looking for pot luck/hot dish recipes

[flowerseverywhere]

Anyone have any suggestions for recipes for a pot luck? One I am going to has a ham already, so I was thinking of scalloped potatoes in the crockpot. I was wondering if you could do mac and cheese in a crockpot. For a dessert idea I saw a really cute idea of chocolate cupcakes, with mini pretzel antlers and a black candy for eyes and red for nose.

I am going to four this December so want to have some good ideas to choose from.

[Mrs. Hermit]

I am making Pizza Rolls for one this weekend. Start with dough for rolls. Using a dinner-roll size piece, make a hollow in the center. Add pepperoni, some mozzarella cheese, and a bit of pizza sauce. Seal the dough around it. Shake Parmesan cheese and garlic powder over the rolls before baking at 425 for 20 minutes.

[Blackdog Lin]

When I knew the meat(s) were already provided, I used to take Spanish/Mexican Rice in the crockpot, and seldom brought home leftovers. It seemed like people enjoyed having a choice of a "lighter" type of side dish available. I would make my regular skillet recipe, then transfer it to the crockpot and leave on warm. And yes, macaroni and cheese will do fine in the crockpot also.

My go-to casserole (my "funeral casserole") is Baked Spaghetti - a layered spaghetti thing.

Maybe an appetizer thing? We make a killer cheese ball, too easy with 3 ingredients, served w/crackers and veggies; or a spinach dip in a bread bowl, with bread chunks and veggies; or hot wings w/a bowl of blue cheese salad dressing for dip; or those sausage/cheese/bisquick meatballs. All of these can be made to look special for the holidays with a little "presentation", you know, a lettuce-lined platter, some pretty garnishes, etc.

Recipes available on request. :) And have fun with all your holiday parties!

And Mrs. Hermit, I must try your pizza rolls. Sounds like something that's right up my alley: simple and unique.

[Rosemary]

One thing that is never in over-supply at potlucks: vegetables. Whenever a lettuce salad appears at our church potlucks, it is always the first thing to disappear - and so easy to prepare, too!

[fidgiegirl]

Well your Minnesota connection is evident in that thread topic - "hot dish" :)

[Dhiana]

One thing that is never in over-supply at potlucks: vegetables. Whenever a lettuce salad appears at our church potlucks, it is always the first thing to disappear - and so easy to prepare, too!

+1 It is soooo difficult to find healthy food to eat at potlucks! I always bring fresh cut fruit such as pineapple, strawberries, blueberries, etc and I always come home with an empty bowl :)

[Selah]

LOL, being raised in Michigan, my go-to hot dish just has to be tunafish casserole, with crumbled potato chips on top if you want to be "fancy!" Snort! :)

[goldensmom]

LOL, being raised in Michigan, my go-to hot dish just has to be tunafish casserole, with crumbled potato chips on top if you want to be "fancy!" Snort! :)
'Real fancy' is using Cheddar Cheese potato chips.

[Blackdog Lin]

Ooh ooh, I just remembered another one: cornbread salad. Have you ever fixed this? It's unique and wondermous - and I used to have to carry the recipe in my purse when taking it anywhere 'cause it was guaranteed I was gonna get asked for the recipe.

[flowerseverywhere]

yes Fidgiegirl, my sister lives in Minnesota - hey dere.

thanks for all the great suggestions. Blackdog lin can you post the cornbread salad and appetizer recipes you mentioned?

In one group in particular there are a lot of seniors on a very fixed budget and they are a great group, I want to do something really special for them as they are just so nice.

[Amaranth]

A healthy one that usually disappears quickly is a mixed grape bowl. Get three colors of tasty seedless grapes and wash well. Pat dry. Remove any bad grapes. Cut grapes apart into small bunches of 4-6 grapes. Arange bunches artfully in a cut glass bowl. It looks like a Jeweled Still Life of Grapes. If you don't have a cut glass bowl or the setting is incompatible with the good china, it looks great in a white corel bowl or on a pedestal cake stand.

Another fun one is to make your favorite noncrumbly light colored cheese ball. Shape into an igloo and make ice block lines on it with a table knife. Surround with black olive penguins and a sturdy cracker such as triscuits. Make the penguins from a large black olive stuffed lenthwise with cream cheese or a creamy goat cheese and a small black olive for the head. Make eyes and beak from slivers of carrots/sweet peppers.

[shadowmoss]

My go to dish, that I got from Iris Lilly waaaaay back in the day is (this is from memory, so if I get it wrong, ask IR) is large box of strawberry jello, 1 c of boiling water and mix, add in 1 can of cherry pie filling and 1 can of pineapple chunks with the juices. Mix up and refridgerate. Trouble is, my friends now bring it to the pot lucks, so I have to find something different when I go back.

[creaker]

yes Fidgiegirl, my sister lives in Minnesota - hey dere.

thanks for all the great suggestions. Blackdog lin can you post the cornbread salad and appetizer recipes you mentioned?

In one group in particular there are a lot of seniors on a very fixed budget and they are a great group, I want to do something really special for them as they are just so nice.

With seniors on a fixed budget, I would think one of those comfort foods, that's a bit more on the expensive side or something they like but would not often prepare. Although I can't think of an example right now :-)

[flowerseverywhere]

thank you all so much. I think for the group of seniors I am going to make a big pot of scalloped potaotes because that does not seem like a dish that most singles or elderly would make yet are used to eating. I am also making chocolate frosted cupcakes with little pretzels for antlers and eyes and red noses to resemble reindeer.

I am going to do the grape thing for a group of fitness nuts.

and lastly the cornbread salad that blackdog lin so kindly posted for me.

The jello sounds great as well for one of them.

Thanks so much to everyone.

[CathyA]

Okay Blackdog Lin..........now ya gotta give us that recipe!

[Blackdog Lin]

see "flowerseverywhere: your recipes". :)

[beckyliz]

I've started bringing deviled eggs - they always go fast. Another fave (especially with the Boy Scouts) is Tater Tot Casserole. Yeah, not too healthy, but it gets eaten.