Potato Salad and Bridal Wreath

I have this "Bridal Wreath" a 'Spirea' bush in my backyard..........it's a member of the Rose family. They have small leaves and fine twiggy branches with clusters of flowers.

Here is a FYI; Aspirin is the generic medical name for the chemical acetylsalicylic acid.....a deriative of 'salicylic acid'. Compounds of 'salicylic acid' is found in these plants. Acetyl- and spirea which inspired the name ASPIRIN.........

The reason I'm showing this bush today is b/c my Mother passed away this week 4 years ago and when I bought my house she always adored this bush when she came over with those clusters of white flowers........... but they don't last too long maybe a week or so.

Potato Salad

I know............there are so many versions and different recipes of "Potato Salad"with all sorts of veggies and dressings but this is the one my Mother and my Aunt Maria her sister use to make when I was lil'. I remember on Saturday mornings when they would sometimes make this salad it was my job to peel them and dice them up........I always burned my finger tips trying to peel them while hot so I could get that chore over with. Sometimes I would plop a potato piece in my mouth every so often......I can still taste it.

There was no set recipe, just they would by memory mix it all..........and make it nice and creamy.

I tried and put together as best as I could the ingredients.

5 med. potatoes

4 eggs, hard boiled

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup sour cream

2 green scallions, chopped

2 ribs celery, chopped

1 carrot, shredded

1/2 cup peas, frozen and thawed

1/4 cup parsley, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp. lemon juice

I boil them potatoes with the skins on........when cool I peel and dice them up and put into a large bowl. Add the chopped hard boiled eggs, chopped scallions, celery, shredded carrot, chopped parsley, peas, salt and pepper and then add the mayo and sour cream.

You can add more of anything after you taste it..........it is whatever you prefer to your tastes.

I like to add sour cream because to me it tastes a bit smoother..........This should chill at least 4 to 6 hours to let the flavours marry together.

I have also found that if I use FF dairy products the taste and texture of this salad changes dramatically. I don't mind because this salad is not made often so in my family we are good to go when we eat this.

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to visit the other Foodies at;

http://designsbygollum.blogspot.com/

http://foodrenegade.com/

http://annroeker.wordpress.com/


Have a great weekend!

Izmir, Turkish City

See more participants at

asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com

Today I'm doing two outdoor spaces from the city of Izmir, Turkey where my husband's family is originally from. One is the Agora Shopping mall and Izmir International Fair.

My sisiter-in-law and her friends after the shopping mall for some coffee.

This is my sister-in-law and her friends from Turkey........taking a rest in the park.

Agora Shopping Mall in Izmir, Turkey. It's a gorgeous mall. It has every store that most North American Malls do, but I prefer the outdoor Bazzars in the city because they are amazing. But.......when it gets really HOT we always ventured to this mall as it was much cooler to shop.

The Agora Mall in Greek means ' a place of assembly' what I mean is the word 'agora'. This mall was named after an ancient "market' that was constructed by Alexander The Great during his reign in Izmir which in his day was named Smyrna, but was ruined during a devastating earthquake in 178 AD........and was excavated during the 1930's.

These pictures are in front of .......... The Agora Mall.

Looking out from a window cafe in the mall.

An area in the mall where you could sit outside for some coffee or whatever you desire to eat or drink. Once when I was here it was so hot that I felt like diving into that fountain.




Izmir International Fair

This Fair is like a State fair that Izmir has in the last week of August and runs through to the end of the first week of September. It's like one big festival..........the food there is amazing with those smells........especially on the barbecues.

I love these beautiful Palm trees.........they are everywhere.

People from all around use this fair as a city park..........it is right smack in the middle of the city and very big. Great for picnics or even just strolling around. When the weather is good it is jam packed here, I guess like central park in NYC.

Enterance to the park.

Swan boats........so peaceful there.

Thanks for taking some time and for stopping by! Have a great day everyone.

Cookbooks, Cookbooks, etc............

One weekend morning my niece Lisa phoned and asked if I was going to be home, that she and her boyfriend Mark were going to stop by. Well to my surprise this is the box that they brought me.........."FULL OF COOKBOOKS". I was so surprised, overly joyful, ecstatic, thrilled, elated, tickled pink, flippant, just can't describe more.
It was better for me then winning the Lottery........well if it was 50 million bucks that would be different.

I love Cookbooks, and especially collecting them.........Mark and Lisa both are foodies and they also got boxes full of books for themselves. They went to some Publishing company 'one day' by invitation only sale.

I still can't believe that they purchased all these cookbooks for me........

All they asked me was to find something in those Cookbooks and make them a dinner and wouldn't except a dime........so I have been skimming through them trying to put a menu together. Probably will have more family members over also, I love preparing feasts especially for family.

HERE ARE THE COOKBOOKS!

Baresfoot Contessa........a favourite of mine.

Ingrid Hoffman and Bobby Flay.

Good old brothers The Deen's.... Paula's sons.

Giada........also a favourite of mine.

Love, love, love Julia Child's. When I lived in NYC I use to watch her show, wow seems like a long, long time ago.

Some great appy's in this book. I adore appetizer's I could eat them instead of a main course.

Great baking recipes and amazing photo's.

Amazing pictures..........

Might have to look here for a recipe for Mark and Lisa have some Italian in them.

Will definetly look into the Cancer fighting Book.

Lots of good recipes that I can use.........and great photo's.

Thank you Lisa and Mark if you are reading this........XOXOXO.

Banana Bread

Periwinkle..........I have these in my garden all over the place. I like to incorporate these periwinkles on my tablesacpes, I think it makes the table look so summery and fresh. I love the beautiful colour periwinkle has of Lavendar Blue. ***The first recorded use of 'periwinkle' as a colour name in English was in 1922.


My Maternal Grandmother told me when she was a lil' girl in the Ukraine a Bride would make a wreath with these periwinkles and use it as a veil for her wedding and sometimes poke other flowers around...........other times she said that in summer girls would gather around a river make these periwinkle wreaths with flowers all around and send them down the river. In hopes whichever boy would pick up that wreath would be the one who she marries........ mind all this was at the turn of the century.

Banana Bread
(Martha Stewart Recipe)
1/2 cup (i stick) butter, at room temperature, plus more for pan

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups unbleached flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 cup mashed very ripe bananas

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans



1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan; set aside. In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy. Add eggs and beat to incorporate.

2. In a med. bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to the butter mixture, and mix well until just combined. Add bananas, sour cream, and vanilla; mix to combine. Stir in nuts, and pour into prepared pan.

3. Bake until a cake tester inserted intot the center of the cake comes out clean, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Let rest in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool.




Notes; I omitted the nuts in this recipe and at my daughter's request I added chocolate chips instead.

This has to be my favourite Banana Bread and I have experimented with with a few recipes.........what I think makes this so smooth and moist is the sour cream.

Thanks for stopping By!!!