Memorial Day Planning

I can't believe we are already going into the second week of May. Cinco de Mayo and Mother's Day have come and gone. Before I know it, the end of the school year and Memorial Day will be here! When will you start planning your holiday weekend cookout? Maybe seeing a tasty new potato salad recipe will inspire you to begin earlier than later! 

I bet like me, you have more potato salad recipes than you ever thought one person would need. But every time we see a new one that looks unique or just delicious, we have to try it. Let's face it, a great potato salad is one of summer's staples. It shows up at every graduation party, picnic table, Memorial Day barbecue, July 4th pool party...the list goes on and on. It's no wonder we never feel like yet another one is too many. 

One of the reasons I fell in love with this recipe is the use of red potatoes. No peeling required! What a time saver. Plus, this is best when it chills out in the fridge for several hours, or best overnight...gotta love anything you can make ahead and have waiting on you when it's party time! 

The dressing on this is simple, but filled with flavor! It's the perfect mix of sweet and tangy, made from things most of us have on hand, so it is a great one to whip up last minute! Heck, I would make this for burger night on the deck any night of the week! 

Summer and potato salad go together like sun and sand! With cookout season upon us, bowls and bowls of it will be enjoyed over the next few months. Why not add another yet to the ones you love so much?

 

 Red Potato Salad

5 lbs. red potatoes, halved

5 hard boiled eggs, chopped

2 stalks celery, diced

1 small yellow onion, diced

1 1/2 cups mayonnaise

1/4 cup sweet pickle relish

2 TBS dried parsley

3 TBS sugar

2 tsp mustard

1 tsp cider vinegar

Salt and Pepper

In a medium bowl combine mayo, mustard, relish, parsley, sugar, vinegar, salt and pepper. Whisk well. Set aside in fridge until ready to make salad. Place halved potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat. Cook 15-20 minutes until fork tender. Drain well and allow to cool. Cut potatoes into 1 inch cubes. In a large bowl combine potatoes, onion, celery and eggs. Mix gently. Add dressing. Stir gently to combine. Chill at least 6 hours before serving or overnight. Stir again before serving and garnish with fresh parsley if desired.

 

Classic Side To Say Goodbye Summer Or Hello Fall

 Anyone else feel like summer lasted about 3 days? It always goes by too fast, but this year just seemed like lightning speed. I can't believe Labor Day is just around the corner, and I'm already seeing Halloween decorations in the stores. (I won't lie, I've already picked up a few cute autumn decor items myself!)

With the heat index in the 100s all this past week, it makes me want to tell September and fall "pump the brakes" a little because we still have some summer yet to enjoy! 

Today's recipe is one that doesn't really need a season. Being a potato salad, thoughts of summer cookouts come to mind first. But it can be served warm, so it would also work for a sunny, mild fall picnic too.

I am sure many of you have made and probably have a recipe for German Potato Salad, but when I find something we love, I have to share. 

I've tried a few recipes for this classic over the years, but this is the first one that we all truly enjoyed. Plus, it was the easiest one too, so bonus points!

If you've never had German Potato Salad, it is set aside from other traditional tater salads for a couple reasons. First, the tangy and sweet bacon dressing is unique and immediately memorable. Second, most enjoy it served warm, or room temp. You can certainly eat it chilled (we did with the leftovers) but personally I think warm is the best way to go! And for me, when it's warm, it almost becomes more of a potato side dish than a potato salad...hence why I wouldn't feel strange serving it well into fall! I think it would be delicious with a ham supper!

No matter if you are hanging onto summer as long as you can, and planning a big Labor Day bash to prove it, or counting the days until autumn brings some cooler days and evenings made for bonfires, this German Potato Salad should definitely be on your menu ASAP! 

German Potato Salad

2.5 lbs. yellow potatoes, skin left on

8 slices bacon, fried crisp and chopped

1 medium white onion, chopped

1/3 cup white vinegar

1/2 cup water

1 TBS sugar

1 TBS flour

1/2 tsp. dried mustard

2 tsp. dried parsley

Salt and Pepper

Chop potatoes into large bite size pieces. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Boil potatoes until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain well. While potatoes cook, fry bacon in a large skillet. Remove to a paper towel lined plate. Saute onion in bacon fat until soft, about 3-5 minutes. Whisk in flour and cook 1 minute. Add mustard, vinegar, water, sugar, salt and pepper.  Bring to a simmer while whisking.  Simmer for 2-3 minutes until slightly thickened. When potatoes are drained, add to a large bowl. Pour dressing over potatoes. Add bacon and gently stir. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve warm, room temperature or chilled.

 Inspired by Spend With Pennies

Shared at Weekend Potluck

Thank You Teachers

 The time has finally come. The day we have been waiting for since August. THE LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!!!!

Well, almost. The teen has 3 days of finals this week, and then he will officially be a Junior. (Yes, I teared up a little even typing that word. Mom isn't handling the transition well.) In fact, as I write this he is studying for finals, trying to finish the year strong. 

Everyone who knows me knows I am not one of those moms who dread summer break, but instead I count down the days almost as much as my kid. Having my boys home with me is my happy place. In fact, I am sad that this summer will be a little different since the boy has a job and is hoping to get some extra hours. But I know there will still be plenty of time for the fun things we look forward to so much.

This year has definitely been one for the history books. Our school was in person, with no online option, and we supported that decision from the beginning. Alex needed to be in the classroom and after being home from March-August last year, he was SO ready to get back to his friends and classmates. 

His high school handled the entire Covid crisis the best way they could. When cases were on the rise back in the fall, they shut down for a couple weeks to try to curb the problem before it started. Then after Christmas break, they kept the kids home for a week to prevent a post holiday surge. They had planned Zoom days in the calendar to promote extra cleaning and rest for the staff. So while the past 8 months might not have been "normal" we truly feel like the school year was a success! 

One of the classes Alex took that he enjoyed the most was Nutrition and Wellness. So much so that he actually got an award for being one of the top students of the sophomore class! Among other lessons about food and nutrition, there were many cooking labs...and we all know how much my kid loves to be in the kitchen. He would get so excited to tell me what they were making; and I adored the days when he would text me from school with pictures of what he was cooking. He baked some righteous Snickerdoodles and made a drool-worthy omelet, even getting the skillet flip just right! Needless to say, his food blogger mama was super proud.

This recipe is one of the dishes they made that he was sure to bring the recipe home for because he wanted me to try it. So I saved it until now, as my way to say a BIG thank you to not only his teacher, and all the CLHS teachers, but every single teacher every where. All of you are true heroes and you deserve a huge round of applause for keeping the train on the tracks this school year. Our kids needed to keep learning, weather it be in the classroom or at home, and you all adapted and made sure they got what they needed most. 

If you're planning a Memorial Day picnic, cookout or backyard barbecue, this potato salad would make a great addition to your menu. It's a little different than any other tater salad I make, so it was a nice change up for us, and will definitely be on our summer time menu rotation. 

Thank you teachers, from all of us students and parents for all that you do. Enjoy your summer vacation, and we hope when we see you again in the fall, it's the beginning of tad less stressful school year!

Picnic Potato Salad

6 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed

5 hard boiled eggs, chopped

5 stalks celery, chopped

3 green onions, chopped

1 cup mayonnaise

1 TBS yellow mustard

1 TBS apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup dill pickle relish

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. sugar

Paprika

Salt and Pepper 

Cover the potatoes with cold water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 10-12 minutes until fork tender. Drain and allow to cool completely. In a medium bowl whisk together mayo, mustard, vinegar, relish, garlic powder, sugar, salt and pepper. When potatoes are cool, add to a large bowl with eggs, celery and onions. Pour dressing over and gently mix. Allow to chill an hour before serving. Garnish with paprika.  

 

Inspired by Center Cut Cook