Tag Archives: picnic food

September 1, 2010

Labor Day

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Life goes by so fast, doesn't it?

Labor Day is the last picnic of summer. It s always sort of bittersweet…because even through there are still several more weeks of summer it is over for all intents and purposes.

Here are some past favorites on Restless Chipotle that would be great for Labor Day entertaining. As much as you can try to make things ahead of time. Pasta salads, deviled eggs…. all of these can be made a couple of days ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

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Seriously… Picnics are not the time to try to impress people with your tricky 17 layer banana-chocolate ganache torte with homemade dulce de leche.( No, my birthday is a good time for that. April 21st….Just sayin’….) This is the time to keep it simple, comforting, homestyle, and delicious. Pull out those grandma and auntie  recipes and keep the traditions alive…If you don’t have any now is a good time to create your own. Make it easy so you can enjoy your family and friends and appreciate the fruit of your labor. :)

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This Labor Day I will be aboard ship…. so excited! In fact, I think I might be skinning my knees on ancient Mayan ruins while you cook up your meal. I have invited friends over and my friend who is staying with the kids..and told them to carry on  just as we always do! I am gonna try to leave some goodies for them too.

Kyrie is a little unsure of my leaving but she loves Edye to distraction and they are going to have a blast. What a blessing family and friends are! Never take them for granted!

Foil Wrapped Brisket – If you don’t have a smoker then this is the way to go.

Retro Hibachi Sauce for Beef – My dad made it famous…on our street anyway.

Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork with Mango Salsa – Don’t want to grill? Expecting rain? Do this in the crockpot!

Homemade Hot Dog or Hamburger Buns – The classic. Easy and perfectly soft.

Homemade Catsup – Why accept second best? This takes like 5 minutes!

Comback Chopped Salad - Tangy, spicy, full of texture…your guests will want to comeback for sure.

Old Fashioned Macaroni Salad – This is the real deal. Use Hellman’s!

Southwestern Style Potato Salad – Chipotle gives it a little smoky sizzle

Roasted Sweet Potato Salad – A twist on potato salad. Sweet, spicy… Perfect with grilled pork especially!

Watermelon Basket – Everyone will be impressed with your madd knife skillz

Sweet Corn Pound Cake – Light, sweet delicious…and would be great paired with fruit.

Banana Walnut Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting – Gramma could have made this one. Old fashioned awesome right here.

Cookie Dough Brownies – O. M. G.

Texas Sheet Cake – Sooooo quick and easy you can do it last minute.

Quadruple Chip and Pecan Cookies - Easy and they will disappear fast. Slap some homemade ice cream between two of these babies…

Peach Tea and Ginger Ice Cream – We like our sweet tea here in the south….. any way you want to serve it is fine.

That’s it for now… I will be posting more links to recipes on other sites this week…so you can have some to choose from. Makin’ it easy for ya is my life! Well, not really but I thought it would make you feel appreciated.

Images:Marye Audet

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August 9, 2010

Old Fashioned Macaroni Salad

I grew up on macaroni salad dinners. In the summer my mom just didn’t cook a lot. If it was the weekend dad would grill but during the week? We were likely to eat a cold salad. My family were not big eaters. meals were often just what happened to be in the fridge and could consist of cantaloupe with ice cream, or sandwiches, or strawberry shortcake, or macaroni salad. If you were still hungry afterward? Ah… the sound of my mom’s voice echoes through the decades…

Grab a carrot.

The answer to world hunger as far as my mom was concerned was raw carrots. Snack food? Carrots. Craving something? Grab a carrot. And you know what my kids hear when they are wanting a snack? Yep… Grab a carrot.

Anyway, to me macaroni salad was summertime. I was not a big eater but I could put this stuff away. My kids can, too.

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As far as I know this is a classic macaroni salad recipe that Mom no doubt cut from the paper, or package of something or other. She was not a creative cook so I imagine it is pretty much as written. I have considered updating it but I just can’t bring myself to mess with it. Macaroni salad is pretty much perfect the way it is.

My mom told me that the secret of good macaroni salad was to overcook the macaroni. No al dente here, folks. Cook it until it is very tender but still holds it’s shape. It will soak up the flavor from the salad that way. It is always better the second day so make it ahead of time if you can.Sometimes, when I am feeling particularly rebellious I will add some chopped, fresh tarragon. Just sayin’.

macaroni-salad

Macaroni Salad

  • 1 lb ounces elbow macaroni
  • 2 cups Hellmann’s  mayonnaise or homemade
  • 2 Tbsp. cider vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp. mustard
  • 2 tsp. sugar
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
  • 1 cup thinly sliced celery
  • 1 cup chopped  red bell pepper
  • 1/4 cup chopped onion
  • 1/2 cup grated carrot
  • 1 cup salad olives, drained
  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
  2. Pour in macaroni and cook until very tender.
  3. Drain completely.
  4. Combine mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, salt, pepper, and sugar and mix well. Taste and adjust seasoning.
  5. Put macaroni, celery, carrot, onion, peppers, and olives in a large bowl.
  6. Pour mayonnaise mixture over and combine gently.
  7. Chill overnight if time permits. Add a little more dressing if necessary before serving.

Serves 8

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