Pot Luck Help, please!
I am attempting to organize my first-ever pot luck at my house, sometime before Xmas, and I have never hosted anything before. Does anyone have any good ideas for food/drinks/activities/anything else that might help?
Add a comment:
Previewing your comment:
HTML Hints
Some HTML is OK: <a href="URL">link</a>, <strong>strong</strong>, <em>em</em>
Comment Guidelines
Post whatever you want, just keep it seriously about eats, seriously. We reserve the right to delete off-topic or inflammatory comments. Learn more at our Comment Policy page.
If you see something not so nice, please, report an inappropriate comment.
Start Talking!
Need a question answered? Have advice to share? Start a Talk topic now!
Sign up to get your questions answered and share advice.
12 Comments:
i did a cinco de mayo potluck this past may. it took place in glasgow with a bunch of scots who, while the term pot luck didn't ring a bell, participated with much gusto.
having a theme definitely helped -- ours of course, was mexican food. we had a best salsa contest and also a best guacamole contest which really brought out everyone's competitive spirit. pitchers of margaritas helped too! all in all it was a success.
things to keep in mind are:
1) make sure special dietary needs are catered for. we had quite a few vegetarians, and as well as them bringing veg dishes i made one to round things out.
2) expect to supply the sides -- i got a pile of tortilla chips and flour tortillas and made a big pot of mexican rice.
3) most people don't notice that dessert is missing. we certainly didn't, tho i'm sure the margaritas helped!
4) make sure you have a lot of serving spoons -- people bring the dishes but forget the serving utensils.
5) keep things moving through the kitchen. you may find that people need some reheating time in the oven or microwave.
astarteny at 3:18PM on 11/02/07
Can I suggest a cookbook? The Big Book of Potluck: Good Food - and Lots of It - for Parties, Gatherings, and All Occasions by Maryana Vollstedt. It's certainly not full of gourmet fare, but its full of the sort of thing everyone loves and remembers from when they were kids... familiar, stick-to-your-ribs recipes. Though the food is geared towards crowds (most recipes serve 6-8 people, so they're definitely going to be leftovers in our house when I make them). None of the recipes are complex, nor do they require outlandish ingredients, and are well within the grasp of all but the most inept chefs.
DaveFaris at 4:14PM on 11/02/07
I try to group the foods to encourage movement around the party instead of clustering in the kitchen or the food area only. Desserts in the living room, Main courses on the dining table, apps in a couple places. A soft drink set up, a bar set up, and a cooler for beer.
Keep a list, as people ask what they should bring, and recommend the items that are missing (sides, desserts). I also have a couple of chafing dishes to keep things warm. Never thought I would use them, but every party I find out how handy they are. Costco has some inexpensive ones as well as recycleable foil ones. Friends that don't cook are good ones to ask to bring ice or beverages.
ExpatChef at 5:15PM on 11/02/07
My fellow blogger came up with a GREAT one: Tri-colore orzo inspired by Giada DeLaurentis' recipe.
Hillary
Chew on That
Chew on That at 6:42PM on 11/02/07
I don't have Vollstedt's pot luck book but I really like her casserole book - you would probably get some good ideas from it.
Stephanie at 6:59PM on 11/02/07
Well, you never know about desserts. The ones I go to often are half desserts. That's one reason that it may be a good idea to get some sort of idea of what people are bringing. Otherwise, you can end up with four plates of brownies and no main courses. Which is okay, of course, for one meal, to my way of thinking, but there are folks who get really upset about that sort of thing.
Remember serving utensils and some masking tape so you can put names on the bottom of dishes if you need to. Have more glasses and silverware-type things than you think you'll need. A million napkins.
Activities are usually eating and talking.
lemons at 7:58PM on 11/02/07
I always make a pasta/noodles dish for a potluck.
We always send around a list for these things including paper goods, ice, drinks all of it. For those who do not want to cook we always collect some cash and buy a big ham.
If you get the things signed up for, you will not have too many of one thing and you will be able to see what might not be needed. (reference to the exxon valdez dip someone used to make that we banned from our potlucks)
JerzeeTomato at 9:10PM on 11/02/07
It's good to have some cheese, dips, bread and crackers available when people start arriving to allow people to snack a bit before the table is opened for pot lucking. Especially if you have wine and alcohol available, as it will help avoid drinking on an empty stomach.
Also, you might recommend that people bring a few containers in which to carry home unwanted leftovers from the potluck. For example, someone might have made a huge casserole that was only 1/4 eaten, and the person who brought it doesn't want all of it. But many of the guests might want to take it for lunch the next day or whatever.
Marc at 2:03AM on 11/03/07
I usually bring cookies because they're great finger foods and easy to pack for transporting to parties.
hereandthe at 10:33AM on 11/03/07
Thank you all so much for helping me. These are great tips. I never thought about the serving spoons, but you are right! And I think that I would have to determine a fair way to give each person something different to bring. I love sugar as much as the next person, but two many desserts can be too much!
Traveller at 5:39PM on 11/03/07
I don't "give" them - but I keep a list and if someone calls with, say, another green salad, I say, "Gosh, we've already got a couple [or one] of those. Is there something else you could bring instead?"
lemons at 6:38PM on 11/03/07
Don't forget to ask non-cooks to bring (good quality) paper plates if you're not using glass dishes; soda, bottled water, maybe mixed nuts.
Whatever you do, coordinate the food carefully or you'll have a half-dozen varieties of (insert popular food here) and be sorely lacking in other foods. You can first ask the participant their preferred dish but if you already have that food, be ready to suggest something else.
Write everything down. Everything.
chiff0nade at 8:57PM on 11/03/07