How To Make Potato Salad

My friend brought my faux paus to my attention; I did not post the recipe for Potato Salad in my previous post. I didn't think about it at the time, because I have never made potato salad from a recipe. Now I really know that I am my Grandmother's granddaughter, because she never made salad with a recipe either. She may have started out with one, but it snowballed quickly! Plus, I have a confession to make! I have only started making decent Potato Salad in recent years (quite frankly, it scared me). It was only after my Mother in law (who IS the reigning Queen of Potato Salad) literally walk me through the process step by step that I was willing to claim my own creations. After much brain racking I have pinpointed down the ingredients. So, here is my official written recipe for Potato Salad:

Potato Salad

(this recipe will make enough for a moderate size gathering)
4 large potatoes, cooked
6 - 8 large eggs, boiled and peeled
1 medium onion, chopped fine
3 - 4 large pickles (to make 3/4 cup)
2 cups mayonnaise (more or less)
3 tablespoons prepared mustard
2 - 3 tablespoons pickle juice
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
paprika

Cube potatoes in medium size pieces and place in a large bowl. Chop eggs and pickles; add to potatoes. Mince onion and add to bowl. Add in mayonnaise, pickle juice, mustard, salt, and pepper. Stir ingredients together until well combined. Sprinkle paprika over the top of the salad. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

Helpful tips:

• Start out with a larger bowl than you think you will need. Potato salad increases in size rapidly. A large bowl also makes stirring ingredients together easier.
• Boil the potatoes whole with the skins on for 20 -25 minutes until tender. Let them cool until you can handle them comfortably, then peel the potatoes. The skins will slip right off.
• Boil potatoes and eggs the day before you make the salad. Refrigerate overnight. It makes them easier to cut up.
• If you have a food processor use it to chop the onions, pickles, and eggs. Just pulse until the desired size is reached. Chop the eggs last in the processor; they are the messiest.
  
• Leftover baked potatoes are great for making potato salad.
• The more boiled eggs in potato salad the better. The cooked yolks help give the salad it's texture (Grandma said: the rule of thumb is 1 1/2 eggs for every potato used in your salad).
• Potato salad is forgiving. You can add more or less of any ingredient to suit your tastes.
• Potatoes absorb the mayo as it sits. If your salad looks dry (like there is not enough sauce to coat the potatoes well) add more mayo. It's better to have to much than not enough; in this case.
  
• Potato salad is best if it has time to chill (and the flavors blend). At least two or three hours. Overnight is the best.
• If you are going to serve your salad outside in hot weather. Bring a bowl larger than the salad bowl with you. Fill it half way with crushed ice, and place the salad bowl on top of the ice (replenish ice as necessary). It will keep the salad cold (nobody like food poisoning).

Holy Moses, I've Become My Grandmother and A Handy Tip!

Tonight I have been making potato salad for our church's annual father/son camp out. I will gladly do this because the testosterone level at my house will drop by 2/3 for 24 glorious hours! Every toilet seat in the house will remain in the prone position during this time! Dear daughter (child #2) and I will be able to watch "chick" flicks, and/ or have control of the remote. We will not have to watch sports or the Outdoor Channel. We can eat chocolate and feel zero guilt.Oh, the joy in small things! Anyway, I have been making salad for the last 30 minutes. I always worry when I cook for family/ neighborhood/ church parties that there will not be enough food (I have never actually been to any of those functions when there wasn't oodles of food leftover), so I always make a little extra (just in case). Well, I just finished, and as I lifted the bowl I realized it much weigh at least twenty pounds (this IS NOT an exaggeration)! Take a look for yourself:



I really had to laugh about this, because the Tupperware bowl that the salad is in was my Grandma's. I inherited it when she passed away last year (that's not the funny part. I miss my sweet Grandma). The funny part is that my Grandma could not make any salad unless it ended up feeding an army (which is why Grandma's salad was always called "Army Salad"), and it usually ended up in this bowl. All of my growing up years this bowl brought macaroni or potato salad to our family parties. Leftover's (and there were always leftover's) went home with assorted relatives (in five pound cottage cheese containers she would save for just such an occasion). I must be her posterity (or channeling her spirit), because I just realized I do that exact same thing (except I save three pound sour cream and Cool Whip containers for just such an occasion). Heaven help us!

Now, for the handy tip. I scored squeeze bottles of Kraft Mayo for dirt cheap at the grocery store last month (because they were at their sell by date). I was using these to make the potato salad. I used one up completely, but the neck of the jar was not big enough to put a rubber scraper inside to scrape it clean (also a SIN!). I always add pickle juice to my potato salad, and because this salad weighs a ton, I need about 1/3 cup of pickle juice. I put a funnel in the neck of the jar, and poured the juice into the empty mayo container. Then, I put the lid back on tightly (this is important if you don't to wear the pickle juice/mayo concoction), and gave it a good shaking. It cleaned the side of the jar and the mayo was thin enough to pour out of the jar into the salad. If you are not a pickle juice lover a little milk will do the same thing and not change the flavor. Now, I can sleep tonight. The salad is in the fridge chilling, and I didn't waste an once of mayonaise. Grandma would be so proud!

Freezing Strawberries and A Nifty Trick For Hulling Them

Strawberries are a favorite at our house, so I have been taking advantage of the great deals on strawberries this week. The only down side to strawberries is that they don't stay fresh for very long (even in the refrigerator). Even though my family has been happily trying to keep up with influx (strawberry jello, strawberry shortcake, strawberries on their cereal, strawberries after school, strawberries on ice cream, strawberry smoothies) I decided to freeze a bunch. That way we can enjoy them later in the season when they aren't so readily available (and cheap!). Freezing strawberries is very easy to do, and if you flash freeze them individually you can store them in gallon plastic freezer bags (using fewer plastic freezer bags). When you need strawberries you can take out only as many as you need. To freeze strawberries:

1. You will need a large cookie sheet covered with wax paper (make sure wax paper is 2-3 inches longer than the cookie sheet on both sides), a straw, and gallon plastic freezer bags.



2. Wash strawberries under cold running water. Place in a colander to drain.

3. Hull the strawberry. I read this method in a magazine several years ago, and it makes hulling strawberries so fast and easy (plus there is less waste) that I have been using it ever since.

A.Push non flexing side of the straw through the bottom of the strawberry.



B. Push up through the strawberry popping the stem out of the strawberry. If you don't get it all the first time, just pull back on the straw a little reposition and pop the rest out.



4. Place hulled strawberries on the cookie sheet.



5. Place cookie sheet on a flat area in the freezer. Let the strawberries "flash" freeze for about two hours. They should be firm, but not frozen to the cookie sheet. If you let your strawberries freeze over night, and they are frozen to the wax paper, let them sit on the counter for 15 minutes before removing them from the tray.

6. Remove from cookie sheet by lifting the corner of the wax paper and loosening the strawberries.



7. Place in a gallon plastic freezer bag. Write the date you froze the strawberries on the bag with a permanent marker. Place in the freezer for storage.



Now your strawberries are ready to enjoy. Use them to:

• Make smoothies.
• Make milkshakes
• Use them in place of ice cubes in lemonade or punch.
• Chop them up semi frozen and throw into pancakes, muffins, cake, or quick bread batter
• Thaw them whole and make fresh strawberry pie
• My kids like to eat them frozen like a popsicle. Just thread them onto a straw for a handy handle.

What are your favorite ways to eat strawberries?

Whipping Cream

If I have said it once, I will say it again, Desperation is the mother of invention! I was whipping heavy cream for Strawberry Shortcake yesterday (for yet another family birthday! Happy Birthday Dear Hubby!), and when I pulled out the sugar canister it was empty. Don't worry I have more downstairs in storage (in 25 pound bags), but I did not have time to run down and get it before the cream was beyond the point of being able to add sugar. I did have some powdered sugar so I started adding that a little at a time as the cream whipped. It actually worked better. And today when I pulled it out it was still light and fluffy. It had not separated; leaving a watery mess in the bottom of the bowl. The cornstarch in the powdered sugar help keep it stable. It was quite delicious. I added 1-2 tablespoons of powdered sugar for every 1/2 pint of heavy whipping cream. Another disaster averted (until tomorrow)!!!!!

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries and Waste Not Want Not Challenge Day 10

What do chocolate dipped strawberries and the WNWN challenge have in common? Not a whole lot, but I wanted to show off my handiwork (which did use several recycled items), and I am sure you are all dying to hear more about my new WNWN lifestyle!

First, the strawberries! My family have some dear friends who's son just got married. Being smart people they wanted to put together a nice open house for the newlyweds without breaking the bank, so they asked friends and family to help make refreshments. When I was asked to make some chocolate covered strawberries; I was thrilled to help! I have always wanted to try this, and it seemed like the perfect opportunity. I went to this great WEBSITE that gave me all the instructions, and when our friends drops off the supplies I enlisted my dear hubby and a great friend to help. Because we were going to be dipping 16 pounds of strawberries, and they had to be portable, I went to Costco and asked for several empty cardboard boxes (that we lined with wax paper) to put them in. My other frugal idea was to put the melted white chocolate that I was going to drizzle over the dark chocolate in an empty mustard bottle. The opening in the lid was the perfect size to make a thin line. I have seen it done with a plastic bag with a corner cut off, but I never have good results ( I always end up with the bag "farting" - please, forgive the crude remark- and leaving an ugly mess); plus I needed two cups of melted white chocolate to cover all of the strawberries; that a lot to shove in a Ziploc bag! The mustard bottle worked beautifully, by the way! Here are the "fruits" (forgive the pun) of our labor:


I don't know who was prouder my hubby or me!

Now, on to the WNWN challenge. It has really hit me lately how important frugality is. I have a couple of friends who have lost jobs this week. It can happen to anyone of us at any time; it is important to be prepared! I am on day ten, and I have to say, I have become a reusing junkie! I lay awake at night thinking of ways to maintain my family's lifestyle as cheaply as possible. It has been extra challenging this last week because my children have been home for spring break! So, I have had to be very creative to keep them entertained and not break the bank. This week:

1. Saved an empty cereal box and used it to make new inserts for two reusable grocery bags that have lost their plastic inserts.
2. Made refried beans in the crock pot. It made enough to serve for two meals.
3. Taught my daughter how to sew a darling skirt (but that is another post for later) for cheap.
4. Took my little boys to our local library to participate in "A Wimpy Kid" party, check out DVDs, and books.
5. Discovered episodes of Bewitched and Gilligan's island on Hulu.com; which my children loved (and I did not have to rent any movies).
6. Made a double batch of homemade pancake syrup to get us through Spring Break week (also made a double batch of pancakes and waffles and froze half for hot breakfasts this week).
7. Made "soap on a rope" for both of the bathrooms.
8. Poured baking soda and vinegar down the garbage disposal to kill the funky smell (Pour one cup of baking soda into the garbage disposal. Pour one cup vinegar over the soda. Let it bubble for 5 minutes. Pour HOT tap water from the faucet down disposal for 2 - 3 minutes and run the disposal for a minute. This method also works great on clogged drains.)
9. Used dinner leftovers for lunches the next day.
10. The only item I went to the grocery store for this week is milk. We used up leftovers and I cooked out of the freezer and pantry.
11. Saved the plastic containers that the strawberries came in to make Easter baskets for my kids.

We survived (okay, I survived) a whole week of Spring Break with only minor skirmishes between siblings, and the kids seemed content to create their own fun. All in all I think this week has been a success.

Hooray! It's Baking Day!

Today I decided to do a little baking. It all started with the bread. We are on our last loaf so I started a batch this morning. While it was rising I decided to make some brownies for lunches. Then I thought maybe I should make some muffins for snacks or breakfast for the next couple of days. While I was at it I might as well make a double batch of cookies, right? The oven was already heated up, so I might as well. When I was all done I ended up with:

1. Six loaves of whole wheat bread ( one loaf went home to Uncle Matt's house)
2. Two dozen Cranberry Almond Muffins (recipe is located in the older posts; if your interested)
3. One pan of Reese's Pieces Brownies (I had to use up all the extra Reese's Pieces from my race car making stint)
4. Ten dozen Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies ( if you have Shredded Wheat crumbs laying around replace some of the oatmeal in the recipe for an equal amount of crushed Shredded Wheat)

It took a total of five hours start to finish, but we have home baked treats for a few days ( I hope). Baking from scratch is so much cheaper, and healthier than buying them from the store. Now my kids (and the neighbor kids, and my brother in law, and my nephews) think I'm the coolest mom on the block (for a minute). Plus, I like to bake, so for me it's cheap therapy.

Refresh Your Dry Herbs

Quick tip today! When you are cooking and a recipe calls for dried herbs, you can refresh the flavor of the herb by rubbing it between the palm of your hands. Place the amount called for in the recipe in the palm of your hand. Then rub the herb between your palms into the other ingredients called for in the recipe. This crushes the herb and renews the flavor. This works especially well when cooking with your crock pot. Word of caution, DON'T try this with bay leaves, they are poisonous when eaten!! Bay leaves are designed to be simmered in the recipe and then removed from the soup or stew before serving it.