This evening I took some much deserved time-off to try to catch up on things and I got a look at the food celebrations for May. At first I was surprised that May is National Barbecue Month, then I realized that Memorial Day, the "unofficial start of summer" rounds out the month, so why not? And the observed Memorial Day Monday is also National Barbecue day and National Hamburger and Cheeseburger day. Someone was thinking on this one.
While I love hamburgers and cheeseburgers as well as anyone I think we should address some of the other foods often served at the traditional Memorial Day "cookout". Learning that cooking foods on a grill, whether gas or wood or charcoal, is not what real "barbecue" means, I have been trying (with much difficulty) to refer to backyard cooking as grilling, and reserving the term "barbecue" for the real thing. Whether I will ever address barbecuing in the pages of my blog has not been decided yet, I think I have a lot more research to do before I would even attempt to try to sound like I know what I am talking about. Maybe I just have so much respect for real cooks, chefs and others that spend many years perfecting their methods of barbecue, and I don't want to insult them by pretending I belong in their class. For not, at least, with a few more years of practice and experimenting here, well, don't be surprised one day if I throw my 2 cents in on the topic as well.
One day. Maybe.
So what traditional sides are served on National Barbecue Day? I think that really depends on where you are, regionally at least. Speaking strictly for this blogger I admit we are B.O.R.I.N.G. We do the traditional Macaroni Salad, Potato salad, Cole slaw. We do occasionally, however, kick it up a bit: Cucumber and onion salad, carrot and raisin salad, Caprese salad with home made Mozzarella, homegrown Tomatoes and Basil-which is awesome when you have produced everything--if we only owned the cow and milked her ourselves, then, it would be a 99% self sustained dish, but as for raising dairy cow...I pass thank you.
The men around here also like Italian Pasta Salad, which is a "take" on antipasto, however, they seem to miss the point that the "salad" is supposed to be a salad made with the things you would find on an antipasto platter, mixed in with some kind of pasta and mixed with an olive oil and vinegar dressing, The antipasto salads I have seen, and even made by mixing the ingredients requested by my menfolk, are so far from what a real antipasto is that I cannot even bring myself to eat it. I did learn, recently, however, one of the problems I have with this type of "salad" is that I do not like it cold. I can eat is right after its made and still warm, or room temperature, but once it chills, I do not like it. I don't know if its the oil and vinegar on the cold pasta, but I just don't see what everyone gets all warm and fuzzy over.
While I love hamburgers and cheeseburgers as well as anyone I think we should address some of the other foods often served at the traditional Memorial Day "cookout". Learning that cooking foods on a grill, whether gas or wood or charcoal, is not what real "barbecue" means, I have been trying (with much difficulty) to refer to backyard cooking as grilling, and reserving the term "barbecue" for the real thing. Whether I will ever address barbecuing in the pages of my blog has not been decided yet, I think I have a lot more research to do before I would even attempt to try to sound like I know what I am talking about. Maybe I just have so much respect for real cooks, chefs and others that spend many years perfecting their methods of barbecue, and I don't want to insult them by pretending I belong in their class. For not, at least, with a few more years of practice and experimenting here, well, don't be surprised one day if I throw my 2 cents in on the topic as well.
One day. Maybe.
So what traditional sides are served on National Barbecue Day? I think that really depends on where you are, regionally at least. Speaking strictly for this blogger I admit we are B.O.R.I.N.G. We do the traditional Macaroni Salad, Potato salad, Cole slaw. We do occasionally, however, kick it up a bit: Cucumber and onion salad, carrot and raisin salad, Caprese salad with home made Mozzarella, homegrown Tomatoes and Basil-which is awesome when you have produced everything--if we only owned the cow and milked her ourselves, then, it would be a 99% self sustained dish, but as for raising dairy cow...I pass thank you.
The men around here also like Italian Pasta Salad, which is a "take" on antipasto, however, they seem to miss the point that the "salad" is supposed to be a salad made with the things you would find on an antipasto platter, mixed in with some kind of pasta and mixed with an olive oil and vinegar dressing, The antipasto salads I have seen, and even made by mixing the ingredients requested by my menfolk, are so far from what a real antipasto is that I cannot even bring myself to eat it. I did learn, recently, however, one of the problems I have with this type of "salad" is that I do not like it cold. I can eat is right after its made and still warm, or room temperature, but once it chills, I do not like it. I don't know if its the oil and vinegar on the cold pasta, but I just don't see what everyone gets all warm and fuzzy over.
Macaroni salad and potato salad, on the other hand OMG-- I just love them! The most astonishing thing about those two salads is that I use the same dressing recipe for both, oh and for cole slaw and carrot salad, now that I think about it. One dressing all salads. How convenient is that? Ready? Here goes:
Start with 1-1/2 cups mayo
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup white or cider vinegar. Sometimes you have to add a bit more sugar, I think because of the vinegar. Sometimes its a bit more tangy than others, probably happens during distillation. Who knows? Anyway, these measurements are approximates, but really really close.
Mix the sugar and vinegar to start melting the sugar, add the mayo, and stir until smooth. Now here's a first: if you are making macaroni salad, and ONLY macaroni SALAD, rinse the macaroni in cool- cold water. Yes you read that correctly. You need to rinse the pasta and cool it before mixing the dressing into it, otherwise all that dressing will be sucked up and vanish into the pasta. Yes it still tastes great, but it dries out the salad so much I found I was forever making additional dressing and adding it later. Tried rinsing the pasta in cold water an Voila! problem solved. The pasta still absorbs some of the dressing, but it does not suck it all up, leaving it dry. Who knew? Probably someone out there. And now we know, too.
Macaroni salad, in my opinion also requires about 1/4 cup diced red and/or green bell pepper. the raw pepper imparts its mild flavor into the dressing and gives the salad just enough "umph" to make it what my childhood dreams are made of.
I am just publishing posts that have been sitting in limbo --forever-- I had lost my password and moved and well life took over.
Now that I've been able to get back into my blog I plan on seeing how I can get restarted.
BUT..... I am about to embark on a long distance move. Like over 1200 miles! And beach and sand and hot humid muggy weather...sounds divine to me! I'm going to Florida! I'm not promising anything, because I do not know what I'll be walking into down there, but... I intend to try.
Macaroni salad, in my opinion also requires about 1/4 cup diced red and/or green bell pepper. the raw pepper imparts its mild flavor into the dressing and gives the salad just enough "umph" to make it what my childhood dreams are made of.
I am just publishing posts that have been sitting in limbo --forever-- I had lost my password and moved and well life took over.
Now that I've been able to get back into my blog I plan on seeing how I can get restarted.
BUT..... I am about to embark on a long distance move. Like over 1200 miles! And beach and sand and hot humid muggy weather...sounds divine to me! I'm going to Florida! I'm not promising anything, because I do not know what I'll be walking into down there, but... I intend to try.
Wishing you all the love and luck in the world.
Praying I receive the same.
Until we meet again, I love you all.
~barbara
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