Thursday, March 5, 2009

What do you bring for POT LUCKS?

Okay.. everyone out there has their "signature dish" that they bring to pot lucks, pig out days, fat days, whatever you wanna call them.. depending on where this is being held, work, a families house for a special occasion, at church, or at a club meeting. There is one dish that you *always* make either because you love it or because you aren't allowed to come without it. I have a few and they've changed over the years. Not sure why but I do try to mix them up. Here are a few I've done over the years.

7 layer salad
1 1/2 heads lettuce shredded
8-10 green onion's chopped
3 carrot's shredded
4 hard boiled eggs sliced
small bag frozen peas (just dump in)
1lb cooked & crumbled bacon
8 oz shredded cheese cheese
dressing - mix 2 cups of mayo with 2-3 T lemon juice and dillweed.
put the dressing on top, spread around. add a little shredded cheese and a few green onions on top for garnish. Right before digging in mix the dressing into the salad otherwise you got wise guys eating just the dressing/top and a bunch of lettuce at the bottom.

PRETZEL SALAD
you can do this one with other flavors like raspberry as well.

Brushetta
okay I learned this one from an old Italian mama type from New York. It turns out super yummy and it's easy.
cube up tomatoes (I use PLUM tomatoes)
salt
pepper
fresh garlic
olive oil
basil

this is all by sight. I fill a bowl with the tomatoes then drizzle around some olive oil. next I put about 2 teaspoons of garlic in and add in the salt/pepper/basil last. It's all about how you like it.
I get french bread and slice it up and then toast it. I like to make this at least 8hours before servings so the flavors blend. Super garlic but ooh so yummy!

layered taco dip
in a 9x13 pan
large can refried beans
1 container guacamole
1 container sour cream
1 container salsa
8 oz shredded cheese
tomatoes, green onions, olives sprinkled on top.
easy, yummy, gone




VEGGIE PIZZA
I don't make this as neat as this picture looks. I normally just chop the veggies up very fine and throw them on top. I usually do carrot, green pepper, white onion, broccoli and then I put shredded cheese on top.

If missed my MASHED POTATO BAR post go back and check it out. This is one I learned from a neighbor of mine. Super great, super easy, super yummy, super crowd pleaser.

Sausages
I use sausage sliced up in chunks or the little cocktail wieners. throw it all in the crock pot with equal amounts of grape jelly and chili sauce. Let it "cook" through on low maybe 1-2 hours depends on how done you want them. Put a ladle out and toothpicks with little plate. Easy.



Okay.. so what are your signature dishes? What do you bring? What is easy and cheap? What do we have in our stockpiles that we could bring?

12 comments:

Dr. Mom said...

Your mashed potato bar sounds great! I usually take my husband's mom's chocolate cherry cake. My husband took it to a work function and they were scraping the pan! Or so he says...

BTW, I have given you the Kreativ Blogger Award! Come on by to my page!

Kim said...

I so cheat. I dump two packs of the little smokie hot dogs in bbq sauce in a crock pot lol

My second way of cheating, the frozen meatballs in cream of mushroom soup in a crockpot. I don't have a lot of imagination for pot luck/goody days :)

Carrie said...

It's funny about the sausage in sauce -- I do the same thing with cocktail meatballs, got the jelly/Heinz chili sauce recipe from my MIL. People go CRAZY for it, beg for the recipe. I shoudl be embarrassed but I love to tell 'em it's just jelly and bottled sauce!

Amanda said...

I usually make my pumpkin fudgy brownies from Hungry Girl book.

15 oz can of pumpkin
1 box of brownie mix (fat free)
1/4 cup of peanut butter. (I think she has you use less than that)

Mix the pumpkin and brownie mix together. Place the peanut butter on top and bake at 350 for about 30-35 mins.

Also "better than sex" cake.
1 can of diet soda
1 can of devils food cake mix
1 small bag of toffee (health or scors bars)
1 can of fat free condensed milk
1 jar of fat free butterscotch
1 tub of fat free cool whip

Mix diet soda and cake mix and bake. Mix together fat free condensed milk with some of the butterscotch (I eyeball this amt) and bring to a boil. After the cake is done poke holes in it and pour the carmerl milky mixture all over the cake. Afterward, when the cake is cooled off smear 1 tub of fat free cool whip and sprinkle the toffee pieces everywhere.

Chicagolandia said...

My tried and true favorite: Baked Bean Casserole. I get a lot of requested for my take on the "better than sex" cake (think vanilla and strawberries!) and for my simple potato salad.
For an afternoon tea, I always bring the biscotti. And for a girls night out, I make Black Walnut Brownies.

Michelle said...

I love bruschetta---I add a dash of balsamic vinegar to it, though.

American Dreamer said...

I rbing my tater tot casserole that I posted on my blog:

1 lb. of ground beef browned

2 cans of Cream of Chicken Soup

1/2 -3/4 cup of milk

16 oz. of tatertots

Cheddar Cheese

Put the ground beef in a layer in a 9 x 13 pan that has been sprayed with Pam or butter it so the food doesn't stick. Next put a layer of tater tots. Mix the soups with the milk and pour over all. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Take out of the oven and sprinkle a couple of handfuls of cheddar cheese on top. Put back in the oven till it melts! Serve.

Lindsay said...

Buffalo Chicken Dip!!! And I do the 7 layer dip as well. :)

http://www.frugalandfabulous.org/2008/09/quick-note.html

Jamie @ I Am A Money Magnet said...

I always bring a dessert. I usually have a stockpile of brownie, cake, and cookie mixes to choose from!

Wilson Wonders said...

I don't go to a lot of potlucks but you all are making me HUNGRY!

carolyn said...

Your 7 layer salad will always be my favorite. I've tried to make it, but it never comes close to yours! You did totally forget about the carmel apple salad. That is SUCH an easy, low cal dish to make!

Lisa B. said...

I always try to take something along with one of my cake mix desserts. Usually baked beans per my mother's request. My stockpile always has tons of pork n beans, cake mixes and a variety of chocolate chips to whip up something.

All my cake mix desserts are listed here: http://livingeasyrecipes.blogspot.com/search/label/Cake%20Mix%20Desserts