For both the history of this salad and the original recipe, see:

http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/waldorf_salad/

However, my experience with this recipe is very different.  I first tasted a similar salad in east Texas at a Thanksgiving lunch near Nacogdoches with an old Texas family named Ybarbo.   I don’t remember grapes, just the apples, celery and walnuts, most of which I spilled on the floor of Meme Ybarbo’s kitchen when I was chopping more celery for the salad for 25-30 relatives.  Meme soothed my anguish over the spilled bowl of fruits and vegetables and shoo’ed me out of the kitchen.  Chagrined to be ejected from the women-filled hub of the house, I scuffed my way down to the pond, where my boyfriend’s father was kind enough to show me how to cast a fishing line into just the right depth of water.

Here is the recipe as I recall it, and instead of feeding 25-30 people, it only feeds 8.

• 4 red or green apples, peeled or with peels on, according to your preference
• 4 stalks of celery, strings removed and cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 cup of toasted pecans or walnuts
• 1/4 cup light mayonnaise or Miracle Whip salad dressing
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 dash Tabasco sauce
• 1 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Toast the nuts in a single layer in a cookie sheet with sides for 10 minutes, shaking the pan to re-scatter the nuts twice during the 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and pour over paper towels to cool.

Cut the apples and celery and place in a mixing bowl. Add the cooled nuts to the apples and celery and gently toss to combine.

Mix the remaining ingredients in a small bowl and pour over nuts, apples, and celery.  Toss lightly and refrigerate for 1 hour before serving so that the flavors will have a chance to blend.