Month: July 2015

Three-Bean Salad

three bean salad

 

 

Here’s another great vegetable salad recipe. This recipe uses convenient canned vegetables, which makes it an easy year-round recipe. This salad has been a favorite of mine since I was a child. It was always on the table at family get-togethers, and it’s great for cookouts and picnics.

My mom uses Splenda in place of sugar, which is an excellent option. You can mix up the beans. Try adding frozen English peas in place of chickpeas, or maybe cannellini (white kidney beans) rather than red kidney beans. Stored in an airtight container it last about one week in the refrigerator.

Three-Bean Salad
 
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Ingredients
  • 1 (15.5-oz.) can Garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 (15-oz.) can cut green beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 (15-oz.) can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • ½ c. chopped bell pepper
  • ½ c. chopped onion
  • ½ c. white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
  • ½ c. vegetable oil
  • ½ c. sugar
  • 1 tsp. salt
Instructions
  1. Pour rinsed and drained beans into a large bowl. Add chopped bell pepper and onions. Mix and set aside.
  2. Mix vinegar, oil, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan and heat until sugar dissolves. Pour over bean mixture and gently mix. Refrigerate for 24 hours before serving.

 

Patriotic Frozen Delight

2015Jun29_6184 copy

If you are like me, you want to do the Fourth of July cookout. However, there’s nothing less appealing that being stuck in the hot kitchen! Especially if this fourth is as hot as a few days these past couple of weeks.

I plan to make it easy on myself this year. I will prepare the sides salads at night when it’s cooler. Then we will throw some corn on the grill with the burgers and for dessert, I plan to make this refreshing berry treat. There’s no baking, and you can mix it up in a matter of minutes. It’s cool, refreshing and delicious! The strawberries and blueberries will look perfectly patriotic but for occasions in the future, try other fresh fruits instead.

 

Patriotic Frozen Delight
 
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Ingredients
  • 1 (14-oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
  • ⅓ c. fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tsp. grated lemon peel
  • 2 c. vanilla yogurt
  • 2 c. miniature marshmallows
  • ½ c. chopped pecans
  • 1 c. sliced fresh strawberries
  • 1 c. fresh blueberries
Instructions
  1. In a bowl, whisk together sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice, lemon peel, and yogurt. Stir in marshmallows and pecans.
  2. Spread half of the mixture in an ungreased 8 x 8-inch square dish. Sprinkle with half of the strawberries and blueberries. Cover with the remaining yogurt mixture; top with remaining berries.
  3. Cover and freeze. Remove from freezer 15 to 20 minutes before serving.

 

Chunky Potato Salad

aunt euly's potato salad

Today I’m sharing a classic picnic salad recipe…Aunt Euly’s Chunky Potato Salad, just in time for the Fourth of July.  This potato salad recipe is my favorite!  I’ve mentioned in the past just how often my family had gatherings when I was growing up.  Food was always at the center of these gatherings and Aunt Euly was the potato salad queen!  Of course, like many recipes handed down from our ancestors, this potato salad came with no measurements.  So with help from my cousin, Nancy, we came up with this recipe.

The potatoes are crucial, after all this is POTATO salad.  I should have cooked the potatoes just a few minutes longer.  The potatoes should be tender all the way through but still hold their shape.  After researching the internet, I found a few guidelines.

Start your potatoes in cold water.

Season the water with a little salt, vinegar and sugar, (about 1 tbsp. of each per quart).  I’m not sure that Aunt Euly did this, but I like this suggestion.

Dice potatoes to a uniform size, I tried to stay at 1/2-inch.

The next time I make Aunt Euly’s Chunky Potato Salad I will not only pierce the potatoes with a fork to check them, I will also taste to make sure they are cooked perfectly.

 

Chunky Potato Salad
 
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Ingredients
  • 3 lb. potatoes, peeled and cubed
  • 1 c. mayonnaise
  • 2 tbsp. yellow mustard
  • ½ c. chopped onion
  • 6 sweet Gerkins, chopped
  • 4 eggs, boiled (you will use the yolks only)
  • ¼ tsp. Season All
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • pinch salt
Instructions
  1. Place peeled and cubed potatoes in cold water, seasoned with 1 tbsp. salt, vinegar, and sugar per quart. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, but not falling apart. Drain and run cold water over potatoes. Drain well, set aside.
  2. In a large bowl combine the mayonnaise, mustard, onion, chopped pickles, chopped egg yolks, Season All, pepper and salt. Add potatoes and toss well to coat. Refrigerate.