What's Cooking Labor Day?

We just had a pre Labor Day picnic over the weekend, and this was a hit! I must admit, I love having some veggies in the midst of all the chips, burgers, and the like...

Not that this is one of those super-healthy salads. But it seems like a reasonable compromise. Easy to serve (no need to toss), and convenient to prepare (you can do it the day before, and all the flavors will blend nicely). You can avoid the bacon layer easily enough, if you're vegetarian. It's a crowd pleaser!

I highly recommend this recipe for anyone looking for a good dish to bring to that Labor Day potluck. And it looks great, too! My friend commented that she wants to get a glass dish like the one I used... While it's true that it'll look fancier in a bowl like mine, any glass bowl will do. My mom gave me this bowl a while back, traditionally made for layering trifle in (that decadent English dessert). But I've never been that into trifle, so it's always been my "Eight Layer Salad" bowl. It's served well in that capacity : )

My mother-in-law always liked this recipe. Not being much of a cook, she found it to be very easy to wrestle with. (You don't even need to cook the peas, just layer them on.) Of course she didn't have anything like a trifle bowl (not being much of a baker either), so she used a glass, pyrex, rectangular pan. It still worked. And it tasted great.