Grandma Helen's Potato Salad

Potato Salad has been consumed in my family since close to the time our ancestor stepped off the ark. My mom is famous for her salad which includes her home canned sweet lime pickles, she has probably made a thousand gallons of it. There is the infamous salad made by our adopted grandma for every occasion from a summer Sunday supper to Thanksgiving dinner itself. A few years ago, my mother-in-law copied down her mother's sacred recipe and I have to say, it may be my favorite. Now, the important thing here is that you follow the recipe and do just as Grandma Helen instructed. No dallying around! It is full of some of the southern things I love, diced pimentos, baby sweet pickles and celery seed. I have some in the fridge right now, I'll be right back!

Grandma Helen's Potato Salad

4 medium potatoes, peeled, cubed and boiled

1 small white onion, diced

2 stalks of celery, diced

2 or 3 hard boiled eggs, diced

1/2 cup sliced baby sweet pickles or sweet relish if you're in a pinch

Small jar of diced pimento

2/3 cup mayonnaise

Salt and pepper to taste

Juice of 1 small lemon

2 teaspoons yellow mustard

Celery to taste

2 Tablespoons sweet pickle juice

Drain the potatoes and let them cool a bit in the colander. If you want to take some of the bite out of the onions, put them in a bowl with ice water and let them sit in the fridge for 30 minutes or so. If you don't like crunchy things in your potato salad cook the celery and onion with your potatoes. (Note, neither of these ideas were Grandma's. Please don't tell her I said them. I don't want to get in trouble.) Anyway, combine the potatoes, onion, celery, eggs, pickles and pimento in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl combine the remaining ingredients. Taste for salt and pepper. Stir into the mixture in the large bowl. This is best if made several hours before serving so the flavors can blend. The potatoes will absorb lots of the dressing and be drier than when it was just mixed up. Try not to eat it all before dinner.