DIY ham salad

Sometimes it’s not only best, but also easiest, to just make something yourself.

Joyce Ridge contacted Taste of the Town a few months ago in search of a good ham salad, which she used to find at HoneyBaked Ham and Smith’s, both of which no longer carry it. We ran her request, and … crickets.

But then I got a fax from frequent Taste of the Town contributor Ann Brown, who clearly feels Ridge’s pain.

“I love ham salad and gave up trying to find it,” Brown said. “It’s easier to make at home.”

So Brown sent on her simple recipe, which calls for a “small chunk” of ham: “Grind ham, add mayo and sweet pickle relish to taste — voila!” Brown faxed, adding that the ham can be ground in a chopper, food processor or blender. …

For Mary Ritchie, who’s looking for C&H pourable brown sugar, Rose McKie wrote that it’s available at Wal-Mart stores. …

For Sue Ryan, who’s looking for fresh dragonfruit, McKie reported finding it at Winco at 6101 N. Decatur Blvd.; there’s another Winco at 80 N. Stephanie St. in Henderson. And I recently saw it at Smith’s. …

For Steve Moore, who’s looking for Dutch crunch rolls, Janet Tonelli emailed that she finds them at Winco in Henderson. …

For Jean Fris, who’s looking for natural-casing hot dogs, Mike Eckman emailed that he finds them at Winco on Decatur Boulevard, adding, “best done on the grill.” I’ve also seen the Hoffy brand of natural-casing hot dogs at Fresh &Easy. …

For Greg and Sharon Griffiths, David Bourgeois reported finding Fatburger frozen patties at the Wal-Mart Supercenter at 5198 Boulder Highway. …

We also have a couple of tips from two other frequent Taste of the Town contributors this week. Bev Greer, who’s been on what seemed like a never-ending hunt for Driscoll’s strawberries, reported finding them at Smith’s at 3850 E. Flamingo Road. …

And William Isaac emailed for all readers who have been looking for Marzetti Salad Dressing (the shelf-stable kind, not the refrigerated kind) that, after seeing them in a Big Lots ad, he bought a couple of bottles. “Haven’t seen any of the bottled Marzetti’s in Las Vegas since Raley’s left town,” he wrote. “Hopefully this will be a permanent thing, since Big Lots and Marzetti’s are both Columbus (Ohio) companies.”

MORE READER REQUESTS

Laura Thornton is looking for Lay’s Dill Pickle chips, and Meadow Gold Green Chili Dip. …

Peter Henry is looking for Fruits de Mer anchovies, white anchovy fillets packed in a 7-ounce plastic container, which he used to get at Vons in Henderson. …

Maxine Marcus is looking for small cans or jars of sauerkraut. …

Roberta Shulman is looking for B&M Original Baked Beans in 16-ounce cans, which she used to get at Albertsons, and Heinz Vegetarian Baked Beans, also in 16-ounce cans, which she used to get at Albertsons or Wal-Mart. …

And Leslie Siebert is looking for Hood Calorie Countdown Beverage, which she said is “low-carb milk that tastes like milk!” and which she used to get at Albertsons.

Readers?

Submit information to Heidi Knapp Rinella, P.O. Box 70, Las Vegas, NV 89125-0070. You also can send faxes to 702-383-4676 or email her at hrinella@reviewjournal.com. Include your first and last names and, if emailing, put “Taste of the Town” in the subject line. Follow @HKRinella on Twitter.