16. Creamy Slaw (p. 140)

My family decided to have an old-fashioned backyard cookout for the Fourth of July: hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill. And nothing goes better with hot dogs and hamburgers than a great coleslaw.

This recipe is the classic backyard cookout coleslaw. When you think of coleslaw, this is what you think about. Cookbooks and food magazines today are always trying to get us to try "a new twist" on classic dishes or to give us "something a little different." Sometimes, you just want the real thing, and that's what you get with this coleslaw.

The Book calls this recipe "straightforward," and that's exactly what it is. It's nice and easy to make, especially when you do all of the prep work in the food processor like I did. I whizzed the onion and green pepper to get them finely chopped, then I slapped on the shredding attachment for the carrot, and then the slicer attachment for the cabbage. The dressing came together easily too: it's just mayo, sour cream, and a little vinegar, salt and pepper. That's it. At first I was a little concerned that there wasn't going to be enough dressing, but as I tossed the slaw, it all got a nice even coating. Also, I made this slaw the day before the cookout, and as it rested overnight, some of the liquid was drawn out of the vegetables, making even more dressing.

Date Cooked: July 3, 2008
Degree of Difficulty: Easy
Rating: A