Cold Side Dish Ideas

Here's my new favorite: Cool Cucumber Pasta salad- super easy and super delicious! I found it at allrecipes.com

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Cool-Cucumber-Pasta/Detail.aspx

You've got some good ideas from other people, too. Happy Holidays!

I have something else with cranberry but it's actually easier and extremely good. All it has are 3 ingredients: whole berry canned cranberry sauce, fresh chopped orange and fresh chopped granny smith apple. Per every can of sauce you add 1 orange + 1 small/med apple. You mash up the cranberry sauce and throw in the chopped oranges and apples. You can add spices if you want like cinnamon or nutmeg but I usually don't. That's it! People love it.

My 2 favorite cold recipes for the holidays are the little cucumber canapes - I like fresh sliced french bread (some people use the party rye), 8 oz of cream cheese mixed with dill (I use the Pampered Chef dill mix), spread thin on the bread, top with a thin cucumber slice and sprinkle a little dill for garnish.

The other is jello salad with cranberry - from our church cookbook.

Here is the recipe - so easy!

CRANBERRY JELLO MOLD

1 (6 oz) raspberry jello
1 ¼ C. boiling hot water
1 can jellied cranberry sauce
1 large can crushed pineapple and juice
¾ C. water

Mix cranberry sauce with a wire whisk or fork. Dissolve jello into the hot water and then add the remaining ingredients. Pour into a fancy glass dish and let harden.

I have a Veggie Pizza that you make the night before so the flavor sinks in. It always goes over well and is served cold.

2 packages of crescent rolls
2 pkgs cream cheese
1 pkg of Hidden Valley Ranch dip powder mix
carrots, cauliflower, broccoli

Flatten both packages of the crescent rolls on a cookie sheet. Bake for the usual time, but don't let get too brown. Soften the cream cheese ( just let it sit out a bit or sit on top of the stove while the oven is on) and mix in the dip mix while crust is baking. When the crust cools, spread the cream cheese mixture over the crust evenly. Chop some carrots, cauliflower and broccoli into tiny pieces and sprinkle over the top. Since you don't use that much of the veggies (large pieces, anyway), I buy a bag of precut pieces in the fresh section of the grocery and just use those. They might cost more than just the non-cut kind, but at least things don't go to waste that way. Or you could cut up the rest for a veggie tray. Put in fridge overnight and cut into squares the next day. Serve on a plate or tray.

Have a great time at your get-togethers!

My sister in law makes Asian Coleslaw that is a huge hit. She mixes the wet ingredients the night before (and refridgerates it) then tosses it all in the morning, several hours before she is going to serve it. Our family and friends love it and it's always gone right away. Super easy and inexpensive to make: (The oranges are optional. We eat it without them)

Asian Coleslaw

1 package (16 ounces) shredded coleslaw mix
2 packages (3 ounces each) chicken flavor ramen noodles, crumbled
1 cup sliced almonds
1 can mandarin oranges, drained
1 cup toasted sunflower seeds
1 bunch green onions, chopped

For the dressing:
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup oil
1/3 cup vinegar
2 seasoning packets from the ramen noodles

Combine all dressing ingredients in a small bowl. In a large bowl, combine all salad ingredients. Add dressing and toss.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

~~~~~~~
Also, I make sausage balls...mix it all up and make into balls the night before. Keep in fridge, and in the morning, pop in the oven while I'm getting a shower/putting on makeup. Then toss in a crockpot while they're hot and take with me in the car wrapped in a towel. I just put in a tsp or two of water, and plug in where ever I take them--and in a short while they're warm and tasty, and they always go really fast! The recipe is here http://www.yesyoucancook.com/sausageballs.php
You can use either spicy or mild sausage. I like sharp cheddar cheese.

I make an awesome dill dip:

16oz sour cream
1 cup mayo
1tbsp parsely flakes
1tbsp chopped dried onion
1tsp dill weed
1tsp beaumonde seasoning (by spice islands)

Mix together and let sit overnight in the fridge. Serve with hawaiin or rye bread ripped up into little pieces.

You could also do pickle rolls...

Mix together cream cheese with a bit of worschestire sauce (maybe a tsp or so)
Spread cream cheese onto budding corn beef. Wrap the slice of corn beef around a whole dill pickle. Cut the wrapped pickle into slices. Serve on a tray chilled. People love these.

Happy Holidays!

I have a recipe for Brocco-slaw, which everyone raves about everytime I make it. It doesn't sound yummy, but it's really different, colorful and tasty.
You need:
2 pkgs of broccoli cole slaw (I get mine at Jewel)
2 pkgs of chicken ramen noodles (like college kids eat)
3/4 cup sliced or slivered almonds
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 bunch of green onions
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup sugar
2 Tbs. vinegar

Combine slaw, almonds, sunflower seeds & onions in large bowl.
Combine oil, sugar, vinegar & chicken flavor packet from ramen. Add to slaw mixture. Crush the remaining uncooked ramen noodles into the slaw. They will soften as thy sit. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours before serving.

There is a mexican salad recipe that is tradiational for christmas. It's very tasty. It is jicama, oranges, and cooked beets, with cilantro and lime juice for dressing. Pretty simple, very different and super delicious! It's called "ensalada noche buena" if you want to google a recipe, but basically you peel and shred the jicama, cut the oranges any way you want, cook peel and cut the beets any way you want, toss it together and put chopped cilantro on top and lot of lime juice. good luck!

Something that I like to make for parties is to take bosc pears and cute them into slices and wrap prosciutto around them. People love it and many of them have never seen it before.

Good Luck,
D.

I have a very good fruit salad recipe. I am always asked to bring it to parties. I can e-mail it to you if you give me your e-mail address.

QUICK AND EASY MANDARIN ORANGE SALAD

10 oz. pkg. miniature marshmallows
11 oz. can mandarin oranges, well drained
8 1/4 oz. can crushed pineapple, well drained
1 sm container Cool Whip

Mix all ingredients together. Can be served as a salad or dessert.

Hi Celina Here's a few sides: Tortilla wraps, spinach dip, stuff jalapeno peppers. You can also find some on line.

Hi Celina,

I have a cranberry jello salad recipe that was passed down from my grandmother. I recently made it for a church event, and it went over very well:

2 boxes of cranberry jello
1 can of cranberry sauce (with the whole cranberries)
water - you need 1-2/3 cups for EACH box of jello
1/4 cup celery (I add more because it gives nice crunch)
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Mix jello, cranberry sauce and water. Let it sit in frig for about 1-2 hours. Then add celery and pecans, which will kind of "float" around in the jello. Sounds strange to add celery, but it gives a nice texture as does the whole cranberries from the sauce.\

Good luck!

great alternative to pasta salad:

1 cup orzo pasta (rice shaped) cook and mix with:
chopped sun-dried tomatoes
chopped red onion
chopped kalamata olives
baby spinach
crumbled feta cheese
add some pepper and olive oil and toss

yummy too if you add a little bit of the oil from the sun-dried tomato jar

enjoy your parties!

I'm a fan of ambrosia, it is so simple to make, and it makes a ton!

I like to do a fancy platter of different stuff: small red grapes, 2-3 kinds of unique crackers, 2-3 kinds of gourmet cheese, a little bowl of figs (cut in half before leaving home), a little bowl of whole almonds, a little bowl of dried cranberries or cherries, a little bowl of chocolate covrered nuts of some sort. An interesting variety and there's something for everyone, and you can pre-prepare in zip lock bags, bring a few cheese knives, bring the little bowls, bring the platter, then unpack everything and prepare artistically right before you walk in (or right after you walk in, in the kitchen).

How about Waldorf Salad. Very yummy. Apples, celery, mayo, nuts.