Going to a birthday party tomorrow, family reunion next weekend, and I can’t show up empty-handed. Part of me feels like I should have a set menu by now, but I do like to experiment with new dishes. So, what about you guys? Do you have a specialty that folks expect you to bring? Favorite types of foods to share?
For tomorrow, I’m experimenting just a little. I bake bread and rolls all the time, so I’ll dress it up a bit and stuff rolls with cheese and pepperoni and make a marinara dipping sauce. Still not sure about the menu for the reunion, though. Probably something simple, since I will also be trying to herd four kids toward the truck, get myself ready, and get a meal together.
And oldie but a goodie: deviled eggs. I have a special tupperware container specifically for them. Every time I bring them, they’re gone in less than two minutes.
Oh, that’s a good one! I always forget about foods that I personally don’t eat, though, like deviled eggs and potato salad… after all, I need to be able to judge whether my offerings are good, and I don’t think I’ll ever think that boiled egg yolks are good. However, I did see a recipe the other day for a BLT potato salad without eggs, and it looked delicious.
Typically, I play the “Man” card and buy something along the way - a couple of large pizzas, one of those 30 packs from White Castles. They’re comfort food at pot-lucks - people like dealing with a known quantity .
If it isn’t a birthday party and bringing dessert is an option, I’ll make a cake or a couple of pies from scratch, as I like to bake. My closest friends know I like making bread so will sometimes ask me to bring a couple of loaves fresh from the oven, which is one of those things that goes over well but I don’t get why - it’s bread. People like cutting a warm loaf, spreading stuff on it and eating it, to an unseemly amount.
One of my favorites is Mexican lasagna. I never bring anything to a potluck unless I’m willing to take home the leftovers of it myself, and so it’s good to have things that can work either as a side (at the party) or as a main dish (at home when I’m eating the leftovers). Obviously, the best-case scenario is where you don’t have any leftovers, but you can’t count on that.
Take a box of Kraft. Follow directions. Add one can of Hormel chili w/o beans, mix well. Put shredded cheese on top. Serve warm. It’s either a side of main dish, kids love it too.
Are you able to reheat it once it’s there? If yes, I usually do Chicken Divan.
Once my SIL brought little hot dog wieiners wrapped with bacon and sprinkled with brown sugar that was to DIE for but she had to reheat it in one of those electric skillets. But DAYUM they are good. Am thinking about making this for me and husband for tomorrow for the Arlington Million - when there are big races on, I make tons of apps, have our friends over, and pig out on stuff like that.
But if I just have to bring “something” that doesn’t necessarily involve a main course, I bring cheese crack. That’s what my family and friends have named it. It’s a cheeseball kinda thing that you eat with Triscuits or Ritz crackers and if you want the recipe, let me know. It travels well and only costs about $25 bucks to make. But they love it and I love them so I do it.
Other is little smokies (sausages) with Chili Sauce and Grape Jelly and sauteed onions. There is only about 875 MILLION recipes out there - and they do well in a crockpot if you do everything ahead of time and then throw them in it. Then replug it in when you get to where you’re going and let them heat up.
A pistachio flavored salad - cool Whip, nuts pistachio pudding, fruit cocktail, pineapple and marshmallows. It’s not healthy at all, but it tastes pretty good and my family will eat the leftovers happily.
I’m not a man and I nearly always buy something from the store. I pick up a fruit salad or veggie tray with dip and some booze. If I have to make it myself, red beans and rice usually does it. Everybody likes it and white people seem to be intrigued by it. I still buy the booze though; I don’t know how to make that.
I made tandoori chicken for a couple of company parties. That seemed to go over well, especially as it’s pretty good cold. I had a jar containing a mixture of dry spices for tandoori seasoning. I mixed it with yogurt and lemon juice to marinate chicken legs and then broiled them in the oven. Keep in mind that I’m an idiot, so if I can manage not to screw this up, anyone can do it. And because the chicken is skinless, it’s a relatively healthy dish.
2 - 5 Oz Jars of Kraft Old English Cheese Spread - it’s usually in the cracker aisle. If you can’t find it, use 1 16 oz package of finely shredded sharp cheddar but don’t use it all - use almost all of it. About 13 oz. worth - I know it sounds weird, but trust me.
1 - 5 oz Jar of Kraft Roka Blue Cheese Spread - same aisle. If you can’t find it, use 2 oz. of finely crumbled blue cheese)
1 - 8oz brick of cream cheese
1 - small onion finely minced
1/2 TBS Worchestire sauce. Although A-1 Sauce works really well too if you want to substitute
Get everything to room temperature. Put it all in a bowl and mix it all up together until it is one color and everything is mixed together. Taste it on a Triscuit cracker - if it tastes good, cover it and put it in the refrigerator. If it needs anything else, add it now. It won’t need salt - I can guarantee you that. It isn’t salty, but the flavor “develops” with time - it won’t need salt.
Put it in the refrigerator. Let it sit for at least a couple of hours. Taste it again on a cracker. It will be better. Keep it away from my husband because he will eat it ALL. Or I will once I pry it from his hands.
And seriously, if you can get the jarred Kraft cheese spreads, it TOTALLY is worth it. The shredded cheese and crumbled blue cheese version is good, but it just ain’t the same. And it does taste best on a Triscuit. Husband uses Ritz crackers but he’s a barbarian to begin with so whaddya want?
16 oz package of tri-color rotini
one large can sliced mushrooms
one large can black olives, sliced (or some large cans of sliced black olives)
one bottle Italian dressing
Cook pasta and mix everything together.
I’ve also made hummus and, after we got an ice cream machine, home made ice cream.
This is very much like a cheeseball recipe that I got from one of my sisters. IIRC, the only difference is that the onion is a red onion.
Saltines and melted cheese…Hey, fellas, look what I’ve got here.
What’s that? *
You know the bar business is getting more and more competitive and I’ve been wracking my brain trying to figure out how I can compete. I think I’ve finally got the answer.*
A toaster oven? *
Yeah. See what I’m gonna do is I’m gonna put some saltines in here, melt some American cheese on top. Serve them to the customers, buck a plate maybe.*
You know, uh, American cheese is one of the world’s finest cheeses.*
Melted on a saltine, that’s a that’s a party in your mouth.*