jmlecher@rodan.acs.syr.edu (Jane M. Lecher) (03/12/91)
In article <1991Mar11.192846.14245@mthvax.cs.miami.edu> v076np74@ubvmsd.cc.buffalo.edu writes: >Hi! A friend of mine is in need of a few new ideas. She goes to PA >each year in July for a family reunion and is tired of bringing potato >salad, macaroni salad...etc. So, I told her I'd post for her and find >out if anyone has any suggestions for foods that would travel well >during the approx. 8 hour drive from Buffalo to PA. She has a cooler >to store stuff in if needed. Here's one of my most popular 'recipes', developed after I read something about the dangers of mayo-based salads in the summertime. Don't even try to measure, it's futile. Go by taste. Pasta Salad Pasta, any shape, any size, any color. (If you're cooking for a crowd, the multi-colored pastas are fun) Vegetables, any kind, as long as it's raw and crunchy and chopped I use green peppers, celery, radishes, broccoli, cauliflower, onions, scallions, a little garlic, some jalapenos (maybe), carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, spinach (raw, of course), mushrooms, depending on tastes, availability, etc...... Extras, such as little chunks of pepperoni or summer sausage or cheese of various sorts. Some kind of oil and vinegar salad dressing. I prefer the red wine variety. Cook the pasta. Dump into a colander to cool. Meanwhile, chop up the crunchy stuff and dump into another bowl to 'measure'. I try to have a 1-1 ratio of pasta and crunchies. You know, a bowl of pasta and a bowl of crunchies. Then add some cheese and sausage cubes, and wet down the whole thing with the salad dressing. It should sit for awhile for the flavors to mix. Ever since I made this, it's been a big hit with every picnic and family get-together I've ever been to. And it's less dangerous than a mayo-based salad. Happy eating! Jane