I was thinking almonds too until I saw you said no nuts. You could add some texture and taste interest by sprinkling chow mein noodles over the top. Or some wild and/or a really nutty brown rice? I like apples, grapes and craisins, but not with the curry.

My thought would be craisins! What other things are you serving besides fruit salad?

Don't cave with the almonds! I love nuts as food but rarely as ingredients. Feel free to leave out the dried fruit, too. Just off the top of my head, how about water chestnuts? Kind of mild but add some character.

Water chestnuts would be great too.

Hmmmm.....water chestnuts....hmmm???? Good idea!!....no one is ever allergic to water chestnuts are they??
Menu is chicken salad, pasta salad, fruit "salad" in reality just lots of seasonal fruit cut up..rolls or slices of bread.....it was suggested to do "toast points" of sliced bread, cut into quarters, sprayed with olive oil, sprinkled with dill and garlic....and browned in the oven.....not sure about that....sounds good to me but would some just consider we served old dry toast??
What do you think?

I've never heard of anyone allergic to water chestnuts.

If you're concerned about toast points, would it be that much more cost or effort to do French loaves and slice? Or slice the regular bread into fingers instead of triangles? But I don't think it would bother me one way or another. My family would call it garlic bread and love it in any shape or form.

And now I'll return the favor and agree with lascatx... was just about to suggest crostini (sp?) if budget allows and if you've got a source for baguettes.

(On the other hand, I wouldn't be too concerned about food reviews from those who would mistake toast points for stale bread. Or from those who report funeral food to Zagat.)

Plain raisins are fine. Plump them.

I'd eat all of it hahaha!

Well the choice was between halved fat slices of French bread....or cheap sliced bread cut into quarters oiled herbed and toasted. In the interest of labor, perhaps the French bread will win.
I can taste what plumped golden raisins will be like in that salad....but thinking of the big bowl of fruit with lots of grapes, I will go with water chesnuts.
Thanks for the advice...
Linda C

Too, too much labor involved in toast points! We serve rolls with chicken salad here.

Ummmm.....you let the family choose the menu? I'd try to get away from that since you are the person doing all this work.

Have you ever done a hot chicken salad? I can provide a recipe if you want. Really tasty, easy to put together, can be done ahead, and goes well with the menu you listed. Can be served any season of the year, too.

Teresa

I have a recipe for hot chicken salad....but this is easier....just mix and refrigerate....no keeping dishes in the safe temperature zone.
I don't let the family choose the menu....well mostly not~ I suggest....I did however let one widow talk me into serving roast loin of pork.
For this one I suggested ham and chicken sandwiches and she suggested chicken salad. I was delighted as that means I don't have to have a crew frantically making sandwiches the morning of the lunch.

Linda, I presume your chicken salad will have chopped celery? I don't know if your store will have it (here in sou California, all do), but jicama has a nice cruchy texture. Once peeled, it can be diced or cut in thin strips. Doesn't turn brown on sitting, either.

But I like your idea of chopped apples too, as long as they're on the tart side.

Good luck.

Ooh! Jicama....never thought of that,,,,
Yeah....celery..no onions, mayonaise sour cream....mostly mayo just a little lite(hate that0 sour cream to lighten it up, lemon juice and for this lime too and some ginger and curry powder and pineapple tidbits.
I asked for help and donated cookies at church this morning...volunteers were all over the place....so maybe we will do toast points. I think it would get raves....
Also...some idiot for a breakfast for the graduating seniors put half a pound of butter on 8 tables.....and then dumped what was leftover ( almost all of the half pound) into plastic bags and stuck in the refrig. I froze it in half pound lots...or close to. It's fine but ugly....just crying to be made into compound butter. I am thinking of grated lemon peel for this luncheon...I have some strawberry in the freezer from another thing....what else could I do with the ugly butter....besides make cookies?

Toasted Sesame seeds would be good if you're adding water chestnuts. (I haven't read all the way down to the bottom of the post, but it sounded like it could work with the ginger and water chestnuts.)

Most of it's done....just need to add the celery, pineapple and craisins to the chicken salad, put the cut up fruit into bowls and mix up.....and put the toasts in baskets on the tables. We bought cheap ordinary supermarket sandwich bread, brushed well with melted butter and sprinkled with a variety of herbs, some dill, some parsley, some oregano and some seasoned salt and put them in the oven to toast and dry out.
very labor intensive, but very delicious and I am sure they will be a huge hit!
2 sweet fruity salads and a pasta with some veggies and a vinaigrette type of dressing.....and cheap herbed buttered toast.
Not exactly "gourmet" but a durned sight better than any other church funeral luncheon....but for the one for my son in law's grandmother on the South Side in the Italian parish....with Italian salad and garlic bread and a choice of 2 or 3 fabulous baked pasta dishes.

Fig butter is fabulous! either on dinner rolls or with a nut bread or pumpkin bread. Not sure what purpose you have for a butter with this luncheon though.

No purpose for the butter... just thinking ahead....or of stashing in in the freezer.
Fig butter? Fresh figs?...impossible to find here....
Used about a pound of the "ugly butter" in making the toasted bread points.....but there are still several more pounds in the freezer. But those little buttery herbed toasted things are so good....I think we will do that again1

My reason for doing these lunches ( and all are not funeral related, but those we have time to plan) besides the fact that I was asked, are to not only provide a nice lunch for the family when someone has died, but to provide an atmosphere where conversation and hugs come easily and a place where the family can hang as long as they want, eat cookies ( I try to have a never ending supply) drink coffee and tea and chat with friends without any planning on their part.....and then walk out and leave the mess behind.
This man is the father of a dear friend who has hung around my house when he was young and single....he would turn up easily 2 days a week about 5:30 wondering if we had a glass of wine.....and always we did! I consider it a privilege to be part of this family celebration of a man's life.

Linda, do you have butter sitting out on the tables at the lunches? I was thinking you could soften & shape some into old-fashioned half-round balls, one per table.

I'm sure this lunch, as have the previous ones, turned out well & the family is very appreciative. They will think of it many times.

Time to put your feet up & have a sip of Scotch for another job well done.

Usually don't put butter on the tables.....just on the buffet table where you get your food. We used almost a pound of the "ugly butter" with the herbed toasts.

Scary meal!! Told to prepare for 100, 16 pounds of boneless chicken with 3 cups or so of celery 3 cans of pineapple and 20 oz package of craisins....3 pounds of pasta and some veggies...lots of fruit. ...we were thinking maybe 65...75... rainy day....pouring people coming in soaked that didn't have umbrellas......and they kept coming....had easily 160 in the church...my heart is pounding! The funeral director said not to worry we would lose lots on the trip to the cemetery......and I breathed easier. My kitchen helpers said, relax we have lots! Then about 35 to 40 people came into the hall while they waited for the burial....and I started hyperventilating again!!
In the end we served 70 people....the funeral director was spot on..... but there was only a quart of chicken salad left and a little more pasta salad. Had we had 100.....we would have run out of chicken and pasta...EEK! The son of the deceased, who is an old and dear friend said he had 2 helpings of chicken salad....I told him if we had 100 people I would have slapped his hand as he went for seconds!
Ya just never know....this is like the 50th funeral meal in 5 years.....and I still can't figure out how many people will come and what they will eat.
Linda c

Glad it went well, Linda!!!!

Lindac, my MIL was the head of the funeral-meal committee at her church for years. Then we were the ones that were the recipients of a meal just before HER funeral. Believe me, what you are doing is appreciated - knowing we have the fellowship of family and no one had to worry about what to bring, how to clean up, etc. So thank you for doing that for the families.

Keep up the good work.

Donna

Too late for a suggestion. Glad it went well. And my hat's off to you for doing this. I really applaud volunteers like this. What a nice thing to do to help out.