Summer Salads

I don’t know about you but when we are experiencing temperatures in the mid to upper 90’s, like today, my appetite for a big meal is melted away. Robin and I enjoy making a chef’s salad during days like this topped with chicken, shrimp, steak or other left over meat such as Pork Chop or Pork Roast.

I often go by one of our local groceries and pick up a rotisserie chicken, if we don’t have leftover’s, and use it to top the salad. Robin makes me some homemade Thousand Island Dressing and I am “good-to-go”. I like her recipe because it isn’t as sweet as most—I will say that O’Charley’s Thousand Island dressing is almost as good.

Here are a few other delicious salad ideas:

EveryDay Feasts: "Sweet Corn and Pepper Salad" uses farm-fresh veggies and cilantro lime vinaigrette.

Simply Sarasota: "Sarasota Summer Salad" combines a due of both lettuces and fruit for this summer cooler.

Orange County Fare: As expected the West Coast--where it's summer all year-- loves salads. Try "Arugula and Steak Salad" when grilling steaks or "Snowball Salad" for a frosty cool-off.



Southern On Occasion: Garden-ripe tomatoes in "Layered Tomato and Mozzarella Salad" make a perfect summer salad.

A Peak at the Springs: A Colorado take on a summer favorite, "Grilled Watermelon and Jicama Salad."





The Vintner's Table: Try "Bulgar Salad with Summer Vegetables" while you sip Chardonnay.





Cincinnati Seasoned: A great "Fresh Italian Vinaigrette" with garden-fresh herbs for all your summer salads.






Recipes Worth Sharing: Summer means fresh peaches for "Grilled Chicken and Peach Salad."






Dave’s Favorite Thousand Island Dressing

2 cups mayonnaise
1/4 – 1/3 cup ketchup
scant ¼ cup sweet or dill pickle relish
1-3 teaspoons vinegar

Start by whisking slightly over ½ of each ingredient into the mayonnaise. Continue adding ingredients until you like the taste. The key is balancing the sweet ingredients with the tart ingredients, which will vary with the brand of ketchup, type of relish and type of vinegar you use. This dressing is so much better than the overly sweet commercial dressing!

To lower fat and add more tang, try substituting Greek or regular yogurt for part of the mayonnaise.

Great over cooked vegetables, like broccoli, too.

What's your favorite summer salad and dressing?

Potato Salad Rounds Out the Menu

As I arrived at work this morning I greeted my assistant and inquired as to her family plans over the 4^th of July weekend.  Her response was, “eat a lot of food just like everyone else". Isn’t it amazing how important food is in our lives?  Stephen Fries recently challenged readers in his blog to mention a holiday gathering or special occasion that didn’t involve food. Interesting responses with the same message—can’t think of one.

Obviously, the Kempf 4^th of July menu could have gone in a completely different direction, but tradition is an important part of our lives, and cooking out and eating summer dishes is a part of that tradition. It also doesn’t hurt that my wife is one of the best cooks ever and her signature slaw and potato salad dishes are among my favorites.

Earlier in the week, I shared her cole slaw recipe along with others from various community cookbooks.  Today, I share her potato salad recipe, as well.  If you try it, I would love to hear from you regarding your opinion OR if you have a recipe to share I would love that as well.

Potato Salad

5-6 medium potatoes, boiled until just tender, cooled, peeled, and chunked

5 hard-boiled eggs, chopped

½+ cup celery, chopped fine

½+ cup sweet onion, chopped fine

1/3 cup to ½ cup chopped pickles, dill or sweet or a combination

 

Dressing should be strongly flavored

2 cups mayonnaise or any combo of mayo, sour cream, or Greek yogurt

1+ teaspoon dry mustard

1+ teaspoon prepared mustard of choice

Salt and Pepper to taste, fairly strong

2-3 tablespoons vinegar; or combo of vinegar and pickle juice, to taste.

 

Cook potatoes, cool, chill, peel, and chop into ½” chunks.

Add hard-boiled eggs, celery, onions, and pickles, stir to combine.

Add half the dressing; mix thoroughly.  Taste and adjust flavor of remaining dressing. Continue adding dressing until desired consistency is reached. 

 

Add sprinkle of paprika to top and garnish with parsley.  Enjoy!

  

 Need inspiration for your own potato salad this weekend?  Read on!

 

We go to Annapolis, Maryland's A Thyme to Entertain  for an easy "Potato Salad" combining baby red potatoes with sugar snap peas--FABULOUS.

 

Dallas Dish takes advantage of the variety of potatoes available with "Oven-Roasted Four-Potato Salad." 

 

Pull Up a Chair serves up a "Potato Salad" sparked by Italian salad dressing.

 

My Mama Made That duo of potato salads, "Creamy Roasted Potato Salad" and a no-mayonnaise "Picnic Potato Salad."

 

All the Wright Stuff  Patsy Wright suggests a fabulous "Red Potato Salad" with a garlicky sour cream- Dijon dressing.

No matter what your personal 4^th of July menu consists of I wish you a Happy Independence Day and ask you to take a few minutes as you enjoy friends, family and good food to take a few minutes and reflect on our nation’s freedom and greatness. God Bless America!