Aioli Potato Salad

I haven't forgotten about the blog, but none of the recipes or foods we've tried lately have really been worth posting about. But since picnic weather is fast approaching (though you'd never know it from Utah's weather lately) I thought I'd post one of my favorite summer recipes. It's a very zippy potato salad and really easy to make. The recipe makes enough to bring to a potluck, so if you're just making it for home use you'd want to cut it in half.

9 red-skinned potatoes (medium to large), cut into cubes of your favorite size
1 cup chopped green onions
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise or Miracle Whip
2 Tbs lemon juice
1 1/2 Tbs mashed garlic
2 tsp salt
1 tsp fresh black pepper

1. Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain, pour into a large bowl, and toss with the green onions.
2. Mix everything else in a separate bowl and then toss with warm potatoes.
3. Cover and chill overnight.

The original recipe says to boil the potatoes and then cut them, but I've had an easier time cutting them first. Starting them out in cold water helps them stay firm. You can use white potatoes or Yukon Golds, but not russets.

Hawaiian Sun

So, Maidservant of the Monster and me were in Honolulu a few weeks ago for a conference. I should probably update y'all about that in real-world terms, but suffice it to say our presentations went well, and we had a little time to enjoy where we were. And then we came back to the 'Gene and it's been nonstop work every since.

One of the unexpected pleasures of being there was that a lot of places we went to eat they had Hawaiian Sun juices. Some of you will know what these are: guava juice, or passionfruit juice, or passion-orange-guava, or whatever, in brightly colored cans. We used to be able to get them at the Embassy commissary when we lived in Tokyo (we being the nuclear Walley clan), and as I recall we even used to bring home flats of the stuff when we'd go shopping at Yokosuka or Yokota. I don't know if I've had any since then - so that would make it eighteen years - but the cans haven't changed at all.

The stuff is probably available in the contiguous 48 - I think I've seen it in Asian groceries - I just never thought to look. Now I'm obsessed with it. Boy, did it bring back memories of life on the Embassy compound.

Seafood subs

I feel guilty not having posted here in so long: been too busy with work to be very creative or attentive about cooking, is my excuse. This recipe isn't complicated enough to make up for it, but it's a start at least.

Seafood subs. Simple and common to the point of cliché, but I was still pretty thrilled when I learned how to make them at home.

Ingredients (makes 2 sandwiches):
Imitation crab (our local supermarket sells it "fresh," whatever that means in this context; you can also get it frozen), maybe 1/2 pound
Mayonnaise (the real stuff)
Dried chives
Old Bay
Chopped black olives
Hoagie rolls

1. Cut up the imitation crab. Put it in a bowl.

2. Add mayo until it looks like you have enough. I didn't measure. It's not important.

3. Add chives and olives to taste. Mix with a fork.

4. Add Old Bay to taste.

5. Toast the rolls and fill with the above mix.

That's it. Hardly a recipe. But goodness gracious it's tasty.