Make a potato salad for Labor Day
The weekend coming up is Labor Day weekend and for many it means lots of company. It is the traditional last get together at camp or a time for many family reunions. The concern of every hostess at occasions like this is that there is enough food for everyone. Probably I get more phone calls about just how much food to prepare for bigger than normal groups than on any other subject. You want to be sure and have enough but nothing is sadder and more wasteful than leftover salad or tons of leftover spaghetti.
Even if you are not entertaining a large group this weekend you may have to, sometime, and I have a few good ideas for you to remember. Advance planning is essential and this includes locating larger pots and pans to make your job easier. Remember that you may need extra refrigeration space and sometimes you can make that by re-arranging your refrigerator temporarily, taking out some of those things that are “nice” to have in the refrigerator but will come to no harm if left out. The drinkables can always be left out and put in a big tub of ice. As a last resort you may have a friendly neighbor with some extra refrigeration space.
Check over your recipes carefully. A word of caution when making large batches of things like spaghetti sauce, don’t automatically increase the seasonings in the same proportion as other ingredients. Taste first, as most people will over-season in large batches, thinking that just because some things are more then everything else should be also.
A Potato Salad for a crowd is a good place to start. This is easy and good and will serve 50 people, allowing an ample 1/2-cup serving per person. Give that big crowd this salad and lots of hot dogs, hamburgers and buns and you have a great cook out.
POTATO SALAD
1/2 cup green pepper, chopped
5 quarts potatoes, cooked and cubed (about 9 lbs.
before cooking)
1 Tablespoon salt
1 Tablespoon paprika
2 Tablespoons very finely minced onion
1 cup French dressing
6 eggs, hard cooked, quartered
5 cups diced celery
1/2 cup pimientos, chopped
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 cups mayonnaise
or salad dressing
Combine the salt, paprika, minced onion and French dressing. Mix this with the potatoes and let them stand for 15 minutes. Add the eggs, celery, pimiento, green pepper and parsley and mix the ingredients together lightly. Add the mayonnaise or salad dressing and mix all together, lightly but well. This makes about 5 and 1/2 quarts of salad or enough for 50 servings.
A Macaroni Salad is another crowd pleaser. What a number of people forget to take into consideration is the “expansion” of macaroni after it has cooked. This is a basic salad and you can add other items to it but this is enough for 50 people, allowing a half-cup serving per person.
MACARONI SALAD
1 and 1/2 pounds elbow macaroni
3 cups sweet pickle, diced
3 and 1/2 cups cheese, cubed
3/4 cup green pepper, chopped
1/2-cup pimiento, cut in strips
4 cups diced celery
8 hard-cooked eggs, diced
2 Tablespoons salt
1 and 1/3 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing
1 and 1/3 cups chili sauce
Cook the macaroni in a large kettle with at least 1 and 1/2 gallons of boiling, lightly salted, water. It is better to cook it in 2 batches if you do not have a large kettle as you must have lots of water to properly cook any type of pasta. Cook just until the macaroni is tender, do not overcook. Drain well and rinse at once with lots of cold water and drain well again. Chill the macaroni. Mix the pickles, cheese, peppers, pimiento strips, celery and hard cooked eggs with the chilled macaroni and toss to combine. Combine the salt, mayonnaise or salad dressing and the chili sauce. Mix with the macaroni mixture, mix well but carefully. This makes about 6 quarts of salad or enough for about 50, 1/2 cup servings.
A big batch of Fruit Punch is a frequent request. This recipe uses a tea base and makes about 3 and 1/2 gallons of punch, enough for about 55, 1-cup (8-ounce) servings.
FRUIT PUNCH
5 cups granulated sugar
1 and 1/2 cups water
1 and 1/2 quarts tea infusion (made by combining 7 cups
boiling water with 6 Tbsp. “loose tea,” then strain)
4 quarts orange juice
2 quarts lemon juice
1 quart pineapple juice
1 quart cranberry juice
4 quarts ginger ale
Cracked ice
Combine the sugar and water and boil for 5 minutes. Set aside to cool. Combine the 7 cups of boiling water and the tea. Let steep for 5 minutes. Strain and cool. Combine the orange juice, lemon juice, pineapple juice and cranberry juice and mix well. Stir in the cooled sugar/water mixture and the tea infusion. Chill the whole mixture. Add the ginger ale and the cracked ice just before serving. This makes 3 and 1/2 gallons of punch or enough for 55, 1-cup servings.
