Cookout

This weekend, we grilled hamburgers and bratwurst with our family. Hamburgers aren't really all that exciting, so I tried to make it more interesting with slightly more creative side dishes.

I like potato salad, but sometimes it's nice to do something different with a classic dish. I like this recipe for Potato Salad with Bacon and Gorgonzola Cheese. It's got a great flavor and it's very easy to prepare. It's been pretty popular everywhere I've served it. The recipe has some specific instructions on preparation that I usually disregard. I like to add the mayonnaise and other ingredients to hot potatoes, so I don't let them cool before I toss them with the other ingredients. I think the potatoes absorb more flavor when you mix them in hot.

I also made grilled vegetables with balasamic vinegar and olive oil. I don't really have a recipe for that, but it typically involves slicing some zucchini, squash, red pepper, onion and eggplant and adding some olive oil and balsamic vinegar before grilling. I usually add a bit more balsamic vinegar to the vegetables once I take them off the grill. A little bit of salt and pepper is good as well.

For dessert, I made Paula Deen's Banana Split Cake for the first time. This dessert is so delicious, I could have eaten it until it made me sick! It's very rich, but the pineapple and banana give it such a great spring taste, it's perfect for a cookout.

Potato Salad with Bacon and Gorgonzola

2 1/2 pounds potatoes
1 1/4 cups mayonnaise, divided
1 cup gorgonzola cheese
1/2 pound bacon
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1/8 cup chopped fresh parsley

Cook potatoes in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender. Drain potatoes and return to same pot. Place over very low heat until excess moisture evaporates, about 1 minute. Transfer hot potatoes to large bowl; cool 10 minutes. Mix in 1 cup mayonnaise.

Cook bacon in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat until brown and crisp. Transfer bacon to paper towels to drain. Cool bacon; crumble coarsely.

Mix remaining 1/4 cup mayonnaise, cheese, green onions, parsley and half of bacon into potatoes. Season salad to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with remaining bacon.

From Bon Appetit magazine


Banana Split Cake

4 cups crushed graham crackers
3 sticks butter, room temperature
2 eggs
16-ounce box powdered sugar
20-ounce can crushed pineapple, drained
2 to 3 bananas, sliced
12-ounce container whipped topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

For crust, mix crushed graham crackers and 1 stick of butter. Line bottom and sides of a 13 by 9-inch pan with mixture. Bake crust for 5 to 8 minutes.

Beat the eggs, 2 sticks butter, and the powdered sugar until fluffy. Spread mixture on cooled crust. Add layer of crushed pineapple and layer of sliced bananas. Cover with whipped topping and sprinkle with nuts or graham crackers. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

The American Egg Board states: "There have been warnings against consuming raw or lightly cooked eggs on the grounds that the egg may be contaminated with Salmonella, a bacteria responsible for a type of foodborne illness. Healthy people need to remember that there is a very small risk and treat eggs and other raw animal foods accordingly. Use only properly refrigerated, clean, sound-shelled, fresh, grade AA or A eggs. Avoid mixing yolks and whites with the shell..."

From Paula's Home Cooking, Paula Deen, Food Network