Potato and pasta salad recipes?

[caseysmom]

I am ordering deli trays for my daughters graduation party and I want to make some side salads.

Instead of googling and not being sure whats really good do any of you have any tried and true recipes?

Any cold side dish recipes would be appreciated...thanks!

[Randi]

I haven't looked closely recently, but there may be some in here:
http://petoftheday.com/talk/showthre...ight=side+dish

[pomtzu]

I am ordering deli trays for my daughters graduation party and I want to make some side salads.

Instead of googling and not being sure whats really good do any of you have any tried and true recipes?

Any cold side dish recipes would be appreciated...thanks!

Wish I could help. Everyone tells me I make a mean potato salad, but I'm not a measurer, I'm a dumper, and a taster along the way, so that wouldn't be much use to you.

Tia's grad party was Saturday, and there was enough food to feed an army. Lots of different cold salads, stuffed mushrooms, deviled eggs, veggie tray, fruit tray, cheese tray, burgers, dogs, ribs, baked beans, crab cakes, hot shrimp dip, chips, and I know I'm missing a lot. Then there was a full sheet cake, brownies, cookies, and coolers full of water, sodas, beer and wine. If anyone left there hungry, then it was their own fault!

If you would like, I do have a recipe for 3-bead salad which is delicious, and I follow a recipe for this one! If you want it, just let me know.

[caseysmom]

Three bean salad sounds good. Wow there was a lot of food at your party. The stuffed mushrooms sound good, were they homemade, do you know?

I thought about barbequing some also, just not sure yet.

I ordered a half sheet cake and it comes with 36 cupcakes also from Sam's club. I was thinking about ordering a shrimp tray also in addition to the meat and cheese tray.

Deviled eggs are always good too I may do some of those also.

[snakemama]

I make the potato salad out of the Moosewood cookbook:

Boil and chop ~6 medium potatoes. Cool.

Combine those with:
2 hardboiled eggs, chopped
1 Bell pepper (any color, but I think red looks nice), chopped
3 or 4 finely minced scallions (whites and greens)
1 small cucumber, seeded and minced
1c (packed) fresh minced parsley
1/4c (packed) minced fresh dill (or 1Tbs dry)
1tsp salt
fresh pepper
1/4 to 1/3 cup cider vinegar
1 or 2 tsp dried mustard
1 or 2 tsp tarragon
1 or 2 tbs prepared horseradish (optional, but 1tbs gives it a nice bite without making it spicy, and I love it)
1/2 to 1 cup mayo
1/2 to 1 cup plain yogurt or sour cream.

Other things you can add that are good...
a handful of sprouts
1 diced carrot
1 stalk celery, minced
diced radishes
fresh peas
1/2c toasted sunflower seeds
sesame seeds

[pomtzu]

Yes - everything was homemade - by us older ladies - aunts, grandmothers, adult cousins. Only the cake was storebought, and it was awesome too.
There were about 50 people to feed throughout the celebration which started right after noon, with people coming and going thruout the day, and it was 10 p.m. when we started cleaning up. A long, but fun day, for sure. I need to get the stuffed mushroom recipe too - it was delicious. I'll give you the bean recipe if you want to use it.

Three bean salad

1 can (15oz) drained cut green beans
" " drained cut wax beans (yellow beans)
" " drained kidney beans (dark or light)
1 green bell pepper chopped
1 small onion chopped
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup salad oil
2/3 cup cider vinegar
Place beans, pepper and onion in bowl. Mix seasonings, oil and vinegar. Pour over bean mixture and marinate over night in fridge. Serve cold.

You can even throw in some other things not in the recipe. I like some fresh cut mushroom, and small cheese cubes of any kind in it too. If you find it too "vinergy" for your taste, just add a tad bit more sugar.

If I'm making it for a good sized gathering, I sometimes double the recipe too.

Congrats to your daughter - and you too. The kids do the work, but the parents do the prodding! And it really pays off in the end.

[caseysmom]

Thanks both of the repices sound great.

Yeah this year's grad wasn't so bad, my daughter that graduated last year I felt like I deserved a metal!

[Karen]

Pasta salad has always been a "no recipe, just add as you go" sort of affair around these parts. Boil a bunch of pasta, rinse and cool. Dump in a bowl. Decide whether you want to use mayo or salad dressing, then add stuff you like. Ham, eggs, olives, peppers, cucumbers, chopped tomatoes ... or grapge tomatoes ... and throw in some chopped onions, parsley, basil - you know, mix and match until it tastes right!

[caseysmom]

Yeah I pretty much do the same thing, just looking for ideas.

[Bonny]

Old-Fashioned Potato Salad

5 medium potatoes 3/4 mayonnaise
4 eggs, hard-boiled 1 Tbs. yellow mustard
1 medum onion, diced 1 1/4 tsp. salt
2 ribs celery, diced 1/4 tsp. pepper
2 Tbs. vinegar

Boil potatoes with jackets on until tender; drain & set aside to cool. Peel potatoes & cut in half lengthwise, then slice. Peel & chop eggs. Combine potatoes, eggs, onion & celery in large bowl. Mix together remaining ingredients & pour over potato mixture; stir gently. Refrigerate for 2 or 3 hours to blend flavors.


A dessert or salad

Seedless Red Grapes ( about 4-5 cups grapes destemed, & washed)
16 oz. container of real sour cream
mix sugar into sour cream start with a half cup & add more to give the sour cream a sweet taste then add a 1/4 teaspoon of almond extract to the sweetened sour cream mixture. Mix the grapes into the sweetened almond sweetened sour cream mixture. Makes for a cool tasting dessert or salad & is easy to put together.

[Bonny]

Old-Fashioned Potato Salad. The vinegar, mayonnaise, mustard, salt, & pepper get mixed together in a separate bowl & then put in with the potatoes, eggs, onion, & celery. I had a nice spaced column but it ran together on me.

[shais_mom]

http://www.hendricksons.com/
I love this for pasta salad.
I use corkscrew pasta - add olives - tomatoes- and turkey pepporoni. <3!

[Asiel]

Congratulations to your daughter and to you. I was going to give you the 3 bean sald recipe I have but SOMEONE beat me to it. I make a lot of potato and pasta salads too, they seem to be a favourite with almost everyone. if you want a fruit salad I make one with almost every fruit I can buy , people really seem to go got that too, it's a real thirst quencher. I chop pieces of different melons, canteloupe, sliced bananas, apples, canned tangerines, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, sliced kiwi, any fruit that is on the shelf goes in except sometimes I will leave out pineapple as I find a lot of people aren't keen on it for some reason. I don't add too much sugar, just depends on the amount I make. Tasting it will let you know when you have put enough.

[shais_mom]

Congratulations to your daughter and to you. I was going to give you the 3 bean sald recipe I have but SOMEONE beat me to it. I make a lot of potato and pasta salads too, they seem to be a favourite with almost everyone. if you want a fruit salad I make one with almost every fruit I can buy , people really seem to go got that too, it's a real thirst quencher. I chop pieces of different melons, canteloupe, sliced bananas, apples, canned tangerines, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, sliced kiwi, any fruit that is on the shelf goes in except sometimes I will leave out pineapple as I find a lot of people aren't keen on it for some reason. I don't add too much sugar, just depends on the amount I make. Tasting it will let you know when you have put enough.

I'd take the pineapple - but leave out the melons - bleeekkkie!

[RICHARD]

I make my warm potato salads with a few spoons full of ranch/blue cheese dressing added to the mayo.

Just boil your potatos-I cube mine so they will cook faster- then add your mayo, dressing and chop some chive/parsley/oregano over the top

Or, if you make you PS with sour cream? You can take the little powdered packets of flavored chip dip mix and add that, to taste.


It's like a baked potato salad.