party recipes part one

I have SEVERAL party recipes I haven't shared, so I thought I'd split them among a couple posts.  First up, from Ryann's birthday party, the spring vegetable pasta salad.  Like I said before, this pasta salad was a big hit.  I loved it!  But for the record?  I don't think it is the healthiest.  It makes approximately 24 servings, and each serving is 310 calories.  Eek.  But really, it is delicious.

Spring Vegetable Pasta Salad
from Betty Crocker's Spring Celebrations, April 2001

Ingredients
lemon mayonnaise (below)
2 packages (16 ounces each) medium pasta shells
3 pounds asparagus, blanched and cut into four inch pieces
2 pounds snap pea pods, blanched
16 medium green onions, sliced (1 cup)
2 medium yellow bell peppers, coarsely chopped (2 cups)

Directions
1.  Make lemon mayonnaise.
2.  Cook and drain pasta as directed on package.  Rinse with cold water; drain.
3.  Mix pasta and remaining ingredients in large bowl.  Stir in lemon mayonnaise until well mixed.  Cover and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours or until chilled.

Lemon Mayonnaise
2 cups mayonnaise or salad dressing
1 cup plain fat-free  yogurt
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh or 1 tablespoon dried tarragon leaves
1 teaspoon salt
Mix all ingredients until well blended.

Next up, the Mongolian Beef Sticks from Ry's party.  I honestly didn't have any of these at the party.  I'm not sure why, but I didn't.  However there was some beef that was never cooked, and I know we used it in a stir fry the following day.  That was great!  And I'm pretty sure these went over really well with the guys...

 the beef sticks are on the 3 tiered stand, only picture I have of them :o)

Mongolian Beef Sticks
from Southern Living Ultimate Book of Appetizers, 2001

Ingredients
2 1/2 pounds flank steak
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons peanut oil
2 tablespoons seasame oil
2 tablespoons dry sherry
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, crushed

Directions
1.  Slice steak diagonally across grain into 1/8-inch thick strips.  Place in a large heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag.  Set aside.
2.  Combine hoisin sauce and remaining 8 ingredients; stir well.  Pour marinade over steak; seal bag securely.  Marinate in refrigerator 8 hours, turning occasionally.
3.  Remove steak from marinade, discarding marinate; thread steak onto 32 (6-inch) wooden skewers.  Broil strips 3 inches from heat 2 to 3 minutes on each side or to desired degree of doneness.
*Make sure to soak your skewers in water for at least 10 minutes before threading the steak!

I hope these recipes will be useful to at least a couple of you!  If you ever use them come back and leave a comment, I love to know when the recipes I pass along have been tried out.

Enjoy!