Tomato, Cucumber and Feta Salad

I love this refreshing salad in the summertime. Face it the best tomatoes and cucumbers of the entire year will be in our grocery stores soon. They are a natural combination and to add some feta cheese is just divine.

The dressing is a simple balsamic vinegar vinaigrette that also goes really well on any tossed salad. Be sure use the best quality balsamic vinegar you can afford. The better the vinegar the smoother the flavor of the finished vinaigrette. Pull out your better extra virgin olive oil too. I only used about half of the amount of dressing for my salad so I have some left to use on a tossed salad later in the week. Just store it in the fridge until needed, allow to come to room temperature and then shake to combine and use as desired.

If you happen to have a white balsamic that will be a bit prettier but won't make a huge difference in flavor.

Tomato, Cucumber and Feta Salad

Vinaigrette:

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar

½ teaspoon salt

½ clove of garlic, minced finely or grated

dash of freshly ground pepper

Salad:

2 large tomatoes, sliced

½ large cucumber, sliced

½ cup (about 2 oz) feta cheese, crumbled

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh oregano

In a small jar combine the ingredients for the vinaigrette and shake well.

On your serving platter alternate the slices of tomato and cucumber, you will need the same number of slices of each. Sprinkle the feta cheese and oregano over the top of the tomatoes and cucumber.

Drizzle with some of the vinaigrette, the amount is up to you. I had about half of this amount leftover but you may like to use more or less.

Potato Salad

We eat a lot of potato salad at our house, I find it to be one of my comfort foods. In the summer it just seems to be the perfect partner with so many of the main dishes we enjoy, especially those that come off the grill. I think another reason I love it so much is it is made ahead, so I don't have to be in the kitchen at the last minute. Face it by dinner time in the summer the kitchen is one of the last places we want to be, especially on a hot day. With potato salad I can make it early in the day and let it sit in the fridge all day. It is one of those dishes that really does need the time to sit too, the flavors need to have time to come together and the potatoes need some time to soak up some of the dressing.

This (like most of my potato salads) is a mayonnaise based version. I grew up eating mayo based potato salad and to me that is what makes it potato salad. I have eaten a few oil/vinegar based salads that were good but for me they don't hit that same comfort food level.

In today's version of potato salad I use a trick I picked up from a friend over 30 years ago. She made the best potato salad and one day I asked her what her secret was. She told me she always used pickle juice in her potato salad in place of vinegar that most recipes call for. I tried it and it is magic.

I may post other versions of  Potato Salad in the future because I tend to change it up a lot from time to time. This is just a really basic version that goes with everything (especially the Beer Can Chicken I am going to post tomorrow)

If you don't have any hard boiled eggs on hand you can boil the eggs along with the potatoes if you want to. Just add them to the pan with the potatoes. They should cook in about the same amount of time as the potatoes. That's a little hint I picked up years ago from another friend.

Potato Salad

6 medium (about 2 lbs.) potatoes, peeled and cut up

1 ½ cups mayonnaise

1 Tablespoon pickle juice

1 Tablespoon prepared mustard (any flavor you like)

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 bunch green onions, white part and tender green part chopped (about ½ cup)

½ cup chopped bread and butter pickle (or your favorite pickle)

4 hard cooked eggs, chopped

paprika (optional)

Place peeled, cubed potatoes in a pan of cold, salted water. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and cook until fork tender (mine usually takes about 7 to 10 minutes) Be sure to check them with a fork from time to time. You don't want to over cook them.

Drain and cool potatoes to room temperature.

Meanwhile combine mayonnaise, pickle juice, mustard, salt and pepper until well combined.

In a large bowl combine potatoes, chopped onions, chopped pickles and chopped hard boiled eggs. Add the mayonnaise mixture and mix gently to combine.

Put into a serving bowl, cover and chill until serving time, at least 3 or 4 hours.

Sprinkle top with paprika if desired.

Mildred's Swedish Cucumbers

This recipe for cucumbers was my mom's and I would be hard pressed to come up with a time that she didn't serve them to guests at her table. So I guess in a way it was her signature dish. It really didn't matter what time of year or the occasion, if she had company for dinner these were almost always part of the meal. They were also to be found in her fridge most of the time for a side with her meals or for the occasional snack. They are really super easy to make and do go with just about everything.

We thought we had lost dish with mom's passing but my daughter was going through some old cook books and she found a recipe card (with many splatters on it) that my mom had typed this on. So her cucumbers will live on for future generations to enjoy.

I know that all my kids love these and I will bet your family will also love this easy side dish. It is really at its best in the warm weather when the produce is at it freshest so give this a try with your dinner. I know we will be having it again soon too. 

Mildred's Swedish Cucumbers

½ cup white vinegar

¼ sugar

2 Tablespoons water

½ teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

2 Tablespoons fresh dill

2 large cucumbers

Combine the vinegar, sugar, water, salt and pepper in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.

Meanwhile remove strips of peel (lengthwise) from the cucumber (leaving strips between) and thinly slice the cucumbers into a container with a lid.

Pour the hot vinegar over the sliced cucumbers add the dill and mix together until well combined.

Cover and chill until serving time.

Asian Coleslaw

I was in the mood for some coleslaw to go with some burgers I was planning for dinner. The burgers (the burger recipe will be posted here tomorrow) are made of ground pork and are definitely Asian inspired so I wanted a side dish that would take that same path. It used to be that I was not a fan of coleslaw and then a couple of years ago I started to love it, I can’t get enough and make it often changing it up to go with whatever the main dish will be. For this variation I did some checking of what was in the cupboard/fridge and also what I was going to need for the burgers that might have extra. I really think the combo I came up with is really yummy. Be sure to make it a few hours ahead since coleslaw really likes to sit for a while before it is served.

My daughter pointed out during dinner that this coleslaw was extra good because it tastes like coleslaw and still definitely has an Asian flavor at the same time. So many times when you see Asian Coleslaw (or any of the flavored coleslaws) they seem to miss that balance. They either taste like coleslaw or taste like a flavored cabbage salad. I worked really hard to keep the balance here so that both flavors come through.

Asian Coleslaw

Dressing

½ cup mayonnaise

¼ cup sour cream

2 Tablespoons rice vinegar

1 Tablespoon sugar

1 Tablespoon soy sauce

½ teaspoon dark sesame oil

Veggie mix

5 cups packaged coleslaw mix (shredded green and red cabbage and shredded carrot)

½ cup finely chopped celery

¼ cup water chestnuts (I used part of a can of slice water chestnuts and chopped them)

¼ cup sliced green onion

¼ cup crushed pineapple, well drained.

Combine dressing ingredients in a small bowl making sure to combine well.

In a large bowl combine the veggie mix and the dressing. Stir to combine, cover and refrigerate until serving time (at least 1 hour)

My Creamy Potato Salad

I was in the mood for potato salad this week so I decided to dust off my favorite recipe for Creamy Potato Salad and share it with you. I have to say this is such an easy going recipe; I change it up depending on what is in the refrigerator that day. So here is what went in the bowl today.

I love the addition of the pickle juice to the mayonnaise mixture and have been doing that for many years (we won’t go into how many years here, but it has been decades) it really gives a nice mellow flavor.

Like I said earlier I change this out all the time so don’t worry if you don’t have some of the extra ingredients or don’t like them feel free to substitute what you have and love. As long as the basics: the potatoes, mayonnaise and amount of veggies remain about the same you really can’t go wrong. If you don’t like dill use your favorite herb in its place (tarragon is fantastic by the way) Use whatever pickles you have on hand, they all taste great in here. So feel free to play with this one and enjoy!

Creamy Potato Salad

2 pounds of Yukon Gold potatoes (or red potatoes) cut into bite size pieces

1 ½ cups mayonnaise

2 Tablespoons pickle juice (right from the jar of pickles)

1 Tablespoon mustard (I prefer a brown mustard or grainy mustard)

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper

1/8 teaspoon dry dill weed

½ cup shredded carrot (about 1 medium carrot)

¼ cup diced pickles (whatever is in the fridge) I used Bread & Butter pickles today)

¼ finely chopped onion

¼ cup sliced black olives

¼ chopped celery

4 hard cooked eggs, chopped

Combine the mayonnaise, pickle juice, mustard, salt, pepper and dill weed in a large bowl. Add in the carrots, pickles, onion, olives, and celery stir to combine well. Be sure to taste at this point and adjust the seasonings to your liking. Carefully fold in the potatoes and eggs just until they are coated with the dressing mixture. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours before serving.

Macaroni and Cheese Salad

Today I thought I would share with you my recipe for Macaroni and Cheese Salad. This is a great make-ahead dish and good for almost any occasion. It is also a nice filling, inexpensive dish so it is great for taking to potlucks and picnics too and it is even better the next day.

It seems like every time I pick up a magazine or turn on the TV lately I am seeing that we all need to add more whole grains to our diets. I started using whole grain pasta in this salad a few months ago and we really like the taste and texture even better.

I do change out the veggies in here depending on what is in my fridge at the time. This time I used chopped green onion, chopped celery, sliced black olives and shredded carrots. Use what you have and/or love, this is a great place to sneak a some extra veggies into your diet too. 

Macaroni and Cheese Salad


3 cups of whole grain shell macaroni
1/2 cup purchased Italian salad dressing
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups of fresh veggies, chopped or shredded (I used green onions, celery, olives and carrots
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons mustard
1 teaspoon Italian herb blend

Cook macaroni as directed on the package and drain. Add the Italian salad dressing to the hot macaroni and allow to cool about 20 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients to the macaroni and chill at least 4 hours before serving.
Serves 6 to 8 people

Hot German Potato Salad

Yummy, this is a recipe that I had misplaced for a long time and recently while trying to find something else I ran across it. I love this one and it is designed for 2 servings although it is super easy to adjust to however many servings you need at the moment.

Last night I made this for my daughter and I for dinner and she liked it so much she is making it for her boyfriend tomorrow night for Valentine's Day!

Hot German Potato Salad

2 medium potatoes
2 slices of bacon, cut into small pieces
4 green onions, sliced
1 Tablespoon flour
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon celery salt
freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/3 cup water
3 Tablespoons white wine vinegar

Cook your potatoes, I use my microwave to bake them (a really easy and fast way to handle them). When they have cooked peel and halve them lengthwise then slice.  Meanwhile cook your bacon until crisp. Remove the cooked bacon to a paper towel to drain and add the onions to the bacon fat in the skillet to cook until lightly browned and tender. Add the flour, sugar, celery salt and pepper and stir until bubbly. Stir in the water and vinegar and heat to a boil (stirring constantly) and boil 1 minute to thicken. Add the sliced potatoes and the bacon to the pan, stir gently to coat and heat through.
Serve warm.
Serves 2


Now all you have to do to change the number of servings is just multiply or divide your ingredients. For each serving you need one potato, one slice of bacon 2 green onions, etc.

Enjoy!