John's Sweet & Spicy Cole Slaw

It's hard to find good Cole slaw. Kentucky Fried Chicken is hit and miss, Applebee's is consistently mediocre. The Cole slaw you get from the supermarket is always too sweet or too mushy. My favorite is Long John Silver's-but its still not great. Recently, I started making my own, and I have come up with a recipe that is fairly unique, but it's not for everyone. It has a complex favor and a kick of chili sauce, but it's not an overwhelming heat.

Here's the recipe:

1 medium package pre-cut Cole slaw with carrot slices
(about 4-6 cups worth)
3 tablespoons ranch dressing
2 heaping tablespoons of Mayonnaise
(real mayo-not miracle whip or "salad dressing")
1/2 cup of milk (skim or 2%-your choice)
2 teaspoons of lemon or lime juice
(I prefer the lime-it blends better with the red chili flavor)
2 tablespoons of Franks Red Hot Sauce
(more or less-but it has to be Franks-regular Tabasco or Louisiana brand is too hot for this recipe.)
1/2 teaspoon poppy seeds
1/4 cup of finely chopped white onions
1/4 cup of Splenda granulated sweetener.
(I like my dressing sweet-you may want less).
2 tablespoons real bacon bits
ground pepper to taste

First, prepare the sauce. It doesn't matter what order you put the ingredients together as long as you mix them thoroughly so there are no clumps of mayonnaise. I would add the sweetener last, a little at a time so you can sweeten to taste-but don't skip it-its too spicy and bitter without the sweetener. Because the sauce is stronger than most, its important that you don't drown the salad in it. I would put the salad in a big bowl and add the dressing little by little until it is lightly covered.


OPTIONAL: Make this into a meal by adding a cup of small broccoli florets and a cup of chicken diced into 1/2 inch pieces, or maybe even some cold shrimp or crab. Serve with cold cantaloupe and sweetened ice tea. Perfect for a hot summer day.

-John

Looking at the Past

I found this picture in a box that my Mom gave me from my Aunt Marion's house. I'm sure it was Aunt Marion who took the picture. I'm the toe headed chubby kid on the chaise lounge, holding up an acrylic glass of my Grandma's sun tea. That's my Mom and Dad to the left,(Dad had some cool sideburns there). Sitting next to me on the right is my Uncle John.

We're in Bend, Oregon, sitting in the backyard of my grandparents' house. You can see the stacks of wood in the background-my grandparents heated most of their home with wood. I remember that my Uncle John and Aunt Marion would turn up several times a year and it would be a big event. They travelled everywhere and did everything.

One year they brought salmon that they had caught on the Oregon coast and canned. One year they brought fresh oysters and we fried up a whole bunch of them and had them with crackers and hot sauce-I think I used ketchup on mine.

I don't really have any deep things to say about this picture. I like the expression on my face and Uncle John's, I like the mock solemnity of the raised glass, like we are at some state dinner, instead of sitting in the grassless lawn next to the rabbit cages and wood piles of my grandparent's house. It's obvious from this picture that I was the baby of the family and was as spoiled as the little prince I thought myself to be.

I guess that's what makes it a special picture. It doesn't matter that I may have not grown up not knowing when to use a salad fork, or never having an ice sculpture for our centerpiece, because my childhood was for the most part fairly happy. My family did look out for each other and we did love each other and we enjoyed each other's company. Now, there were always some exceptions-but no more than anyone else's family. The point is, whether from redneck or high class, the actual family makes the difference, not the surroundings or the food.

Sitting in the backyard drinking sun tea, eating oysters with ketchup, I was as happy as I could be. It was a good day.

Juanito.