Potato Salad No. ??

Janet here:

While there is no real reason potato salad is a hot-weather food only, the reality in our house at least is that summer is when it's served. A lot. I have been a fan of potato salad since I first stuck a big spoon in a massive bowl in my grandmother's kitchen and ate it before dinner was even served. Not that surprising when you think about because it does start with potatoes and what's not to like about potatoes. (If you want my version of that recipe, just click here.)

So I was personally thrilled when my latest Food Network Magazine arrived and stuck right there in the middle of about hundred other fabulous recipes (no joke, this was one of the better issues for recipes) was a mini-book of 50! potato salad recipes. I decided then and there I would cook my way through them this summer. Rachel is going to join in too. We'll give you an update on Facebook on how that's going (and if you're not a fan, please consider joining the fun here.)

It was a no-brainer to start with the bacon-ranch version. First Ranch dressing is as ubiquitous as a dinner table condiment as salt and pepper when our sons are home, and second because, well, I use any excuse I can to include bacon in a meal. While I haven't eaten red meat in over 30 years, bacon, as regular readers know, is my downfall. I often made my kids order bacon as a side for breakfast in a restaurant just so I could have a piece. I used turkey bacon here to, you know, make me feel better but you obviously can use the real thing. Either way, it's one tasty potato salad.

While Rachel and I cook our way through potato salad heaven this summer, we'd love to know your favorite variation. Are you a red potato salad purist? Mayo-free fan? Let us know.

Bacon Ranch Potato Salad
serves a lot

ingredients
2 pounds red potatoes
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup chopped celery (I like crunch in my salad so I added more)
1 teaspoon sugar
6 slices of bacon, diced or crumbled
salt and pepper to taste

method
Boil the potatoes until just done. Rinse under cool water and when cool enough to handle, cut into cubes. (You can peel if you want; I'm a skin fan.)

While the potatoes are boiling, cook the bacon and crumble when cool. In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients. Toss with the potatoes and serve.

Egg-cellent Eggs

Rachel here: I hadn't dyed eggs since I lived with my parents, I don't think, and though there is absolutely zero recognition of Easter in my house, it just seemed like so much fun that I called John at work and asked him if he'd join me in dyeing them when he got home. He was game, as he usually is for art projects/things that involve making messes. Anyway, figuring there was no way in hell I'd find Easter egg dye kits at this late date, I decided to employ food coloring for our dyeing experience. There are directions on the back of all food coloring packages and it was really quite simple. We used brown eggs because that was what was in the refrigerator and though this affected the end color, neither of us felt it was a problem. We had fun and, though I had intended to use the eggs to make egg salad, we ended up eating all of them (I only boiled six) promptly. Oops! Hard-boiled eggs are such a good snack and dyeing them is so satisfying that I'm considering extracting this tradition from the confines of Easter and dyeing eggs year round. They're so bright and pretty on the refrigerator shelf!



Janet here: In contrast to Rachel, who dyed her first Easter eggs, it's very possible I just dyed my last batch with our youngest heading off to college next year. Maybe we'll do it with the grandchild, although it's just as possible it won't happen. Anyway, the main reason to dye all these hard-boiled eggs is to make delicious deviled eggs and egg salad. I remember the first time I had deviled eggs. It was at my grandmother's house and I was amazed a hard-boiled egg could taste so good. Instead of sticking to the roof of my mouth the way plain old hard-boiled eggs do, these little wonders featured mayonnaise and dill. Delicious!

ingredients
hard-boiled eggs
mayonnaise
catsup
dill weed
salt/pepper

method
Boil the eggs. Once the eggs are cooled, cut them in half and scoop out the yolk. Put the white halves aside. Mash the yolks and add 1-2 tablespoons of mayonnaise, about 1 tablespoon catsup and dill weed/salt/pepper to taste. The amounts are an approximation, depending on how mushy you want your innards. Mash it all together some more and then scoop back into the eggs. Voila!