You Say Po-tay-to, I Say Po-tah-to

Wendy here.

So I was the one that suggested we call this blog Recipes and Memories.  I know Kristin had wanted to get a recipe blog going for awhile, but I had in my mind a family journal-type blog where we could record memories and eventually print them off in one of those lovely blog books.  So, then I though "Why not combine the two?"  Here's how envision it:  Posts could be just a recipe, just a memory or a combination of both.

Here goes my combo entry:

Potato Salad

Mom's potato salad.  Remember how it involved peeling a ton of potatoes?  I always thought she put waaay too many onions and pickles.  And oh, how I hated the addition of pickle juice.  Even with all those "faults" mom's potato salad has spoiled me.  I have a hard time eating someone else's without thinking something is amiss.  And don't even get me started on store bought potato salad--it tastes like chemicals.  Slimy chemicals!

Mom has her signature potato salad and I have been aiming to develop and become famous for my own version.  (True story: I took this salad to at least three pot lucks this summer alone.)  It's nothing like mom's but I think it's just as tasty in it's own way. 

Before I give you the recipe, I need to apologize for my lack of specificity.  I remember it used to drive my teenaged self to the edge of sanity when Mom would instruct me to add "some" of an ingredient to what we were making for dinner.  "How much is some?" I would demand.  Time has taught me how to know the amount of "some" needed when cooking.  Or maybe it was Mom.

Well, if you need specific measurements, you will just have to go ask Betty or Martha.  Here is my unexact recipe for potato salad.

Ingredients:
Some potatoes (I prefer red potatoes, baby ones if they are on sale, but any will do.)
Some Greek yogurt (It depends on how many potatoes you use.)
Some green onions (I prefer green onions, but I've used red and yellow too.)
Some fresh dill
Salt and pepper

Preparation:
1. Cut potatoes into bit sized pieces and boil until tender.
2. Chop onions and dill
3. Drain potatoes.  (I like to spread them out on a cookie sheet and let them cool for a bit before mixing everything.  I think that's just because I can't stand the thought of mixing hot food with yogurt.  If you're in a hurry, you can even put the cookie sheet in the freezer for a bit!)
4.  In a bowl mix together potatoes, onions, dill and yogurt.  (If you want you can add some regular mayo, but I found it tastes just fine without any mayo.)
5.  Salt and pepper to taste.
6.  Chill and enjoy!

It's so simple, but so yummy.  Since it has super healthy Greek yogurt in it, you can rationalize eating as much of it as you like!

Baked Beans (Tyler's favorite :)

Okay Kim has literally asked me for this recipe three times now :)

This is my baked bean recipe, or we call it sweet chilli (Actually Marty gave this recipe to me). My kids love it and we usually serve it with corn bread.

Baked beans (Sweet Chilli):

Ingredients:

~1 large can of Bush's Bake Beans (original recipe)
~Add any other can of beans you like ( up to five cans)
          I usually use: 1 can of red kidney beans, 2 cans of black beans,
                               2 cans of Great Norther beans (If you cant find these
                               use another type of white beans), and 1 other can of
                               beans of my choice something I have in my cupboard.
~1lb. of lean ground beef (cooked)
~1/2 package of bacon (cooked and crumbled)
~3/4 cup Brown sugar
~1/2 cup Katsup
~1 tsp of salt
~2 tsp of vinegar
~1Tb of mustard (I usually don't add this, but that's my preference)

Directions:

First, Brown the ground beef and cook the bacon.
Second, drain and rinse all beans (yes, rinse them all very well) except the Bush's Baked beans.
Third, throw in all the beans and meat into the crock pot.
Fourth, add remaining ingredients in the crock pot and mix together.
Fifth, bake in crock pot on low for 9 hrs. or High for 4 hours.

Serve as a side at a BBQ or for a main dish with a side of corn bread.

Side notes: If I serve it as a side dish I omit the ground bee and just add the bacon.This can be vegetarian if you omit the ground beef and bacon and uses Bush's baked beans w/o bacon in it.

Work in Progress

Here is the recipe blog...we are working on it! Please give suggestions for the title. Thanks!