Sweet Potato Potato Salad

Lately, my recipe experiments have been mainly flops. :( I was so excited to finally find one that I WAS excited about! I lovelovelove this recipe! It makes the perfect potato salad. Seriously.

Ingredients:
2 potatoes (I used large new potatoes)
1 sweet potato (I used yellow)
4 eggs
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped (I just tossed in some green onion)
3/4 cup mayonnaise (or a bit less)
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper

Directions:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender but still firm, about 30 minutes. Drain, cool, peel and chop.

Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil. Cover, remove from heat, and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from hot water; cool, peel and chop.

Combine the potatoes, eggs, celery and onion.Whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, salt and pepper. Add to potato mixture, toss well to coat. Refrigerate and serve chilled.

Spinach Strawberry Salad

I also made this when my husband's family visited. It's a unique summer salad! The salad does not keep as well if you mix the dressing right in, however.

Ingredients:
12 oz. fresh spinach
1 qt. fresh strawberries, sliced
2 TBSP. sesame seeds
1 TBSP. poppy seeds

Dressing:
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup sugar
1.5 tsp. grated onion
1/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/4 cup cider vinegar

Directions:
Layer spinach, strawberries, sesame seeds, and poppy seeds in a large salad bowl. Combine the dressing ingredients in a blender (I used my mixer). Blend for 2 minutes. Just before serving, pour the dressing over the spinach and toss lightly to coat.

Southwestern Chicken Salad

I got this recipe from my mother, who first had this at one of my sister's basketball meals. You can follow the recipe as-is, or my mom mentioned that she found a frozen bag of southwestern veggies that worked well. Just cook for a couple minutes, then cool.

Ingredients:
Perdue ShortCuts/pre-cooked chicken (southwestern, original, roasted...doesn't matter)
Romaine lettuce
can of whole kernel corn, drained,
can of black beans, washed and drained
shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
Assemble. Top with Ranch dressing or crushed taco chips, salsa, and sour cream.

Alice's Imitation Crab Salad

My M-I-L made this recipe for a family reunion, and I was hooked! I then made it for my whole family, and they loved it! This recipe sure makes a lot, but the way that my family ate it, that wasn't a problem!

Ingredients:
6 eggs
1/2 loaf (1 1b. sourdough bread, cubed)
1 1b. imitation crab meat, flaked
3 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 cup mayo
2 TBSP sour cream
salt and pepper to taste
dash of lemon juice

Directions:
Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil. Turn to medium and let boil for 15 minutes. Dump hot water off and run in cold water . Let them sit. (My mom taught me that HB eggs are easier to peel if they're not fresh--i.e. older than a week). Cool, peel, and chop.

Trim crust from bread and dice into cubes.

In a large bowl, combine bread cubes, eggs, crab, celery, onion, mayo, sour cream, salt and pepper. Mix together well and refrigerate.

Variations: Can add green onions or bacon bits (have not tried).