Help With Mother's Day Menu

[Janskitchen]

Need help from all you imaginative folks out there. For Mother's Day, the family will be gathering for a cookout. Nothing fancy, just burgers and dogs. I am bringing apps and a side. For apps, I'm doing stuffed grape leaves with an assortment of greek dips and pitas. What I need is ideas for a side. I want to shake things up a bit, while at the same time making something that will appeal to lots of palates. It would need to be cold or make ahead and heat at Sis's house. Any suggestions?

[valerie]

I like this Orzo with Roasted Vegetables. You could use quinoa instead and it's good too.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/in...

[gilintx]

My wife had great success bringing a basic green bean salad to things like this last summer. It's simply blanched green beans tossed with a dijon vinaigrette, some finely sliced shallot, and some toasted nuts. Can be served at room temperature, looks pretty, and is a real crowd-pleaser.

[pinehurst]

Spanakopita? Even the kids in our family will eat it happily.
A nice fresh fruit salad might be good? Supremes of orange and red grapefruit, cantaloupe and honeydew cubes, nice berries, grapes? Mango, fresh pineapple if available?

[katecm]

How about a quinoa salad? You could do it with tomatoes, cucumber, olives and feta and tie into the appetizer plan. Or something sweeter for mother's day, with dried fruits, nuts, goat cheese and an orange juice vinaigrette.

[chowser]

I love this red, white and blue potato salad:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo...

Pretty, delicious (much better than you think it'll be) and always a big hit at cookouts.