Mama's Potato Salad

Dear Lissy,

Daddy's headed off to the mentor planning picnic for the robotics teams tonight.  A potluck cookout with good friends calls for a bowl of potato salad and chocolate chip cookies.  My 1950's era Betty Crocker cookbook states authoritatively that "a good potato salad is the mark of a good cook."  Whether or not that is true, this potato salad is fantastic.  The potato cubes are marinated in a little French dressing before being dressed with mayonnaise.

Mama's Potato Salad 

Adapted from Betty Crocker's Picture Cookbook, first edition

Place in bowl. . .
3 cups cubed, cooked warm potatoes (see instructions below)
1 Tbsp. finely chopped onion or shallot, optional

Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Mix lightly with . . .
1/4 cup French Dressing

Chill for an hour or two.  Toss lightly with. . .
3/4 cup Hellman's mayonnaise.  Heavy duty mayo in the gallon tub has better flavor and texture.

Blend in carefully. . .
2 chopped hard-boiled eggs

Turn salad into the smallest serving bowl of a nested set and chill until serving. Garnish with a sprinkle of paprika and fresh parsley or celery leaves.  To serve, place ice chips in largest bowl of a nested set, and push potato salad bowl into ice.  Invert the medium bowl or a plate over the top to keep flies off of food.

A few basic skills come in handy when making potato salad. 

To cook potatoes. . .
Peel and cube raw red potatoes into 1/2" chunks.  Place in single layer in steamer basket and steam until tender.  Test with the tip of a paring knife for doneness.  To make the recipe easier the next time you make it, record the time it takes in your steamer here:  _____________  min. Potatoes can also be steamed in the microwave if you don't own a steamer.

French dressing:
Combine in shaker or mason jar.  Shake well before using.
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar or lemon juice
3/4 cup light olive oil
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. dry mustard
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. black pepper

To Hard-cook eggs. . .
Place week old eggs in single layer in bottom of saucepan (You might as well make a few extra for snacks while you're making up the two for the salad.)
Cover with cold tap water.
Place on cold burner and turn to medium high.  Bring to a full boil.
Cover and remove from heat.  Let sit for exactly 15 minutes.  Drain.
Refill pan with cold tap water and let stand two minutes.  Drain.
Shake pan vigorously to crack shells.  Peel off shells under running water. 


Love,
Momma

Sideboard Supper

Dear Lissy, 

Tomorrow promises to be about 134 degrees in church.  The windows in the sanctuary remain closed, so there's not a breath of air for relief.  We'll all have to do a little extra heart work before we leave tomorrow morning, or a complaining spirit will quickly overtake our worship.

By the time we get home we'll all be hot, hungry, and exhausted -- not exactly a pot roast kind of day.  Sideboard supper to the rescue.  Most European countries have some variation of this meal in their repertoire.  I'm sharing tomorrow's menu to give you an idea of what I prepare.  I usually line up everything on the counter (sideboard) and we go through buffet style.  You don't need much of any one thing -- the enjoyment is in the variety.  I'll have the three of you help me prep so we can eat almost as soon as we walk in the door.

• Vegetable Tray:  Celery sticks, Carrot chips, Sun gold cherry tomatoes, Snap Peas
• Relish Tray:  Sweet Baby Gherkin pickles, Dill chips, Black olives
  
• Deviled eggs (quiche or baby quiches are a great choice here, too)
  
• Meat and Cheese Tray
• Cheese, one or two varieties
• Cottage cheese
• Spiral Ham slices.  Wal-mart sells a 1-2# vacuum pack of spiral ham ends and pieces that's very affordable.  5-10 slices of deli meat is a good substitute
• Chicken chunks.  I cooked two boneless, skinless chicken breasts in balsamic vinegar, honey, cinnamon, thyme, and sea salt tonight while the oven was still hot from pizza.  I'll chill them overnight and cube them up in the morning.
• Breadbasket:  Pretzel Breadsticks, Crackers, and Crisps
• Fruit Tray:  Peach slices, Grapes, Melon chunks
• Ranch dressing
• Honey Mustard dip
• Beverage:  Cran Grape mixed with Club Soda or Iced coffee
• Dessert:  Ice Cream and Mini Strawberry Pies

I've never been brave enough to serve a cold sideboard supper to company, but it's a family favorite.  This unusual meal helps us avoid the expense of a restaurant, and is a bit more interesting than a sandwich or cereal.  There's usually enough left for lunch the next day, which is always a blessing on a hectic Monday morning.

Keep Cool,
Momma

Helping in Another Home, Part 2: Helping while Mama is Away

Dear Lissy,

We're headed over to HVBC for Old Home Days Sunday, and everyone is in high spirits.  We'll get to see Pastor and Esther, a rare treat since Daddy's usually filling the pulpit while they're on vacation.  The afternoon song and testimony service is the highlight for Daddy and I.  A barrel vaulted ceiling and a musically talented congregation make for an a-maz-ing service.  I'm pretty sure your brothers are eying the potluck and ice cream social after services with their friends.   We'll be bringing pans of sweet potato rolls and a Mexican chicken and rice casserole with roasted corn, so you and I have some kitchen time ahead of us , too.

Today's letter is a bit more serious:  how to help in a home when Mama is away, and Daddy and the kids are running the home.  If you haven't read Part 1, take a few minutes to look back through that letter before you begin this one.  I've written most of this letter to address a situation where Mom is away for a week or more.  This letter assumes that Dad has one or more preschool or school aged children.  I also wanted it to be appropriate for those homes where mama has gone home to Heaven.  I find it unsettling that so many women in their late thirties and early forties succumb to cancer while they still have young families.  Those families need quiet assistance for years, not days.  It's been my experience that very often mom's absences are emergencies, and she doesn't have time to organize much help ahead of time.

One Quick Tip: Drip Dry in Half the Time

Dear Lissy,

This little tip comes to you courtesy of my college roommates.

Silk needs special care!   http://www.wikihow.com/Wash-Silk-Garments

• Hand wash, rinse, and wring  garment.
• Lay garment flat on the top half of a bath towel, and fold the other half of the towel over the top.  For a large garment, use two towels.
• Roll the towel and garment together into a cylinder.
• Place the roll-up on the floor, and do a little stomp dance on top of it.  Make sure your entire body weight is on top of each part of the roll-up several times.
• Unroll and hang or lay out the garment to finish drying.  Pantyhose and nylon undergarments will be dry enough to wear right after unrolling if necessary.

Love,
Momma