2 New Salads to Try

 

 
This past weekend we had "Our" pool party at "Giada from across the street and her hubby Michael" house.  We invited all of the usual suspects and a few additions and planned on warm weather and swimming the afternoon away.  Well Mother Nature didn't want to cooperate with the warm weather, but the kids didn't mind.  So the afternoon and evening was spent eating  and watching the guys play Corn Hole.  

Our host said they would provide the main entrée and we would all bring dishes to pass.  I promised the famous Paula Deen Ooey Gooey's, Asian Cole Slaw, Beer, our Daughters Brownie Creation and Hubby's contribution  of 2 new salads.  He had seen Ina Garten make her Celery Salad and new that our foodie friends would love that one and then  night before the party we found the cucumber salad on Facebook that looked pretty easy and would be a refreshing change from typical Picnic Salads.

It seems that summer is rapidly coming to a close, but these salads will stay around through the fall and into the winter as a reminder of the 2015 Pool Party!

Sour Cream Cucumber Salad

Ingredients

1/2 cup sour cream

3 tablespoons white vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar

Pepper to taste

4 medium cucumbers, peeled if desired and thinly sliced

1 small sweet onion, thinly sliced and separated into rings In a large bowl, whisk sour cream, vinegar, sugar and pepper until blended. Add cucumbers and onion; toss to coat. Refrigerate, covered, at least 4 hours. Serve with a slotted spoon. Yield: 8 servings. Celery Parmesan Salad   Ingredients ½ cup good olive oil 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice (3 lemons) 2 tablespoons minced shallots 1 teaspoon celery seed ½ teaspoon celery salt ½ teaspoon anchovy paste Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 5 cups thinly sliced celery hearts, tender leaves included, sliced on an angle (about 12 stalks) 4-ounce chunk aged Parmesan cheese ²/³ cup toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped Whole flat-leaf parsley leaves At least 1 hour before you plan to serve the salad, whisk together the olive oil, lemon zest, ¼ cup of lemon juice, the shallots, celery seed, celery salt, anchovy paste, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Place the celery in a mixing bowl and toss it with the remaining 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and ½ teaspoon of salt. (Even though these ingredients are in the dressing, believe me—this step makes a difference.) Add enough dressing to moisten well. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour to allow the celery to crisp and the flavors to develop. When ready to serve, arrange the celery on a platter, shave the Parmesan onto the celery with a vegetable peeler, then sprinkle with walnuts, parsley leaves, salt, and pepper and serve immediately.