24 Hour Picnic Salad

This was a really tasty salad. Sadly, though, I did not have a clear bowl to show off the layers of this salad before mixing. The picture above is after the salad has been mixed together. I had to sub sharp cheddar cheese for the blue cheese since most in my family do not like blue cheese. I think this salad would have been even better with some blue cheese. This is a great recipe for using up garden produce. If your using Tabasco sauce reduce the amount of hot sauce to one tablespoon so its not too spicy.

24 hour Picnic Salad
from the Cook's Country Cookbook

1 medium iceburg, washed, cored and chopped rough (about six cups)
salt
1/2 medium red onion, sliced thin
6 hard boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
1 1/2 cups frozen peas (I used fresh)
4 celery ribs, sliced thin
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 medium cucumber, halved lengthwise, seeded, and sliced thin
1 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 1/2 cups crumbled blue cheese

Place half of the lettuce in a large serving bowl and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Rinse the sliced onion under cold water; pat dry with paper towels. Layer the onion, eggs, peas, celery, bell pepper, and cucumber over the lettuce. Add the remaining lettuce to the bowl, sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt, and top with the bacon and cheese.

1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons hot sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons pepper

Combine all of the ingredients and spread the dressing evenly over the top of the salad. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours. Remove the plastic wrap and toss until the salad is evenly coated with the dressing.