Potluck fails - help

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are you going to pot lucks that do not have the same participants? If so, ask the maker of a popular dish for the recipe and take that dish to a different potluck with different people.

When you ask for the recipe, explain what you did here and also assure the person that you will not make the dish for potlucks the person will be attending so they know you aren't 'stealing' their recipe - you'd be surprised how possessive people can be about common recipes. Be complimentary and self-effacing and hopefully the person is nice enough to want to help you; I would.

I'm sure this is well intended advice, but: don't do this OP. You're already putting in too much mental time and energy, no need to create a "borrowed recipe rolodex" and check every party invite list against it. Bring a simple Peruvian dish or a cut fruit tray from Safeway. Simplify your life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are you going to pot lucks that do not have the same participants? If so, ask the maker of a popular dish for the recipe and take that dish to a different potluck with different people.

When you ask for the recipe, explain what you did here and also assure the person that you will not make the dish for potlucks the person will be attending so they know you aren't 'stealing' their recipe - you'd be surprised how possessive people can be about common recipes. Be complimentary and self-effacing and hopefully the person is nice enough to want to help you; I would.

What?! Is this the "immigrant as subservient person" trope? Ridiculous. Just do something simple, OP, and call it a day. No need to twist yourself into knots and agonize.

[Anonymous]

I've made this classic americana tomato pie and it always gets eaten (you have to use good, in season tomatoes) https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/tomato-cheddar-pie

Otherwise I do fruit salad or a simple dessert. Deviled eggs are good if you are going to be somewhere reasonably cool.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Make a Peruvian dish! I would much prefer trying that than traditional American potluck fare.

This!!!! And label it as such (Peruvian whatever dish) so I know you made it. Also even if you have leftovers you’ll also have something you enjoy eating.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Never peanuts. Sundried tomatoes are very passe. You are right to be asking for current suggestions

+1 A lot of people don't like sundried tomatoes. And even olives (which I personally love) are not crowd pleasers. The dessert sounds ok, but probably too sweet for some, too much going on for others (some people may not like nuts or marshmallows). You would have done better with good quality brownies.

Things I've brought to potlucks that have been 100% eaten are: guacamole, a bean/corn/tomato salad, a green bean/almond side dish (but not so good with nut allergies), chicken satay/skewers, and turkey and cheese on a hawaiian roll sliders which are dead easy to make and not particularly elegant but were gobbled up like they were the last food on earth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are you going to pot lucks that do not have the same participants? If so, ask the maker of a popular dish for the recipe and take that dish to a different potluck with different people.

When you ask for the recipe, explain what you did here and also assure the person that you will not make the dish for potlucks the person will be attending so they know you aren't 'stealing' their recipe - you'd be surprised how possessive people can be about common recipes. Be complimentary and self-effacing and hopefully the person is nice enough to want to help you; I would.

What?! Is this the "immigrant as subservient person" trope? Ridiculous. Just do something simple, OP, and call it a day. No need to twist yourself into knots and agonize.

This was my advice and I'm not an immigrant. Sorry you wouldn't find it helpful, but I'm someone who doesn't cook much but wants to cook something people will like. To me it's a lot easier to ask a person at work for their recipe and bring it to a neighborhood potluck (or vice versa) than try to figure out what would taste good to others. For the other person above, all recipes are borrowed; very rarely are people creating their own recipes.

But hey, it's just advice, feel free to take it or leave it if it doesn't suit you.

[Anonymous]

My potluck got-tos are brownies (Barefoot Contessa recipe or Ghirardelli boxed mix) and pigs in a blanket. DCUM will scoff but they always - and I mean always - get eaten. I've experimented with "fancier" fare and it never goes over as well as something classic and familiar.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are you going to pot lucks that do not have the same participants? If so, ask the maker of a popular dish for the recipe and take that dish to a different potluck with different people.

When you ask for the recipe, explain what you did here and also assure the person that you will not make the dish for potlucks the person will be attending so they know you aren't 'stealing' their recipe - you'd be surprised how possessive people can be about common recipes. Be complimentary and self-effacing and hopefully the person is nice enough to want to help you; I would.

What?! Is this the "immigrant as subservient person" trope? Ridiculous. Just do something simple, OP, and call it a day. No need to twist yourself into knots and agonize.

This was my advice and I'm not an immigrant. Sorry you wouldn't find it helpful, but I'm someone who doesn't cook much but wants to cook something people will like. To me it's a lot easier to ask a person at work for their recipe and bring it to a neighborhood potluck (or vice versa) than try to figure out what would taste good to others. For the other person above, all recipes are borrowed; very rarely are people creating their own recipes.

But hey, it's just advice, feel free to take it or leave it if it doesn't suit you.

You're literally advising her to keep track of who she borrowed each recipe from with a promise to never bring it to a potluck they will be at, to avoid offending them at future parties. It's not the borrowed part that's a PITA, it's your proposed rolodex.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Make a Peruvian dish! I would much prefer trying that than traditional American potluck fare.

+1 Bring something you know how to make that can sit out for a couple of hours. Don't try to recreate 1950s American dishes.

As a bonus, this way if nobody eats it you can just tell yourself they're provincial, not that it was bad.

THIS! I only bring things to pot lucks that I'm happy to have leftovers of. Sometimes I do and sometimes I don't. Once I brought an apple crisp to a thanksgiving pot luck and didn't even get to try it; another time I took tea eggs to a friend's party and no one ate any so I had them as snacks for a few days. You can never predict what the other attendees will be in the mood for, so I recommend pleasing yourself. I would probably have tried both your dishes, but maybe not eaten a ton just based on my tastes. I also never eat other people's devilled eggs because I'm weirdly picky about them. If you really want something that will disappear, though, it's hard to go wrong with fresh sliced watermelon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are you going to pot lucks that do not have the same participants? If so, ask the maker of a popular dish for the recipe and take that dish to a different potluck with different people.

When you ask for the recipe, explain what you did here and also assure the person that you will not make the dish for potlucks the person will be attending so they know you aren't 'stealing' their recipe - you'd be surprised how possessive people can be about common recipes. Be complimentary and self-effacing and hopefully the person is nice enough to want to help you; I would.

What?! Is this the "immigrant as subservient person" trope? Ridiculous. Just do something simple, OP, and call it a day. No need to twist yourself into knots and agonize.

This was my advice and I'm not an immigrant. Sorry you wouldn't find it helpful, but I'm someone who doesn't cook much but wants to cook something people will like. To me it's a lot easier to ask a person at work for their recipe and bring it to a neighborhood potluck (or vice versa) than try to figure out what would taste good to others. For the other person above, all recipes are borrowed; very rarely are people creating their own recipes.

But hey, it's just advice, feel free to take it or leave it if it doesn't suit you.

You're literally advising her to keep track of who she borrowed each recipe from with a promise to never bring it to a potluck they will be at, to avoid offending them at future parties. It's not the borrowed part that's a PITA, it's your proposed rolodex.

I may have overstated that. I just meant that you don't want to bring Aunt Sally's Recipe That She Always Makes At Christmas to the family Christmas dinner with Aunt Sally because of course she's going to make that. More like, if you have different groups in your life, it's fine to bring Aunt Sally's thing to the book club meeting but not to family Christmas. That is not keeping a rolodex.

[Anonymous]

OP - just make (or buy!) brownies or cookies for a dessert and then bring chips/salsa or pigs in a blanket as the side, if you need to cook something. Pot lucks are kind of gross with kids into everything, food sitting out forever, etc. The food you made sounds great, and my kids (and I) would have devoured those bars, but you don't win any points for bringing the best most delicious food to a pot luck. I love to cook and used to go all out to make wonderful food that would get passed up for Lofthouse cookies and hot dogs, so now I bring the junk or buy a veggie tray at the grocery store and call it a day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Make a Peruvian dish! I would much prefer trying that than traditional American potluck fare.

Absolutely this.

[Anonymous]

Stop considering it a fail if it is not finished. Potlucks often have leftover food. If every person brings a dish that feeds many, there are going to be lots of leftovers.

That being said, I agree with everyone that said bring something Peruvian. That or go simple. If these involve kids - brownies, chocolate chip cookies, cut up watermelon.

[Anonymous]

Another vote for making something from Peru!

[Anonymous]

If you want your potluck dishes to be finished, make things that are finger food or individually portioned and easily picked up and eaten.

Many people do not like runny, messy food that touches other food and mixes.
Never bring a food that can’t be eaten with just a fork, while standing and holding a plate. No cutting. No spoon food.

Little sandwiches on King’s Hawaiian rolls
Pigs in a blanket
Pizza bites in pilsbury croissant dough
Mini muffin meatloafs
Meatballs with dipping sauce on the side
Things made in wonton or egg roll wrappers
Mexican taco “cups” made with tortillas baked in the shape of a muffin tin
Bruschetta
Items arranged on a toothpick to be eaten in a bite
Individually cut brownies or Rice Krispie treats - don’t make a pan that people cut their own
Any sort of cookie