Weekend Recipes!

All you barbecue enthusiasts must be excited that the weather is finally nice enough to move to our outdoor kitchens. For the vandenHof’s it meant that the big green egg was fired up for last Sunday night’s dinner and we enjoyed our first barbecue of the season! I don’t know about all of you but we look forward to the change of seasons as much for the change in menu and the ability to entertain in the back yard as the warmer air temperature.

If you were to read our families Facebook posts you would see a common thread and that is that our posts generally relate to food, and what new recipe each of us tried that week. Once a recipe gets good reviews from one family member then we share it with the entire family until it becomes part of everyone’s repertoire.

 I am sharing with you my daughter in laws Mediterranean Potato salad recipe, and it is always a huge hit. In my opinion this is the best potato salad recipe I have ever eaten, maybe because I am not a fan of mayonnaise and this dressing is made with olive oil, which is also heart healthy I might add! The other thing I like about this recipe is there is no peeling and dicing which means more free time to be outside with our guests.I am also including a delicious Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing from my sister in law in California. I used this as a dressing for my pasta salad yesterday and it was a big hit. Just boil your favorite type of pasta, and add whatever fresh veggies you have in the fridge (peppers, broccoli, cucumber) then toss with the dressing! How good was it well I had just enough left over to bring for my lunch!

 I hope you enjoy these recipes as much as we do!

-Debby vandenHof

                                                Mediterranean Potato Salad

2lbs baby potatoes unpeeled cooked and cooled

1 pint cherry tomatoes cut in two

1 cup finely diced celery

1 cup finely diced green onion

½ cup chopped parsley

Dressing:

6 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard ( I used honey mustard)

2 cloves garlic minced

Salt and pepper to taste!

                                            Poppy Seed Dressing

½ cup sugar

½ cup lemon juice

2 teaspoons finely chopped sweet onions

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

½ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon poppy seeds

¾ cup olive oil, add slowly to above ingredients either mix in blender or use a whisk!

YUM :)