The Thirty-Third Annual . . .

It's always great to see a project become an "Annual".    It's even better to see a project celebrate the "10th Annual".    But to find a project that is now celebrating it's 33rd Annual is really an accomplishment.     

The original organizers of the project are often no longer around and so often when projects hit that 15 or 20 year mark, the project seems stale and often attendance and enthusiasm go down.

No so with the Annual Salad Luncheon at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Nevada, Missouri.     For this was the 33rd year that they've held their Salad Luncheon.  

It was our church for the time that we lived in Nevada but when we moved to the little town 20 miles west of there, we chose to also transfer to the church in our town.     It was a hard decision to make, for we loved the church and were good friends with many of the members and our daughter was about to enter confirmation.

And in those years that we lived in Nevada, I was part of the Salad Luncheon -- the early years!     I chaired the project one year, I co-chaired the decoration committee, I was on the food committee, I sold tickets, I made salads (and one year made all the desserts), and always took a vacation day so I could work the Salad Luncheon.

When we moved, I still kept in touch with several members and they always alerted me to Salad Luncheon time.     Except for last year  (when we were in England) I don't think I've missed a luncheon!

Wednesday was Salad Luncheon Day and friends Sally and JoAnn headed east anticipating a lovely luncheon.

The fellowship hall filled round tables covered in gay cloths.      You don't want to arrive too late for often you have to wait for a seat (or three seats together).

And what was a ladies project has turned into a congregational project and both men and women "man" the kitchen!

The first year, the "formula" for the luncheon was decided upon -- 2 vegetable salads, 2 meat salads and 2 fruit salads, a bread and a dessert.

The choices this year:

The Vegetable Salads:

Sauerkraut Salad

(A Weight Watchers recipe)

Harvest Salad

(A Diabetic friendly salad)

The Meat Salads:

Cashew Chicken

Teriyaki Beef

The Fruit Salads:

Berry Delightful Spinach Salad

Fruity Cheese Cake Salad

We had different sorts of bread the first few years and then one year, we found this recipe . . . it has been a tradition ever since:

Sally's Breadsticks

And we always have dessert -- nothing big but a small bite of a dessert.     This year's dessert was:

Strawberry Cream Cheese Cookie Tarts

Friend Anna had given me the recipe a few weeks before and I had made them when some of my gardening friends came and joined me for tea in the garden (Garden Friends for Tea).    They are exceptionally good!

But the best thing about the luncheon is that the recipes are always given so that you can make these tasty salads at home.

It's Friday and I'm joining Michael at Designs by Gollum for Foodie Friday.