Simple Potato Salad

We celebrated Mimi's birthday over the weekend. She turned 3 and had a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse theme with lots of gifts, great food, kids to play with, a small pool to swim in, and just an overall great time. Everything came together as planned and worked out. There was only one tiny problem: The Cake. The cake decorations just didn't turn out how I wanted them to. I was frustrated trying to decorate it when I was out of time (and the kids wanted mommy a lot, so I had to pause often). Apparently, my frustration was obvious because my daughter Mimi looked at me and said, "Mommy, what's wrong? Are you upset?" It was the cutest moment ever. Then, when she saw the cake, she said, "Oh wow, it's so amazing." The frustration melted away and I felt so much better. She loved her cake and had some leftovers the next day, which made her happy. Sometimes it takes a toddler to remind you that a perfect, professional looking cake, isn't really what's important at a birthday party. :)

Anyway, since we had about 14 people to feed, I needed a menu that wasn't too difficult. I still had to decorate the house, the cake, the children, buy balloons, move everything to a new location for the party.... yeah, it was exhausting. So, I went with a hotdog bar with several toppings (it also matched the Clubhouse theme song), a few of which I will post on my blog. But for a side, I needed something simple, that would pair well with most of the toppings. I went with potato salad. I actually prefer warm potato salad, but the recipe below was served cold. Even though I kept this simple, you can customize it anyway you want. Add some eggs, pickles, or curry powder. The sky's the limit.

Simple Potato Salad
Serving Size = 4 - 6

• 3 1/2 lbs potatoes
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup buttermilk or regular milk
• 2 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 1/2 tablespoons grainy mustard
• Salt/Pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried dill
• 3 - 4 stalks celery, finely chopped
• 1 small onion, finely chopped

1. Peel, wash, and cube the potatoes. Cover with cold water, and bring to a boil. Add a good amount of salt and continue to boil until fork tender. Drain and set aside until they are warm, instead of screaming hot.
2. Add the celery and onion to the potatoes. Mix together the rest of the ingredients for the dressing (with just a touch of salt, since the potatoes should be mostly seasoned). Add to the potatoes and mix well. Check seasoning.
3. Refrigerate until ready to serve.