Potato Salad

Potato salad is one of those things that is universal.  Everybody has some form of it no matter where you go and most people think their version is the best.  Personally, I love just about anything with potatoes in it and my very favorite potato salad is one that comes from a family friend.  I have no idea where she got the recipe, but once I had it as a kid I've never loved another potato salad like I love this one.  I made it this week to go along side grilled chicken sandwiches.  It made for an easy summer dinner that was quick and tasty.

Ranch Potato Salad:

1 lb. baby red potatoes
6 slices bacon, fried crisp and crumbled
1/2 bunch green onions, chopped
Ranch Dressing
       (I like Marzetti's Simply Dressed Ranch...usually in the produce refrigerated section.)
salt to taste

Clean and halve potatoes.  (I like to leave the skins on.)  Cover them with water in a large pot and boil until tender, then drain.  Mix approximately 1/2 cup of Ranch Dressing with green onions and bacon in the bottom of a mixing bowl, pour hot potatoes over dressing and mix gently so as not to break up the potatoes too much.  Add salt to taste.  You can serve it warm, but I like it cold and it tastes even better the next day!

Corn Salad

My tomato plants are producing like crazy right now, so I've been making plenty of cool summer time dishes that involve tomatoes.  This salad can have as many or as few tomatoes as you like.  Whenever I have to take a large quantity of something to a potluck, I always turn to this salad because the recipe doubles or triples easily.  It's perfect for outdoor events and it pairs well with just about anything off the grill from burgers to fajitas.  Because corn is the main ingredient, you want high quality taste and crispness.  Make sure to buy Del Monte Summer Crisp corn in the canned foods sections for the best results. 

Also, this is a great one for kids to help with!

Corn Salad:
2 cans Del Monte Summer Crisp corn
1 avocado, chopped
1/2 bunch cilantro, finely chopped
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup purple onion, chopped
juice of 2-3 limes
Salt to taste

Drain the corn and toss with cilantro, tomatoes, onion, and lime juice.  I add plenty of salt.  This salad tastes best if it can sit in the refrigerator for a few hours.  Chop and add in the avocado right before serving.

Summer in Texas

Summer in Texas means heat.  And I don't mean a little bit hot, I mean heat that you can barely stand to be in for longer than about 5 minutes.  Where we live, about an hour north of  the Gulf Coast, it's hot, it's humid, and it's miserable to do anything outside between about noon and 7 PM.  My husband, who owns a concrete placement company, is outside all day.  So, when he comes home from a day of working outside during the hot Texas summer, he doesn't want a hot meal.  He wants something cool and refreshing.  This pasta salad is just that and is great as a side or as a meal by itself.  Plus, my kids love it!

Stay tuned this week for more summer salad ideas.

BLT Pasta Salad:

2 1/2 cups of whole grain rotini pasta, cooked

1 cucumber chopped

1/4 cup of chopped sweet onion or purple onion (we left this out of the portion for the kids)

1 cup of grape tomatoes

3/4 cup of Miracle Whip

2 Tablespoons of Milk

8-10 slices of bacon cooked very crisp and crumbled

1 avocado chopped and 1/2 lemon squeezed over i

Salt and Pepper to taste

Lettuce to serve it on

Boil pasta and drain.  Chop Cucumber and onion.  Make dressing by thinning the Miracle Whip with the milk. Chop Avocado and squeeze lemon over it.  Put all ingredients in a bowl and toss.  Serve over a bed of your favorite lettuce.  I like to buy shredded iceberg lettuce.