A June Tradition -- Salads!

The church we belonged to when we lived in Nevada, Missouri

St. Paul's Lutheran

Holds a Salad Luncheon every year as a fundraiser.

I forget initially what we were raising funds for

But it's been happening ever since 1979

(with only two cancellations in those 39 years)

And over those 37 years, it has raised lots of money not only for St. Paul's

but also for local charities

(this year it was Nevada's Outreach Soup Kitchen)

As we came in, there was a rosette iron

(a very welcomed cookie for the first few luncheons)

And the three cookbooks that St. Paul's had published

The ladies were busy in the kitchen . . . 

A much bigger kitchen in this newer church

than the first 10 or so luncheons they had in the old one.

The kitchen built, I am sure, with the salad luncheon in mind!

A tradition is giving the recipes for the salads

 \

Instead of filing them in with recipes I like to try,

they now get tucked into the blue St. Paul's cookbook

(which means that I have each and every salad recipe since the first one in 1979)

They decided that this year they would recreate that very first one

Held on December 4, 1979

So decorations were Christmas!

evergreen surrounding a candleholder with a red candle

(the very same decorations they used for that first one)

They also decided to serve two meat, two vegetable and two fruit salads

along with a bread and dessert

They've kept to that tradition every year since

(although the first few years one of the meat salads was always a hot one --

now all of the salads are cold)

And the salads this year?

Patsy's Taco Salad

A yummy taco salad dressed with Catalina dressing

Layered Salad

It falls into the meat category because it has bacon in it

Carol's Potato Salad

An eggless potato salad 

 24 Hour Cabbage Slaw

A perennial favorite

Cranberry raspberry salad

There is always a jello salad

 Fruit Salad

An old favorite often taken to potlucks or salad suppers made with

a can of peach pie filling

And there has to be bread

(Susie, one of the original chairs, insists on it)

And although the first two or three luncheons didn't use this recipe,

it is now always served.

A simple recipe made from hot dog buns

There is dessert for everyone and for the first few, dessert was rosettes

Member Julie Sits made all 400 plus rosettes for the dessert this year!

And early on, when it was held in December, beside dessert, the ladies raised even more

money by selling Christmas cookies -- a plate of 12 at those early luncheons was $1

(but it was all profit for each lady was tasked with brining a couple of batches of Christmas cookies.

The members on the day before would make mixed plates of cookies, wrap them in Saran Wrap and stick a bow on them.    They always sold out!

I have done my part in chairing the luncheon, chair of decorations, baking all of the desserts one year (Linda's holiday crescents), and, of course, helping to serve and clean up and dish up the day of.

I must admit that it is nice to come as a guest!

Thank you, St. Paul's, for a great late spring/early summer tradition!