Recipes of the Month
Sour Cream Potato Salad
This recipe makes 6-8 servings, but I generally double the ingredients because it’s so good that my family and guests keep coming back for more.
Prep Time: less than 10 minutes after the potatoes are boiled and chilled.
6-8 medium potatoes (small red potatoes unpeeled)
8 ounces sour cream
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 cup chopped green onions
1 to 2 Tbsp. dried dill (or to taste)
1 cup crisp bacon bits
1/2 tsp. wine vinegar (to taste)
Salt and pepper (to taste)
1. Boil potatoes and put into refrigerator until cold (they slice better when cold).
2. When potatoes are chilled, slice them with their skins into large bowl.
3. Add sour cream, mayonnaise, dried dill, bacon bits, and salt and pepper.
4. Add wine vinegar.
5. Mix the ingredients lightly to combine.
Cover the bowl and chill for a few hours or overnight to allow the flavors to blend together.
This really is an old family recipe, so it is difficult to quantify the measurements exactly, so add the dill, vinegar, dried dill, salt, and pepper slowly and taste as you go along.
Easy Macaroni Salad
Serves 6 to 8
Prep Time (10 minutes after the macaroni is cooked and cooled)
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cooked macaroni (preferably elbows)
1 to 2 stalks celery, chopped
1/4 cup pickle relish
1 tbsp. green onion, chopped
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tbsp. mustard
Salt and pepper (to taste)
Boil macaroni until tender and drain. Chill macaroni with cold water until completely cool. Drain again and mix in remaining ingredients. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Lobster Salad
Serves 2
Prep Time: 30 minutes (after lobster is cooked and chilled).
Note: shimp or crab meat can be substituted for lobster.
1 1/2 lbs lobsters, chop up meat
3 stalks celery, chopped
3/4 bunch fresh dill, finely chopped
Juice of 2 lemons
Zest of 1 lemon
1/2 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 teaspoon malt vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Old Bay** seasoning
Salt and pepper, to taste
1. Mix everything together in a bowl.
2. Adjust seasoning to taste.
**Old Bay Seasoning is a McCormick product and is a combination of spices that includes: salt, celery seed, mustard, red pepper, black pepper, bay leaves, cloves, allspice, ginger, mace, cardamom, cinnamon, and paprika.
Marinated Cucumbers, Onions, and Tomatoes
6-8 servings
3 medium cucumbers, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 medium red onion, sliced and separated into rings
3 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges
1/2 cup vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup water
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon fresh coarse ground black pepper
1/4 cup oil
1 teaspoon chopped fresh mint (optional)
1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Toss well to mix.
3. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.
Roast Beef Sandwiches
(for summer lunches and picnics; serves four)
3/4 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons horseradish
3/4 lb. rare roast beef (chopped finely in food processor)
Softened butter
Lettuce leaves
1 large Vidalia onion (sliced thin)
2 tomatoes (thinly sliced)
Salt and pepper (to taste)
1 Loaf crusty French bread
1. Combine mayonnaise with horseradish and chopped roast beef and cover and chill in refrigerator.
To assemble sandwich:
1. Slice French bread in half (lengthwise) and butter the bottom half of the bread.
2. Layer lettuce on top of buttered half of bread and lay down the thinly sliced onions and tomatoes.
3. Layer the seasoned roast beef on top.
4. Season roast beef with lots of salt and freshly ground pepper.
5. Put a layer of mayonnaise on the top half of the French Bread and complete the sandwich.
Cut the completed sandwich into four individual sandwiches and serve.
These are great sandwiches to take on a picnic; just wrap the sandwiches in plastic and put in your picnic basket along with your other picnic foods.
Ham Salad for Sandwiches
(Makes ten sandwiches)
This spread can be refrigerated up to four days and is great for summer lunches and for picnics.
1 1/2 lbs. cooked ham, finely chopped
1 1/4 cups mayonnaise
1/2 cup sweet relish
3 tablespoons minced onions (green onions or Vidalia)
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Loaf of crusty French Bread
1. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl.
2. Chill before making sandwiches.
Vanilla Ice Cream
1/4 cup milk or substitute half the quantity with half-and-half
1 pint heavy cream
1 vanilla bean
1 shot of Bourbon
Vanilla extract is acceptable as a replacement for the bean and bourbon
1/4 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
4 egg yolks
Make sure your ice cream machine is nice and cold before starting, otherwise you will end up with a runny milk shake. This recipe is based on a Cuisinart Automatic Frozen Yogurt-Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker machine (model ICE-20).
In a saucepan, add the vanilla bean and bourbon. Bring this to a simmer then turn the heat off and let it stand a few minutes. Now add the milk, being careful not to let it boil over.
In a bowl add the salt, egg yolks, and the sugar. Whisk it until it becomes fluffy and almost off white in color. While whisking, add the milk, being careful not to scald the yolks. Remove the bean and cut it lengthwise and scrape out the inside of the pod. These are the vanilla specs you see in almost any commercial grade ice cream. Add these to the mixture.
Let this mixture sit in the refrigerator until cold.
Add the chilled egg yolk mixture and the cream to your ice cream machine. Let the machine run for about 20 minutes. Be sure to consult your manual if you need more questions answered. Put your ice cream in a container and place it in the freezer for about half and hour to an hour. This will help it firm up.
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