The following “Chew This!” column originally appeared in “The Courier-Times” and / or “The Shelbyville News”. Check their websites for further information and dates.

8-Layer Salad

Blaise Doubman

I am sure the purists will absolutely loathe this recipe but that is what a recipe is, something that someone has liked or twittered into their own liking and wants to share. Right? That is exactly what has happened here. I found a recipe for a 7-layer salad that I wanted to make but it did not include boiled egg! It did include diced tomatoes though, which I did not want either, so I replaced the tomato with bacon and added the boiled eggs, diced. How bad could that be?

You can make this recipe your own, like I did, by experimenting with a different type of cheese, or maybe different types of bacon, onion, use green onion instead, add in the diced tomatoes, substitute out the mayonnaise for salad dressing! Really the sky is the limit with experimentation and recipes. I have made this now a few times and each time I have found that the salad gets better the longer it sits and chills in the refrigerator. Highly recommend you make this one for your upcoming Holiday events!

8-Layer Salad

This is best kept chilled in the refrigerator.

4 cups shredded lettuce

¼ cup chopped red onion

¼ cup chopped celery 

2 cups green peas

1/3 cup mayonnaise

3 tablespoons white granulated sugar

2 cups finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 cup crispy chopped bacon

6 hard boiled eggs, diced fine

Layer each ingredient into a 9×13-inch baking pan in order listed above.

When final layer is complete, wrap in aluminum foil and chill overnight.

Ask and Answer: I have been getting a few messages asking about my cube steak recipe. Yes, you can place them in frozen and no you do not have to use gravy you can also use the regular cream of something soups. It is really about personal