More Party Food

Let’s back up to the party one more time, okay?

Even though I didn’t make these recipes, I thought they were good enough to be featured in a post. If/when I do make them, I’ll use them just as written. And isn’t a blog a good way to file recipes? I love it for that purpose.

(Sorry most of them lack good photos…or any photos at all. I should have been on the ball with my camera but instead I was eating and sweating.)

Kate's pic

Marinated Dilly Green Bean Salad

This salad was one of my Aunt Amber’s contributions to the party meal. It was delicious…a lovely switch-up from the normal green bean salad our family makes.

3 pounds green beans, ended and cut on the diagonal

1/4 cup chopped fresh dill, or 1 t dried dill weed

1 large clove garlic, minced

1 1/2 t salt

1/2 t fresh ground pepper

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 of a small red onion, thinly sliced

1 1/2 cup coarsely chopped tomatoes

2-3 T fresh lemon juice

Cook beans, covered, in lightly salted water until crisp tender. Place dill, garlic, salt, and pepper in a heat-proof bowl. Drain beans well and add to dill mixture. Add olive oil and onion. Toss well. Cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours. Remove beans from refrigerator and let stand, covered, at room temperature 1 hour. Add tomatoes and 2 T lemon juice. Taste for seasoning and add remaining lemon juice if desired.

Serves: 10

Baked Beans

Aunt Krista contributed a large vat of baked beans. It’s a family favorite recipe. Always delicious.

1 pound dried beans (lima, navy, etc…a mixture is nice)

1 quart canned tomato chunks

1 medium onion, chopped

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 T baking molasses

2 T king syrup

2 T prepared mustard

1 t salt

1/4 pound bacon (optional)

Cook the beans. Combine with remaining ingredients except bacon, if using. Pour into casserole dish and lay bacon on top. Bake at 350 for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Sometimes I make mine on the stove top and just stir them often. Serve warm or cold.

Yield: 2 – 3 quarts?

Sunburst Salad

Aunt Carmen made this. It’s so cool and refreshing. It felt good eating this while sweating buckets.

1 3-oz pkg. Jello-brand orange jello (has the best flavor)

1 21-oz can crushed pineapple in pineapple juice

1 cup boiling water

1 1/2 cups grated carrots

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped walnuts, optional

Drain the pineapple (in the fridge so it’s cold) until you have one cup of juice.

Combine the hot water and gelatin. Stir in one cup of pineapple juice. Chill this mixture until it’s partially set. Add the veggies, crushed pineapple, and nut, if using. This jello can be molded or just put in a glass pan.

That blurry pile in the back? The salsa dip. The one in the front is seven layer salad.

Salsa Dip

Aunt Grace brought this to the meal. Fabulous.

3 cups salsa

3 cups guacamole

3 cups tzatziki

3 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Layer everything in a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish, in order given. Serve with tortilla chips.

Yield: about 12 cups dip

Seven Layer Salad

Grandma made this. It’s one of my favorites. Always a crowd pleaser.

Recipe from Mennonite Country Style Recipes by Esther H. Shank

1 small head lettuce

1/2 cup finely chopped celery

3/4 cup frozen peas, thawed

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1/4 cup finely chopped green pepper

3 hard boiled eggs, diced

1 cup Miracle Whip

1 T sugar

2 T cream

2/3 cup grated cheddar cheese

3 T fried, crumbled bacon

Layer the lettuce, celery, peas, onion, green pepper, and eggs in an 8-inch casserole dish. Mix the Miracle whip, sugar, and cream. Spread over the veggies. Sprinkle the cheese and bacon on top. Refrigerate several hours or over night before serving.

Lemon Cream Cheese Bars

Aunt Shelah made these bars. They looked so refreshing. I regret not tasting one because I love me some cream cheese and lemon!

Please note: Shelah warned that she sort of threw this together, replacing a box cake mix with something homemade. There will be leftover homemade cake mix…maybe one of you readers could perfect the amounts so it’s more exact? She said she used the leftovers to make some pancakes. Added an egg and some milk or something like that. Sounds like a good plan.

“CAKE MIX”

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup white whole wheat flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 T baking powder

3/4 t salt

1 t lemon zest

2 T lemon juice

Mix together the flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Measure out 18 1/4 oz of this mixture and add the lemon zest and juice. This will be your cake mix for the bar recipe.

BARS

crust:

your homemade lemon cake mix

1/3 cup butter, softened

1 egg

Mix together and press into an ungreased 9 x 13 inch casserole dish.

filling:

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

1 t lemon zest

2 T lemon juice

2 eggs

1 t vanilla extract

1/2 t lemon extract

Beat the cream cheese until smooth. Gradually blend in the powdered sugar. Stir in the lemon zest and juice. Reserve 1/2 cup of this mixture for later use (refrigerate it).

Now, beat the eggs and extracts. Then, beat the remaining cream cheese mixture into the eggs. Spread this over the crust. Bake at 350 until set, about 25 to 30 minutes. Cool completely.

Spread the reserved cream cheese mixture onto the bars. Refrigerate until firm then cut into squares and serve.

Serves: 20

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