Strawberry Tossed Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing, Another Macaroni and Cheese Recipe and Blueberry Pies
Memories! I love to think back to my childhood to the warm memories that often fill my mind of my grandmother’s, my aunt’s and my mother’s kitchens.
The memories of all of the wonderful cooks in my family (and also in yours) who made “melt-in-your-mouth” dishes with just a pinch of this and a dab of that. The love of home cooking and family traditions is what encouraged me to organize my collection of recipes for my cookbook and to share them with all of you. I talked to my aunt Dot Thomas this week (who is a fabulous cook) and she told me that she and Jennifer were making caramel corn. Aunt Dot said that Jennifer was giving bags of caramel corn to everyone as they left their house. The fun never ends in my family!
Strawberry Tossed Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing
2 heads of romaine
lettuce, chopped
2 cups sliced fresh
strawberries
1/2 cup toasted pecans
4 oz. bacon, crisp-fried
and crumbled
Dressing:
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup vinegar
1/3 cup salad oil
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
Toss all salad ingredients together in a large bowl. Combine sugar, vinegar, salad oil and onion in the food processor and blend. Add poppy seeds and process until well blended.
Andy’s Note: I always add the dressing when I am ready to serve. This is not only delicious but so pretty with the red berries. Fresh Alabama strawberries will be here before too long. I have so many wonderful strawberry recipes to share with you.
Another Macaroni and Cheese Recipe
4 cups of dry macaroni
4 cups of milk
4 eggs
16 ounces grated cheese (Colby or cheddar)
salt and black pepper
Boil macaroni. Drain and rinse with cold water. Layer half in a baking dish. Sprinkle with half of grated cheese. Lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper. Put the rest of the noodles and cheese on top. Lightly sprinkle with the salt and pepper again. Heat the milk until just scalded (little bubbles around the edge-do not boil). Beat eggs and slowly add the hot milk, stirring constantly. Pour this mixture over the macaroni and cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour until bubbling and slightly brown on top.
Andy’s Note: You can never have too many mac and cheese recipes. Be sure you fix plenty when you become a grandparent-it goes fast!
Blueberry Pies
1 can blueberry pie filling
3/4 cup sugar
8 oz. cream
cheese, softened
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 large bananas
2 graham cracker crusts
8 oz. Cool Whip
Cream sugar and cream cheese. Add lemon juice and mix completely. Spread half of the creamy mixture in the two pie crusts. Slice bananas over mixture in each pie crust. Add remaining pie filling to the two crusts and top with Cool Whip for several hours before serving.
Andy’s Note: These pies are delicious! I have had this recipe for many years. It has been taken to many events and always been raved over. They are so easy! Don’t you just love good and easy?
I am trying a cream cheese pecan pie today and I will share it with all of you next week if it is good.
Happy Cooking,
Andy Bedwell
“Southern Cooking with Andy Bedwell” can be purchased at Alabama Gift Company in downtown Gadsden and The Messenger on Rainbow Drive.
