"June Roth's Indoor/Outdoor Barbecue Cookbook;" "Martha's (Stewart) American Food;" "The Best of Home Economics Teachers Bicentennial Cookbook" - 4th of July food

Date I made these recipes:  July 4, 2016

June Roth's Indoor/Outdoor Barbecue Cookbook by June Roth

Published by:  An Essandess Special Edition

© 1970

Purchased at Arc's Value Village Richfield

Recipe:  Coney Island Hot Dogs – p. 46

Martha's (Stewart) American Food by Martha Stewart

Published by:  Clarkson Potter/Publishers

ISBN: 978-0-307-40508-1; © 2012

Purchased at Barnes and Noble, Roseville, MN

Recipe:  Classic Potato Salad – p. 49

The BEST of Home Economics Teachers BICENTENNIAL Cookbook – 1976 – Favorite Recipes® A Limited Edition

Published by:  Favorite Recipes Press

© 1976

Purchased at BCPA (Bloomington [MN] Crime Prevention Association annual June sale)

Recipe:  Red-White and Blue Salad (Jell-O) p. 39

Every year since I can remember, class reunions are held in my home town of Munising, Michigan, on the 4^th of July.  That may seem odd to those who live in a city where reunions are held at various times of the year, but it makes sense for my small hometown as that it often the one time of year when people return home to be with family and friends.

This year was my 40^th class reunion – the class of '76.  That year was a big deal as our country celebrated its bicentennial and how nice of it to coincide with my graduation year. ;) There are times when I keep thinking that my graduation and that interloper, the bicentennial, were just yesterday but alas, forty years is not "just yesterday."

As is usual and customary in my home town, there is a parade that is always well attended (my parents were frequent attendees, long after my brother and I left home) and in the early years of my childhood, it was usual and customary for a vast majority of the parade units to be surrounding area drum and bugle corps including our very own Silver Echoes.   Oh how I wanted to be a Silver Echo.  So wanted to be part of that color guard; the color guard was most cool. But alas, I was just a tad too young to join and by the time I got around to being of age, they disbanded and were replaced by the Castle Rangers who were fine but not the Silver Echoes.  Not.

The (Wm. G.) Mather High School band also marched and that was a fun thing.  We may have been a small, Class C school but we had one fantastic school band.  Although I hung out with plenty of band kids, I was never in a marching band, not in high school or college and that's a whole other long story best told over cocktails. ( I can though, play a fine Mickey Mouse March on the chimes!)  So just after I got married, I took adult clarinet and saxophone lessons and at the urging of a good friend of mine (who has since passed away), I joined the same community band that she helped found – the Calhoun-Isles Community Band.  I played with them for 20 years, although we shall use the term "play" very loosely (I played the 3^rd clarinet part  which is about all I could handle),"retiring" 2 years ago after serving also as the President of the Board of Directors.  But alas again, this concert band most decidedly did not march anywhere except to and from the parking lot for our Tuesday night rehearsals, especially on cold and dark winter nights ("Double time!")

No parade is complete without floats and the "dignitary" cars although I'm told that there are hardly any floats these days in the Munising parade and that's sad.  I posted some parade pictures my dad had taken in the late 60's/early 70's on Facebook so my classmates and I could reminisce about the good old days.  In previous years, each graduating class had its own parade float but these days, those classmates walk the route handing out candy to the kiddies.

After the big parade, there was usually a pet parade and then in the afternoon, our volunteer fire department held a water fight, the gist of which was to battle each other in a water tug of war before turning the spray on the crowd to cool us off.  Not that it was ever really hot in my home town when I was growing up, but getting sprayed was a big deal.

At dusk, everybody gathered at Bayshore Park to watch the spectacular fireworks that were shot off from the boat dock at Munising Bay into Lake Superior. Those fireworks were always top notch and are honestly better than the ones Minneapolis used this year, go figure.

So there I was, within a month of my reunion and the 4^th celebration, when I found The Best of Home Economic Teachers' Bicentennial Cookbook and could not let the opportunity to use it pass me by.  My love of the cooking portion of my Home Ec classes is a big reason why I have this mega book collection, now numbered at 2, 276 cookbooks, and no, I did not plan it so that the '76 in the collection number coordinated with the bicentennial although what timing, right? 

Now when I say that the cooking portion of my Home Ec class was something I loved, I cannot and will not say the same about the sewing portion of our program.  Because, and forgive me this word folks,  when it came to sewing, I "sucked."  (And by the way, while the 7^th and 8^th grade women took Home Ec, the boys took Shop.  Talk about a sign of the times.)

All 7^th and 8^th grade females had to take Home Ec where we practiced our kitchen skills and sewing skills—or lack thereof.  I was pretty darned handy dandy in the kitchen, despite the fact that my mom considered that her territory and only her territory, but until that class, I never sewed anything.  Meanwhile, all my other classmates were already quite skilled and everyone but me had sewn before.  I did not think it a good sign when I broke a needle practicing on a paper pattern.  And I managed to mangle more bobbins than "Carter has pills" (and old advertising slogan that only those my age or older will get.)

And so naturally as these things go, instead of sewing easy aprons, pot holders or tea towels like 99.9% of the Home Ec classes across the country, my 7^th grade project was to make a sleeveless blouse with interfacing and the 8^th grade project was to make a skirt with a zipper and waistband.

All righty then!  Nothing like starting out with the most difficult projects ever.

Worse:  when were finished our projects, we had to wear them to school that day in what I call the Walk of (Sewing) Shame.  All the other gals proudly paraded their outfits as they well should have whereas  I tried to hide in the bathroom.

Reason?  Well, let's see...it might be because I got a D on the blouse as it wouldn't even have qualified as a Project Runway reject.  The interfacing did not flatten out as it should, I had stitches showing everywhere, the fit was off and so the whole thing was bloody was awful.  The only thing saving it was that it was dark navy blue so it hid every single on of the million boo-boos I made. 

The second project – the skirt – looked good on paper but the execution thereafter was most problematic.  Denim was the "it" fabric at the time so I wanted to make a denim skirt but alas, folks, there is denim as in Levi denim and then there is "fake" denim as used by Home Ec students.  Mine was the later.

Still, I was doing okay until this happened:  I put the zipper in (just fine) but the substitute teacher the next day told me it was wrong so I had to take it out.  Then when the regular teacher returned, she told me that was wrong so I had to take it out again.  And when I put it in for the final time, the fabric around the zipper was trashed plus the zipper was about ¼ inch away from the waistband.  And just when things couldn't get any worse, the skirt fabric got bunched up and caught in the sewing machine, causing a huge snag to occur on the back on the skirt and why?  Because it wasn't real denim!

And this is what I wore on the Walk of (Sewing) Shame, Round 2.  And needless to say, both projects ended up in my dad's fire barrel as was right and proper for such abominations. 

But the cooking portion?  Oh my yes – nailed it!  To this day, I still have the recipe cards I wrote for all the food we made those two years.  In seventh grade, we made all breakfast items and in 8^th, soups and salads for lunch.  Some were quite good (potato soup) whereas others were just so kitsch – broiled grapefruit with a Maraschino cherry in the middle.  I think I made those at home exactly once and then I was done with that.  (I am not a big grapefruit fan.)

So tying it all together, that cookbook was just perfect for the day, with Martha Stewart and June Roth filling out my 4^th of July menu.

As always, the bicentennial book had a lot of good recipes making it hard to choose, but these two were easily and automatically DQ'd (disqualified) from the lineup:  "Creamed Brains in Potato Cases" (I am gagging as we speak) and – and I am not kidding –"Squirrel Jambalaya." Oh. Dear. Lord.

Folks, maybe it's me but really Home Ec teachers?  Really?  THIS is what you have your little darlings in Home Ec class make?  No.  Just say no.

In the end, I settled on the Red, White and Blue (Jell-O) salad because it fits the holiday theme and it's "safe."  You cannot really go wrong with Jell-O although as you will read, making mine was a bit challenging (but only a bit so don't fret).

This year's entree—if hot dogs can be considered an entree – came from June Roth's Indoor/Outdoor Barbecue Cookbook.  Roth has the distinction of writing a cookbook – Let's Have a Brunch - with one of the worst looking covers ever: a two-tired ham-salad "cake" that is frosted with something (mayo?) to make it look like wedding cake, that is then further "decorated" with peas and lemon halves to make it more...festive?  That was a definite "no" for me but happily, the recipe I made for my blog (June 30, 2007) from that cookook, "Cinnamon Raison Brunch Bread," was delicious.

You should know that the recipe for Coney Island Hot Dogs is really a recipe for a Coney Island sauce and not really the hot dog itself.  A Coney Sauce is almost like a chili sauce or a sloppy joe filling  and that is a flavor profile I love. And I love that she gives both an indoor and outdoor option for those who may not have a grill handy.

Finally, there's Martha.  Martha's American Food cookbook features all kinds of recipes from coast to coast and the pictures and recipes are glorious well because of course they are. This is Martha Freaking Stewart after all.  Martha is no slouch when it comes to beautiful and mouth-watering photos.

While every single recipe looked fantastic, I was on a mission for potato salad because you can't really have a bona fide Fourth of July celebration without potato salad, not in my book.  But I am not sure Martha and I see eye-to-eye on what constitutes "classic" potato salad.  My mom used potatoes, onions, celery, salad dressing (yes, I know, but that was what she used) and mustard, but not relish, and the whole thing was topped with hard-boiled eggs and radishes. Delicious.  Mom also garnished with fresh parsley from our garden.

Martha's "classic" involves mayonnaise because of course it would—Martha likely never, ever substituted salad dressing for mayo because she's Martha.  My mother did because her doctor advised her to way back when in order to lower her high cholesterol (which ran in her family.  And by the way, my mother was quite petite and skinny so "who knew?").  As these things go though, salad dressing is almost 10x worse than egg-based mayo but nobody knew that at the time.  At any rate, Martha also adds cornichons instead of pickle relish as well as scallions.   This is so very Martha, is it not? But I'm not sure cornichons is a standard addition to a "classic" potato salad.  Southern cooks, for instance, seem to favor pickle relish in potato and macaroni salads, but sweet pickle relish, not dill or even cornichons.  This recipe was good and it was definitely a "Martha" moment, but if I made it again, I think I'd switch things up and add sweet pickle relish.

So that was the repast and all in all, things worked out except for the following little quibbles:  (Please note, I made half recipes of each one.)

1)     Thank goodness once again for Google.  The Coney sauce did not say which type of pickle relish to add but internet recipes showed that most cooks favored sweet pickle relish so that is what I used in the Coney sauce.

2)     The middle layer of the patriotic Jell-O didn't quite set and I have no idea why.  It might be because I used only one half of the unflavored gelatin since I was making a half recipe.  Some recipes – perhaps this one – don't halve very well.  The entire thing was good but soupy.  Very soupy.  I recommend using a whole packet of the unflavored gelatin.

3)     Potato salad is tricky because you don't want mushy potatoes but you do not want undercooked ones, either.  Martha says to cook for 25 minutes and Martha is probably short by another 15.  The thing is that Martha says to use a medium potato but these days, everything is gargantuan and that's all that you can find unless you grow your own.  Martha may grow her own, but I most certainly do not.  Been there, done that.  If you use a larger potato, plan to add a bit more time to the cooking schedule.

So there you go, everyone.  Some food for the 4^th, some food for a bicentennial class reunion and just some good food, period.  Enjoy.

"Oh let us cheer, for Mather High, we want our team to win this game....."

Coney Island Hot Dogs (sauce) – makes 12 servings – from The Best of Home Economics Teachers Bicentennial Cookbook

¼ pound ground beef

1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste

1 ½ cups water

¼ cup pickle relish (Ann's Note:  Google "survey sez" sweet pickle relish)

1 tablespoon instant minced onion

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon prepared mustard

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 ½ teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1 dozen frankfurters

1 dozen frankfurter rolls

Outdoors:  Cook ground beef in a medium-size saucepan on the edge of grill, stirring t break up meat into small particles.  Add tomato paste, water, relish, onion, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, chili powder, salt, and sugar.  Simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Makes about 2 cups of sauce, enough to spoon over 1 dozen grilled frankfurters on rolls.

Indoors:  Make sauce in saucepan on range.  Cook frankfurters under broiler and warm rolls in the oven.

Classic Potato Salad – serves 10 to 12 from Martha's  American Food (Ann's Note:  Even a half recipe made a lot.)

4 pounds russet potatoes (about 8 medium)

Coarse salt

3 tablespoons cider vinegar

3 large eggs

1 cup mayonnaise

½ teaspoon cvelery seeds

1 teaspoon dry mustard powder

½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

3 celery stalks, cut into ¼-inch dice

1 small onion, cut into ¼-inch dice

10 cornichons, cut into ¼-inch dice

3 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

In a large saucepan, cover potatoes with water by several inches.  Bring to a boil, then add 1 tablespoon salt.  Reduce heat and gently boil until potatoes are tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife, about *25 minutes.  (Ann's Note: *as noted above, most potatoes these days are pretty large and need more time to cook.  Although the potato surface was tender, the middle needed more time.)  Drain.

Peel potatoes while still hot, using paper towels to protect hands; cut into 1-inch pieces.  Transfer potatoes to a bowl and drizzle with vinegar; let cool.

Place eggs in a small saucepan; fill with enough cold water to cover by 1 inch.  Bring to a boil; turn off heat.  Cover; let stand 11 minutes.  Transfer to a bowl and cover with cold water; let cool and peel.  Cut 2 eggs into ¼-inch dice.  Slice remaining eggs into ¼-inch-thick rounds; reserve for garnish.

Combined diced eggs, mayonnaise, celery seeds, and dry mustard in a large bowl; season with salt and pepper, and whisky to combine.  Stir in potatoes, celery, onion, cornichons, scallions, and parsley.  Refrigerate at least 30 minutes or up to 1 day.  Just before serving, garnish with paprika and egg rounds.

Red-White and Blue Salad – Yield:  15 servings or one 9 x 13 pan – from The Best of Home Economics Teachers Bicentennial Cookbook

2 packages raspberry gelatin

2 c. boiling water

1 envelope unflavored gelatin (Ann's Note:  I halved this recipe and in retrospect, should have probably used the entire package instead of ½ package as the middle layer did not set very well.)

1 c. cold water

1 c. half and half

1 c. sugar

1 8-oz package cream cheese

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ c. chopped nuts

1 can blueberries (Ann's Note:  I used fresh blueberries and raspberries and made a simple syrup to substitute for the canned blueberry liquid.)

To make a simple syrup:

1 ½ c sugar

¾ cup water

As noted above, sometimes making a half recipe does not yield the results you are looking for; I think this was one of those instances.

The first layer of this Jell-O set up fine.  The middle layer did not set up as well and I suspect I likely needed to add the entire package of unflavored gelatin.  If you make this, try adding the whole thing.

As to the blueberries, sure, I could have purchased a can of blueberries at about $5 a can, but this is summer and that means fresh fruit.  So instead of using the canned berries and their liquid, I used about an equal amount of fresh berries and then made a simple syrup and added that instead. 

To make the whole recipe, dissolve 1 package raspberry gelatin in boiling water; pour into 9 x 13-inch pan.  Chill until firm. 

Combine unflavored gelatin and cold water; set aside.  (Ann's Note:  even if you are making just a half recipe, try using the entire package instead of a half package like I did.)

Mix half and half and the sugar in saucepan; bring to a boil.  Remove from heat.  Add cream cheese; beat until smooth.  Add vanilla, nuts and unflavored gelatin; stir until gelatin is dissolved.  Cool.  Pour over chilled layer; chill until firm.

Drain blueberries; add enough water to blueberry juice to make 2 cups liquid.  Bring to boiling point.  (Ann's Note:  if using fresh berries, make a simple syrup and use two cups of that instead of the blueberry juice.  The ratio above of 1 ½ cup sugar and ¾ cup water makes plenty of "juice.")

When liquid is on the brink of boiling, add remaining raspberry gelatin; stir until dissolved.  Cool.  Stir in blueberries; pour over cheese layer.  Chill until firm.

Ann's Note:  So because the middle layer didn't really set correctly, the entire dish ended up kind of soupy but the taste was great. 

"Weiners Gone Wild;" "Serve It Cold;" "The Thirteen Colonies Cookbook;" "A Month of Sundaes" - 4th of July hot dogs, potato salad, baked beans and ice cream toppings

Date I made these recipes:  July 5, 2015 for a belated Fourth of July!

Wieners Gone Wild by Holly Schmidt

Published by: Running Press

ISBN: 978-0-7624-4727-5

Recipe:  Sloppy Dog (hot dog + Sloppy Joe) – p. 49-50

Serve It Cold by June Crosby & Ruth Conrad Bateman

Published by:  Gramercy Publishing Company

© 1968, 1969

Purchased at: Eat My Words used bookstore, Northeast Minneapolis

Recipe:  French Potato Salad – p. 108

The Thirteen Colonies Cookbook by Mary Donovan; Amy Hatrak; Frances Mills; Elizabeth Shull

Published by: Praeger Publishers

© 1975

Purchased at Bloomington Crime Prevention Association (BCPA) annual book sale, 2014

Recipe:  Boston Baked Beans – p. 30

A Month of Sundaes by Michael Turback

Published by: Red Rock Press

ISBN: 0-9669573-8-5

Purchased at Bonnie Slotnick's Cookbooks, NYC

Recipes:  Classic Chocolate Syrup – p. 43; Classic Caramel Syrup – p. 54; Fluffy Marshmallow Sauce – p. 54, served over (store-bought) vanilla ice cream

Well, as always, the 4^th of July came and went and such is life.  Still, we kept the party going on Sunday, July 5^th, by having my husband's aunt, a cousin and his mom over for dinner.  I had already planned to make this menu for just the two of us but having more people added to the fun and cut down on the leftovers.  A great time was had by all.

In my book, and maybe yours as well, the 4^th of July is not the 4^th of July without a hot dog.  I changed this up a bit this year by making a Sloppy Dog, basically a hot dog topped with Sloppy Joe mix.  Well that works, doesn't it?  This cookbook has a lot of very creative recipes although I am not sure how well the "Lasagna Dog" recipe on p. 146 would work.  Seems rather messy.  Other dogs though, seemed kind of fun like a "Quesadilla Dog" – p. 131 or the "Rasta Dog" – p. 139 or a "Soul Dog" on p. 93.  I hated to choose just one but given that I love, love, love Sloppy Joe's, that one won the day.

The 4^th of July is not the 4^th of July without some potato salad but since Andy does not really care for potato salad (it's all about the mayo), I had to work a bit to find a substitute that he would like and thus Serve It Cold saved the day.  Now I have to tell you that the gelatin-covered fish dish on the front cover almost dissuaded me from using this book because I consider that to be "rude food," but luckily there's a wide range of options, from things like "Spinach Mushroom Salad" – p. 102 or an "Antipasto Salad" on p. 103, not to mention entrees, sandwiches and desserts that are all served cold but my mind was set on "potato."  And really, since France gifted us Lady Liberty, it would be very rude not to invite them to the table, oui?

As to The Thirteen Colonies Cookbook, my baked bean selection was a no-brainer because hot dogs, potato salad and baked beans are almost a national requirement on our big holiday.  In fact, I should check the fine print of Declaration of Independence because I'm sure it's in there, way down at the bottom.  Way down.  "Get a magnifier" down.

Recipes in this book are divided by northern colonies; middle colonies and southern colonies.  Let me see if I can refresh your memory:  Northern Colonies – New Hampshire (often overlooked, am I right?); Massachusetts; Rhode Island and Connecticut.  Middle Colonies – New York; New Jersey; Pennsylvania and Delaware.  Southern Colonies – Maryland; Virginia; North Carolina; South Carolina and Georgia.  So there you go and give yourself an A+ if you remembered them without me telling you (because I sure didn't and I minored in history in college!).

Finally, no 4^th of July repast is complete without ice cream, preferably hand-cranked but since I don't have an ice cream maker, and most assuredly not an old-fashioned crank one, I decided to make sauces and just buy the ice cream.  That said, Andy and I laughed at how many ice cream options there are and why is this anyway when all we wanted was vanilla?  (Yes, but what kind of vanilla?????)

This book is very fun because it has all kinds of recipes for sundaes and other sweet ice cream confections but I wanted to keep things rather generic in case somebody didn't like a flavor of ice cream I might serve.  And you might think that three sauces is a lot but they were all very easy to make.  Well almost:  I burnt the caramel the first time around (do not look away while making this, do not!) and started over.  I put Andy in charge of the marshmallow cream and then I finished up with the chocolate sauce.  Again, a big hit with this tough crowd! 

And that concludes our 4^th of July meal and it was fabulous.  Even better?  Andy's Aunt Betty is 86 years old and was in town, along with 10,000 other athletes to participate in the National Senior Games, held in various venues around the Twin Cities.  Betty has been participating for many years in various events, but for a while now, she's been focusing on archery.  And so Andy and I and Andy's cousin, Sandy, went to watch Betty and her fellow archers in these games and well, color me impressed!  When I was a teenager, my dad let me use his bow and arrow set and I am pretty sure that the first two times "at bat," the bow flew out first, followed by the arrow!  The arm strength needed for this is incredible and here were 134 participants age 50-96 (the oldest man!) shooting arrows like it was no big deal.  Betty won a medal in her age class as did the 96 year-old man who stood alone in his age category.  As one of Betty's friends joked "Sometimes it helps if you're older as there are less competitors!"  Regardless, we are very proud of Betty and learned a lot while watching.  It felt like a very patriotic thing to do the day after the 4^th.

Sloppy Dog – serves 8

1 ¼ pounds ground beef

¼ large onion, finely chopped

½ green pepper, seeded and finely chopped, divided

2 garlic cloves, minced

¾ cup ketchup (store bought or use the recipe on page 23)

1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar

1 teaspoon chili powder

½ teaspoon mustard powder

1 tablespoon tomato paste (buy a tube if you can so you don't waste a can)

½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

¼ to ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (the larger amount makes for a spicy Sloppy Joe, so use the smaller amount if you don't like heat)

¼ teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper

8 potato sub rolls or hot dog buns (store bought or use the recipe on page 15)

8 hot dogs

8 ounces Muenster cheese, grated

Ann's Note:  at first I just made a little less than half of the recipe but that was too stingy so I made up another batch.  One must not skimp on Sloppy Joe mix.)

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the ground beef.  Cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until the meat is universally brown.  Remove the beef with a slotted spoon and set it aside in a bowl.  Discard all but 1 tablespoon of the fat from the pan, add the onions, all but 3 tablespoons of the green pepper, and the garlic.  Saute the vegetables until they are soft, about 10 minutes.

Add the ketchup, brown sugar, chili powder, mustard powder, tomato paste, Worcestershire, red pepper flakes, and ½ cup of water.  Stir to combine and simmer the mixture for 15 minutes.  Add the salt and pepper to taste.

Heat a second large skillet or grill pan over medium heat.  Butter the insides of the rolls and toast them in the skillet.  Set the rolls aside.  Cook the hot dogs according to your preferred method and place them in the rolls.  Top each hot dog with the Sloppy Joe mixture, some grated Muenster cheese, and some of the remaining 3 tablespoons of green pepper. 

French Potato Salad – makes 4 to 6 servings

"The French trick of pouring a little white wine or stock over warm potatoes before adding the dressing is a good one to know.  Less oil is absorbed by the potatoes, they are lighter, more flavorful.

2 pounds small boiling potatoes

Salt (for the potato water)

2 tablespoons dry white wine

2 tablespoons light consommé

½ cup Sauce Vinaigrette (to follow)

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon and chervil, mixed (or 1 teaspoon dried fresh herbs) Ann's Note:  I used dried Herbs de Provence

2 tablespoons minced shallots or green onions

1 tablespoon minced parsley

For the vinaigrette

¾ teaspoon salt

1 clove garlic, crushed with the salt, optional

Pinch dry mustard, optional

3 to 4 tablespoons [white] wine vinegar

¾ cup salad oil or olive oil (or a mixture)

Generous grinding of black pepper

Cook potatoes in boiling salted water until just tender.  Drain, peel while warm and slice about ¼ inch thick.  Mix wine and consommé and pour over them.  Let stand until liquid is absorbed.  Beat vinaigrette* into mustard until smooth.  Add herbs.  Sprinkle shallots, parsley and dressing over potatoes.  Toss gently until mixed.  Taste and adjust seasonings.  Cover and chill only until flavors blend.  Serve cool but not icy, in a pretty glass bowl.  Sprinkle with more parsley if you wish.

*Vinaigrette recipe:  You may combine all ingredients and shake vigorously in jar until blended, but we like to beat it with a wire whisk to a soft creamy emulsion.  The flavor seems richer, mellower.  With whisk, beat salt, garlic, if used, and mustard into vinegar, then beat in oil, in small portions, until sauce is smooth and lightly thickened.  Season with pepper.  Use at once or store in bottle and shake vigorously before using.  Ann's Note:  don't forget to beat the vinaigrette into the mustard – see above.

Boston Baked Beans – serves 12 (Ann's Note:  please note how much this full recipe makes!  I made half a batch. Also note that you will need to soak the beans overnight and then bake the mixture for 4-5 hours.  In other words, plan in advance!)

4 cups pea beans (a/k/a navy beans)

1 large onion, studded with cloves

½ pound salt pork (Ann's Note:  if you can't find salt pork, trying using a thick slab of bacon)

1 cup brown sugar

3 teaspoons dry mustard

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon pepper

½ cup dark molasses

Soak beans overnight.  Drain.  Cover with water and cook until the skins burst when blown on.  (Ann's Note:  What the hell does that  - "cook until the skins burst when blown on" – mean?  This is not a proper cooking instruction.  So I Googled "cooking navy beans" and found I needed to cook the beans between a half hour and an hour.  So honestly—was that hard?)

Drain and ladle the beans into an earthenware bean pot.  Press the onion into the center of the beans until barely covered.  Cut salt pork 1 inch deep every ½ inch and splay out to cover a larger surface.  Push salt pork slightly below the surface of the beans.

Over pork and beans, pour mixture of ¾ cup (leaving ¼ remaining) brown sugar, mustard, salt, pepper, and molasses.  Pour 1 cup boiling water over the beans; slowly stir with a large spoon.  Add enough boiling water to cover the beans.  Cover the bean pot and bake at 250 for 4 to 5 hours.  Uncover for the last half hour.  Sprinkle with the remaining brown sugar to brown and crisp the pork.  Add water as needed during baking.

Classic Chocolate Syrup – makes 1 cup

6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate

½ cup evaporated milk

¼ cup water

Melt chocolate in top of a double boiler.  Gradually stir in evaporated milk, and continue stirring until sauce is fully blended and smooth.  Remove from heat and stir in water until smooth.

Syrup may be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.  To reheat, set over a double boiler and stir until smooth.  If re-heating over direct heat, use very low flame, and be careful not to let the sauce bubble or burn.

Classic Caramel Syrup – makes 1 cup

1 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup water

1 cup heavy cream

Combine sugar and water in a heavy medium-size saucepan.  Stir constantly over medium heat until sugar is dissolved and the mixture comes to a boil.  Stop stirring and boil until the mixture turns a deep caramel color (6-12 minutes).  Watch carefully to make sure mixture doesn't get too dark.  (Ann's Note:  and this can happen in a heartbeat unless you are vigilant.  If you start to "smell" the sugar, yank it off the stove or it will burn.  I ruined the first batch because I was not quick enough on the draw!)

Remove from heat and add cream (Caution:  mixture will bubble up fiercely).  Return pan to high heat and boil, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes.  Remove from heat and pour into a glass measuring cup or other heatproof container.  Allow to cool to desired temperature.

Fluffy Marshmallow Sauce – makes 3 cups

2 large egg whites (Ann's Note:  I keep powdered egg whites on hand for baking because it's easier and cheaper to use than buying fresh eggs that I never use up in time.)

1 cup sugar

½ cup water

16 regular marshmallows

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites in a mixing bowl on medium speed until soft peaks form, about 2-3 minutes.  Set aside.  Combine sugar and water in a medium-size saucepan and place over medium heat.  Stir until sugar dissolves.  Stop stirring and allow sugar/water mixture to come to a boil.  Boil for 3 minutes without stirring.  Reduce heat to low, add marshmallows, and stir until they are completely melted and mixture is smooth, about 4 minutes.  Remove from heat and, using the electric mixture at slow speed, beat hot marshmallow mixture into the egg whites.  Continue beating for 2 minutes.  Beat in vanilla.  Serve warm or cold.

Sauce may be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.  To re-heat, microwave on low power for 30 seconds, or until warm.  

"Haute Dogs" and "The Summer Shack Cookbook" - The Chicago Dog and Summer Shack Coleslaw - Happy 4th!

Date I made these recipes:  July 5, 2014

Haute Dogs – Recipes for Delicious Hot Dogs, Buns, and Condiments by Russell Van Kraayenburg

Published by:  Quirk Books

ISBN 978-1-59474-675-8

Purchased at Bibelot (gift shop)

Recipe:  The Chicago Dog – p. 32

The Summer Shack Cookbook – The Complete Guide to Shore Food by Jasper White

Published by:  W. W. Norton

ISBN 978-0-393-05238-1

Purchased at Hopkins Library Used Book Sale 

Recipe:  Summer Shack Coleslaw  p. 140

So here we are already at the 4^th of July and unlike Memorial Day, I had my act together – grill and all!  Except...some friends got married on the 4^th and threw a very fun picnic dinner for their wedding guests and so we had to forego the usual and customary 4^th of July hot dog.  No worries, thought I, we'll just make dinner on the 5^th...except...a friend of Andy's stopped by and that derailed dinner plans for that day as well.

But on the 6^th of July folks, we nailed it!  The coleslaw was all ready to go on the 5^th, the grill had been cleaned to my specifications (I think—I didn't do a last-minute spot-check), the hot dog accoutrements were in place and we had liftoff! 

I will say that I do love a grilled hot dog and that's because hot dogs are on and off the grill in mere minutes. Things that take longer bore me and with the mosquito population achieving new heights this "summer," I will not be the one standing out there waiting for the meat to be done.

Now, even though I had it in my head to make something simple for the 4^th, I was helped along by a friendly-neighborhood, locally-owned gift store called Bibelot (bibelotshops.com).  I do so love Bibelot (all locations!) as the shop is filled with fun trinkets and gift items and cards and do-dads and even clothing and a week or so ago, they were having a sale.  Be.still.my.heart.  And that's when I found the hot dog book and was there ever a more perfect reason to go in there and shop?  I think not!  The book practically called to me.

As you might suspect, a book titled Haute Dogs provided many selections to tickle the palate on the 4^th of July but after careful perusal, Andy and I decided on "The Chicago Dog."  In close second?  The "Danger Dog" and the "Wasabi Dog," the former because it fit with the 4^th of July fireworks and the latter just because what is not to like about wasabi?  True confessions:  The Chicago Dog won out because it does not have raw onion on it, something that just doesn't appeal to us all that much.  (And since we'll be visiting NYC soon, there's plenty of time to satisfy a craving for a "New York Style Hot Dog" – p. 28 at Gray's Papaya.  At Gray's, you must get a dog with the NY-style onions on it, period, end.)

So as far as hot dogs or haute dogs went, this was a snap.  Much harder was to decide on the accompaniments or as they say around here, the "Go with's."  Andy is not fond of potato salad which bums me out every time I bring it up (hope springs eternal) so I compromised with a very tasty slaw from The Summer Shack Cookbook.  In my humble opinion, you cannot go wrong with any dish that calls for horseradish and this adds just enough of a bite to make it interesting. 

Those in the know will recognize Summer Shack restaurant owner and cookbook author, Jasper White, as he has carved out a name for himself as an authority of New England Cooking.    I haven't been to Boston in a long time but when I do, I will likely saunter over to his Summer Shack restaurant (4 locations) and get the real deal  - lobsters and possibly some hearty clam chowder.

As tempting as all his soups and chowders and fish and shellfish recipes sounded, I decided on his coleslaw.  As he points out in the preface to this recipe "Coleslaw is not just a dish, it is a phenomenon."  So there you go. 

So we had our haute dogs and our coleslaw recipes and the next step was the shopping and all went well...until it didn't.  You have no idea how hard it is to find the Chicago-style neon-green relish needed for the Chicago dog but I'll give you a hint:  ridiculously hard!  We finally found a mega bottle of it at Byerly's, our last-ditch grocery stop.  And you can just forgedaboutit when it comes to locating a poppy seed hot dog bun because apparently, no such thing exists in these parts, at least in a grocery store.  I pouted and then got over it.

We are not exactly sport/hot pepper people so we passed on that but managed to find all other ingredients for the dog so whew.  At near zero-hour, I thought about heading over to Chris and Rob's Chicago Taste Authority (three locations) to beg for the buns and the relish but I suspect they would have frowned on that and besides, we might as well just have bought a ready-to-go dog and where's the fun in that?

By the way, talk about timing:  no sooner had noted chef and author, Anthony Bourdain, talked about Detroit Coney Island [hot] dogs on his CNN show, Parts Unknown, than I found a great book about Detroit Coney's at Barnes and Noble.  Coney Detroit, by Katherine Yung and Joe Grimm, features all the places to go and love throughout Michigan (mostly Detroit) to get a Coney dog.   Although this doesn't contain recipes, it is a fun read with lots of photos that will have you salivating for a hot dog, Coney or other. 

The Chicago Dog (Ann's Note: quantity is whatever you want it to be!)

Poppy seed or classic bun

All-beef hot dog

Yellow mustard (Ann's Note: as in "regular" screaming yellow mustard, not the fancy stuff)

Neon-green relish (Ann's Note: NOT to be confused with regular pickle relish.  If you can't find it, do not make this recipe!)

Tomato wedges

Whole sport pepper

Dill pickle spear

Celery salt

Assembly:  Get out a poppy seed bun and a setup to steam it.  Panfry an all-beef hot dog on a flattop; toward the end of cooking, steam the bun.  Place the dog in the bun.  Top with a line of yellow mustard, a spoonful or two of neon-green relish, tomato wedges, sport peppers, and a dill pickle spear.  Spring with a dash of celery salt.  And don't even think about adding ketchup.

Just in case you were thinking about that ketchup (and you should not be), the author included a movie quote from the movie Sudden Impact, starring Clint Eastwood as Harry Callahan:  "Nobody, I mean nobody, puts ketchup on a hot dog."

Do you really want to take on Clint "Go ahead, make my day" Eastwood?  No, you do not!

Summer Shack Coleslaw – makes about 7 ½ cups; serves 8 or more with leftovers

2 pounds white cabbage, tough outer leaves and core removed

1 small white onion, peeled

2 whole kosher dill pickles

1 pound carrots, peeled (and shredded)

1 ¼ cups Homemade Mayonnaise (see p. 343) or Hellmann's mayonnaise

2 tablespoons prepared horseradish

2 tabelspoons distilled white vinegar

2 tablespoons sugar

½ teaspoon ground celery seed

1 teaspoon paprika

2 teaspoons kosher or sea salt, or to taste

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

Ann's Notes:  Since I made half the recipe, I bought a package of shredded cabbage.  Why futz around with the chopping and slicing if you don't have to?  Also, I have never in my life seen such a thing as a "small" white onion.  Never.  Just saying...

Thinly slice the cabbage. Finely chop the onion and pickles.  Shred the carrots on a box grater.  Or put the onion, pickles and carrots through the grating attachment of a food processor.  Place all the vegetables and the pickles in a large bowl and toss well.

Combine the mayonnaise, horseradish, vinegar, sugar, celery seed, paprika, salt and pepper in a medium bowl and whisk well.

Pour the dressing over the vegetables and toss to distribute.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 3 days.  Adjust the salt and pepper to your liking before serving.

"Tastes of Liberty" & Summer Feasts - (4th of July) Hot Potato Salad w/Bacon & Watermelon Granita

Date I made these recipes:  July 8, 2012

Tastes of Liberty:  A Celebration of Our Great Ethnic Cooking, Bob Betz, editor

Published by:  Chateau Ste. Michelle (Washington state wine producer)

ISBN:  0-941434-75-3

Recipe:  Hot Potato Salad with Bacon (Warmer Kartoffelsalat Mit Speck) – p. 56-58

Summer Feasts by Molly Finn

Published by:  A Fireside Book, published by Simon & Schuster, Inc.

ISBN:  0-671-55453-0

Recipe:  Watermelon Granita – p. 265-266

I had something very pithy to say about these recipes and about the Fourth of July but given the extremely hot weather we’ve been having, I think that my brain just incinerated.  Really.

On the 4^th of July, Minneapolis set a new record temperature of 101 degrees.  Or was it 102?  Whatever it was, it was damned hot - as in “Feelin’ hot, hot, hot,” a popular 80’s song by Buster Poindexter.  And because it was so damned hot, and because we had party plans that day, I didn’t make a 4^th of July recipe on the 4^th.  So sue me.

The next day, the 5^th of July, my community band played a concert in south Minneapolis at a park without a band shell and without any shade.  My section, the clarinet section, was facing west and the lower the sun got, the hotter I got (“hot, hot, hot”) and I nearly had myself a Wizard of Oz “I’m melting, I’m melting” moment.  The more we played, the more I listed like a ship taking on water.  At one point, one of our jazz ensembles played, providing a brief interlude, and I exited, stage left, to go sit with the audience and pull myself together.  It was so tempting to pack up and go home before I got really ill (not that I wasn’t having visions of ambulances anyway) but that would involve me putting away my clarinet and my stand and my chair (BYOC is required for many venues) and that would have likely interrupted the performance (ya think!) and so there I sat.

Given that the concert started at 7 p.m., I really didn’t have time to cook dinner on Thursday nor would I:  the temperature only dropped to a balmy 94 degrees instead of a scorching 101…or 102 depending on who you ask.  In other words, we got a break in the weather! Party time!!

Friday came and went as did Saturday and the temperature was still on “scald” but by Sunday, I decided that I could risk using the stovetop and made the German potato salad and the watermelon granita (Let’s hear it for FREEZER recipes!).  We also used the stovetop to cook some burgers, it being too hot to even pull out the grill.  Hey, sacrifices must be made and so we made them.  It’s the American way.

By the way, about a week or so ago, when the weather started warming up, I selected a few recipes to make, one of which was a pork loin that required oven cooking.  I mentioned this to my husband, Andy, who gave me the look a mother gives a child when he or she is just being dumber than dirt (or like Ricky Ricardo’s famous comments to Lucy “You crazy or sumpin’?”) and said “NO oven.”  And so that was that.  I am very happy to report though, that the temperatures are now in the mid 80’s and that’s good enough for me to fire up the oven should I decide to make the recipe.

Given that I intended to make something to celebrate the 4^th of July, I went through the shelves and found this book, Tastes of Liberty: A Celebration of Our Great Ethnic Cooking.  This book showcases foods “brought” to the Unites States by different immigrant populations when they came over to the United States, passing by the Statute of Liberty on their way to Ellis Island.  So there you go—liberty, 4^th of July – it all works.

Out of all the food choices, the recipe for the German Potato Salad caught my eye because it triggered fond memories of family picnics by the shores of Lake Superior when I was growing up.  As previously mentioned in one of my blogs, my parents used to pack up various foodstuffs in an old, wooden apple (or peach) basket with wire handles and off we’d go down the hill, round to the corner to the beach to have a picnic.  If we didn’t bring a classic American potato salad, we brought along a can of German Potato Salad.  Dad would open the can with a can opener, along with a can of pork and beans then plop the two cans in the bonfire we made from Lake Superior driftwood along with some burgers or hot dogs and we would have ourselves a feast.  (By the way, if you try this at home, be sure to open the cans before putting them on the fire or you will have one hell of an explosion on your hands.  And it may put someone’s eye out.  Just sayin’…)

Since Andy is not fond of American potato salad (nor is he fond of putting an eye out), I made this recipe to go along with burgers and then the watermelon granita.  It may seem a little un-American or un-picnic-y for your tastes but it works for me and that’s all you need to know.  Plus, stovetop time was minimal and would have been less had I microwaved the potatoes but I was fine with using the stovetop and just upped the air-conditioning while I was cooking.  Yes, the 4^th of July is about celebrating that “pioneer” spirit that built our country and so while yes, I could have toughed it out by not ramping up the air,  there’s no need to get ridiculous about things in a time of severe weather crisis.

So hot potato salad it was, now I just needed to find something to go with it for a true 4^th of July post-celebration and found the recipe for the watermelon granita. Watermelon is the perfect summer food and just screams “4^th of July!!” And wouldn’t you know I had just purchased a package of sliced watermelon a few days earlier.  But while the potato salad rocked my world, the granita left me disappointed by its very flat taste.  And the damned thing is the recipe was so easy so how did it derail?

Well, I was warned:  the recipe said that the flavor would be much less intense when it was frozen and so be generous with the lemon juice and salt.  But when it comes to recipes, I am often a Scrooge in thinking “less is more” rather than “distribute the riches.” And given that I made half a batch, I used only a ¼ teaspoon of salt and it still tasted like a salt lick (to me, anyway)!  Bleh.  But oh well, we had our watermelon (cue the sparklers) plus, if you add a bit of vodka, I’m thinking you would have one sensational slushie!  (And by the way, and speaking of slushies, Andy and I stopped by a Dairy Queen not long ago and can someone tell me what the hell happened to Mr. Misty??  Because I want answers, people!  Oh sure, they have something called an Arctic Rush but it’s not the same, damit!)

So anyway, here you go, better late then never.

Hot Potato Salad with Bacon (Warmer Kartoffelsalat Mit Speck) – 6 to 8 servings

2 pounds medium boiling potatoes

½ pound sliced bacon, diced

1 medium onion, finely chopped

½ cup cider vinegar

½ cup rich homemade beef broth

1 teaspoon sugar

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 egg yolk

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped (for garnish)

Place potatoes in 3- or 4-quart saucepan and add water to cover by 1 inch.  Heat to boiling over medium-high heat.  Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until potatoes are tender, 30 to 35 minutes.  Drain and let stand 10 minutes.  Pare potatoes, cut into 1/8-inch slices and place in large serving bowl.  Cover to keep hot.

Cook bacon in large skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until crisp, 5 to 7 minutes.  Remove from skillet with slotted spoon and sprinkle over potatoes.  Discard all but 3 tablespoons bacon drippings from skillet.  Add onion to drippings and cook, stirring frequently, until soft, about 5 minutes.  Stir in vinegar, broth, sugar, salt and pepper and heat to boiling.  Blend about ¼ cup hot vinegar mixture with egg yolk in small bowl and blend yolk mixture into vinegar mixture in skillet.  Cook 1 minute and remove from heat.

Pour hot vinegar mixture over potatoes and toss lightly until thoroughly mixed.  Serve hot or cool to room temperature.  Sprinkle with parsley before serving.

Watermelon Granita – serves 6-8

4 pounds watermelon

Juice of 1 large lemon (3-4 tablespoons or more)

2 tablespoons sugar

½ teaspoon salt

Make this ice only with delicious, ripe melon.  Cut the melon from the rind and remove the seeds.  Cut into 1-inch chunks and puree it in the food processor or blender.  If you are using a blender, before turning it on, press the watermelon down in the container with your fingers to make enough juice to puree the melon.  Put the puree in a metal bowl and season it to taste with lemon juice, sugar and salt.  Remember that its flavor will be much less intense when it is frozen, so don’t be afraid to use plenty of lemon juice and salt. (Ann’s note:  I made half a batch of this and only used ¼ teaspoon salt and it was still too salty for my taste.)

Freeze the mixture using one of these two methods:

1)      To make the granita by hand - Put the puree in a metal bowl in the coldest part of the freezer.  After about an hour, when the granita starts to solidify, stir it with a large fork, scraping the frozen puree from the bottom and sides of the bowl and mashing it in well.  Repeat this every half-hour or so, using a fork or potato masher, until the granita has completely crystallized.  There should be no large lumps – only crystals.  –OR-

2)      To make granita in the food processor – Freeze the fruit puree, using 2 ice-cube trays.  When it is frozen solid, just before serving, process as many cubes as you need.  Put the cubes in the processor (not more than one ice tray at a time) and, using the metal blade, process the ice until it is fine, smooth and free of lumps.  You will have to turn the motor on and off a number of times – do this rapidly or you will soon have a liquid puree again.  Serve the ice immediately and store the unused cubes in plastic bags.

"Mmmmm - A Feastiary" & "The Rainbow Cooks" -Lemon Ribs and Potato Salad - July 4, 2011

Date I made this recipe: July 3, 2011

Mmmmm – A Feastiary by Ruth Reichl
Published by: Holt, Rinehart and Winston
© 1972
Recipe: Lemon Ribs – p. 107

The Rainbow Cooks – Soups, Salads & Specialties by The Rainbow
Published by: The Rainbow
© 1974
Recipe: Potato Salad – p. 30

People, where to begin this blog? Perhaps first with a rousing “Happy Fourth of July?” Or how about “And now a word or two…or twenty about Ruth Reichl?” Or how about a word or two about shopping for used cookbooks (now numbering 1,304…and growing)?

How about I tell you everything and call it a day?!

Let’s start with the 4th of July, a date that cries out for picnic food. I actually selected the Lemon Ribs recipe weeks ago, not necessarily for the 4th, but seeing as how I was out of town so much, and seeing as how the recipe was for ribs, it was a perfect entree for the national holiday. So perfect that meatballs dunked in a vat of this sauce might just replace my go-to holiday party meatball recipe. It was beyond yummy…or rather, Mmmmm good!

The potato salad was a last minute Hail Mary as my husband is not exactly fond of the stuff. But as I told him, it’s not the 4th of July without potato salad or baked beans (he’s not a fan of those, either) and so choose one! Period.! Wouldn’t you know, he actually liked this potato salad?! And so we had ourselves a tasty feast while, hahaha, watching (The Next) Food Network Star where they were showcasing 4th of July food—go figure!

And so on to the books!

I could write volumes about Ruth Reichl: former New York Times Restaurant Critic, former Gourmet Editor-in-Chief, author of several books, including perhaps, her most well-known book, Tender at the Bone, and as of this season, one of the judges on Top Chef Masters. But I had no idea that she wrote today’s featured book, Mmmmm – A Festiary until I made my (at that time) annual pilgrimage to Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks in NYC and found this tucked away on a shelf. As I am wont to do, I uttered (with almost disbelief) “Who knew?” I had no idea Ruth had written anything before Tender at the Bone. I really should get out more. (And people, can I tell you how giddy I am that I’m finally heading back to NYC this week and am practically chomping at the bit to land, already, so I can go shopping at Bonnie’s? Better news: she ships!!).

Anyway, what I especially loved was reading Ruth’s bio on the back book jacket, written long before she became mega famous: “Ruth Reichl has been a book designer, cooked for a co-op of fifty, managed a shore store, had a three-line speaking part in Z. Brought up in New York City and Norwalk, Connecticut, she attended College Marie de France in Montreal and obtained a master’s degree from the University of Michigan. She now lives in New York."

Can.you.stand.it?!! From designing books to the editor of Gourmet? I want that job trajectory!

As to the book, I absolutely love it, from the artwork to the photos to the recipes. As this book is now out of print, I feel fortunate that I nabbed it when I did but sad that some of you may have to work a bit to find it. Trust me, it’s worth the hunt.

And before I leave my unabashed adoration of Ruth (“Ruthfest 2011”), let me just say that I really loved having her as a judge on Top Chef Masters because she was critical but kind. I found myself nodding my head in agreement at her critique of the food prepared by well-know chefs and the damned thing is, I didn’t even get to taste any of it! Note to self: see about getting on the show as a guest judge….

Okay, so enough of that book and on to The Rainbow Cooks cookbook. The fact that this book was in the shape of a rainbow was what sold me although until I bought it, I had never heard of this organization – The Rainbow. But people, if you read The Rainbow Story, you’ll see that the proceeds of this book were used for The Amie Karen Cancer Fund for Children at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in California. And so even though it’s years later, I still felt like I was cooking for a cause.

I found this treasure at an estate sale last October. The homeowner, an older woman who was moving to an assisted living facility, had a huge collection of cookbooks. The sale was conducted by a church organization that helped the elderly move – yet another cause I can get behind.

And speaking of charitable causes, for the past two months, I have been on the road, back and forth to Michigan, my home state, to pack up my dad’s estate and to get things ready for an estate sale. A good portion of the contents were donated to two public libraries in the area, St. Vincent DePaul’s thrift stores in the area and in Minneapolis, Arc’s Value Village thrift stores. In theory, I should just donate and run but I can’t help moseying over to the cookbook section and, well, the last trip the other day yielded 6 new cookbooks for my collection. But since all proceeds support individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities and their families, I don’t feel guilty at all about my new “donate then shop” routine!

Okay, so, about the cookbook (yes, I know, once again I digress…), all the recipes in here sounded really good but as previously mentioned, it’s not the 4th of July with potato salad so this selection was a no-brainer. It is not heavy on the mayonnaise, and that’s good as I hate a goopy potato salad, but has a little more salt than I’m used to. Still, did that render it inedible? No. In fact, dear reader, I just polished off a small bowl of it while writing this.

Although I have no evidence to support my theory, it seems to me that you were either brought up in a “potato salad with relish added household” or you weren’t. Mine was a definite “weren’t.” Mom made hers with potatoes, celery, onions, hard-boiled eggs and radishes, topped with paprika. And okay, don’t jump on me for this, but she used Miracle Whip. It’s all we had in the house!

But I can’t tell you how many recipes I’ve seen, including this one, where pickles were added. And all I can say about the pickles in this recipe was that I wish I had added more. In fact, I wish I had more on hand but I used up all the sweet pickles (all three of them!) in the refrigerator on this recipe. Damn! Live and learn.

For fun, I bought “Teeny tiny potatoes” (yes, that’s the label) from Trader Joe’s that were about the size of a baby carrot. Cut then in two, and you had the perfect bite.

Before I conclude and get to the recipes, I would be remiss if I didn’t talk about the Falling Rock Café in my hometown of Munising, Michigan as it has been a constant and great source of fun cookbooks for me for the past several years (I mean, who else has the Y2K Survival Guide and Cookbook or Madam Wu’s Art of Chinese Cooking cookbook??!).

Now that my dad is gone and the house is for sale, there’s no need for me to make a butt-busting 8-hour (one-way) car trip to the area and I am bereft at the thought of missing out on a stop at the café. Lucky for me (and you) they are on Amazon and Alibris so check them out! And in an “It’s a small world after all” moment, I recently discovered that Nancy, Falling Rock’s owner, and I have both shopped at Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks in New York. It’s no wonder, then, that their cookbook section is a veritable treasure trove of fun stuff. So if you happen to be in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula anytime soon (and why wouldn’t you be?), be sure to stop and shop, get a phenomenal sandwich, locally-made ice cream and a great cup of coffee and relax in one of their many comfy chairs. Trust me, all the world’s stresses will melt away in mere minutes.

So happy eating everyone and happy 4th!

Lemon Ribs – serves 4-6 (instead of 4 pounds, we used 1 and it was perfect for two people)
4 pounds spare ribs
1 can frozen lemonade
¼ cup brown sugar
½ cup jelly (Ruth’s note: Try different kinds – I prefer marmalade, but apple is good as is currant. For a real treat, try chutney. Ann’s note: we used grape and it was outstanding!)
1 lemon, sliced

Parboil ribs 10 minutes. This removes most of the excess fat, but it’s not absolutely necessary, so don’t if you don’t feel like it. (Ann’s note: not only did I not feel like it but today’s meat is so devoid of any fat that parboiling them wouldn’t have rid the meat of anything! Sad—fat can be a good thing!)

Meanwhile, mix lemonade, sugar, and jelly in a pot, stir to boiling, reduce heat, and simmer 2 minutes.

Place ribs in a large pan. Cover with lemon slices and brush with glaze. Bake in 350 oven for 1 hour, brushing every now and then with more glaze.

Potato Salad – serves 6
3 c. cooked, peeled potatoes, chilled, then diced
1 tsp. vinegar
1 ¼ tsp. salt
1 ½ tsp. celery seed
1 tsp. sugar
½ c. chopped onion
¾ c. mayonnaise
2 hard boiled eggs
1 stalk celery, diced
½ c. chopped sweet gherkin pickles

Sprinkle potatoes with vinegar, salt, celery seed and sugar. Cover and refrigerate (overnight if you wish) until 1 hour before serving.

Add onion, mayonnaise, celery and chopped pickles to marinated potatoes. Coarsely chop eggs and fold in last. Garnish with paprika and parsley and refrigerate until served.