It seems everyone has their "favorite" homemade secret recipe for potato salad.  I have to admit, I love my grandma's potato salad.  It's a not very mustardy recipe. Some people prefer the zip that a very mustard-based salad offers.  I think what makes Lovina's potato salad so good is the "crunch" that the celery pieces give it.  But also the sweetness that the sugar provides. So if you don't have your own favorite potato salad concoction, try this one for the upcoming summer picnic season.  Um...I will say, skip the potato salad sandwiches.  Rachel and I were eating at a small diner alongside the Tamiami Trail in southern Florida in February and she ordered an egg salad sandwich.  Someone in the kitchen made a mistake and gave her a potato salad sandwich...eeew, very starchy....

3 hard-boiled eggs, cooled

    3 cups cooked, diced and chilled potatoes, with skins on

    ¾ cup mayonnaise or Miracle Whip

    1 1/2  teaspoons yellow prepared mustard, such as French’s

    2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

    1 /4 small onion, chopped fine

    3 /4 cup sugar 

    1 teaspoon salt

    1/ 2 cup chopped celery

    2 tablespoons milk

Peel the eggs and mash them with a potato masher in a large bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.

California isn't exactly the locale where one would typically start their search for delicious stick-to-your ribs Mennonite cooking, but apparently there is a place in the Golden State that dishes up such fare. I know we have a few site visitors near Fresno (Quiltermom, this one is for you!).  In addition to describing typical Mennonite cooking, this article has some interesting history in it, too.  So click here for a taste.

A lot of things that we are accustomed to just reaching off the supermarket shelf and buying, the Amish have traditionally made themselves.  Pancake syrup in Amish homes, for instance, is often a homemade concoction of brown sugar or molasses. Ice cream is homemade using a mix of eggs, rock salt, sugar, and winter ice.  Mayonnaise is something else the Amish have traditionally made themselves.  SIGH, I guess I'm a Miracle Whip man.  I'm used to that.  Some swear by Hellman's mayonnaise, other's Miracle Whip.  I can't really tell much of a difference, to be honest.  Anyway for those adventurous ones who don't want to reach for the supermarket jar, here is Lovina's recipe for homemade mayo. This tastes great on sandwiches or in salads.

HOMEMADE MAYONNAISE

2 hard-cooked egg yolks

1 egg yolk (uncooked)

1 /2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 /2 teaspoon dry mustard

1 /2 cup olive oil

2 1 /2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 teaspoons cider vinegar

Combine hard-cooked egg yolks, mashed and worked smooth, uncooked egg yolk, salt, parika, and mustard in a bowl. Work smooth. Add the oil by tablespoonfuls beating vigorously after each addition until half of the oil has been used. Then beat in small amounts of the remaining oil alternately with the lemon juice and vinegar. Store in sealed container in refrigerator. Makes 1 cup.

We've missed the season of Christmas candy, but several posters have been discussing the late Elizabeth Coblentz's divinity recipe. So, what the heck, I'll post it now and you can save it for next Christmas. Or fix it now! There's no rule that says you have to save it for then.....Keep in mind, Elizabeth had several divinity recipes. Hopefully this is one people are seeking, this is from "An Amish Christmas"...our first self-published cookbooklet from way back in 1992!

FUDGE/DIVINITY

1 /3 cup of margarine

4 1 /2 cups of white sugar

14 ounces of evaporated milk

1 1 /2 cups of marshmallow

12 ounces of chocolate bits

13 ounces of sweet chocolate

2 teaspoons of vanilla

In a small saucepan, combine margarine, sugar, and milk over medium heat.  Boil 5 1 /2 minutes.  Remove from heat and add remaining ingredients.  Mix well.  Spoon into buttered pan.  Cool until firm and then cut out.