Potato Salad

After 25 Preaknesses, Annette Thomas has her routine, and recipes, down pat. Thirty pounds of ribs, both pork and beef, marinated overnight in vinegar and soy sauce, then grilled in front of her house on Saturday. Fifty pounds of red-skin potatoes — "Never russets, oh no, no, no!" — boiled in her crab pots for dill whipped potato salad. "Half-and-half," or homemade sweet tea — not the bought tea, she explains — and lemonade to wash it down. For the hungry hordes heading into or out of Pimlico Race Course , sidewalk chefs like Thomas serve up a home-cooked alternative to the concessions inside.

Among the expenditures by the city school system that U.S. Department of Education auditors found inappropriate: $4,352 spent by two elementary schools for dinner cruises at Baltimore's Inner Harbor $2,413 spent on fried chicken, potato salad, coleslaw, biscuits, cookies and soda for 28 attendees at a PTA meeting to discuss a school's budget $1,336 spent to take 30 people to a theater performance downtown that included dinner, dancing and...

Richard Pometto from Bowie is looking for a recipe that would produce a Newburg sauce comparable to Knorr's packaged variety. He said that he frequently used the packaged sauce as a base for a seafood dish but that it is no longer sold in this country. As I began to research the recipe, I discovered that he was far from alone in his quest for a replacement for the packaged Knorr Newburg sauce. Peggy Brown from Monroe, Mich., said she too searched for a good Newburg sauce recipe since the packets were discontinued and found a recipe that she thinks comes pretty close to the Knorr version.

After 25 Preaknesses, Annette Thomas has her routine, and recipes, down pat. Thirty pounds of ribs, both pork and beef, marinated overnight in vinegar and soy sauce, then grilled in front of her house on Saturday. Fifty pounds of red-skin potatoes — "Never russets, oh no, no, no!" — boiled in her crab pots for dill whipped potato salad. "Half-and-half," or homemade sweet tea — not the bought tea, she explains — and lemonade to wash it down. For the hungry hordes heading into or out of Pimlico Race Course , sidewalk chefs like Thomas serve up a home-cooked alternative to the concessions inside.

This potato salad recipe bucks the usual drenched-in-mayo stereotype — and that's a good thing. It's vegan (and gluten-free), but don't let that steer you away. You can't beat the flavor, thanks to a dressing with a base of apple cider vinegar, olive oil, red onion, herbs and more. My husband's cousin Coco, who blogs at http://www.operagirlcooks.com , developed the recipe to be served warm, which is outstanding. But the few times we've had leftovers, we've enjoyed it chilled, too. The flavors intensify as it sits, so if you make it ahead for a tailgate party or other event and chill it overnight, it's just as good.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Roll down the window when you drive along Pasadena Avenue, and most likely you won't have any trouble finding Ted Peter's Famous Smoked Fish restaurant.Just sniff: When you catch the heady aroma of Gulf Coast seafood slow-cooking over burning wood, you will have found one of the Gulf Coast's extraordinarily fine places to have lunch or dinner.Ted Peter's is not a fancy restaurant. Reservations are not accepted, nor are credit cards. The cozy little dining area (which does have a fireplace to provide warmth when the weather is cool)

There could be hamburgers or hot dogs or ribs or chicken at summer cookouts, but potato salad will probably accompany all of them.The potatoes can be peeled or unpeeled. The salad can contain celery or celery salt or celery seeds. There can be mustard or parsley or boiled eggs, radishes, onions or chives. The dressing can be a vinaigrette, sour cream and yogurt, olive oil and vinegar, but most likely it's mayonnaise.You can make potato salad all summer the way you've always made it, which is probably your mother's recipe laden with mayonnaise and pickles and hard-boiled eggs.

MORE THAN MEMORial Day, or even the last day of school, my mother's first potato salad signaled the official start of summer. A family favorite, it went with just about everything. Barbecue ribs, fried chicken, hot dogs, hamburgers -- anything that can be cooked on a grill or served on a bed of lettuce. But what potato salad means to me may be very different than what it means to you. There is no single recipe for potato salad. It varies from region to region, family to family, and even among members of the same family.

The Memorial Day weekend launches a joyous spree of outdoor grilling and dining lasting until the first frost. Nothing matches the flavor or the pleasure of sharing a patio or backyard meal. But if you think grilling is best suited to larger households, be assured that fire and food are well-suited to a household of two. Most small charcoal-fueled grills and hibachi cooking units have enough surface space to accommodate an entree, such as beef or fish steaks, chicken breasts or kebabs.

There's no better side dish for a picnic than potato salad. I love contrasting creamy, smooth potatoes with crunchy bell peppers, celery, fennel or peas. This offers a wonderful mix of textures in each bite. The variety of vegetable colors together in one bowl is eye-catching. And most of all, I appreciate potato salad for its durability. Many vegetable dishes go limp on the way to a picnic site, but not potato salad. If a picnic's on your summer schedule, I have two potato salads for your menu.

This potato salad recipe bucks the usual drenched-in-mayo stereotype — and that's a good thing. It's vegan (and gluten-free), but don't let that steer you away. You can't beat the flavor, thanks to a dressing with a base of apple cider vinegar, olive oil, red onion, herbs and more. My husband's cousin Coco, who blogs at http://www.operagirlcooks.com , developed the recipe to be served warm, which is outstanding. But the few times we've had leftovers, we've enjoyed it chilled, too. The flavors intensify as it sits, so if you make it ahead for a tailgate party or other event and chill it overnight, it's just as good.

Church dinner Lisbon United Methodist Church will hold its semiannual Ham and Oyster Supper from 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 20, at the church, 15875 Frederick Road in Lisbon. Food will be served family-style, and carryout is available. The menu include fried oysters, ham, green beans, corn, rolls, relishes, iced tea and coffee. Also included are cole slaw, potato salad and Jell-O salads. Tickets are $15; $6 for children ages 6-12. Information: 410-489-7245. Truckload sale Mount Gregory United Methodist Church will hold a Schwan's Truckload Sale from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Oct. 13, at the church, 2325 Route 97 in Cooksville.

Each week a nutritionist from the University of Maryland Medical Center provides a guest post to The Baltimore Sun's health blog Picture of Health (baltimoresun.com/pictureofhealth), which is reprinted here. This week, Emily Rice, dietetic intern, weighs in on picnic foods. The weather is warming up, and for many of us this means heading outdoors to enjoy all the spring and summer have to offer. Sunshine, fresh fruits and vegetables, and friends make for the perfect picnic; however, many of us struggle with picnic temptations.

Endangered Hawaii Tuesday , 3 p.m., Patuxent Research Refuge, National Wildlife Visitor Center. Film on the extinction of Hawaiian bird species and suggested solutions and mitigation methods. Archery shoot Friday through next Sunday , 10th annual Baltimore Bowmen Traditional Classic. Three ranges, more than 80 3-D targets, novelty shoots, running deer, traditional archery dealers, swap meet and door prizes, free parking, free camping. Information: baltimorebowmen.com.

Members of the Parkton American Legion Post 256 and the Legion Auxiliary have been busy cooking and serving meals to veterans. Auxiliary president Jean Brown said auxiliary members served 140 turkey dinners at the Parkton post to military men and women on Veterans Day, Nov. 11. On Dec. 4, post member Bill Altvater and 14 volunteers from both the legion and auxiliary took lunch to the Veterans Administration Medical Center on Loch Raven Boulevard....

Nancy M. "Nanny" Wylie, a retired housekeeper and caterer who enjoyed cooking for family and friends, died Aug. 30 in her sleep at her Gwynn Oak home. She was 96. The daughter of farmers, she was born Nancy Mayfield and raised in Chester, S.C., where she attended Chester County public schools. After her mother's death, she left school to care for her father and younger sisters. "She picked cotton, cooked, and took care of the housekeeping chores and finances for the home," said a daughter, Martina Wylie Clinton of Randallstown.

Fourth of July is the ultimate outdoor party. Picnics and barbecues are as prevalent as parades and patriotism. And in all likelihood, potato salad will be a welcome guest at many summer feasts. "Of the holy icons of the Fourth, potato salad is there," says Jo Alexander, a spokeswoman for Eddie's of Roland Park. "People really like tradition." She said the grocery stores on Roland Avenue and North Charles Street will be offering a red, white and blue potato salad as a patriotic gesture this year, as well as standard versions including "our all-time favorite, red-skin potato."

"I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. ... It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward for evermore." Those were the comments of John Adams, who, after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, wanted to make certain that Americans remembered July 4 with a major celebration.

Thomas Klein from Pasadena was looking for a recipe he had a while back but has misplaced for peanut butter potato salad. As he recalls, it was made much like regular potato salad but with the addition of peanut butter. Sally Lippincott from New Market sent in a recipe she had for peanut butter potato salad that her aunt gave her some years ago. She says she makes it frequently, particularly in the summertime for cookouts, and she always gets requests for the recipe. Her recipe says to peel the potatoes, but I when I tested it, I used new red potatoes and left the skin on. This saved a little time and added some nice color and texture.