Although Shakespeare originated the phrase, “Salad Days,” to mean “youthful time - accompanied by inexperience, enthusiasm, idealism and innocence” and today’s meaning refers to “one’s heyday,” I use this phrase now to describe some recipes appropriate for the dog days of summer when few of us want to stand over a hot stove to cook.
A Texas friend recently sent me her recipe for East West Slaw, a dish she often prepares for covered dish meals. She writes, “Hope you like it. I find that I bring home less and less of it.”
On a recent trip, English Pea Salad was on the menu at an Alabama restaurant. I came home and searched out a recipe for this old time favorite. I selected one from the Deen Brothers. Since then, I’ve served it several times to guests.
After a friend raved about a peach salad calling for Jell-O and buttermilk, I also searched the Internet for it. I discovered that Taste of Home Magazine first published this recipe in 1997. However, further search indicated that the mixture evolved as a favorite congealed salad, especially using orange flavored Jell-O, during the 1970s.
Even though I made many a gelatin salad during that time period, I certainly never mixed buttermilk, one of my favorite foods, with Jell-O. Although congealed salads used to be a mainstay of many dinners, especially for covered dish meals, they seem to have fallen out of favor with today’s generation. This recipe is a new twist on old favorite ingredients. Until I shopped for the ingredients, I didn’t know that Kraft even made a Peach Jell-O.
East West Slaw
1 cup chopped fresh cranberries
1/4 cup sugar
3 cups shredded cabbage
1/2 cup sliced green onions including green tops
1/4 c. mayo
1 Tbsp orange juice.
Mix cranberries and sugar; let stand in fridge few hours or overnight. Stir orange juice into mayo and put in fridge.
Mix cabbage, cranberries, and onions together and pour dressing over top and incorporate.
(My friend says, “Since I like ginger root, I put some, finely chopped, into the cranberry/sugar mixture. Then I grate some of the orange rind and put into the mayo/orange dressing. I also like to add sliced almonds.”)
English Pea Salad
4 slices bacon
1 (10-ounce) package frozen peas, thawed and drained or 1 can of LeSueur very young small peas
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
2 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and chopped
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
(I add some grated onion to this mixture)
In a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Let cool.
In a medium serving bowl, combine the bacon, peas, cheese, and eggs. Stir in the mayonnaise, lemon juice, and salt and pepper, to taste. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.
Buttermilk Jell-O Salad
1 lg. can crushed pineapple
6 oz. Jell-O (orange, apricot or peach)
2 c. buttermilk
1 lg. carton Cool Whip
In a saucepan, bring pineapple with juice to a boil. Stir in the gelatin until dissolved. Remove from the heat; stir in buttermilk. Cool to room temperature. Fold in whipped topping. Pour into an 11-in. x 7-in. dish or 2-qt. bowl. Chill for at least 4 hours. Yield: 10 servings.
2016
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