Watergate Salad

We're talking about getting really Southern here

They are so good. Y'all, I'm so excited to be reunited with an old friend

This is Chef Jeff Henderson. Yes, give this man a hand, because we hope that all the children we raise will turn out like Jeff

Thank you. And we first met in New Orleans, I believe it was

What were we doing, Jeff? Feeding the hungry, delivering protein all across the country

to folks in need of some good food. Yes, yes. Jeff, let me explain real quickly to you

what I've been trying to do over the last few days. You know, people have a hard time with side salads and dishes

There is things that us Southern girls have been putting on our table for years that are so simple

and you're almost embarrassed to tell anybody because they are so simple

Yes. But you should not be because my children and my grandchildren love some of the simplest of salads

and I know everybody in here has had a Watergate salad. Yeah

They are so good. It is really almost like a dessert. Have you ever had this, Jeff

I have, and it's amazing. Absolutely and everybody got their own little twist So if you just rinse those real good I going to take about a cup of crushed pineapple y And I not going to measure

I'm not going to worry about if it's a little. Who measures? I'm telling you. That's right, honey. OK

And we're just going to put. What is this here, Paula? This is pistachio pudding

Pistachio pudding. So if you would just stir that in. All right

So while we're just throwing these things together, I want you to tell everybody

how did you become a chef? I'm going to toss those in the picture

Paula knows my story. We've traveled the country over many, many years. I was one of those guys when I was young

Kid, I was hard-headed. I didn't want to listen to nobody. I thought I knew everything

I don't know about things like that, Jeff. Uh-oh, uh-oh. And I got myself in trouble

But I always was a curious kid. You know, my family comes from New Orleans, Louisiana

three generations down there, and hardworking family, and I got myself into some trouble

And I wind up spending a little time, went away for a little while, I call it an adult time out

That's what I call it there. Sometimes we meet that. Yeah, that's right. And I learned to cook

I discovered a hidden passion about food and... Now, did you do that

during your time out? I did. Because those guys in time out

they had to eat, didn't they? They had to eat. Three hots in the cot, that was, you know

All right, now I'm going to put some pistachios. And I'm going to put as much of those as I want to

Uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh. Uh-oh. I going to put a cup and a half of marshmallows Okay I going to put our cherries that you rent so good Paul I don play around So keep talking baby So keep talking And the first thing I learned to cook was fried chicken

by a guy by the name of Friendly Womack. Was he in time out too

He was in time out too. And he ran the kitchen. While you're stirring that up, I'm

going to tell y'all what I did here. OK. Took a cup of heavy cream, and I sweetened it with a fourth of a cup of sugar

And now I'm going to add, because I just think mayonnaise belongs in southern salad

Yes. I'm going to fold in some mayonnaise into our heavy cream

Uh-oh. Talking about getting really southern here. Yes. I like that. All right

So there you go. I'm just going to stir that in. Mm-hmm. All right, because we have put so many nuts in this, y'all

it's turned it a little sickening green color. So I'm going to add just a touch of green food coloring

to just make that pistachio pudding pop. You don't have to do this

You don't have to add the green food coloring. This is great for St. Patrick's Day because, you know

on St. Patrick's Day here in Savannah, we color everything we eat green

Oh, yeah. Wow. But look at that. Now it's got some wet up in there now

We got some wet, baby. I'm going to fold it over really good. So don't ever be embarrassed about, you know, making your meals simple

Simple is good. It doesn have to have ten ingredients that can none of us pronounce It doesn have to be that way Uh But see that little extra green food coloring just kind of offset

all them nuts. Oh, yeah. I want everybody at home to see this here. Oh, yeah

I hear them out there. I hear y'all. It looks like a cloud, doesn't it, y'all

Uh-oh. Uh-oh. So, like I said, this is good enough for dessert, Jeff

So you and I, just let's take us a little taste. Mm

Mm. See what that mayonnaise does to that. Mm, mm, mm. Mm

Mm. This gives it a little twang. And I love the texture and the nice crunch, you know

in my salads as well, too. Yes. Can you make this a day ahead or a few hours early

Absolutely. That's what I like a lot. Absolutely. Mm. So, we've got some friends over there

Okay. We'll serve them up. I'm going to take one more bite. I love this

So, y'all have all had this before. Uh-uh. So, they know what to do, huh

They know what to do. Get up and serve themselves, huh? They know what to do

All righty. So, y'all, this side salad is just one of many

And you know that you can always find a good go-to simple side salad

right here on the Paula Deen Network