The menu for our Father’s Day Lunch centered around the foods Ever-Lovin’ loves.

We had been to the Saturday’s farmers market and had plenty of veggies to cook.  Basically it was a Southern comfort food type of meal.

For those who are interested, here was our menu:

Meatloaf

Carrot Salad (recipe to follow)

Cucumber Salsa

Fresh Green Beans with New Potatoes

Sautéed Squash and Onions

Cantaloupe and Watermelon

French Bread from LaMadeleine (courtesy of Number Three Son)

Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce

Everyone seemed to enjoy the meal, and it was not too difficult to pull together.  I made the Cucumber Salsa (will share this recipe in another blog) and Carrot Salad the night before.  I also mixed the meatloaf that night so it would be ready to bake the next morning.

Ever-Lovin’ really really loves carrot salad.  At cafeterias or buffets, he is always on the lookout for the carrot salad.  It is one of the traditional recipes that can be found at many of the Baptist pot-luck suppers.  I seldom make it for us, although I certainly could because it is EASY.  Honestly, I think I put it together in about ten minutes.  It took longer to get the food processor out of the cupboard than it did to make the salad.  Of course, using the food processor was the main reason this salad was so easy to make.

This basis for this recipe comes from the cookbook At the Table with Patty Roper.  If you have not heard of Patty Roper, you are missing out.  My friend, The Queen of Everything, is from M- i – crooked letter – crooked letter – i – crooked letter – crooked letter – i – hump back – hump back – i.  (Get it?  Mississippi.  I know that is dorky, but… what can I say?)  The Queen of Everything introduced me to Patty Roper’s cookbooks.  She writes a cooking feature in Mississippi Magazine called Easy Does It.  In my mind, Patty Roper is the epitome of a Southern lady.  She is gracious, she hosts beautiful parties, and she shares her easy delicious recipes and party tips.

For the salad, combine the grated carrots.  Add the drained crushed pineapple and Craisins.  Okay.  True confession.  I was out of raisins, so now I have a new recipe – Carrot and Craisin Salad.  I thought it worked very well –  thank you.  I love the sweet tart flavor of the cranberries.

Then the mayonnaise, orange juice, and sugar were added.  I think the addition of orange juice really made this salad.  Mix all the ingredients well.  The original recipe called for 3/4 cups of mayonnaise, but I do not like too much mayo.  I started with 1/3 cup of mayonnaise, and then added a little more.  I also added a teaspoon of sugar instead of the tablespoon of sugar called for in the original recipe.  Do it the way you like it.  Either way it will be delicious.  After everything is mixed together, refrigerate several hours or overnight before serving.  Easy, Easy, Easy!

 This is a salad I will be making again.  It is so pretty and tasty.  The carrots, pineapples, Craisins, and orange juice provided fresh tropical flavors.  An added bonus is that this salad keeps well!  We have been enjoying eating leftovers.

Blessings to you and yours,

To get the printable recipe, go to Lanabird.com or click on the title of this post.  The print button is under the Share button.

For you information:  I made a double recipe.