Potluck ideas?

NMDriver2 wrote:
Jalapeno Jam-- in a large pot pour in a gallon jar of sliced pickled Jalapenos (I chop them fine but you can just use them as they come), add one pack of lemon Kool Aide, add 2 quarts + or - of sugar, boil in pot until sugar melts and begins to thicken. 15-20 minutes depending on amount of liquid in Jalapeno jar, be careful not to let it get to thick or you will have jalapeno rock candy. Generally when it starts to sheet off of a spoon it is thick enough to be like jam when cooled in a refrigerator. Let it cool,then put it in the refrigerator to thicken and serve with cream cheese and crackers.

My wife made a variation on this and it goes on everything.

Quick potluck setup. Warm up pre-cooked frozen wings per instructions and throw those baby's in the crock pot. Maybe add a little sauce of your choice to them. Who doesn't like wings?

Pumpkin Poke Cake
Heat oven to 350 degrees & spray bottom & sides of 9x13 pan.
In large bowl beat with electric mixer medium speed for 2 minutes:
1 yellow (or Spice) Betty Crocker Super Moist cake mix
1 cup canned pumpkin. (Not pumpkin pie mix)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 tsp. Pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
Scrape bowl occasionally then pour into pan. Bake 28 - 33 minutes. Test center with toothpick to assure it’s done. Remove from oven, place pan on cooling rack and begin poking holes all over top of hot cake, using wooden spoon handle. While cake is warm, gently spread with 12 ounce jar Caramel sauce & reserve a small amount for top. Work back and forth to fill holes. Some filling remains on top of cake. Refrigerate 2 hours. When ready to serve, Spread with tub of Whipped topping. Sprinkle with a little pumpkin pie spice and drizzle with rest of caramel sauce. Too Good !

Corn Pudding is a favorite. It’s great with BBQ, ham, steak, hamburgers, etc.

CORN PUDDING
Preheat oven 325 degrees
1 box Jiffy Corn Bread Mix
3 eggs
1 medium onion, chopped
2 Tbsp oil
1 8 oz carton sour cream
2 cups (or more) shredded sharp cheddar; divided use
2 cans creamed corn
1 10 oz. can whole corn, well drained
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

Sauté chopped onion in oil until soft, cool a bit. In a large bowl, whisk eggs well, add cornbread mix, sour cream, creamed corn and drained whole corn. Add 1 cup of the grated cheddar, the cooled onion, salt and pepper. Stir together well until all ingredients are incorporated. Transfer to a greased 8X12 or 9X13 pan. Cover with foil and bake 40-45 minutes. Uncover and top with remainder of cheese, I usually use more than a cup. Bake until firm, about 15 -20 minutes more. If you like the cheese to be gooey, uncover as per directions and wait to put the cheese on 5 or 10 minutes before you remove from oven. I have baked this in different ovens and have found baking times can really vary, just bake till firm.

cooler corn, peel it throw it in cooler (can do a lot in a single batch) pour in boiling water close lid, wait half hour. serve (side not will stay good in cooler and hot for a good 4 or 5 hours) this is a camp gathering staple for me so much so that I have a corn cooler in the camper

I like the Dutchmen's post.

Iowa? Corn on the cob for all.

shuck it, de-silk it. Then....

slather on butter
garlic salt
pepper
chili powder to taste

Wrap in 2 layers of foil, roast on BBQ for about 5 minutes, 1/4 turn and repeat

DeanRIowa wrote:

DutchmenSport wrote:

Also, know your audience. If those participating are all mid-west farmers, they are most likely not going to like Suchi. If your participants are primary from India, they will not eat anything with meat. Know your participants and consider what the average appetite is.

Personally, I don't like beans and I don't like Mexican, and sometimes, I've left pot-lucks pretty hungry because of that.

I agree in most cases, however this is an IT get together so the invite list are people from China, Ghana, Russia, and Mexico, with others having deep roots to Jamaica, Austria and Italy.

Some good ideas so far, thanks!

Dean

I work for a company that also has a very diverse population from all over the world and all walks of life. What usually happens at the office "pot lucks" or a get-together is those from India will bring their native dishes. Different ethnic groups will bring their unique or favorite dishes. What ends up, every one who participates ends up show-casing their ethnicity and cultural uniqueness, their favorite dish, or something is is very common to their home culture. It's an opportunity to try samples from a lot of walks of life. Some turns out to be pretty good, some ... well ... my taste buds don't ALWAYS enjoy an international flavor! :D

FYI, I also work in IT (Software Tester) for a very large organization.

I suggest then, you keep your dish simple. Stick with your favored ethnicity and just bring your favorite dish. If your "IT" department is like mine, everyone will enjoy sampling everything.

But for what it's worth, salads (without meats) are universal for EVERY culture all over the world!

Dim Sum

Dim sum

Dim Sum is not that difficult to make and very delicious.


Ingredients

Makes about 50 dumplings

50 (3.5 inch square) wonton wrappers.
1 pound ground pork (or you can use turkey )
1/2 tablepsoon fresh minced ginger root
2 cloves fresh minced garlic
1 tablespoon thinly sliced green onion
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 egg, beaten
2 1/2 cups very finely shredded Chinese cabbage

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the pork or turkey, ginger, garlic, green onion, soy sauce, sesame oil, egg and cabbage. Stir until well mixed.
Place 1 heaping teaspoon of pork or turkey filling onto the center of each wonton skin. Moisten edges with water and pinch the wonton skin up to form a little ball and to seal in the filling.
Set dumplings aside on a lightly floured surface until ready to cook.
To Cook: Steam dumplings in a covered bamboo or metal steamer for about 15 to 20 minutes. Serve immediately.
Very nice served with hoisin sauce, hot Chinese style mustard and toasted sesame seeds.


Nice appetizer and easy to make

DutchmenSport wrote:

Also, know your audience. If those participating are all mid-west farmers, they are most likely not going to like Suchi. If your participants are primary from India, they will not eat anything with meat. Know your participants and consider what the average appetite is.

Personally, I don't like beans and I don't like Mexican, and sometimes, I've left pot-lucks pretty hungry because of that.

I agree in most cases, however this is an IT get together so the invite list are people from China, Ghana, Russia, and Mexico, with others having deep roots to Jamaica, Austria and Italy.

Some good ideas so far, thanks!

Dean