Normally, I stick to a very specific type of potato salad, which is the southern German (Swabian or Bavarian) styles. That for me is the definition of potato salad and yes, we ate it a lot growing up. That said, every once in a while, I will branch out and when I saw a similar recipe to the one that I created here, I thought I would go for it. Who can go wrong with bacon?!? Quite yummy, but definitely remember to serve this one at room temperature as cold bacon fat (which is part of the dressing) isn’t very appetizing.
Pasta salad for a lot of people means mayonnaise. For me, that doesn’t always work well. I like going on picnics and I don’t want to have to worry about keeping my pasta salad cold (not to mention that it tastes better when it isn’t too cold). So this one has a Vinaigrette instead, which matches well with the artichoke hearts too.
So, springtime and the first real weekend sunny weekend of the Spring and I decided to go for a picnic. But instead of making a sandwich, I decided to go with these hand pies and a bunch of salads. I really like hand pies, as they are an “enclosed” sandwich of sort. Or a mini-pot pie without a serving dish. Either way, delicious.
One of the great things about late summer and early autumn in my foodie world is figs. I get giddy for those figgies! And, to make them last longer, I often make jam out of figs, which can be used for both sweet or savory things, added to stews or even stir fries, but don’t count out making Fig Newtons! This year, I’ve made two sorts: Cardamom Fig and Orange Fig. Distinctly different but equally lovely.