Aunt Dee’s Pea Salad

My Aunt Dee was one of those mysterious types, kind of glamorous to my younger self. She lived a days drive away in the South, she had a Southern drawl, she was on (at least) her third or fouth husband – and she’d lived for years in uber-glamorous California. She was funny, too, and loved to laugh. She also loved to eat and go out for dinner – especialy if it was for BBQ. Needless to say, I adored her. I waited anxiously each Christmas and birthday for her package to arrive, because I knew it would be crammed full of cute toys and cool clothes.

Oh, and she loved to hug and would call you “hun.”

And when she cooked for family, it tended to be fattening, full of flavor and always delicious. Only Aunt Dee could take a healthy spring salad and make it fattening with tons of Mayo and cheese. And we still make it, years after her passing. When I have my two little girls help me out with this simple, layered recipe, I like to think that Aunt Dee is looking down on my little kitchen and sayin’ “Good job, hun!”

 This is a great salad now that spring peas are available at farmer’s markets and the stores. It’s also a cool salad with frozen peas for hot summer days.

Pea Salad ingredients mingling in a trifle bowl.

 

Aunt Dee’s Pea Salad

This is a simple layered salad. Base the amounts you use on how large your container is. I generally use a large trifle bowl, as shown, but you can also create individual salads or a small one in a serving dish.

You will need:
-Shredded Lettuce
-Mayo (I love Fit and Active fake Mayo from Aldi)
-Peas (fresh best, frozen good, canned bad)
-Shredded cheddar cheese
-Green onions, chopped

Just layer each ingredient into your bowl, and try to “end” or “top” it with a last layer of mayo and cheese. I like to make it the day before or very early in the day – so the flavors have a bit of time to mingle.