Warm German Potato Salad

This was a huge hit with everyone in our family!

•  2 pounds red or gold potatoes
• 8 oz bacon
• 1/4 c chopped onion
• 1/3 c vinegar (original recipe called for apple cider vinegar; I used white)
• 1-3 T sugar (I used 2 and liked it)
• 1 T Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Pepper, to taste
• 1/2 c chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Cut large potatoes in half so all are the same size.  Place in large pot, cover with water, and boil until soft (15-20 minutes).  Drain and return potatoes to empty pot over hot (but turned-off) burner.  Leave the lid off and allow the potatoes to steam dry for a couple minutes.

In another pot, cut bacon into small pieces and cook.  While the bacon is cooking, cut the potatoes into 1/2" slices.  Once the bacon is done, remove it from the pan and cook the onion until soft.  Into the same pan, whisk the vinegar, sugar, mustard, salt, and pepper.  Bring to a simmer and whisk for a couple minutes.

Toss together the dressing, potatoes, and bacon.  Add parsley (if using).  Serve warm.

White Bean Salad with Cheddar, Bacon, Walnuts

 2 whole heads garlic

1 tsp. EVOO, plus 1/3 cup, divided

2 T plus 1 tsp cider vinegar

2 tsp Dijon mustard

3⁄4 tsp chopped fresh thyme or 1⁄4 tsp dried

3⁄4 tsp salt

1⁄2 tsp pepper

3 – 15 ounce cans navy or great northern beans, rinsed 

4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 medium orange bell pepper, finely diced

1⁄2 cup chopped celery

1⁄2 cup chopped toasted walnuts

1⁄2 cup chopped fresh parsley

1⁄2 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Remove excess papery skin from garlic heads without separating the cloves. Slice the tips off, exposing the cloves. Place heads on a piece of foil, drizzle with 1 tsp. oil and wrap into a package. Roast until garlic is very soft and starting to brown, 55 – 65 minutes. Carefully unwrap and let cool 10 minutes

3. Squeeze garlic cloves into a food processor or blender. Add the remaining 1/3 cup oil, vinegar, mustard, thyme, salt and pepper. Puree until smooth.

4. Combine beans, bacon, bell pepper, celery, walnuts and parsley in a large bowl. Add the dressing and toss to coat. Add cheese and gently stir to combine. Serve either room temp or cold.

4 Bean Salad

For the salad

Fresh green beans and fresh wax beans – trimmed and cut; steamed to just about tender, then plunged into cold water. I have no clue the quantity – whatever you need to feed the size crowd you are cooking for.

1 can garbanzo beans 

1 can some kind of red beans

4 green onions, sliced and chopped 

1 or 2 stalks celery, chopped

For the dressing

A healthy 1⁄4 cup cider vinegar (in retrospect, it could go up to a 1⁄2 cup, depending on how much you like vinegar)

1⁄4 cup oil (I used olive; I think canola is more usual)

1 T honey 

2 tsp. Dijon mustard

1⁄2 tsp each: garlic powder, black pepper, onion powder, cayenne

Shake the dressing in a jar or mix in a blender or stir in a bowl and pour over the beans, etc. I dressed the salad about 5 hours before serving it and kept turning the container over to make sure everything was coated.

Lemon Orzo Salad

• 1 lb. whole wheat orzo 
• 2/3 cup Panera® Mediterranean Lemon Vinaigrette Dressing
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries 
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds 
• 1 tbsp. lemon zest 
• 3/4 cup feta, crumbled 
• 3 cups mixed greens (like arugula, baby kale and baby spinach) 
• to taste salt and black pepper
• Instructions:

1. Cook pasta to al dente, drain and rinse 
2. Mix everything together 

My Notes:

• Use half the pasta called for
• Instead of the fancy (and I'm sure delicious) dressing, I just juiced the lemon and mixed it with cheap-o Aldi Italian dressing. It's really good!
• My greens are all spinach
• Would be better thoroughly chilled with the greens added just before serving.

Source:

https://www.paneraathome.com/meal-ideas/types/salads/lemon-orzo-salad

Wild Rice Salad

1 cup wild rice, uncooked (3 cups cooked)
1/2 c almonds, sliced
1 cup dried cranberries
1 bunch green onions, sliced thinly
4 ribs of celery, chopped
1 c chicken
Marzetti's poppyseed dressing

Directions:

1. Prepare wild rice as directed on label.
2. In a large bowl, stir everything together.
3. Add enough dressing to coat ingredients.
4. Refrigerate for an hour or more.

Notes:

• I more than doubled the recipe and didn't need a whole bottle of dressing.
• Rotisserie chicken was a great choice!
• If refrigerating overnight, add the almonds just before serving.
• I had this for a lunch at Pacem In Terris and the rice was perfectly cooked.  I'm sure it all tastes the same, but it is prettier if the rice isn't overcooked.

Sour Cream Cucumber Salad

1/2 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons white vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
Pepper to taste
4 medium cucumbers, peeled if desired and thinly sliced
1 small sweet onion, thinly sliced and separated into rings

In a large bowl, whisk sour cream, vinegar, sugar and pepper until blended. Add cucumbers and onion; toss to coat. Refrigerate, covered, at least 4 hours. Serve with a slotted spoon. Yield: 8 servings.

NOTES:

• Delicious and I always have the ingredients on hand.
• It's very easy to adjust the amount.  (Hello, single cucumber!)
• Much better with some dill weed, obviously.
• Source

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

Salad

• 1 cup quinoa
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 2 diced tomatoes
• 1 cup diced bell peppers
• 1 cup diced cucumber
• 1 cup chopped kalamata olives
• 1/4 cup chopped green onion

For the Lemon Oregano Dressing

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp honey
• juice and finely minced zest of one lemon
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh oregano (or 1 tbsp dried oregano)
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Instructions

• Bring the water, salt and quinoa to a boil over low heat.
• Cover and simmer slowly for 15 to 20 minutes until the grains are cooked but still a little firm to the bite.
• Remove from heat and add the tomatoes, peppers, cucumber, olives and green onion.
• Toss everything together with the Lemon Oregano Dressing.
• For the Lemon Oregano Dressing
• Whisk together the olive oil, honey, lemon zest, oregano, salt and pepper.
• Pour over the salad while warm and toss very well.

NOTES:

• Healthy, easy, good for several days, uses garden ingredients I have now.
• I got this recipe from Deb L.  She added cubed avocado and really liked it.
• Source

Grandma's Cole Slaw

How could I not have posted this before?

First the "official" recipe:

• 7/8 cup sugar
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup of mayonnaise
• 1/4 c vinegar (calls for "tarragon or other")
• 1/4 c salad oil
• 1 small onion
• 1 head of shredded cabbage

Now the version I usually make:

• half of the dressing recipe (cut cabbage, especially when shredded, adds liquid to the recipe and a full batch of dressing is always too much, imo)
• using miracle whip
• and plain, white vinegar
• skip the onion
• medium/small head of cabbage

NOTES:

• Quite often I don't measure very carefully - it's a pretty forgiving recipe.
• It was originally from the A & W or Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant in Staples and my recipe card calls it Ozzie's Cole Slaw.  (Ozzie Anglin? was the restaurant owner.)
• It was cut down from a huge restaurant recipe, hence the 7/8 cup measurement.
• If you use some red cabbage, add it at the last minute or the dressing will get all pink.

Creamy Dilled Cucumber Salad

1 large cucumber (sliced)
1/4 cup red onion (sliced)
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
1 handful dill (chopped)
salt and pepper to taste

Mix everything and chill.

NOTES:

• This is 4-5 servings.
• Very mild flavor (You could add a little garlic, salt and pepper to make it a little more like tzatziki, or even change out the sour cream/lemon juice for some Greek yogurt.)
• I used about a teaspoon or so of dill weed instead of fresh, but fresh would be better.
• Red onion is not essential ( I used a yellow.)
• Good, easy, super fast to throw together.

Bacon Cauliflower Salad

1 medium head cauliflower, broken into florets
1 pound sliced bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 cup cubed cheddar cheese
1 cup frozen peas (fresh would be awesome!)
1 medium onion, chopped (optional)
1 cup Miracle Whip
2 to 4 teaspoons sugar

NOTES:
Very good.  Instead of starting from scratch on the bacon, I just used this secret ingredient.  It's very nice to have around for salads, omelets, etc. and since people are using is with a decent amount of restraint, I can justify keeping a package around for random bacon needs.  (You know ... "needs.")

Caprese Salad

We made this for our tea party last night, which was a great option to have as part of our "light dinner."  It's easy to make, summery, fresh, delicious, and really pretty!  Nothing special--just plain mozzarella from Costco, basil from the garden, bushel boy tomatoes, and a mixture of balsamic vinegar and Italian dressing.  Mostly I just wanted to post a few photos because mom did such a nice job at making it pretty.  One thing to note is that it's best to make this at the last minute; by the end of the evening, the cheese had lost a lot of its moisture, so it was kind of just sitting in liquid in the plate.

Sauerkraut Salad

2 c. kraut-well drained
l/2 c chop. celery
l/2 c. chop. green pepper
l/2 c. chop. onion
l/4 c. pimento or red pepper

Dressing:
l c sugar
l/2 c white vinegar
salt, pepper and garlic to taste
mix well

Add all: chill and serve---keeps well

NOTES:
Grandma and Grandpa have been making this for years and brought it to the family reunion last weekend.  It pretty much loses all it's sauerkraut flavor and is more in the three-bean-salad category.  It's good on its own (imo) but would also possibly be nice on something like a Reuben sandwich or something like this.

Coleslaw with Ramen Noodles

1 lb. bag shredded cabbage

1 bag Oriental Flavor Ramen Noodles

1/2 c sunflower seeds

Mix:

3 tbsp. vinegar

2 tbsp. sugar

Salt and pepper

1/2 c. oil

Ramen seasoning packet

Brown:

4 tbsp. sesame seeds

Toss together 1/2 hour before serving with 4 chopped green onions.

NOTES: An oldie, but a goodie. The toasted sesame seeds are a major flavor, so don't skip it. I toasted them in a non-stick pan, medium/high heat, no oil.

The original recipe had 1 cup of almonds toasted with the sesame seeds. I didn't have any so I substituted the sunflower seeds.

Apple Vinagrette

This is as close as I can get to copying the dressing from Panera's Fuji Apple Salad

3 T. Apple Juice Concentrate
1 T. White Balsamic Vinegar
1 T. Apple Cider Vinegar
1 T. Garlic Powder
1 T. Onion Powder
1 tsp. Dijon Mustard
1/3 C. Olive Oil

Blend ingredients together until well mixed.

Yield: ~1/2 cup

Note: If you can find cider concentrate, or Granny Smith juice it would be better, a bit less sweet.

Spinach Salad

1 bunch spinach

1 8 ounce can water chestnuts (slivered)

6 slices bacon, fried crisp and crumbled

4-6 thinly sliced green onions

Dressing:

1/4 c sugar

1/2 c oil

2 1/2 tsp ketchup

2 1/2 tbls vinegar

1 tbls Worchestershire sauce

Mix dressing ingredients and set aside. Mix remaining ingredients in a bowl; toss with dressing.

Source: Anoka County 4-H cookbook, p. 296

Notes: When we made this tonight, we made a couple substitutions: no green onion and water chestnuts, instead some chives and 2 sliced, hard-cooked eggs.

Also, I think there's too much dressing for the amount of salad, so I begin by pouring 1/2-2/3 of it on. That's typically enough unless you make a huge batch.

Grilled Corn Salad

6 ears corn, shucked
2 avocados, cut into cubes
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

3 green onions

1/2 of a small can of diced chili peppers, or 1 teaspoon of diced jalapenos

Dressing:

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons lime juice

salt and pepper to taste

Grill corn and green onions over low heat until it starts to brown in spots; allow to cool slightly and the cut the kernels off the cob, finely chop the white portions of the onion. Stir together the dressing ingredients, stir in the avocado chunks first followed by the remaining ingredients. Chill to allow the flavors to meld.

Note: The only reason I stir the avocados in first is so that they get coated with lime juice to slow the browning.

Yield: about 1-1/2 quarts(mind you they were kinda smallish ears of corn)

D'Amico & Sons Turkey with Dried Cherries Pasta Salad

Salad:
1 pound rotini
1 1/2-2 cups cooked, diced turkey breast
1 c dried cherries
1 medium yellow onion, diced
4 diced celery stalks
1 c whole toasted almonds

Poppy-seed dressing:
1/4 c powdered sugar
2 tbls. champagne vinegar
2 c real mayonnaise

2 tbls. poppy seeds
2 tbls. cold water
2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp pepper

To make salad:
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse in cold water. Chill. Combine with turkey, cherries, onion, celery, and almonds.

To make dressing: Combine powdered sugar and vinegar. Add mayo, water, poppy seeds, salt and pepper. Whisk to combine. Add to pasta and toss to combine.

Servings: 6-8 (I'd say more. It was a pretty big salad with a full pound of pasta.)

SOURCE: I got this from Val Hix who got it from the Pioneer Press.

NOTES: I've eaten this recipe almost as written and it was excellent! I did make a few changes when I made it yesterday though:

• I used a 12.5 ounce can of chicken instead of the turkey
• I used 1/2 mayo and 1/2 miracle whip for the dressing. In addition, I didn't have champagne vinegar so I used balsamic vinegar instead. Val made it with a raspberry blush vinegar and it worked well.
• I don't think whole almonds would be pleasant to bite into in a salad, so I would recommend slivered. Actually, I used pecans instead of the almonds and it was very good.
• I didn't have more than 1/4 c dried cherries so I filled in with craisins. It was great!

Broccoli Apple Salad

A ingredients and motivation deprived version of this.

broccoli florets (and chopped stalks if you like)
1 garlic clove, smashed and chopped

scant 1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup peanut butter

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon honey

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons hot water
2 small crisp apples, cut into bit-sized pieces (if you aren't going to use the apples immediately, let them sit in a bowl of water with the juice of 1/2 a lemon)
1/2 cup toasted walnuts or almonds

1/3 cup green onions

Stir together the green onions, a splash of olive oil and big pinch of salt in a large skillet over low heat. Stir every few minutes, browning slowly. Let them get dark brown (but not burn). Remove from skillet and onto a paper towel to cool in a single layer where they will crisp up a bit.

Make the dressing by sprinkling the salt over the clove of garlic. Smash the clove and chop, turning it into a paste. In a small bowl whisk the garlic paste with the peanut butter, lemon juice, honey and olive oil. Add the hot water and whisk until light and creamy.

Chop broccoli and apples into bite-sized pieces. In a large bowl gently toss the broccoli, apples, most of the scallions and nuts with a generous drizzle of the dressing. Garnish with the rest of the shallots and chives if you like.

Notes: Could use a little tweaking, but it was an interesting combination of flavors. The original dressing called for almond butter, which would probably be better. The dressing was asthetically challenged, but looked okay once it was tossed in. The crispy green onions were a yummy garnish.

Fluff

Of course fluff is more of an art than a science, but here's one version for posterity:

2 (8 oz.) tubs of cool whip
2 small packets orange jello
1 (20 oz.) can pineapple tidbits, drained
mandarin oranges, drained (we used 2 cans totaling about 20 ounces)
1 bag of mini marshmallows

Mix it all together and refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving so the jello has time to dissolve.