Name: Sandra Sanders.

City: Ventura.

Specialty: Salads.

Secret: Readily available ingredients.

 

'Round the world: Sandra Sanders has a comical philosophy about cooking — and not cooking: "If God meant for everyone to cook, he wouldn't have made takeout."

Although Sanders has been known to use takeout on occasion, more often she chooses to bask in the serenity of the kitchen at her 90-year-old California bungalow nestled at the edge of downtown Ventura. 

This is where Sanders creates a delectable variety of salads to complement the temperate summer climate. Her specialty is a quick-and-easy Cabbage and Peanut Salad, which she often prepares for potlucks and such.

"If friends don't see this salad on the table, they are disappointed and say, If I knew you weren't making it, I would have made it myself.'"

Sanders said she believes the attraction is its interesting combination of flavors and ingredients.

"I've had people tell me that the recipe is going around the world, because they pass it on to people, who pass it on to others."

 

Survival instinct: Cooking did not come easily to Sanders, whose first effort came at age 8 and involved misreading the instructions of a cake mix.

She tackled cooking later on for sheer survival. But she discovered something significant: She enjoyed the cooking process.

She later adapted a few recipes along the way, such as her mother's wilted seasoned cucumbers.

It was one of her favorite dishes as a child, and though she could never prepare it just like her mother, Sanders discovered that, by and large, her method was equally effective.

Sanders peels and thinly slices cucumbers, then places them in a colander, salting the layers to promote the release of the liquid. She allows to rest 30 minutes, then squeezes out the remaining liquid.

Layer the drained cucumbers in a bowl, sprinkling each layer with sugar or artificial sweetener, to 1 teaspoon per cucumber.  Sprinkle generously with rice vinegar and allow to rest for 30 minutes, then serve chilled. 

 

Conquering dragons: Now retired, Sanders formerly worked as a contract administrator for Ventura County.

Once she decided to experiment with a new, lavish Beef Bourguignon for some guests. "It was so good I couldn't believe it, but fortunately it was, because my boss and his wife came to dinner," she recalled with a laugh. "And I thought, Boy, I sure fooled them!'"

Sanders still prepares untested recipes for guests, but now the invitation includes a disclaimer of sorts: "If the food stinks, we'll have peanut butter sandwiches."

Her disasters have been rare, but one that immediately came to mind was a cheese souffle, which she prepared because it was a "sophisticated" dish.

"If I had it before, I wouldn't have bothered to do it," she explained. "The bottom line is you can get the same taste with a cheese omelet; it's just eggs and cheese with air in it."

Besides, complicated recipes do not mesh well with Sanders' lifestyle.

"There are important things to do out in the world, like conquering dragons, so I keep my life free for dragon slaying."

Cabbage and Peanut Salad

1 1-pound bag shredded cabbage or Fresh Express 3-Color Deli Cole Slaw

2 bunches green onions, sliced, including tops

6 ounces Planter's Cocktail Peanuts or Safeway's Party Peanuts, chopped

1 8-ounce bottle Kraft Catalina dressing or Safeway California dressing (see cook's note)

Combine ingredients right before serving.

Serve chilled.

The bite of the onion, saltiness of the peanuts, sweetness of the dressing and crisp blandness of the cabbage balance the flavor.

When taking this salad to a potluck or picnic, slice and zip-bag the onions, chop and zip-bag the peanuts. If an 8-ounce bottle of salad dressing isn't available, pour 8 ounces from a 16-ounce bottle into a zip-bag.

Drop the ingredients in a bowl with ice packs and 3 plastic grocery bags. When ready to serve, combine the ingredients in a grocery bag and massage together through the bag.

Put the messy bag, zip-bags and dressing bottle in a second bag for neat disposal.

Use the third bag to take the messy bowl home.

Cook's note: Jue's Market in Ventura stocks 8-ounce bottles of Kraft Catalina dressing.

— To nominate an amateur cook from Ventura County to be Cook du Jour, send an e-mail to jprice@VenturaCountyStar.com.