Beyond pumpkin pie
If pumpkins make you think of jack o’lanterns and pies, think again. Think of grilled pie pumpkin glazed with honey, as chefs Sarah Stegner and George Bumbaris do. Or roasted baby pumpkins stuffed with lobster, a dish served by chef Troy Graves at Eve on the Near North Side.

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Patricia Barber prepares South African foods
KEEDYSVILLE – It was late morning in Keedysville, and writer Patricia Barber was putting the final touches on the South African comfort food on her kitchen table, offering the guests in her kitchen rooibos tea.

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Community Calendar
Deadline for items for the Community Calendar is Wednesday at noon two weeks before desired publication date. Send information on fund-raisers, clubs, lectures, community events, reunions and support groups to Community Calendar, Pioneer Press, 3701 W. Lake Ave., Glenview IL 60026; fax (847) 486-7495; or e-mail to jmolitor@pioneerlocal.com. There is no charge for …

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Feast on this: Roasted beef tenderloin and artichokes
You don’t have to be a four-star chef to make a mouthwatering meal. Marcus Samuelsson wants to help the everyday cook. The chef and author of “The New American Table” shares recipes for roasted beef tenderloin, grilled artichoke salad and apple cake. Marcus Samuelsson – Chef – Home – Cooking – Artichoke

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Have you ever tried a egg salad sandwich? Honestly I had never even heard about an egg salad – let alone an egg salad sandwich – before trying out this recipe. Or, okay, I might have heard about an egg salad – but never tried it, and never heard of the egg salad sandwich. 100% honest.

Let’s go into what an egg salad sandwich consists of, basically. The base for this dish is dressing, hard boiled eggs and chopped onion (I am going to go into the specific amounts, for each of the ingredients, but will do so in the actual recipe).

If you are new to cooking, you are likely new to experimenting with food. If you are not new to cooking, you are probably new to experimenting with cooking – and if you’re not you’re probably new to BASING your cooking on experimentation. Is that true..? How come? I think it’s because people are afraid of failing – of being failures. They prefer being “good enough” over “failing”, even though failing is the only way to become exceptional.

Anyway – enough of philosophical rambling…

What I wanted to get out of the rambling, by the way, was that – apart from the base for the egg salad – you throw into the salad whatever you like. Why? Because you LIKE it. Good enough reason, isn’t it.

You are, obviously, going to use eggs. How much? It’s up to you, but around an egg per sandwich might work. What most people use, to accompany the egg, in this dish is onion. But, as has been said, if you want to use other things: Celery, bell pepper, shredded carrot, mushrooms all work (and, probably, countless more). Other ingredients, that can be put into the salad or onto the bread before the salad, are: any kind of deli meat, cheese of any kind, smoked salmon (and, definitely, many more).

Usually, for dressing, mayonnaise is used. Of course, you can use other things in it to spice it up. These are examples: parsley, oregano, basil, paprika. Some vegetables, that go with this salad, are: tomato, lettuce, cucumber and sprouts of any kind.

I have been craving an egg salad sandwich, but I want one with normal everyday ingredients. I really just need to know how much to put in it. I want mayo/miracle whip, eggs, sweet pickle relish, and mustard. Any ideas?

I love egg salad but my recipe is very boring. All I put in my egg salad is egg, mayo and mustard. Sometimes I will add some tarragon but that is about it.

Does anyone have any other ideas on how to spice up my egg salad? Thank you!

Peg Bracken’s Cookbook Returns, Canned Soup and All
Peg Bracken’s “I Hate to Cook Book” is reissued, in the teeth of the organic, clean-food movement.

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Looking for a different idea for a luncheon salad or a salad to take to a pitch-in at work or church?  Give this old-fashion Molded Egg Salad a try.  Served on a bed of lettuce leaves with or without red ripe tomato slices, it is a colorful and tasty choice.  Serve with some whole-grain crackers or breads for a different meal.  This Vinegar Vegetable Salad is also good for pitch-ins as well as your own family dining table.  This salad features one of our favorite vegetables, green beans.

MOLDED EGG SALAD

8 hard-boiled eggs, coarsely chopped

1 cup minced celery

1/4 cup salad dressing or mayonnaise

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp finely minced onion

salt and pepper to taste

6 thick tomato slices

salad greens

paprika

Combine eggs, celery, dressing, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, onion, salt and pepper; mix together well.  If mixture is too dry, add a little more salad dressing.  Chill.  When ready to serve, place tomato slices on a bed of salad greens.  Using a small ice cream scoop, place a scoop of the egg mixture in the center of each tomato slice.  Sprinkle with paprika.  Garnish with celery curls, if desired.  Serves 6.

VINEGAR VEGETABLE SALAD

2 tomatoes, cubed

1 cucumber, thinly sliced

1 onion, sliced and separated into rings

1 can French style green beans, drained

1 cup vinegar

2 cups water

1/2 cup sugar (or Splenda for diabetics)

Combine vinegar, water, and sugar in a small saucepan.  Bring the mixture to a boil; remove from the heat and allow to cool.  Toss tomatoes, cucumber, onion, and green beans together.  Pour the cooled liquid over the vegetables.  Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight.

Enjoy!

Summer sandwiches: Warm-weather meals step outside
Panic-mongers warn that summer is already half over. Feh. This is Colorado. Picnic season is still in full swing. So pack up the car for a scenic- overlook lunch in the foothills, or pack up your bike basket for a sunset supper in the park.

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