Sweet & Tangy Cole Slaw

We had a clean out the fridge party last night. Our house has been a revolving door of tweens and teens celebrating the first few days of summer and our refrigerator was finally down to the dregs — a random assortment of leftovers in mismatched tupperware.

My friend Claire and her kiddos came to help polish off the last of the spaghetti & meatballs, Hawaiian roll sandwiches, tomatillo guacamole, and fruit salad. It was a paper-plate-eat-at-the-counter kind of supper. After the kids made their first pass through the feeding trough, I pulled out a small container of sweet & tangy cole slaw and two forks.

“This, my friend, is for us,” I handed Claire a fork and we dug in.

“Mmmmm,” she squeed with appropriate delight.

“I know, right? The best slaw ever. And get a load of this, it’s like 5 ingredients and takes two minutes to make,” my mouth was full, but she caught the gist.

“Where did you get this recipe?” We slowed down our bites, duly noting the diminishing amount of the leftover slaw.

“My neighbor, Mandy, of course. I overheard her sharing the recipe with Lisa at our neighborhood Easter party. I texted her later just to confirm I overheard correctly.”

“Cole slaw, dried crannies. . . ” Claire was already deconstructing the ingredients.

“Yep, cole slaw, broccoli slaw, craisins, honey roasted peanuts, green onions and frozen peas. You don’t even thaw ’em. Toss with poppy seed dressing.”

“You’re gonna have to text me that or I’ll forget.”

Two bites later and the rest of the sweet and tangy cole slaw was history. I texted the recipe to Claire. I’ve texted it twice to my mother. Once to my sister. Once to Kimberley, too. I had to email it to Jules since she doesn’t text.

Now you’ve got the best summer cole slaw recipe, too. Make and take to your next neighborhood gathering, poolside party, or picnic potluck. Your friends and neighbors will thank you.