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What do you bring to potlucks?
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Anonymous
| I am a good cook, but I always freeze up when it comes time to bring a dish to parties. I don't want to bring something that someone else brings, I want people to like it, I want it to be able to sit out without getting cold/off, etc. What do you usually bring? And please if you could stick to food that you make yourself, not pick up at stores please. |
Anonymous
| pesto pasta |
zumbamama
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|
Pasta is good at room temp. Maybe a pasta dish with your own unique twist.
Sushi? Thai chicken lettuce wraps? Babaganoosh with bread...I know I didn't spell that right. I always bring Lumpia (filipino egg rolls) or Pancit (like Chinese Lo Mein), but there are 3 other families who bring the same. What I never see is salad. Tons of main courses, but no salad. So this year I'm bringing salad! |
Anonymous
| Once I made plaintain chips out of thinly sliced green plantains (sprinkled with salt). People started following me at the front porch and by the time I was inside I had a small crowd with me |
Anonymous
|
Spinach dip in a carved out round loaf of bread.
A good pasta salad. |
zumbamama
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Ooh that sounds yummy! I make fried plantains with brown sugar sprinkled on them...but I eat them hot right out of the pan. |
Anonymous
| A really good salad -- toasted spicy pecan, crumbled blue cheese, mixed greens, maybe some thinly sliced pear or cranberries, and home-made vinaigrette. |
Anonymous
|
I make a Mexican Penne pasta that I got out of a 5 ingredients or less book. Everyone LOVES it adn always asks about. It's different from most pasta dishes cause it uses salsa instead of marinara. Simple but good and feeds a lot.
1lb ground beef, 1/2 bx penne, 2 (16oz) jars of salsa, 1 (15oz can of black beans) 2 c shredded Mexican blend cheese I always leave the beans out because I hate beans especially black ones. I also like it with more salsa. Brown the beef, cook the pasta. Add pasta, salsa (and beans) to skillet; mix well. Spread half in a 9x13 baking dish top with half the chesse. Repeat. Cover and bake at 350 for 35 -40 minutes. |
Anonymous
| Also I use the whole box of penne. I pretty much double everything but the ground beef. I use 1 1/2 lbs. |
Anonymous
| I always bring homemade mac and cheese because a) it is the best thing I make, b) everyone asks for it anyway and c) it still tastes really good at room temp. |
Anonymous
|
I usually bring a nice salad like a PP suggested - not lettuce, tomato and cucumber, but something "fancy" like a spinach salad with toasted pecans and strawberries. I want there to be something healthy to eat in case everyone else brings heavy casseroles.
Depending on the season and what other foods are served, you can also do a nice corn/black bean/bell pepper/chopped tomato salad. Squeeze on some lime juice, add salt & pepper & fresh cilantro, garnish with a slice of lime and a big sprig of cilantro. Beautiful & yummy! My alternative to salads is a pesto pasta, also suggested by a PP - homemade pesto and interesting-shaped pasta with grape tomatoes. Finally, I very often bring homemade guacamole. If it's a bbq or summer party in our neighborhood, someone usually asks me to bring that since I make it so often (and it's really good!). All of these are easy to transport and can sit out at room temperature for a while. If you want to put slightly more effort into transporting it & keeping it warm, barbecue meatballs are always really popular. I just use frozen meatballs (Costco has good ones that are the perfect size) and a homemade barbecue sauce but you can also use a good bottled sauce an d/or make your own meatballs from scratch. You can do these in a crockpot and bring the whole thing with you and just plug it in and keep it on warm, or you can simmer them on the stovetop and bring a chafing dish to keep them warm. For my husband's office party, I sent him with my crockpot, the bag of frozen meatballs, and the BBQ sauce, he put everything in the pot and turned it on when he got to work, and by lunchtime when they had the party, the meatballs were ready. There were none leftover. (This is a man who can barely make a bowl of cereal, so it's obviously very easy!) |
Anonymous
| Deviled eggs -- they can be simple, or made fancier with a dollop of pesto or crab meat mixed into the filling. |
Anonymous
| I bring a homemade macaroni and cheese casserole, baked spaghetti, brownies, cupcakes, deviled eggs, or dip and crackers. Potlucks are big in my circle of friends. |
Anonymous
|
main dishes --
baked ziti or penne with sausage (very popular with teens at team dinners -- kids Hoover it up) baked ham with chutney -- slice it and serve slice bisquits or rolls so folks can make mini-sandwiches side dish -- orzo with roasted vegetables -- a guest brought this to our house for a potluck last year and it was the hit of the party; Google Ina Garten's recipe from Barefoot Contessa dessert -- seasonal fruit crisp with ice cream -- it's always nice to have an alternative to chocolate for those of us who want to pretend we're dieting |