Cooking Budget EASY sides for a picnic

[michellejed]

We like creamed cucumbers and also Italian salad.

For the creamed cucumbersthis is for about 6 people)
2 large cucumbers peeled and sliced very thing(sometimes I leave small strips of the peel on lengthwise)
sprinkle generous amount of salt and about a half cup vinegar.
add 1 large onion sliced thin

Put in fridge overnight, rinse very well with cold water, squeeze out all the water and add just enough sour cream to coat.(any water left in will make the sour cream watery.)

Add pepper to taste.

For the Italian salad:
We take any fresh veggies(not lettuce) and cut into small pieces, zucchini, summer squash, grape tomato, purple onions, green peppers,green or yellow beans, radishes, cucumber, etc

Put in large Ziploc bag and add enough Italian dressing to coat.

Chill for several hours and just before serving we add cubed mozzarella cheese.

 

[LisaNJ25]

Everyone else has given great food suggestions, but I wanted to offer a tip that my co-worker told me a few years ago (and it works great). To keep the salads cold, get a small inflatable one ring swimming pool (around $3 at Walmart). Inflate it, put it on the picnic table, and fill it with ice. Then as people bring salads or other cold items, they can just set them in the pool of ice. It holds quite a few salads or other cold dishes. Then at the end of the day, just dump the ice and deflate the pool. I have a couple of these little pools, and I use them at all my picnics or cookouts. It is really easy and you don't have to worry about the food not staying cold.

Oh I love that idea.. I am having a suprise party for hubbys 40ths this sunday.. Although its only going to be the high 60's this will work out great.

I was looking at those ones at the party store for the drinks that were themed blow ups and some were as high as $20.

 

[kimsuenew]

This thread has some great ideas for DS upcoming HS graduation party and for summer parties in general... thanks for starting it OP and thanks to everyone for some fantastic ideas!

Recently DH and I ate at Ruby Tuesdays (with a BOGOF coupon of course LOL, first time for DH there and only the second time ever for me)! On the salad bar there was some type of a cold pasta salad (creamy dressing, not oil based) with peas and ham. Is anyone a regular there? Any idea of how to make it? I usually do not care for peas, but these were firm and sweet (not mushy) and it was absolutely delicious! I am craving it (really) and would love to serve this at the grad party if anyone knows how to make it!

Thanks Dis Pals!

 

[kimsuenew]

What do you think of potato salad and/or macaroni salad IF I use the big underpan for chafing dishes and fill it with ice and then have the smaller pans on top. I might have to replenish more often, but we will only be serving lunch (or dinner - I'm not positive which yet) for an hour or so. Should that be sufficient to keep them cold and safe you think?

I think that would work just fine!

We are using the same concept, we are nesting smaller stainless steel bowls into larger ones and icing all the gap under and around the inner/outer bowls. I will have to fill the smaller bowls often, but saftey first!

I absolutely LOVE the idea of the inflatable pool and will borrow it for our family reunion! For the grad party we have rented a small community center room and will not have available space for an IP. It is a great idea however!

 

[xmlguy]

Jar mayonaisse and cooked eggs are not more prone to food poisoning than other foods. It's a myth. Mayo contains salt and acid that slows bacterial growth.

http://www.dec.state.ak.us/eh/fss/consumers/food_myths.htm

Food poisoning is more commonly due to improper preparation methods, not merely improper serving. Salads that are prepared in advance without proper sanitation, then cooled too slowly in a normal fridge, can have enough bacteria to make you sick before you serve any of it. You can eliminate most serving problems by keeping everything at safe temps prior to serving, then put everything away 40 minutes afterwards, disposing of the leftovers.

Keeping things on ice is actually more dangerous than you think, if it is left out for a long time. The ice may not actually keep the food out of the danger zone temps (40-140degF).

 

[mel63]

RUBY TUESDAY'S PASTA SALAD CLONE

SALAD:
8 ounces macaroni, cooked and drained
8 ounces ham, cubed*, about 2 cups
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese*, cubed
1 (10-ounce) package frozen peas, cooked and drained

DRESSING:
3/4 cup sour cream
3/4 cup mayonnaise (not salad dressing)
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup grated parmesan or Romano cheese
2 teaspoons dried tarragon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

In a large bowl combine salad ingredients.

In a smaller bowl, mix dressing ingredients. Pour dressing over macaroni mix and toss to blend well. Cover and refrigerate several hours or overnight.

Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before serving. (More mayonnaise or sour cream may be needed.)



Depending on how firm the peas were/are, you may want to thaw them in cold running water instead of cooking them.

 

[kimsuenew]

Boil macaroni then add a can of the nacho cheese from like Sam's(usually only about 5 bucks a can) and you can even keep warm in a roaster. Works great for picky eaters too.

Is this a big can of nacho cheese? How much mac do you boil per can? I think this would work well as DS grad party... there will be little kids and tweens there due to so much family and I bet this would go over well with that crowd! I like that it sounds easy, too! As far as using the roaster... do you just set it on low and it keeps it warm? TIA!

 

[PinkRhombus]

We made the nacho cheese macaroni recently for a big party. We liked it, but it didn't go over as well with the younger kids. That nacho cheese isn't too spicy but it was enough to turn them off.