½ cornbread in bottom of large bowl. Top with ½ of pinto beans. Then spread ½ of tomatoes, onions, and peppers on top of pinto beans. Top with ½ shredded cheese, then ½ of the corn. Spread ½ of dressing mix.

Repeat the above process.

Chill for several hours.  

Broccoli Cauliflower Salad

Another one emailed to me from Jamie! This one looks really good- Gonna be trying it next week for sure! 


Jamie- "This is my Momas's!  I love it!"

Broccoli-Califlower Salad

2 1/2 cups of cauliflower
2 1/2 cups broccoli
3 bunches green onions
1 1/2 tsp celery seed
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
1/2 cup salad dressing
 bottle buttermilk dressing
 
Cut broccoli and cauliflower into small pieces. Cover and chill.
About 1 hour before serving, mix dressing and sald dressing togehter.  Add chopd oinion and toss togehter with vegetables.  Add celery see and seasoned salt, mixing well

Aunt Mildred's Taco Salad

I can remember my Aunt Mildred making this for family functions all the time. It is nothing like a taco.. or any other kind of mexican food for the matter.. but it is really good. And that is all that matters. It brings back many memories of family gatherings at my Aunt's house growing up.

Aunt Mildred's Taco Salad

From: Mildred

1 head iceberg lettuce

Catalina dressing

1 can pinto beans

1 onion, chopped

1 bag Fritos

1 tomato, sliced or quartered

Mix all together in a bowl and serve chilled. Add the Fritos in at the last minute to avoid sogginess. 

7 Layer Salad

This is a great salad. I can't remember where I got this from, I think from Mom. It's really good, I make it every year at Thanksgiving and the next day cold out of the fridge it is unbelievable. Enjoy. 

7 layer salad

From: Christi 

1 head of lettuce

5 hard-boiled eggs, chopped

3 green onions, chopped

2 cups frozen green peas

real bacon pieces (in little bag)

Ranch Dressing

Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Tear lettuce in bottom of a bowl. Next layer green onions. Next layer frozen green peas. Next layer eggs. Next layer a thin layer of Ranch Dressing. Finish off by sprinkling top with bacon and shredded cheddar. 


NOTES: I always think this salad needs a little more color, so I added some diced tomato. Also, I layer it all pretty like this and let everyone see it all pretty, but then when it's time to eat I toss it all together really well. I hate making people think they have to try to keep it pretty and still get a little of everything out of the bowl. So I toss it together and that way it is much easier to scoop out.

Broccoli Salad

This is one of those recipes that sound crazy but trust me it is SO good. You won't be able to stop eating it. Make sure when you are dicing the ingredients you get them pretty small so that once its mixed when you get a bite you aren't just getting one thing. It's better if you get a mixture of things in every bite. Yummy. Try it. 

Broccoli Salad

From: Jamie R. 

2 bunches broccoli chopped into bite size pieces.

4 cups grapes, halved

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup white golden raisins

1 bunch chopped green onions

• Mix together, set aside.

4 oz. almond slices (toasted in oven)

1 can Oscar Meyer Bacon Bits (in yellow package)

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

• Mix together, set aside.

Dressing:

2 cups real Mayonnaise

2/3 cup sugar

2 T. white vinegar

Mix together.

Combine all 3 mixtures in large bowl and serve. Great all by itself, witch crackers, or on a roll! 

Not So Greek Salad

I call this my Not So Greek Salad. Why? Because it was originally a Greek Salad recipe and I took out the olives, feta cheese, and all that jazz to make it and it was really good. So when someone asked me to write down what was in it the only name I could think of was Not So Greek Salad. It is very similar to The Pasta House Salad.. but let's face it you just CANNOT recreate that at home can you!? Why!? Anyway- this is a great salad and goes good with pasta. And amazingly enough we found out it goes SO good with my brother Tim's famous ribs too. haha. Enjoy! 

Not So Greek Salad

From: Christi 

1 head red leaf lettuce, torn into bite size pieces

1 head romaine lettuce, torn into bite size pieces

1 jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained well

1 small bottle zesty Italian salad dressing

1 red onion, diced

1 cup powdered parmesan cheese

2 packets of “real” bacon pieces (found by the bacos)

Toss all ingredients in a large salad bowl. Do not add dressing until ready to eat, or it will wilt and get soggy pretty fast. Do not use very much dressing, add a little at a time and taste in between until the leaves are coated but not swimming in the dressing or it will be overpowering and also soggy!


*Note* I saw this dressing at Aldi's and the whole garlic cloves floating in it made me have to try it. It was REALLY good on this salad. I don't think I could replace the ZESTY ITALIAN I always use, but this was a great one to use once in a while to change things up a little. It has a sweeter taste. Grandessa House Vinaigrette Dressing from Aldi's.