Mom’s Vintage Potato Salad & Franciscan Earthenware
Franciscan Earthenware was a wedding gift to my father and his first wife. My mother “inherited” this china when she married him. We’ve enjoyed her home-cooked meals on these dishes for well over a half century.
We still have most of the pieces, a few are chipped, but overall a fine collection in great condition. This china has proven to be very durable. Back in 2008 Ma graciously lent me several pieces from her collection. As you may have read earlier, I am addicted to dinnerware. Now, with her passing, I am the keeper of the entire collection. And I will cherish it forever.
Franciscan Apple is one of the most popular raised-relief hand-painted patterns from Gladding, McBean & Co., which began production of Franciscan dinnerware in 1934 at their plant in Glendale, California. This pattern first appeared in 1940.
The name Franciscan is an allusion to Franciscan Friars and reflected the simple, informal style of Mexican folk pottery. The Franciscan Apple pattern has become a darling of collectors with its branches, beautiful green leaves and red harvest apples painted on cream-colored porcelain reminiscent of days gone by.
American production of Franciscan Ware ceased in 1984, following the announcement to relocate all Franciscan production to England. Franciscan Apple pattern is still made today under the Wedgwood Group. It is slightly different now and many pieces are larger than the originals, but still charming as ever.
Mom’s Vintage Potato Salad Recipe
She requested that her ashes be spread at the Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine dedicated by Paramahansa Yogananda in Pacific Palisades, California. She couldn’t have chosen a more serene, spiritual location.
Along with my brothers Bill and Don and my sisters Randi and Paula, sister-in-law Kristy, brother-in-laws Ron and Mark and nephews Stone and Jett – for her final resting place, we discreetly found places along the banks and among the trees and flowers, swans and turtles, and near the memorial that contains a portion of Mahatma Gandhi’s ashes as well.
Her potato salad was always one of our favorites, so when we planned a picnic at Will Rogers State Park after our service, I knew Mom’s Potato Salad had to be on the menu.
Her recipe includes russet potatoes (not heirloom, red rose nor yukon gold), a high ratio of hard boiled egg to potato, the addition of green bell pepper and celery salt, and Hellmann’s Mayonnaise (or Best Foods Mayonnaise after she moved west from Chicago). And never Miracle Whip, oh heavens no!
- 4 large russet potatoes, cooked and cooled, large dice
- 8 hard boiled eggs, chopped
- 1 c. green bell pepper, small dice
- 1 c. yellow onion, small dice
- 1 c. celery, chopped
- Hellmann’s/Best Foods mayonnaise, enough to well-coat all ingredients
- celery salt, salt and white pepper to taste
In a large bowl, coat potatoes with a good amount of mayonnaise. Season with celery salt, salt, and white pepper. Fold in hard boil eggs, bell pepper, onion, and celery. Add more mayonnaise and seasonings to taste. Fold gently to keep from breaking up the potatoes. Transfer vintage potato salad to a vintage bowl and finish with a sprinkle of celery salt.
Rest in Peace, Ma. We will always love you…
Mom’s Vintage Potato Salad is Sensational
Food Network
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Sensational Sides
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Well, whaddyaknow, this is *exactly* my Dad’s potato salad, the one we grew up with. Plenty of extra egg, no mustard, no pickle and definitely no Miracle Whip, only Hellman’s. Though he usually used scallions combined with onion if he could. It looks just like your Mom’s too, so I could ‘taste’ it with my eyes. And it’s forever the best recipe, isn’t it, because it tastes of home & childhood & Sunday barbecues by the pool.
Now, my Dad wasn’t from Chicago like your Mom, he grew up on a ranch in Montana and when asked always claimed with a wink he learned how to make it that way from an old Indian Chief’s wife. (Political correctness wasn’t a thing when he grew up.) But who knows, it may very well be true as so many of the stories of his childhood I’d always assumed to be just tall Dad tales turned out to be 100% legit – like riding his pony to school in -25° snowstorms.
Thanks so much for the recipe & the beautiful memories of your Mom which jogged memories of my Dad & my own Grandma’s Franciscan ware! It’s always amazing to me that just reading recipes on the internet can transport us to such far-flung places in our minds.
Hello Elle! Thank you so much for sharing your precious memories! I starting Taste With The Eyes in 2007 and one of my favorite things about this site is hearing that something that I wrote or a recipe that I created has touched someone. I really appreciate your comment 🙂
LL
This is very much how I make my potato salad, when my macaroni is done I toss the macaroni in a little bit of olive oil, this way the macaroni doesn’t suck up to much of the mayo plus I add a little bit of dill weed to it.
Came across your post on Pinterest looking for a Potatoe Salad recipee…..although I have made many different recipees for it,I opened up your post because the picture drew me in..it looked good.So today I am going to try your recipee……also was making it for my son’s birthday today.Thats a great story of your mother and father and the Franciscan Earthware……sorry to hear about your mother.My mother passed twenty one years ago and I miss her so much…Have a great day…..Carol
Hi Carol – thank you so much for taking the time to comment. Happy Birthday to your son, I hope he enjoys the potato salad… And I’m sorry for your loss too 🙁
LL