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Potluck dinner treats
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By JANE KABLER, Staff Writer
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Potluck dinners are fun to attend and they are a great place to take your favorite dish. The word potluck dates back to the 16th century when it referred to the luck of unannounced guests showing up at mealtime. Since the hosts hadn't had time to prepare a special meal, guests ate what was simmering in the pot. Later it was known as a supper or luncheon where each guest brought a dish to share. The luck then was how good was the dish that the guests prepared.
In todays world sometimes in preparing for a potluck dinner, the host will tell the guests what to bring so that there is a variety but sometimes they just say bring your favorite dish. Usually there is a great variety and everyone ends up sharing the recipes. When invited always ask the hostess if they prefer any certain dish. If there are leftovers, common courtesy is to ask the host if they would like to keep the left over food.
In the article today I have given you some great recipes that are easy to prepare, delicious to eat and these pack well to travel. If you haven't invested in the thermal holder for a 9 x 12 inch dish, look at one of the major chain stores and invest. These containers hold a dish that is hot for about 3 hours or a cold dish for the same amount of time. The one container works both ways. It is a molded heavy plastic, thermal in nature and for hot foods you put a paper towel folded in the bottom under the dish to draw any moisture when the dish sweats. These work great. The lid fits tights and will help you not spill the food in your car. You can put meats, casseroles or cold salads in the container. Always keep a good cake and pie box handy to transport your desserts.
Crab Dip with Veggies or Crackers
8 oz. of cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup of sour cream
1 tablespoon of mayonnaise
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 level teaspoon of horseradish
1 scant teaspoon of grated onion
2 teaspoons of chopped dried chives
3 dashes of Tabasco Sauce
1/4 of a red bell pepper, finely diced
2 6 oz. cans of crabmeat, drained and looked for shells
a pinch of salt
a pinch of pepper
a handful of slivered toasted almonds
Except for the almonds, mix all of the ingredients in a bowl and chill until ready to serve. Cover the top of the dip with slivered almonds and serve with cold raw veggies or crackers.
Warm Mexican Dip
15 oz. can of chili with beans
2 8 oz. packages of cream cheese
1 can of refried beans
1/2 package of dried Taco seasoning mix
handful of chopped black or green olives
1 cup of chopped tomatoes
2 cups of grated Cheddar cheese
4 sliced thin, green onions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat the chili in a saucepan over medium heat. Press softened cream cheese in the bottom of a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish or 9 inch pie pan. Spread over the cream cheese the refried beans, then the Taco seasoning, then the heated chili, then sprinkle the chopped tomatoes, the sliced olives, sliced green onions, and the Cheddar cheese on top. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes and serve with tortilla chips. This will almost look like a layered pizza, except no crust. It is also good at room temperature. Tip: If taking this to a party, wrap it double in foil and then in a heavy bath towel if you don't have a thermal container.
Spinach-Artichoke Dip with Crumbled Bacon
1/3 cup of mayonnaise
16 oz. of cream cheese
2 cloves of garlic, minced
Pinch of pepper
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2/3 cup of fresh grated Parmesan Cheese, divided
6 pieces of bacon, fried, drained and crumbled
1 14 oz. jar of artichoke hearts, drained and chopped in a blender or food processor
10 oz. package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed really good
Tip: Use paper towels to squeeze the liquid out of the spinach.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients and beat with a mixer. Spread in a glass casserole dish and sprinkle the other half of the Parmesan Cheese on top. Bake 25 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly. Serve with Triscuits or small slices of French bread baguettes.
Tip: Don't use the marinated artichoke hearts, just the plain ones.
Cool Cucumber Salad
4-5 cucumbers
2 teaspoons of salt
2 teaspoons of white vinegar
1 cup of mayonnaise
1/2 cup of sour cream
Pinch of pepper
2 tablespoons of snipped fresh dill if possible
Peel and slice the cucumbers and put them in a plastic bowl. Add salt and vinegar. Cover and let stand 1/2 hour. Drain. Add the mayonnaise, pepper, sour cream and dill. Mix well. Cover with a snap on lid and wrap in double layers of foil and refrigerate until time to serve. If transporting these to a party, place bowl in a larger container filled with ice and wrap the whole container in foil and a heavy towel or use a thermal container.
Apple Salad
1/4 cup of sugar
1/3 cup of flour
1 cup of heavy cream
20 oz. can of crushed pineapple, drained well
1/4 cup of butter
4-5 large apples, peeled and diced
1 1/2 cups of chopped walnuts or pecans
1/2 cup of halved maraschino cherries
juice of two lemons
Mix together the sugar and flour, whisk in cream. Pour the mixture into a saucepan and keep stirring, add the pineapple and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens. Add the butter and stir, set aside. Let this cool completely.
Peel and dice the apples and toss them in the fresh lemon juice. Mix apples, nuts, cherries and cooked cool sauce together gently and refrigerate. Place bowl inside of another larger bowl of ice, wrap container in foil and a big towel to travel or use a thermal container.
Chicken Salad with Fruit
4-5 cups of cooked chicken, diced
1 cup of Miracle Whip
1/2 cup of whipped cream
1/2 cup of sliced celery
3/4 cup of mandarin oranges
3/4 cup of pineapple tidbits
1/2 cup of red seedless grapes, halved
1/2 cup of chopped nuts
Fold whipped cream into the mayonnaise and add to all other ingredients. Toss and chill well before serving. Tip: The whipped cream will make it lighter and not so strong of mayonnaise.
Chicken-Noodle Casserole
3-4 cups of salted, diced, cooked chicken, save the broth
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of pepper
2 tablespoons of chives
1 tablespoon of onion, grated very fine
3/4 cup of sour cream
One 4 oz. container of pimentos, chopped, rinsed and drained
10 oz. can of cream of chicken soup, not diluted
1/2 cup of mayonnaise
4 cups of salted, cooked wide noodles cooked in boiling chicken broth, drained
1 1/2 cups of shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
Margarine
Preheat oven, grease a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Boil the chicken in chicken broth, save the broth and cook the noodles in the broth. Mix all ingredients together and place in casserole dish, place pats of margarine over the top and bake for 30-40 minutes.
Fancy Cheesy Macaroni
6 cups of cooked and salted macaroni, drained
2 cups of shredded Velveeta Cheese
2 cups of shredded extra sharp cheese
4 eggs beaten
1/2 cup of sour cream
1/2 cup of mayonnaise
1 teaspoon of pepper
2 level teaspoons, of grated onion
1/2 teaspoon of salt
4 tablespoons of butter or margarine
1 jar of chopped pimento, drained
1 can of evaporated milk
Mix all of the above, place in a 9 X 13 inch greased casserole dish and bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees until firm and lightly browned.
Zucchini and Corn Casserole
1 1/2 pounds of zucchini squash, don't peel, and cut into chunks
One 8 oz. can of creamed corn
2 eggs slightly beaten
1 small onion, chopped
1 small bell pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon of butter
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of pepper
3/4 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
Paprika
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook zucchini until slightly tender, drain. Mix zucchini chunks with corn and eggs. Set aside. Saute bell pepper and onion until tender, then mix with zucchini mixture. Add salt and pepper. Pour into a greased casserole and top with cheese. Bake for 30 minutes until slightly browned.
Baked Stuffed Apples
1/2 lemon
6 large McIntosh Apple, cored and left whole
3/4 stick of butter, softened
3/4 cup of dark brown sugar
3/4 cup of chopped walnuts, toasted
3/4 cup of raisins
A pinch of nutmeg
Two pinches of cinnamon
Zest of one lemon
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Squeeze the juice of 1/2 lemon over the apples. Combine the softened butter, sugar, nuts, raisins, nutmeg, cinnamon with the zest of lemon. and fill the apple cavities. Mound them a bit on top. Bake in a shallow dish with just a little water in the bottom of the dish for 30-40 minutes. Serve warm. Place in thermal container or wrap in doubled foil and a big towel to transport.
Milky Way Cake
Cake:
Confectionary sugar for dusting the pans
Eight 1 3/4 oz. Milky Way bars
3 sticks of butter
2 cups of granulated sugar
4 eggs, beaten well
2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
1 1/4 cups of buttermilk
1 cup of chopped pecans
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
Icing:
2 1/2 cups of granulated sugar
1 cup of evaporated milk
1 cup of marshmallow cream
1/2 cup of butter
6 oz. of chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups of chopped pecans
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease three 9 inch pans and dust them with confectionary sugar. Melt the Milky Way bars with one stick of butter and the granulated sugar. Cool. Cream the remaining two sticks of butter with the sugar and add this to the beaten eggs and the cooled chocolate mixture. Sift the flour and baking soda together and alternate the flour mixture and buttermilk to the batter, blend well. Add the nuts and vanilla last, fold in. Bake for 30-40 minutes. Cool for five minutes, remove from pans onto a cooling rack.
Icing: Combine the sugar and milk in a heavy saucepan. cook to the soft-ball stage, 234 degrees on a candy thermometer. Remove the pan from the heat and add the marshmallow cream, butter and chocolate chips, stir until melted. Add the pecans. When the cake has cooled, frost each layer and the top and sides. Enjoy.
Southern Pecan Pie
4 tablespoons of butter
3/4 cup of packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon of all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon of salt
3/4 cup of white Karo syrup
3 eggs
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 heaping cup of pecan halves
One 9 inch pie crust
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Cream the butter, sugar, flour and salt until smooth. Add the syrup, eggs and vanilla. Fold in the pecans. Pour the filling into the pie crust and bake for 45-50 minutes or until firm to touch. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Banana Nut Cake
Cake:
butter for greasing the pan
3 cups of all purpose flour, plus more for dusting the pans
2 cups of sugar
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of salt
3 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup of vegetable oil
5 large ripe bananas, mashed
1 1/2 cup of chopped pecans
2 teaspoons of vanilla
Butter and flour three 9 inch pans. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Add the eggs and oil and stir just until the dry ingredients are moistened; do not beat. Stir in the mashed bananas, pecans and vanilla. Divide the batter among the three pans and bake for 25 minutes or until tested with a toothpick. Cool the cake layers in the pans for 10 minutes and then turn them out on a cooling rack. Ice when cooled completely.
Frosting:
8 oz. of softened cream cheese
1 stick of butter, room temperature
1 pound of confectionary sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
3/4 cup of chopped pecans
Beat the first four ingredients and then fold in pecans. Ice the cooled cake and serve.
Pick of the Week
Kahlua Cake
Vickie Prince, May's Lick
1 pkg. of Golden Butter Cake Mix
4 eggs
1 cup of sour cream
1 small package of instant vanilla pudding
3/4 cup of Wesson Oil
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 cup of brown sugar
1/3 cup of Kahlua
3/4 cup of chopped pecans
Mix cake mix and four eggs. In another bowl mix sour cream, instant vanilla pudding, vanilla and oil. Add this mixture gradually to the cake mix and eggs that have been blended.
Divide the batter into half. Add to half of the batter the brown sugar, 1/3 cup of Kahlua, and the pecans. Pour this into the greased bundt pan. Top with the remaining plain batter. Swirl with a knife to give the marbleized effect. Bake at 350 for one hour, fifteen minutes, test and remove from oven. Cook for 15 minutes and remove from pan. You can put a glaze over this or serve it plain. |
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Reader Comments
Comments are limited to 200 words or less.
sherry arnold wrote on Mar 24, 2008 12:54 PM: " it would be nice if you had a recipe archive on your web site. you could post recipes from back issues of the paper and people could submit recipes to share with the readers of the paper on line. thank you. "
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