Potato Salad at Earl Rowe Provincial Park, Ontario

"There aren't enough days in the weekend." Rod Schmidt

Part two...
Hmmm... Where did I leave you yesterday? Oh yes, 'Hobo Popcorn.' A classic! Alrighty, after the campfire snacks, a few of us stayed up late, staring into the bonfire, listening to music and drinking. Every now and then, the clouds would part and we would get to see the full moon. I wish I were there right now... Just to let you know, our emergency beer run into the town of Alliston certainly was needed, even though I didn't get through all of my ciders to try my mead. Yes, that's right, I bought mead. Why not?! Maybe Kev and I will crack one of the bottles open this evening and try it out. Wassail!! So, after a few too many drinkies, us late night stragglers found our ways back to our sleeping bags and had a somewhat peaceful night's sleep (yes, the raccoons showed up to party as well!). The next morn, after a bonfire hot dog brekkie, Kev and I went canoeing. I haven't been canoeing for years and I have to tell you, I loved it! I could have stayed in that canoe for hours, but other people wanted their turn as well! While paddling away long a couple of rivers, we saw dozens of jumping fish, turtles, geese and ducks. It was so quiet and peaceful on the water that morning. Just lovely! After our canoe trip, we packed up our camping gear, had a drinkie and sat in the light, refreshing rain until lunchtime. What did we have? More hot dogs from the fire of course!! After lunch, we drove back to Georgetown, unloaded, took a 20 minute power nap, jumped in the shower and got ready for our next adventure... My cousin Emily's 21st birthday party in Hamilton. For this, I made a yummy potato salad (made the morning before), and with luck on our side, we showed up right at dinner time! A lovely spread was organized by my auntie Alex. Just about everyone brought something, from delicious cheeses, cold cuts and cru d'ete, to samosas and mini mincemeat turnovers. A few glasses of punch and a champagne toast later, we were ready to party again! The whole group of family and friends had a fantastic time, but of course there was too much food! So, being that my potato salad is Kev's fave and only made on special occasions, we brought the rest of it home and Kev took it for his lunch today at work!

 

Simple and Tasty Recipe:

Potato Salad
(serves 6 to 8)

680 gr/ 11/2 lbs potatoes, medium cube or minis halved (Kev prefers red skinned)
2 Tbsp white vinegar
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
fresh ground pepper
2 eggs, hard boiled, peeled and sliced
2 celery stalks, sliced
1/4 onion, small dice (Kev prefers red onions)
hand full fresh chives from the garden, chopped
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard

.boil the potatoes in salted water until they just turn soft, strain
.while still hot, spread the potatoes out on a tray to cool and sprinkle over the vinegar, oil, salt and pepper, chill until cold in the fridge
.in a large bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients, stir in cold potatoes, adjust the seasoning, enjoy!

This recipe is loosely based on one that I tested for Jane Rodmell's latest cookbook 'All the Best Recipes,' a salad that I always enjoyed while working in her food shop in Toronto ('All the Best Fine Foods' located at Yonge and Summerhill.). Of course, I have made a couple of changes and made it my own! For a healthier version, you could always use low fat mayo and sour cream. You could also add additional fresh herbs such as parsley or dill (mmm, dill would be especially delicious in this salad!).
Well, that does it, two blogs to get through the busy weekend! Now, I won't be back until Friday because I have a couple more jam packed days of adventure on the horizon! I'll give you a brief preview: beach, snacks, drinks, bonfire, fireworks, camp out and possibly another beach... There you go! Happy Canada Day, my followers!! Have fun, be safe and we'll catch up on Friday!