Amish Macaroni Salad

When I was in Ireland, I learned that the first thing people think of when I tell them I'm from Pennsylvania is the Amish. Even when I was at Kate Voegele's concert, her opening act was amazed that she saw Amish people. Now, Pittsburgh's side of the state isn't really Amish country; it's more towards the Lancaster area. However, I have seen Pennsylvania Dutch (dress just like the Amish but believe in technology) near where I went to school and at the zoo on the carousel. If there is one thing I'm glad they invented, it's their macaroni salad. Amish macaroni salad? What is that, you ask. I have grown up eating this from the Wal Mart deli. Yes, I said Wal Mart deli. I have no clue if it's only our WMs or if all WMs sell it, but their macaroni salad is based off of an Amish recipe. What makes this so amazing? Mustard. I hate mayonnaise and although I can tolerate it in tuna salad, potato salad, etc., I cannot just simply put it on a sandwich like my dad does.

This macaroni salad still has mayo, but because it's combined with mustard, vinegar, and sugar, I can still have the creaminess without the taste. I am tempted to make homemade mayo, just to see if I like it because we buy Miracle Whip, which isn't -exactly- the same as regular mayo. After doing some Google research, it sounds like the two are different in taste. Any thoughts? The sugar in the dressing makes it sweet, so some people thought it was the right amount while others said I should cut back next time.

Amish Macaroni Salad


It's more yellow than what this picture shows. I hate the kitchen lighting.

1/2 lb. elbow macaroni (I just guessed)
1/4 cup chopped celery or green pepper (or both)
1/4 cup grated carrots
2 Tbsp chopped white onion
3 hard-boiled eggs, chopped (yolks optional)
Paprika
1 cup mayo
2 Tbsp vinegar
1/4 cup sugar (you can cut back to 2 Tbsp if needed)
1 Tbsp yellow mustard

1. Cook macaroni as directed. Drain and let cool.
2. After the macaroni cools, mix with celery, green pepper, carrots, onion, and eggs.
3. In a small bowl, combine mayo, vinegar, sugar, and mustard. Fold into macaroni mixture. Sprinkle the top with paprika and stir a couple of times to mix it in. Cover and let chill at least 2 hours, although overnight is best.

Source: Recipe Zaar

Makes a lot of servings. 10-12 perhaps? We just kept eating.

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You Never Would Have Guessed...

I never realized this before until last Monday. It was the second day of me being sick, and I'm starving. Yet, I didn't feel like eating. So I'm laying on my bed, watching my tape of various Food Network shows I have taped. Then all of a sudden, I decided to make mashed potatoes two hours before work. I checked my potatoes. Two were rotten, two were not. Just to be safe, I peeled the non-rotten potatoes because although I examined the skins over and over, I didn't want to take a chance. Normally, I would've thrown them out because they were touching the rotten ones, but you don't understand. I had barely any food in the apartment for me to eat while sick.

Anyway, what I never realized was I had never made mashed potatoes before. My friend asked, never with your parents growing up? Nope, they made those packets where you add water/milk/whatever it calls for. I don't even understand it myself. I do not get my food passion from my parents. They never influenced me (except maybe to flavor my meats more!) They are the reason why I hate meatloaf and pork chops. Our palettes are so different. I get my eat-anything gene from my dad, but even then I eat some things he doesn't like, like catfish or curry. My mom pretty much hates everything I cook because she doesn't like strong flavors. My brother is picky too, but not as bad as my mom. As far as baking, my mom bakes from a box. My dad does make pie or anchovy balls (yes, we love anchovies!), but he buys pre-made crust or pre-made crescent dough. So how did I learn to cook? I've taken three cooking classes throughout middle and high school, but even then most of the stuff I know I taught myself via recipes or blogs. I did grow up admiring pictures (mainly desserts) in my mom's magazines, like Family Circle or Woman's Day.

So back to my mashed potatoes. I looked up a recipe on Recipe Zaar. I found one that was so good, it doesn't need gravy. Good, because I had no clue on how to make gravy haha

Mashed Potatoes



2 baking potatoes, cleaned (peeling is optional)
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1/4 cup milk
2 Tbsp parmesan cheese, grated
2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp dried parsley
Salt and pepper

1. Cut potatoes into cubes. Boil potatoes and whole garlic cloves. Let simmer for 20 minutes. Drain and put into a mixing bowl.

2. Add milk, cheese, butter, parsley, salt and pepper. Either mash by hand or with a mixer until smooth.

Makes 2-4 servings.

Source: Recipe Zaar

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I Love a Good Bargain!

As summer is coming to an end, certain vegetables stand out at farmer's markets - pumpkins, yellow squash, zucchini, the list goes on. My favorite vegetable to eat has to be squash, whether yellow or zucchini. Next year I'm bugging my dad to plant zucchini along with his tomatoes. While our annual Friends and Family weekend was happening at my university, farmers set up stands to sell produce. I bought a baby squash for 50 cents. It also happened that the one church was having a rummage sale with books 6 for $1.00. I bought 12 cookbooks!!! I'm not talking only those thin ones you buy at the grocery stands. I'm talking those plus a few thick books that are 300-some pages long. Boy were my arms tired from carrying that load across campus! That brings my collection up to 103 books plus my huge binders and online recipe boxes. Obsessed? Just a little ;) With that being said, I picked up a vegetable cookbook at the rummage sale, so I decided to find a recipe for my newly-purchased squash. Being a college kid, I didn't have a lot of ingredients on-hand, but I did find Kate's Pan-Fried Summer Squash to be pantry-friendly. If I had time to read more than the recipe, I probably would've discovered who Kate was. All I know is this dish was amazing!

In honor of the Weekend Cookbook Challenge, which is "Show and Tell" a cookbook in your collection, I am entering this recipe. I chose to feature this because it's more than just recipes; it has little anecdotes and tips for cooking and purchasing each vegetable. Even though I just bought this cookbook, I believe it is going to be my vegetable Bible to both me and my roommates. I tried not to overwhelm them with my collection, so I only brought the ones I know we could use being in college. I'm also starting to make The College Cookbook binder where I place recipes I have found online, in magazines, or have photocopied that are easy to make with a college budget. Suggestions for college recipes are welcome and encouraged :)

In regard to the recipe, I hate really soft squash, so mine definitely didn't cook for the 40 minutes it calls for. I ended up draining the broth rather than have it be completely evaporated. If you want a vegetarian version, sub the chicken broth for either vegetable broth or water. The water won't give it as much flavor but will still cook the squash. It also called for fatty bacon drippings, but I omitted that since it also called for butter.


Kate's Pan-Fried Summer Squash




1 pound yellow squash, sliced
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 Tbsp fatty bacon drippings (optional)
2 Tbsp butter

Combine squash, broth, and onion in skillet. Heat to boiling, then reduce heat to medium. Cook uncovered until broth has evaporated, about 10 minutes. If you don't like your squash super soft, you may need to cut that time in half and drain the broth later. Add butter and cook uncovered over low heat until tender to your liking (recipe calls for 30 minutes but mine only took another 10 minutes).

Source: "Greene On Greens" 1984 p. 325

What is your favorite end-of-summer meal?
I think this fried squash is my favorite side dish. I haven't had too much experience making dinner from squash, so I'll have to stock up at farmer's markets and experiment.

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Skip The Deep Fryer

I actually made these before I made the pie and stuffed shells. I just never got around to posting about my wonderful french fry making. I googled several recipes for baked french fries and put the results together. Honestly, I don't remember where I got the recipes from, so there's no definite source for this recipe. I experimented with baking them. Most of the recipes said to spray the cookie sheets. I did that for one tray. It just made the french fries A LOT darker on the bottom, but really no texture difference. Then all of the recipes said to cover the fries themselves in oil and seasonings before placing on the cookie sheets. Now, I wasn't sure if the oil was there to help the french fries bake or if it was to keep the salt on, so I did two batches. Personally, I think dipping in the oil makes them a little more crispier.

Baked French Fries




Potatoes
Oil
Seasonings

1. Preheat oven to 400F.

2. Peel potatoes if desired. Place in boiling water for three minutes so they are easier to cut. Drain; let cool enough to handle. Cut using either a french fry cutter (which I did) or make even chunks with a knife. Once cut, place in a bowl of cold water to help remove more starch.

3. Put some oil into a bowl large enough to dip french fries. Roll each french fry into the oil; sprinkle with desired seasonings.

4. Place fries onto an ungreased cookie sheet(s). Bake for 15-20 minutes. If you care about presentation, flip fries over throughout the cooking time to ensure browning on all sides. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

Source: Unknown

I'm trying to think of ways to get more people to comment. I saw this idea on a blog, so I'm going to try it out for now. What I do is ask a question each time I blog. Sounds simple, no? Here goes:

What do you like to use as dip for your French fries?
I like to use ranch dressing and ketchup (not at the same time though). However, when I'm at Wendy's, I so use a Frosty as a dip.

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