"Ham" Salad Sandwich Spread or Just Plain Ol' Bologna Sandwiches

This "Ham" salad was on the table every Christmas Eve at my Paternal Grandma's house.  Slapped between two slices of Heiner's white bread and cut diagonally.  Me thinks my Aunt Jane had a hand in this as well.

After making this again, I determined it's just not for me.  I prefer to eat my bologna in slices, I don't mind applying the miracle whip directly to the bread.  I also like this sandwich with a slice of American cheese.  No pickle relish necessary.  Below is a recipe for homemade Miracle Whip, because I just about never eat it, I never have it on hand, and it does go bad.

BOLOGNA SANDWICH SPREAD

2 T. sweet pickle relish
1 lb. bologna, blitzed in a food processor
Miracle Whip, enough to make it spreadable

HOMEMADE MIRACLE WHIP FROM MAYONNAISE

2 1/2 Tablespoons of White Distilled Vinegar
1 1/2 Tablespoons of White Sugar
1 teaspoon of Corn Starch

Combine thoroughly and Microwave till just boiling.  Let cool in freezer for a few minutes.  Add:

1/2 teaspoon of Garlic Powder
1/8 teaspoon of Mustard Powder (if you have it)
Dashes of Paprika
3/4 cup of Mayonnaise

Mix well.  Cover, and store in the refrigerator, probably not more than a few weeks.

Meatloaf!

My family has been enjoying meatloaf sandwiches on dinner rolls with sweet pickles and mustard.

For every Pound of 80/20 or 85/15 ground meat, Combine:

1 cup of bread crumbs, 1/2 cup of finely ground oats if you are Gluten free
1/2-1 large onion, diced
1 egg
1 T. Mustard
3-4 T. Ketchup
5 dashes Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 T. dried parsley (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients by hand. Transfer to a greased baking dish and form into a loaf. Bake for 45-55 minutes. Add 15 minutes for every 1/2 pound extra over 1 pound.

To make your own bread crumbs, I use the end pieces of a loaf and blitz them in the food processor, then I spread them out on a cookie sheet and bake at 200 for 30 minutes.

Green Onion Schmear

I absolutely can't believe I left this recipe off my blog for so long.  I make this a lot.  I take it to parties.  I serve it at parties.  You won't believe how much you can eat in one sitting until you see it gone.

1 package of cream cheese, 8 oz.
2-3 green onions, washed and chopped, greens and whites
1/2 teaspoon salt
a few dashes of cayenne pepper
1/2 cup whole milk plain yogurt

Soften the cream cheese in the microwave, in a microwave safe dish (not plastic).  With an electric mixer, or in a food processer, mix in all ingredients till smooth.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, but overnight preferably.  Serve with crudites, bagels or hash brown patties and lox, pretzels, or anything you think would be good.

Cucumber Yogurt Dressing or Raita

A quick word about store bought yogurt:  Many commercial yogurts add thickeners and additives.  This is especially important to know if you are low-carb, gluten free, or just sensitive to certain foods.  You have to read the ingredients.  Currently my (and my child's) favorite yogurt is Seven Stars Farm.  It has a better good-bacterial count, and no additives.  Once you've bought good yogurt, you can make your own rather easily.

1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced finely
1 Tablespoon of finely mined onion
1 teaspoon salt

1 cup of plain yogurt (not fat free)
dash of cayenne pepper (optional)

Combine the diced cucumber, onion, and salt and let sit for 15 minutes stirring occasionally.  Hand squeeze the liquid from the diced vegetables.  Reserve the salty cucumber water for use in cooking, I like to use it in with my lentils if I'm making raita to go with my curried lentils.  Add vegetables to yogurt, and stir to incorporate.  Add cayenne pepper and it's ready to serve, or cover and refrigerate for later use.  This is a good addition to spicy dishes, it helps cool them down.  But it also makes a pretty good stand alone dip for toasted pita.

Creamy Caesar Salad Dressing

This recipe uses a great cheat for the anchovies, Worcestershire sauce.  It's so simple to make, and no questionable egg yolks or tedious whipping to deter novice salad dressing makers.

1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup Mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons milk
1 Tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

Blend first 4 ingredients.  Whisk in milk (I totally just use a fork).  Stir in remaining ingredients.  Makes 1/2 cup of dressing.  Enough for 4 big salads or 8 side salads.

My favorite is to top the dressed greens with chopped roasted almonds and more Parmesan cheese, add chicken to make it a meal, and chopped green onions for even more flavor.

Low Cal Ranch Dressing

I like ranch dressing, especially to dip raw veggies in. But, so many salad dressings, even the so-called natural kind, have things in them I do not want to eat. And the better brands don't have ranch or it just tastes like Mayonnaise. And who wants to eat straight Mayo? So I tinkered around with a couple of recipes to create a good tasting, no MSG or preservatives, non-Mayo tasting, lower calorie ranch dressing. And if you aren't a cottage cheese fan, just try it. My sister is the foremost hater of cottage cheese and she would eat this.

1 cup Cottage cheese
1/3 cup Mayonnaise
3 T.-1/3 cup milk (less for dip, more for dressing)
1 rounded tsp. dried parsley
1 rounded tsp. dried dill
1-2 level tsp. garlic powder (you can substitute onion powder)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar (optional)

Put all the ingredients in a food processor and blitz till smooth. Makes at least 1-1/2 cups.

And if you like it fresh, use 1/3 the amount of fresh herbs to the dried equivalent.

Midnight Salsa

As a pre-teen/teen, one of my summertime rituals was to stay up later than anyone else and sneak into the garden after dark to pick ingredients for a late night salsa snack. Usually this snack was enjoyed while watching Dirty Dancing and/or Jack Horkheimer's "The Star Hustler" (later to be called "Star Gazer").

1 huge, ripe, juicy, flavorful tomato
1 fresh Jalapeno
1 small onion
salt
I don't think I liked Cilantro then, or we didn't grow it, but I might add some now if it hasn't all gone to seed by this point in the summer.

Chop everything into a bowl, mix and eat with tortilla chips. Commence watching the movie Dirty Dancing and "Keep Looking Up."