What''s your favorite potluck dish? Please share!

[jaysonsmom]

I''d like some ideas on something that tastes pretty good whether it''s right off the stove, or been sitting on a buffet table for a while at room temp. Any ideas? Recipes?

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

LASAGNA!

 

[PumpkinPie]

spinach artichoke dip!

 

[pinkstars]

A nice large hot sandwich!
I like to take a french loaf or italian loaf and cut it in half. Then layer meat onto it(usually turkey, ham and salami) alternating with cheese(provolone, mmm.) I think I usually end up with maybe 4 or 5 layers? I''m not sure, I can''t remember.
Then I put the top back on the loaf, wrap it up in foil and put it in an oven around 350 degrees...I think for about 10 minutes.
The bread gets a little bit toasty, but the cheese melts and it''s so tasty all together!

 

[Mrs Mitchell]

Here are some of my standby options - I''ve catered a few big family parties and these dishes have always gone down really well. As in, I am amazed at how much of them some of my frail elderly relatives can eat. My family are real professionals at clearing a buffet table.

Chicken and tarragon is nice, if you can keep it hot / heat it up. Lovely with a crisp salad.

Brown some chicken pieces in oil or butter (or a mix of the two) then put it in a heavy casserole dish. Saute some mushrooms, put them with the chicken. Saute some diced onion and then sprinkle a little flour over the onion and stir it in. Cook for a few minutes then add a glass or two of white wine. Stir and simmer gently for a few minutes, then pour in some chicken stock. Pour this over the chicken and mushrooms and stir in a few handfulls of fresh chopped tarragon, or a couple of teaspoons of freeze dried tarragon.

Put the dish in a low oven for a couple of hours. Quantities will depend on the amount of servings you need obviously, but you need just enough liquid to cover the chicken.

When it''s cooked and the chicken is really tender, pour off the liquid and reduce in in a pan on the stove until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Stir in a couple of tablespoons of sour cream and another sprinkling of chopped fresh or dried tarragon. Pour the sauce back over the chicken

For a special occasion, I love my dad''s roast beef - fantastic hot or cold.

Sear a whole fillet of beef in a heavy skillet. Take it out of the skillet and let it cool enough to handle. Rub all over with pesto and a good twist of fresh ground black pepper. Wrap the whole thing in parma ham and put it in a really hot oven until it''s as cooked as you like your steak. Timings will depend on the size of the piece of fillet, but to test it, push the top with your finger - rare will feel very soft and springy, well done will feel much firmer. Check it often, because a minute or two can make a big difference.

One end of the fillet will be thinner than the other, so if you''re feeding a crowd, there will be rare and medium done slices. I serve it on a bed of rocket, cut into really thin slices.

Also, a side of salmon is always nice. You can roast it whole with a little honey, lemon and black pepper, toss in a few fresh herbs - dill is nice. If you''re in a hurry, get a side of smoked salmon or hot smoked salmon and just plate it up to look pretty with green salad leaves and fresh herbs and serve with a really good quality mayonnaise with some lemon juice and dill stirred through it.

Quiches can work well for a buffet - I do a couple of different fillings, one cheese and onion, maybe one with ham and asparagus or goat cheese and cherry tomatoes. If you get cherry tomatoes on the vine, put the whole vine, stalk and all on top of the quiche before you bake it - looks really pretty.

Hope that helps!

Jen

 

[jaysonsmom]

They all sound yummy so far....keep them coming! What about finger-foods? Any of those....

I''m in charge of after-church snacks/lunch this Sunday that is why I''m asking. Usually we have 2 families a week in charge of this, and it''s buffet style, usually we have some dessert items, but some people stay for afternoon activities at church, such as seminars, music practice etc, so we usually have some "lunch-type" foods as well, such as pastas, sandwiches etc.

I think Quiches are a great idea! I can make a few on 9x13 trays.

 

[elrohwen]

A lot of pizzas, especially those with ingredients other than just marinara and mozz, are great for parties. You can cook it in the host''s oven for 10 min, or bring it cooked at room temp. Any flat bread with some carmelized onions, cheese of some sort, and a few other toppings is delicious.

I also like bruchetta/crostini - they always taste good at room temp.

 

[jaysonsmom]

Date: 4/15/2010 12:48:30 PM
Author: elrohwen
A lot of pizzas, especially those with ingredients other than just marinara and mozz, are great for parties. You can cook it in the host''s oven for 10 min, or bring it cooked at room temp. Any flat bread with some carmelized onions, cheese of some sort, and a few other toppings is delicious.

I also like bruchetta/crostini - they always taste good at room temp.

Yum....Bruschetta. Do you have a good recipe?

 

[Mrs Mitchell]

This is nice - slice a french stick and rub each slice ightly with a cut garlic clove. Put the slices in a hot oven for a few minutes until they''re starting to crisp a little bit - an olive oil spray helps them along.

Turn the slices over, chop a few tomatoes and put a little on each slice, with some shredded basil. Top with a thin slice of mozerella and a grind of seasalt and black pepper. Drizzle very lightly with olive oil and put it in a hot oven until the cheese melts and browns a little. It''s packed full of flavour, but you need to get really tasty tomatoes.

This is one of my all time favourites-

Caramelised onion and goat cheese tart

get a pack of chilled ready rolled puff pastry and put it on a heavy baking tray. Score a border all the way round the edge with a knife, cutting almost but not quite through the pastry, about 3/4 of an inch in. Score the centre so that it doesn''t rise as much as the border.

Caramelise three large onions per tart, by slicing thinly and cooking in a heavy skillet with a little butter and a teaspoon of brown sugar until they''re really dark and sticky. They seem to taste better if you disturb them as little as possible, only stirring occasionally.

Add a generous glug of balsamic vinegar and some salt and pepper. When the onions are cool, spread them over the middle of the tart. Arrange some slices or chunks of a fairly firm goats cheese and some olives and cherry tomatoes over the onions. A sprinkling of chopped fresh thyme is nice too.

Whisk a large egg with about 4 tablespoons of milk. Pour it over the tart and bake in a hot oven until the pastry border has risen and gone fairly dark.

When the tart is cool, cut it into little squares.

Other nice buffet finger foods:
Cherry tomatoes stuffed with goats cheese, spritzed lightly with olive oil then roasted in a very hot oven for a few minutes (mix the cheese with chopped olives, chillies, spring onion, black pepper or any other flavour you fancy).

Tiny little baked potatoes (just put them in the oven) cut a cross in the top of each when they''re cooked and cooled, then add a little dollop of sour cream mixed with chives.

Cocktail sausages are always popular - drizzle them with honey and cook them in the oven. When they''re about half done, stir them round to coat them in the honey, adding more if they''re a bit dry, and sprinkle generously with sesame seeds and black pepper. Oh man, I love these!

Oh, and maybe you could do a few rounds of sandwiches? Egg, cucumber, coronation chicken, plain old ham? I always go for the sandwiches first at a buffet.

Good luck - let us know how it goes.

Jen

 

[elrohwen]

Date: 4/15/2010 1:24:00 PM
Author: jaysonsmom

Date: 4/15/2010 12:48:30 PM
Author: elrohwen
A lot of pizzas, especially those with ingredients other than just marinara and mozz, are great for parties. You can cook it in the host's oven for 10 min, or bring it cooked at room temp. Any flat bread with some carmelized onions, cheese of some sort, and a few other toppings is delicious.

I also like bruchetta/crostini - they always taste good at room temp.

Yum....Bruschetta. Do you have a good recipe?

I just kind of make it up, I don't really have a recipe. Here's how I make a basic tomato bruschetta: Brush some thin slices of Italian bread with olive oil, then bake for 10-12min in a 400 degree oven. When they come out, rub garlic on them.

For the topping, I usually dry out some tomatoes in the oven (drizzle with olive oil and bake at 250 degrees for 3.5-4 hours). I chop up the tomatoes a bit and mix with salt, pepper, and basil. Sprinkle topping on bread slices. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil and balsamic vinegar and sprinkle on some sea salt.

There are infinite variations though, but I do love oven dried tomatoes

Oven drying makes even icky tomatoes taste pretty good, and they're way better than store bought sundried ones.

 

[PinkTower]

Asparagus Rollups

1 bunch asparagus
1 package phyllo
olive oil spray
parmesan

You have to keep this cold while you work. It gets sticky if it gets warm.

lie one asparagus on one square of phyllo. The kind I use is perforated into thirds. I just use one of those small squares. spray lightly with olive oil
roll up, spray lightly again.
place on parchment or spray pan with olive oil. Place them close together.
top with parmesan.

bake 425 for 12 minutes/or until brown

 

[PumpkinPie]

Date: 4/15/2010 5:26:40 PM
Author: Pink Tower
Asparagus Rollups


1 bunch asparagus

1 package phyllo

olive oil spray

parmesan


You have to keep this cold while you work. It gets sticky if it gets warm.


lie one asparagus on one square of phyllo. The kind I use is perforated into thirds. I just use one of those small squares. spray lightly with olive oil

roll up, spray lightly again.

place on parchment or spray pan with olive oil. Place them close together.

top with parmesan.


bake 425 for 12 minutes/or until brown

This sounds great! I''m on a huge asparagus kick lately

 

[OUpearlgirl]

Hawaiian Bread dip! I can''t remember the exact proportions right now, so I''ll make an educated guess. Basically you hollow out a round Hawaiian loaf and put the dip inside. It has 3 c mayonnaise and 1 c sour cream, 3 packets of Buddig ham, 1.5 tbsp fresh dill, tsp parsely, and 6 chopped green onions. Put it in the fridge for at least an hour, and then dip the pieces of Hawaiian bread in. Nom noms!

 

[drk]

I''ve always been a fan at buffets of things like flatbreads and a cheese tray, or rye bread with the spinach/veggie kind of dip (that I don''t have a recipe for, but is supposedly totally easy), or a spinach/strawberry/toasted almond salad with poppyseed dressing. I also love a shrimp ring with marinara sauce, or chips and that yummy layer dip (with salsa, cream cheese, refried beans, cheese, sour cream, green onions) that some of my friends know how to make.

 

[jaysonsmom]

Date: 4/16/2010 12:29:52 AM
Author: OUpeargirl
Hawaiian Bread dip! I can''t remember the exact proportions right now, so I''ll make an educated guess. Basically you hollow out a round Hawaiian loaf and put the dip inside. It has 3 c mayonnaise and 1 c sour cream, 3 packets of Buddig ham, 1.5 tbsp fresh dill, tsp parsely, and 6 chopped green onions. Put it in the fridge for at least an hour, and then dip the pieces of Hawaiian bread in. Nom noms!

I''m going to have to try this because a lot of people from my church were born in Hawaii! Off to look for an official recipe.

Thanks and keep them coming!!!!!

 

[laughwithme]

I think that buffalo chicken wing dip always tastes awesome even if room-temp. Thats something that my friends/fam always make for games, get togethers, etc.

I also think any kind of "crostini" - toasted bread slices - with some sort of dip would be great. Maybe an olive tapenade. That would be best served room temp anyway since you don''t want it hot or cold, really. And its kinda fancy, so would make you look good

 

[laughwithme]

Here''s a recipe that looks good - this could totally sit out for hours and be just fine.

Go to Allrecipes and search for Kalamata Olive Tapenade (I don''t think I''m allowed to insert the link.)

 

[jaysonsmom]

Date: 4/16/2010 10:53:43 PM
Author: laughwithme
Here''s a recipe that looks good - this could totally sit out for hours and be just fine.


Go to Allrecipes and search for Kalamata Olive Tapenade (I don''t think I''m allowed to insert the link.)

You must have read my mind! When the talk of Crostinis and Bruschetta came up, the first thing that came to my mind was an olive tapenade! I love anything with uniquely strong flavors like olives, anchovies, pate, blue cheese etc. Don''t know if that would go well for the masses, but I''ll definitely try to make it for myself one of these days!

 

[jaysonsmom]

Date: 4/15/2010 5:26:40 PM
Author: Pink Tower
Asparagus Rollups


1 bunch asparagus

1 package phyllo

olive oil spray

parmesan


You have to keep this cold while you work. It gets sticky if it gets warm.


lie one asparagus on one square of phyllo. The kind I use is perforated into thirds. I just use one of those small squares. spray lightly with olive oil

roll up, spray lightly again.

place on parchment or spray pan with olive oil. Place them close together.

top with parmesan.


bake 425 for 12 minutes/or until brown

I would try this too, if it weren''t for a church of over 150 people. I''ll try it as an appetizer for a small get-together. Asparagus is YUM!

 

[zoebartlett]

I love to bring lasagna or baked ziti to places because it''s easy to make ahead of time. The other thing I like to make is an orzo salad with Greek dressing. It''s the easiest thing in the world to make and you don''t have to heat it up (it should be chilled before serving though because of the cheese). I play around with the amounts -- just add to taste. I find that I need to add more dressing the longer the dish sits because the orzo soaks it all up.

1 box of orzo
Greek salad dressing (I like to use Christie''s but any Greek dressing will do)
1 package/container of feta cheese
1 can of black olives
1 bag of baby spinach
1 container of cherry or grape tomatoes