Christian (14) and Gracie (2) share a birthday and since Gracie hangs out at our house while her mom is in school, it was only natural to throw a family party for them. We had steak salad, fruit salad, baked beans, tomato and mozzarella salad, rolls and custard cake.
Steak salad:
Marinate a flank steak in Italian dressing overnight (or use a combination of Italian dressing and teriyaki). Grill it in the morning and boil the marinade. Cut the steak into bite-sized pieces and continue to marinate in the fridge. Boil some quartered red potatoes and marinate those in a vinaigrette dressing as well. When you are ready to assemble the salad, put the steak in the bottom of the bowl and the potatoes on top of the steak. Cover with spring mix. Add a layer of grated cheese. Sprinkle chopped red peppers on top. Defrost frozen peas under running water and ring the perimeter of the bowl with peas. This looks so pretty and the marinated meat and potatoes are more than enough dressing for the whole salad. My kids are not picky eaters and they love this, but I've noticed that other kids do too. Since it can all be done ahead and assembled quickly, it makes great summertime party fare. Note to my dear friend whose husband will eat neither beef nor cheese: substitute chicken but do the same marinating before and after. Substitute shredded carrots for the grated cheese but consider a thin layer of ranch dressing right beneath the carrots just to give it some body.
