Miss J's German Potato Salad

Some of the best cooks in the world are found in church kitchens.  That would be true of my friend Miss J.  She works hard to make meals for church dinners and blesses people through sharing her cooking skills.  Recently she shared this recipe with me for German Potato Salad.  It is something my husband likes, but I have never really learned how to make.  I thought it would go great with the spare ribs he requested for Game Day 2012.


Miss J's German Potato Salad
(Just as she wrote it)

• 1/2 lb. bacon
• 1 med.onion chopped fine
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 2 tlbs. water
• 3 tlbs sugar
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4lbs small white potatoes
• parsley

This makes enough for 2 or 3 people
For a large 5-6 quart  crock pot (used for serving)  you would have to double  and triple the vinegar, water and sugar.
Double everything else.
Fry bacon until crisp and can be broken into pieces.
Remove bacon, keeping the drippings in the pan.
Add onions and simmer until soft, then add vinegar,water and sugar.
Cook potatos in the skins just until tender. Peel and slice.
Layer potatoes, bacon salt and pepper, then add liquid and stir. 
Serve warm.


(If you don't have enough liquid.  I have used oil and vinegar and sugar add to potatoes and stir.)

Deciding is Half the Battle

I've been planning meals for 32 years, multiplied by 52 weeks, averaging 5 meals a week (with room for leftovers or meals elsewhere than home) and that comes out to about 8,300 meals.  Deciding what to have for dinner gets old and we often find ourselves making the same things over and over.  I like to try new recipes from time to time.  Tasteofhome.com is one of my favorite resources.  As my husband and I age and try to watch our diests, I lean more toward the recipes that come from Healthy Cooking, a sister publication of Taste of Home.  We aren't hardcore no-fat or no carbs or no salt, but seek to find balance in meals that focus on real foods prepared with good ingredients at home.   But again, I don't draw a hardline.  I have been known to prepare things with the proverbial cream of something soup and open a package of Betty Crocker potatoes from time to time!  

Here are some menu ideas that are coming up on my list.  I don't always keep to the list perfectly, but it helps me not to have what my friend Julie calls "the deer in the headlights" look at 4 pm when I realize it is time to make dinner.

February Meals

• carrot broccoli soup, oatmeal muffins              
• roast beef sandwiches (leftover roast beef)
• crispy panko chicken, rice, peas       
• pizza or out somewhere, please and thank you
• spare ribs bbq chicken German potato salad (Jane’s recipe), veggies and dip
• chicken parm with pasta, salad, italian bread
• crock pot beef stew, Italian bread from Monday
• Spanish rice with chicken               
• mini meat loaf, baked potatoes, green beans
• French toast                       
• refrigerator options (I plan this in so I make sure to use up leftovers instead of tossing them.)