Summer – Miss Sharon's Craft Cupboard

Through this new venture of teaching crochet I have met new people and have made new friends along the way. One of those new friends contacted me a few weeks ago. Her summer schedule filled with gardening, camping, and watching her grandson had not allowed time for her to practice her crochet. She asked, “can we start again in the fall? “Yes, we can!”, I quickly responded. I have not had much time lately for crochet, either. So, I was grateful for the break!

Knowing my new friend has a passion for gardening, I asked if I could come see her garden and flower beds sometime this summer. She responded, “come soon while everything is in bloom”. I actually went over to her house that afternoon. It was wonderful taking a stroll around her home and through the side yards and back yard looking at her flower beds and gardens. I asked so many questions and enjoyed learning from her answers! Along the way she shared berries from her strawberry plants and blueberry bushes with me. We finished our tour on her patio drinking a shrub made of berries from her garden. If you don’t know what a shrub is for mixing in drinks, I’ve shared a link below. It makes a delicious, refreshing drink that is healthy! And, she gave me a lovely bunch of lavender tied with a pretty ribbon to take home. This is exactly what I needed that day to clear my scattered mind! Enjoy your summer, new friend. We will crochet again together in the fall.

Here is the link on Pinterest for a strawberry shrub recipe that I tried this week. I want to make a watermelon with basil shrub next!

https://pin.it/6xLwNrd

Strawberry shrub mixed with plain carbonated water.

By Sharon Andreani

Summertime means family gatherings and cook-outs to me. I get nostalgic for “comfort” food which means I’m making my mom’s potato salad. My mom was a good cook, but she had her “short-cuts” in the kitchen. Considering the time it takes to boil potatoes, let them cool, then peel and cut them into bite-size pieces, I don’t blame her for using a short-cut when she made potato salad! Now, when I make potato salad, I use red skin potatoes so that I don’t have to peel them and I cook them in the microwave. Still, one has to cut up the potatoes, the onion, the green pepper, and the celery. If you like hard boiled eggs in there, too, you’re boiling, peeling, and chopping eggs. Homemade potato salad is a lot of work! But, oh so worth it!

I make my potato salad the day ahead so that all the flavors of the vegetables, potatoes and dressing marinate together. Below is my mom’s recipe in it’s original form, but feel free to update and use your short-cuts to fit your schedule and what your family enjoys!

Mom’s Potato Salad

6 hard boiled eggs peeled and chopped; set aside.

Boil until fork tender 3 lbs quartered potatoes. Drain and let cool. Peel and cut into bite size pieces. Place in a large bowl.

Chop one small onion. Add to the bowl.

Add 1 Cup chopped celery.

Add 1 green pepper, seeded and chopped.

Add the chopped eggs.

Add salt and black pepper to taste.

Gently combine all of the above ingredients in the large bowl.

Pour 2/3 of a large bottle of Marzetti Slaw Dressing over the potato salad and gently stir together. Yes, the slaw dressing was her “short-cut”! She would slice up rings of green pepper and decorate the top of her potato salad with those slices along with slices of hard- boiled egg and paprika sprinkled over the top. Her potato salad looked like a masterpiece when served. It tasted so good!

Immediately cover and place in the refrigerator. This potato salad must be kept cold at all times and returned to the refrigerator immediately after serving.

Have a wonderful start to your summer! – Sharon

Tag: Summer

Lavender….and drinking shrubs!

Mom’s Potato Salad