Tuesday, June 25, 2019

VISITORS AND VITTLES

Almost two weeks ago our older son Tim came for a visit.  It's always a pleasure to have him around!  He did a lot of work in the landscape, which was a great help to Jim.  I made some very nice meals.  So our mealtimes together were delicious and a good time of fellowship.

The day after Tim left a couple whom we know from many years ago came for a visit.  We both enjoy both of them, so again we had some times of fellowship that were a big treat.

Now it's back to just the two of us, and not so much cooking.  Well--that's not quite true because this afternoon the quilt club has a planning meeting to set up next year's schedule and we follow that with a potluck.  Our potlucks are always delicious!

When we went on our yearly "shop hop" two weeks ago I mentioned my recipe for potato salad, which includes some ingredients not ordinarily included.  Some of the women expressed doubt about how that would turn out.  So I decided to make a batch of potato salad for tonight's potluck.

Here's the recipe.  See what you think of it.

SUPER POTATO SALAD
(This recipe is for a crowd, supposed to serve 30 people.  I cut it down according to how many people will be present.)
10 pounds of potatoes
12 hard-cooked eggs, sliced
1 cup sliced radishes
1 bunch green onions, diced
1 green pepper, diced
2 large onions diced
2 cups of diced celery
1 cucumber, peeled and diced (That was before long English cucumbers were available.   I include the skin.  The green is a nice accent.)

Peel and dice the potatoes.  Boil for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and cool.
While the potatoes are boiling prepare the other ingredients.  Fold the cooled potatoes into the other ingredients and fold in the dressing (recipe follows).  Refrigerate.  Tastes fine the first day, but better the second.  Garnish with paprika and parsley.

DRESSING
(Also good for coleslaw)
2 quarts of salad dressing
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup vinegar (I like cider vinegar.)
1/2 cup sugar
3 teaspoons salt (Original recipe calls for 3 tablespoons.)
1/2 teaspoon coarse ground pepper
1 teaspoon prepared mustard (yellow mustard)

Mix all ingredients and add to potato salad.  Extra dressing can be stored for a long time in the refrigerator, just like the salad dressing.

This recipe seems to have come from a magazine.  Mom copied it and gave credit to Helen Schwartz.  This is the only potato salad I make because I think it's just the best!

I made the potato salad yesterday and Jim and I had some for supper.  Now what am I going to leave for him to eat for supper tonight while I'm away?  (I treat him awfully well--when I'm away there is always a meal prepared for him to heat up.)

As I picked up some groceries this morning I had an inspiration.  I bought 2 bags of split peas, came home and started a batch of this really good pea soup.  He'll be happy with this for his supper.  It's made in a crock pot, so it's perfect for making ahead and being ready to serve when he's ready to eat.

SUPER PEA SOUP

8 to 10 cups of water
2 (450 gram) bags of split peas
1 onion, chopped
2 good-sized carrots, diced
3 (mild) Italian sausages, cut into rounds and then the rounds cut in half
1 tsp. salt (we don't use much salt in our food.)
1/2 tsp coarse ground pepper
1 large or 2 small bay leaves

Put all into a large crock pot, bring to a boil on high, turn down to low and simmer for several hours.

This recipe makes a LOT of soup, more than we'll eat in one meal.  That's one of the good things about this recipe.  I ladle the soup that remains into quart containers and freeze it.  Freezes well and thaws out just fine.  You do have to remove it from the freezer well ahead of time because it is pretty thick and takes a long time to thaw.

Well, those are two of my favourite recipes that I use over and over again.  The potato salad is especially nice on a hot summer day and the pea soup is great when it's cool and dark outside.  ENJOY!

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