They’re coming! They’re coming! Those church picnics, family reunions, club outings, etc., are on their way, and we have a recipe for you. It is easy to make, it is economical, it is compatible with many menus, and it is good.
It is pasta salad. I used a pasta salad recipe a couple or so years ago, but the only thing that one and this one had in common was the pasta. They are both good, and this one comes from Trudie Freeman of Deep Branch Baptist Church in Varnville. In a recent issue, we used a recipe from one of her fellow church members.
Trudie, whose family attended Deep Branch, moved to another town for several years and then returned in the 1970s. She began attending there as a small child. Now she and her husband, Carl “Bud” Freeman, are both active in the church. “Bud” serves as a deacon, and Trudie is the church hostess, does the weekly Sunday bulletin, and plays the piano for the services. She and another member do the cooking for the church’s senior group once each month. Because the number attending varies from 12 to 20, often there is food left to make plates for sharing with others.
Trudie also serves on the board of directors for the local hospital, Hampton Regional Medical Center. She and her husband have two children. Their son, Vince, is getting married this spring. He has a son, Nicolas, from a previous marriage. The Freemans’ daughter, Jill, a teacher in Atlanta, has two sons – Steven Herring, 16, and Ryan Herring, 12.
The Deep Branch church members will have reason to celebrate in October when they dedicate their new social hall, replacing the one destroyed by fire in 2006. Because a lot of effort has gone into paying for the building, on that day the new structure will be dedicated with no debt. In addition to personal contributions, money came from yard sales and from the sale of the reprinted church cookbook.
Trudie says Deep Branch is a “warm and friendly church” and is beginning to grow with more young people and children joining the church, which was organized in 1911. Rev. Glen Samples has served as pastor for more than two years, and the church is in the Allendale-Hampton Association, where Rev. Frank Hyden serves as director.
Trudie’s recipe came from a cousin of Pennsylvania Dutch heritage, and we thank her for sharing it with us. This makes a large amount but can be halved easily. It is a good “keeping” recipe that you will use many times, including for … Sunday Dinner.
Pasta Salad
Dressing:
1½ cups sugar
½ cup flour
1½ cups water
1 cup vinegar
Cook above ingredients in double boiler, stirring until thickened.
1 pound pasta
1 pint mayonnaise
Celery salt to taste
1 cup dehydrated onions
1 dozen eggs
1 cup prepared mustard
Chopped celery (optional)
6 grated carrots
Boil eggs, cool, and chop them.
Cook the 1 pound of pasta and drain well.
Add the 1 pint of mayonnaise and 1 cup of mustard to the cooked dressing. Add celery salt to taste. Add chopped celery if desired. Add the dehydrated onions and grated carrots. Mix well and pour over the drained pasta.
Add the chopped eggs. Mix well, stirring and turning gently. Cover and refrigerate until needed. Serves 16-20.