Potluck | Pad Patter 5.23

There are so many yummy recipes in this thread!

Lately I've been bringing this broccoli/cauliflower/grape salad to family get-togethers, and it goes quickly:

1 head raw broccoli chopped into bite-sized pieces
equal amount of raw cauliflower chopped into bite-sized pieces
equal amount of green grapes cut in half or quarters depending on size
1/2 to 1 cup shelled roasted salted sunflower seeds

Dressing:
1 cup mayo
1 Tbsp sugar
2 Tsp cider vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Mix dressing and then mix with the rest of the ingredients. Chill until served.

If the dressing isn't enough (depends on how much of the veggies I have), I sometimes double or triple the recipe. Depends how "saucy" you like your salad.

 

I always bring Oriental Ramen Salad (with coleslaw).. not only is it easy, it is always a giant hit..

or I bring my famous Lemon Chicken Poppy Seed Pasta Salad.. which is also a hit.. and easy to make
(Cook chicken chill and shred...cooked noodles (i use shells or the curly ones). mix lemon peppy seed dressing , grapes (cut in half), and sliced almonds)

 

I have a "weird" potato salad (no eggs, no yellow mustard, no paprika) that I like to bring to picnics.

 

My totally retro, 50s-style, heart-attack-on-a-plate recipe for homemade macaroni and cheese. Always a big hit at a potluck:

1 lb. macaroni
½ cup butter
½ cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
freshly ground pepper, to taste
4 cups milk (preferably whole milk [we're not really working a health food angle here ])
6 cups good, sharp grated cheddar cheese
2 teaspoons mustard powder
3-4 slices white sandwich bread
½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons butter

Preheat oven to 375. Grease a 9 by 13 pan.

Process bread slices in food processor to make bread crumbs. Place in small bowl.
Add grated parmesan and mix.

Cook macaroni for 5-6 minutes. Drain.

Meanwhile, make sauce. In a large pot, melt 1/2 cup butter over low heat. Add flour and
mix. Add salt and pepper. Cook over low heat for a minute or two. Add milk and
mustard powder and stir well. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a
whisk, until smooth and thickened. Remove from heat, add cheese and stir well to
melt cheese.

Add drained macaroni to cheese sauce and fold in. Pour into prepared pan.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter and stir into bread crumb-parmesan mixture. Top the macaroni
with the buttery bread crumb-parmesan mixture.

Bake, covered, for 15-20 minutes. Remove cover and bake uncovered, for another 10-15 minutes or so, until the bread crumb mixture is nicely browned.

 

i’ve been wanting to try Mexican street corn. If you find your recipe please share it with us.

My go tos are potato salad, spaghetti salad or a cut up watermelon if I can find a good one.

My SIL texted me her spaghetti salad recipe. Hope the photo will show here.

I hold the olives because I don’t like them, but it’s a good one to make the night before because it tastes even better when the seasonings blend. Plus both sides of the family like it.

 

My Mac and cheese is always a hit. Then there is broccoli and rice - and lately I have made a hominy casserole with green chilies (recipe on Pinterest). But honestly I’ve been craving the strawberry pretzel thing - maybe I will fix some for ME! Enjoy!

 

I haven't been to a potluck in years! I grew up going to a Baptist Church where pot luck meals were commonplace - at least twice a week. But I couldn't tell you what my mom brought most of the time. I remember one dish she'd make that was a layered vegetable salad that everyone but me thought was delicious (I'm not a veggie fan!).

They would have pot luck meals every once in a while at my kid's elementary school: International Night and Harvest Celebration (Thanksgiving wasn't a politically correct event...) All I remember is that my kids begged for me to bring some kind of a pasta dish like mac & cheese or pasta & sauce because that's what their friends asked for. Their school had kids representing over 50 countries and I guess they wanted "American" food because all they ate was what we would consider "International" food at home. And ... it was the first thing to disappear from the table.

 

The spaghetti salad I have also called for ham.. I made it once for us at home and omg we were eating it for a week.. that was in 1995 .. I never made it again cause we ate it too much! Lol