recipe help please!

[liamsaunt]

OK, I know I could go searching a cooking forum but I am lazy so I figured I would ask you guys.

Sunday I am going to a cookout with John's extended family. Last night his aunt called me and asked me to bring a "salad--any kind I like." Here is the problem: These people HATE MY FOOD! Every time I bring something, they don't eat it. They have very, very plain tastes.

Here is a list of things I have brought that they have not eaten (well, I eat it, and John, and my brother in law, but that's it!): Caprese salad. Tortellini salad with a simple vinaigrette and roasted peppers. Greek salad. Ceasar salad (!!). Grilled shrimp salad. There are so many more, but I have forgoten them.

Anyway, I am looking for a recipe that is a crowd pleaser for people with simple tastes. Ideally, it won't be too expensive because odds are it won't get eaten. I'm thinking the kind of dish you would bring to a church potluck.

This is the menu so far:

hot dogs and hamburgers
baked beans
lettuce salad with sliced tomatoes and cucumbers
spaghetti salad (cold spaghetti with miracle whip and sliced pimento stuffed olives...nothing else)
potato salad (potatoes with miracle whip and sliced hard boiled eggs...nothing else--not even salt)
bread
chips and onion dip
guacamole.

Help!!

I really, really love these people, and food is not the focus of this event at all. It would be nice to make something they'd actually eat though!! Only restriction: it needs to be a side salad of a different style than what is already being brought. Definitely not a main dish--everyone needs to eat a hamburger ! Finally, no red meat please, and no pork.

Thanks! I'll check back later this evening and hopefully someone will have rescued me with their brilliant ideas.

[jigzmom]

Fruit salad? Melon, strawberries, grapes, blueberries, whatever fruit you think they may like. No dressing, just fruit. Simple, easy -- and no Miracle Whip!!

[mbw1024]

wow tough crowd!

[mbw1024]

how about this

ORZO, PINE NUT, AND FETA SALAD
Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 30 min
1 lb orzo
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
1 1/4 cups feta (6 oz), crumbled
1 cup thinly sliced scallion greens
Cook orzo in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water until tender, then drain well in a colander.
Whisk together lemon juice, oil, and salt and pepper to taste in a large bowl, then add hot orzo and toss. Cool orzo, then toss with pine nuts, feta, and scallion greens. Season with salt and pepper.
Cooks' note:
• Toast pine nuts in a shallow baking pan in a 350°F oven until golden, 5 to 10 minutes.
Makes 8 side-dish servings.

this might be too daring

Rice Salad with Pesto and Shrimp
- serves 4 -
Adapted from Sicilian Home Cooking by Wanda Tornabene and Giovanna Tornabene.
Ingredients
6 stalks asparagus, ends removed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup rice
1/2 pound shrimp
2 tomatoes, chopped
4 tablespoons pesto
salt and pepper
Procedure
1. Toss the rice into a pot with 2 cups of water. Add a pinch of salt and a tablespoon of butter. Bring the water to a boil and then reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, keep covered, and set aside for 5-10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and lay out on a pan to cool down.
2. Remove the shells from the shrimp. Toss in a pot filled with water. Bring to a boil. Remove the shells with a strainer and then toss in the shrimp. Turn off the heat, cover, and set aside for 8-10 minutes. When done toss in some ice water to chill. Dry on some paper towels.
3. Meanwhile, cook the asparagus pieces in some simmering water for 5 minutes. When done, shock them in ice water, and then dry on paper towels.
4. When the rice has cooled add the asparagus and shrimp. Toss until combined. Then add about half the pesto, mix together, and see how it looks. If it's too dry, add the rest. Toss in the chopped tomatoes and season with salt

OR

The briny flavor of olives combines with creamy mozzarella and a tangy vinaigrette for a pasta salad that’s a shoo-in for everything from office lunches to summer picnics.
INGREDIENTS
• 1 pound orecchiette or conchiglie pasta
• 8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, drained, small dice
• 3 ounces baby spinach (about 4 cups), thoroughly washed and dried
• 1 1/2 cups pitted and halved kalamata olives
• 1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Bring a medium pot of heavily salted water to a boil over high heat. Cook pasta according to the package instructions, or until al dente. Drain, then rinse under cold water until cool.
2. Transfer pasta to a large bowl and add mozzarella, spinach, olives, and Parmesan. Toss to combine.
3. In a separate, nonreactive bowl, combine vinegar, salt, and pepper. Whisking constantly, slowly add oil by pouring in a thin stream down the side of the bowl. Whisk until completely incorporated. Pour vinaigrette over salad

[PA Girl]

I don't have any cousins named John.

Seriously, you just described my family.

Macaroni and cheese. Use elbows. They will be so comforted by familar pasta that you can sneak in "fancy" cheese

[waterguy]

how about spinch strawberry and walnut salad

spinch leaves
a cup of toasted walnuts Ilike to add a little sugar to glaze them.
2 cups cut up strawberries

for the dressing
1 cup vinegar
3/4 cup sugar
1 tbls poppy seeds
1 onion diced
2 teaspoons dry mustard
mix the dressing stuff together a day ahead and make sure you mix again be fore you put it on the salad it makes alot of dressing use just what you need to their tastes
Tom

[Bug]

Hi Liamsaunt:

I am a "Plain Jane Picky Eater" who would never eat most your food. Don't get me wrong, I love looking at all your creations and wish I was that talented. No disrespect indended So, my point is...your asking the right person.

Try a 7 layer salad. It looks nice and even picky people (like me) eat it

7-LAYER SALAD

Thick layer of lettuce
Thin layer of bell pepper
Thin layer of onions
Thin layer of celery
1 can drained green peas
4 chopped boiled eggs
1/2 tsp. sugar
1 c. mayonnaise
Grated cheese
Bacon bits
Tiny salad tomatoes, if desired

Layer lettuce, bell pepper, onions, celery, green peas and boiled eggs. Top with dressing of 1/2 cup sugar to 1 cup mayonnaise. Top with grated cheese and sprinkle with bacon bits. May use tiny salad tomatoes, if desired

[deejayjay]

We too are simple eaters. I would choose the mixed fruit bowl. Its simple and unadulterated, and the menu contains no fruit so far, so it would balance the meal. They won't like the other suggestions. They are too fancy.

[Xislandgirl]

Hi Liamsaunt:

I am a "Plain Jane Picky Eater" who would never eat most your food. Don't get me wrong, I love looking at all your creations and wish I was that talented. No disrespect indended So, my point is...your asking the right person.

Try a 7 layer salad. It looks nice and even picky people (like me) eat it

7-LAYER SALAD

Thick layer of lettuce
Thin layer of bell pepper
Thin layer of onions
Thin layer of celery
1 can drained green peas
4 chopped boiled eggs
1/2 tsp. sugar
1 c. mayonnaise
Grated cheese
Bacon bits
Tiny salad tomatoes, if desired

Layer lettuce, bell pepper, onions, celery, green peas and boiled eggs. Top with dressing of 1/2 cup sugar to 1 cup mayonnaise. Top with grated cheese and sprinkle with bacon bits. May use tiny salad tomatoes, if desired

We call that 24 hour salad. We skip the eggs and let it sit overnight. It is crazy good.

[aroobagirl]

Way simple, even picky people like it.


AMBROSIA SALAD
2 cans pineapple chunks, drained
2 cans mandarin oranges, drained
2 jars maraschino, drained
1 can coconut flakes
1/2 bag mini marshmallows
4 oz. sour cream
16 oz. Cool Whip
Combine sour cream and Cool Whip. Fold in all other ingredients. Chill covered for at least 2 hours.

[Jo Ann - VA]

Everyone in my family likes the broccoli, cheese and bacon salad.
I don't have the specific measurements here at work but it has:

Broccoli - cut into bite size pieces (3 stalks)
1/4 to 1/2 cup of red onion
1/2 cup of grated cheddar cheese
8 slices of cooked bacon crumbled
Some people also add things like raisin or sunflower seeds too.

Dressing - add right before serving"
1/2 cup of mayo
2 Tablespoons of red wine vinegar
1/4 cup of sugar.

Hope this helps!

[pjayer]

Sounds to me like they enjoy dishes made with very few ingredients. My guess is if you were to buy packaged chopped cabbage and stir in Marzetti's slaw dressing they'd be over the moon.

[LysaC]

I'd go with mixed fruit salad too- plain jane style:

melons (cantalope, water, honeydew), blueberries, stawberries, mandarin orange slices, halved grapes, no dressing.

[liamsaunt]

I brought a fruit plate once....they did not eat it. One aunt always brings a ton of baked goods--cakes etc. (storebought of course!) so I think those satisfies everyone's sweet tooth.

Thanks for the suggestions so far. Some of them are defintely too fancy but I just will have to make them for myself! I think part of it, too, is that a group of them are older and they don't like to try new things. Which is OK, of course!

I'm leaning towards the salad suggested by bugblu (with the bacon on the side) but if anyone else has ideas let me know!

I just had an idea....devilled eggs! Picky eaters, do you like devilled eggs? I figure they are kind of retro, and I could put them on greens...hmmm...

[NoTanLines]

spaghetti salad (cold spaghetti with miracle whip and sliced pimento stuffed olives...nothing else)
potato salad (potatoes with miracle whip and sliced hard boiled eggs...nothing else--not even salt)

Hah, I wouldn't eat either of those!

I'd go with the fruit salad also. Everyone likes fruit, right? Right?