Warm Weather Food

I heart warm weather food. Pasta and potato salads are my favorites. As soon as the weather warmed up, I started pulling out the recipes! I'm not sure how warm it's been where you are, but it has already been HOT here. It was in the upper 80's on Monday.

I am always looking for new recipes. I get tired of cooking and eating the same things all the time. I thought I would share a couple of my favorites today. If you have some favorites, please share!

This one for Baked Potato Salad is from my favorite cookbook. In my opinion, it's the best cookbook EVER! I would say run out and get a copy of Absolutely A la Carte by Charlotte Skelton, but I think they must be hard to find. I bought my copy for $21.95 at A la Carte Alley in Cleveland, MS when I was in school at Delta State University in 2002.

I looked online today to see if I could find a copy. Amazon.com had some used ones listed, and the cheapest was $99.86!!! If you ever see an affordable copy, get it! And, if you are ever in Cleveland, you must eat there. I miss it so much! A wrap and a side of fruit or baked potato salad made a delicious lunch. And let's not forget about a slice of pie for dessert! I loved this place so much, we hosted my bridesmaids luncheon there!

BAKED POTATO SALAD

INGREDIENTS

10 ounces cream cheese, softened

2 cups sour cream

1 1/2 cups mayonnaise

1 1/2 pounds bacon, cooked and crumbled

1/3 cup chopped green onions

1/2 cup creamy Italian dressing

Dash of Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

6 large baking potatoes, unpeeled, baked, and cooled

DIRECTIONS

Combine cream cheese and sour cream in a large bowl, stirring well. Add mayonnaise and next 7 ingredients, stirring well. Slice potatoes into 1/2 inch pieces and stir into mayonnaise mixture.

This recipe serves 8 to 10. I have also had it heated with cheese melted on top, and it was to die for! The creamy Italian dressing is sometimes hard to find, so make sure you have some on hand before you decide to whip up some of this deliciousness!

This next recipe is a pasta salad that a coworker of mine brought to share with us last summer. It quickly became one of my favorites. She got the recipe from her daughter, Kristy Glenn Mize. Thank you Kristy for sharing!

MANDARIN CHICKEN PASTA SALAD

INGREDIENTS

1 large can chicken breast (I use Swanson. I think it's a 9.75oz can. Equivalent to about 1 cup chicken if you prefer to cook and chop your own.)

1 16oz box of mini bowtie pasta

1 medium onion, chopped

1 cup seedless red grapes, sliced

1 cup seedless green grapes, sliced

2 small cans mandarin oranges, drained

1 cup chopped pecans or almonds

1-2 packages of dry ranch dressing mix

1 1/2 - 2 cups mayonnaise

Cook pasta while chopping other ingredients. Drain pasta and rinse with cold water. Mix mayonnaise and ranch dressing mix together in a large bowl. Mix in all other ingredients.

This makes a huge bowl. We eat it over several days. You can eat it immediately, but I prefer it after it has chilled overnight. I like it with Ritz crackers. A word of caution though... This is not something to make for a romantic picnic. Between the onion and the ranch dressing mix, your breath will be kickin'! Make sure the breath mints are handy!

Hope you enjoy!