Minnesota Wild Rice Salad

June is here and this is the big party month: weddings, graduations, Dad’s day, garden parties, reunions—just to name a few. Any excuse will usually do for a party, but in June you have bona fide reasons and for many hosts it’s panic time.


Over the years that I have been a caterer and a bed and breakfast owner I have cooked for large and small groups in many different conditions and can share some really easy, really great recipes for your special occasion.

First, however, I must share a horror storiy, lest you think that I was born knowing how to do this. One of my first experiences in my own catering company, “Affairs To Remember,” was a home wedding for about 75 people. It was an outdoor ceremony and reception in early summer and the day dawned hot and sunny. The ceremony was scheduled for 3:00 with a full meal following. Chairs were set up on the lawn and a large tent nearby housed the tables for the reception. I had a crew of 3 young people (high school and college age) working—all had previous experience with me and were good workers. Everything went very smoothly at first—and although the temperature outside was rising rapidly; the house and kitchen were air conditioned and very comfortable.

Shortly before the ceremony, ominous clouds began to move in and the air became stifling and still. At 2:30 the downpour came—torrents of rain, so heavy you couldn’t see the white chairs sitting on the lawn right outside the kitchen window. The bride and her mother were distraught. Then, as suddenly as it started—it stopped. Relief showed on everyone’s faces as they hurriedly wiped off the chairs and set up the flower arbor. The ceremony went on as planned.

The reception was not quite as wonderful. The sun came out for about 1 hour and created a steam bath. After an hour, just as we were heating up food in the kitchen and beginning to carry the first dishes out to the tent, the wind came up and it began to pour again. The flaps came down on the tent making it stiflingly hot and humid inside. The amount of water that was running into the low spots in the yard was ankle-deep so that the workers rolled up their pants legs and sloshed through it from the house to the tent. All of the guests came into the house, overwhelming the air conditioning, and sweat was running down my face back in the kitchen.

Somehow we got the meal served and the party was going well—we were at the tail end of the clean up and about ready to leave when the clouds began to gather into walls and scallops. People were beginning to look at the sky and talk about tornadoes. Suddenly the sirens went off and everyone hustled to the house. Most of the people went down the basement—although there were a lot of young men who went into the garage and watched with the garage door open. The tornado touched down just 3 miles from the house. Of course my crew and I were in the basement and didn’t see the funnel cloud (okay by me), but I heard many descriptions and saw pictures that were pretty amazing.

Here’s hoping that our rough weather is over and it will be smooth sailing and sunny skies for your big event. Here are some tried and true large group recipes to make it easy and fun.

Wild Rice Salad (Serves 12)

4 cups cooked wild rice (1 cup)
4 large tangy red apples
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
4 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 cup slivered toasted almonds
4 ribs celery, sliced
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
4 tsp. sugar
2 cups halved red grapes

Chill the cooked wild rice. Dice the unpared apples and toss with mixture of lemon juice and brown sugar. Stir in the celery, wild rice, and grapes. Blend the mayonnaise with the sour cream and sugar; toss into the salad ingredients and mix well. Chill thoroughly, but no longer than 6-8 hours. Serve in lettuce-lined bowl. Sprinkle with almonds just before serving.

Strawberry/Spinach Salad

2 large bags baby spinach
1 bunch sliced green onions
½ cup toasted slivered almonds
2 pints strawberries

Dressing:

2/3 cup raspberry vinegar
2/3 cup sugar
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
1 cup canola oil

Wash spinach and sort. Discard any long stems. Wrap in terry towel and put into plastic bag. Chill no longer than 24 hours. When ready to assemble, slice green onions, halve or quarter strawberries and mix with almonds in large serving bowl. Mix dressing ingredients with a whisk or in a blender and serve on the side in a sauce boat with ladle.

Two plus Two Potatoes

2 large packages frozen hash brown potatoes
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
2 cups sour cream
1 can cream of celery soup
½ cup butter, melted
½ cup green onions, chopped
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. paprika
Dash pepper
2 cups crushed potato chips
¼ cup butter, melted

Mix sour cream, soup salt and pepper and green onion. Put hash browns, ½ cup butter and cheese in 9x13 sprayed baking dish. Pour soup mixture over. Mix gently. Top with crushed potato chips and drizzle with ¼ cup melted butter. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees.