Back in the cabin......

So now we are at the cabin. There are still some boxes on the floor but hopefully by the end of the day they will be organized and my new Babylock Sophia will be in her sewing position on the cabin table.

My son and grandson came by for a visit and helped us plant the garden. We are trying some heirloom tomatoes. I want an Ina Garten type picture of the sliced heirloom tomatoes on an antique platter drizzled with olive oil! We also planted pickling cukes. Then I bought lots of flowers in containers from a darling little shop in Naples. I put herbs in the window boxes. There is never enough basil! I also plant purple basil which I use in salads - just mix it in with the spring greens or steep in some vinegar for a nice vinaigrette.

I made a wall hanging for Jack’s house. It is a machine embroidered scene of a covered bridge. Anita Goodesign’s designs are wonderful. So today I hung it the back of the cabin door so I could look at it for a few days before we take it up to Jack’s.

Friends are coming for the day and we will have our usual cookout of Hamburgers and potato salad. There are many varieties of potato salad but I am quite partial to mine. I read recently that potatoes must be combined with dill and I heartily agree. There is no exact recipe for my potato salad and it does not always taste the same but it always tastes good!

My Potato Salad

2 ½ pounds Yukon gold potatoes or red bliss potatoes
Kosher salt
½ purple onion
dried dill weed
cider vinegar
vegetable oil
good quality mayonnaise (Hellman’s or Duke’s)

Wash potatoes and cut into big bite pieces. Do not peel. Cook in a large pan of salted water until done (about 10-12 minutes). Chop onion finely and put in mixing bowl. Drain potatoes into bowl. Drizzle oil over potatoes to barely coat them and then sprinkle cider vinegar over the potatoes. Toss very gently. The potatoes should be just coated and the you should be able to smell the vinegar. Shake dill weed over the top and lightly salt the salad. Now let this sit covered at room temperature until about 1 hour before dinner or serving. Then stir again - you should still be able to smell the vinegar. Add mayonnaise to bind the potatoes together. Taste and add more dill if needed. Depending on the potato, more salt may be needed. Put bowl in refrigerator until ready to serve.

I always served this in a green ware bowl. Sometimes I made flower decorations with chives as the stems and sliced black olives as the petals. If you are a person who must have hard-boiled eggs in your potato salad, this is not a good recipe for you. The eggs take on a different (as in not good) flavor from the vinegar.