Column from October 21, 2010

Popular local musicians Andy Sulzman and Jeremy Ross provided entertainment at the annual benefit auction.

Bidding on a great recipe

We had a great time at The Old Hotel Art Gallery’s annual benefit auction last weekend. But then, we always do.

I enjoy attending the auction each year and this one was no exception. Lots of wonderful items to bid on and there is always great food.

This year, Kristy Rattray prepared a wonderful tri-tip dinner with baked potatoes, two different salads, calico beans and rolls. For dessert, she added some apple pie filling to French vanilla ice cream and topped it with a sugar wafer cookie. It was very simple, but a refreshing ending to a super meal.

The Old Hotel is run by a volunteer organization and it depends on support from the public. Local crafts are featured for sale on a consignment basis and there is also a regularly featured artist of the month.

It is located at the corner of Broadway and Larch in one of the original buildings in Othello.

The majority of the items available at the auction are donated by generous people who want to help this local landmark remain open. However, the gallery has been struggling lately and could use more assistance – not just monetarily. There also aren’t enough volunteers and that’s where it could use your help.

If you have a spare hour or two during the week, stop by and talk to Sally Laufer, the director, about ways you can help.

And be sure to tell your friends their help is needed, as well.

It was difficult for the volunteers to prepare for this year’s auction. They were short of hands to help set up and take down. There is also work that needs done for several weeks prior to the event and there simply wasn’t enough manpower.

I’d like to see more people step up to help keep this business going. There is a lot of history in that old building and it would be a shame if the doors had to close.

And I’d definitely miss the annual auction. When it was over, Kristy had quite a few leftover potatoes, so she offered some to Eric.

The next morning, I started finding ways to use them. I chopped up several and spread them on lightly greased baking sheets and put them in the freezer. When they were completely frozen, I transferred them to a large plastic bag and now, we have hashbrowns for future breakfasts.

I also made potato salad. I didn’t feel like going shopping, so I used what I had on hand.

That meant the salad was a little different than I usually make it, but it turned out very tasty. So, here’s my recipe I used. I hope you enjoy it.

Potato salad

6 baked potatoes, peeled and chopped into bite-size pieces

5 or 6 hard-boiled eggs, chopped

Small onion, finely diced

5 or 6 baby dill pickles, finely chopped

2 cups mayonnaise

1/8 cup ketchup

2 tablespoons mustard

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon pepper

Place potatoes, eggs, onion and pickles in large bowl; stir gently to combine.

Mix together mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, garlic powder and pepper. Pour over potato mixture and fold in until potatoes are evenly coated.

If you prefer a creamier potato salad, add more mayonnaise to taste.