I just love it when Easter comes later in the year. The idea of sunshine, warmer temperatures, and spring flowers blooming feel so much more like Easter than cold weather with rain.
Warm weather equals warm weather foods and that means salads.
We are a ham family for Easter and I love to serve my favorite cold salads for the first time each year for Easter dinner. Our side dishes consist of potato salad, Amish macaroni salad, broccoli cauliflower salad, cucumber salad, super beans (not cold but delicious and easy), and Watergate salad or ambrosia, potato rolls or Hawaiian rolls, cookies, cupcakes and brownies.
It’s a more relaxed meal, we can eat outside while the kids play, and it really feels like the official start of the warm weather season.
I always buy a honey glazed ham and you can’t do anything easier than that. I slice and plate it the night before and serve it at room temperature or on the cool side.
The potato salad recipe was my mother’s and I always feel close to her as I chop and dice and then mix the dressing.
Mary’s Potato Salad
- 5 pounds of potatoes, boiled, peeled, and diced
- 6 hard boiled eggs, peeled and diced
- 4 stalks of celery, diced small
- 1 small onion, diced small
- 1 pound of bacon, cooked, drained, and diced
Mix together in a large bowl and coat with dressing, sprinkle with paprika.
Mary’s Dressing
- 1 1/2 cups Miracle Whip salad dressing
- 1/4 cup milk
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
Whisk together all ingredients and adjust as your taste suits you.
Broccoli Cauliflower Salad
- Large head of broccoli, washed, dried and cut into bite sized pieces
- Large head of cauliflower, washed, dried and cut into bite sized pieces
- 8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 pound of bacon, cooked, drain and diced (optional)
Mix all together in a large bowl and add Mary’s Dressing #2
Mary’s Dressing #2
- 1 1/2 cups Mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup milk
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
Super Beans
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1 medium onion, diced
- Stir together on crock pot on high for 30 minutes then add
- 1 large can kidney beans, drained
- 1 can butter beans, drained
- 1 can lima beans, drained
- 2 cans pork & beans, undrained
- 1 pound bacon, cooked, drained, and diced (optional)
Cook on low 4-6 hours
Cucumber Salad
- 6 large cucumbers, thinly sliced
- 1 small white onion, thinly sliced
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 1/2 cup water
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 1 tablespoon dried dill, or to taste
Toss together the cucumbers and onion in a large bowl. Combine the vinegar, water and sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, and pour over the cucumber and onions.
Stir in dill, cover, and refrigerate until cold.
Amish Macaroni Salad
- 2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
- 3 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1-2 tablespoons dill pickle relish
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
Dressing
- 2 cups Miracle Whip
- 3 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
- ¾ cup white sugar
- 2 teaspoons white vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain, rinse in cold water and set aside.
In a large bowl mix the Miracle Whip, mustard, sugar, salt, and vinegar.
Gently stir in the macaroni, diced eggs, onion, celery, red pepper and relish until well blended. Refrigerate covered until cold.