I liked it up until the point where you added the green beans....add more corn instead and it will be great.
But I hear you about the starch at church pot lucks!
Last one I went to had a corn and pasta casserole with a can of cream of something soup for sauce.....eww!!
Linda c

Me too. I like green beans but not too crazy about the canned stuff. I normally would add a can of black beans. Since you try to avoid heavy starchy ingredients beans may not work for you. If you want green in your dish will cucumbers, green pepper, or even avocados work? Al

I like Al's idea with the Black Beans, then double the corn, and take it a step farther and add a jar of Annie's Salsa and a bit of Cumin, make it Mexicorn!!

Or, I had this at a potluck and it was different enough that evenyone really enjoyed it. Works great in a crock pot on a buffet table!

GOLABKI, STUFFED CABBAGE ROLLS

1 small whole White Cabbage
2 tablespoons Butter
1 pound Ground Pork
1 pound Ground Beef
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 Cup Chopped Onion
4 Cloves Garlic, minced
2 Cups Cooked Long Grain Rice
1 Egg
½ Cup Chopped Parsley
2 15 ounce cans of Stewed Tomatoes
1 5ounce can Tomato Sauce

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Core the Cabbage and place the whole head into the boiling water, core side up. Remove the individual leaves with tongs as they cook, and put them into a colander to cool and drain. Remove as many as you can. Set the remaining head aside to cool and drain.

Melt the Butter in a sauté pan, and add the Ground Pork, Ground Beef, Onion and Garlic, and sauté until the meat is completely cooked. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Place all in a large mixing bowl, add the Egg, Rice, Parsley and Salt and Pepper, and stir gently to combine.

Place approx. ½ cup of the meat mixture at the base of the Cabbage Leaf and roll tightly, folding in the sides as you go. Place in a deep stockpot, layering closely. Chop the remaining head of Cabbage and distribute between the layers. Pour one can of Stewed Tomatoes over the first Layer. When all the Filling and Cabbage Leaves are used, pour on the second can of Stewed Tomatoes. Be sure there is plenty of headroom in the pot as the rolls expand as they cook. Bring the pot to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer, cover and simmer for an hour, checking the liquid level frequently, adding Water or Tomato Juice if necessary. After the first half hour pour the Tomato Sauce over the Rolls. Finish cooking.

Remove to a large platter and cover to keep warm. Increase the heat to medium and stir the pot until the sauce has thickened. Taste to correct seasonings, and serve the Sauce on the side. These are definitely better reheated the next day.

Steve

I should probably explain (for those who haven't heard me before........LOL), the church I attend has an average weekly attendance of about 25 people.
At 46, I am one of the "babies" there. Most of the attendees are are 70+. Many have attended curch there all their lives.

So, introducing something like 'cumin' might be just a bit much with this crowd. Traditional, comfort food (for this group) goes over well.

I've had them rave over canned beans with a bit of bacon in it.........because it tastes like their momma's! LOL

Maybe I'll just stick with the corn (with onion and pepper) this time.....

No go on the beans, huh?
My original thought was just mixing corn and beans.
Then I thought "why not add another layer of flavor and color with the onion/pepper"?

From there, I wondered about the carmelizing part.
So, you see, it sort of morphed from one idea into something else!!

Deanna

Deanna, after reading the description of your congregation I'm thinking you'd be better off with just the onion, corn, & your home canned green beans? I'm wondering about the red pepper, specifically? I know none of that generation in my family would touch ANY of the veggies if they spotted the red peppers. :( They would say, "I can't eat anything spicy." No amount of my telling them othewise would work.

Good luck!

/tricia

I wondering if you should have the pepper in the mix, seems like many older people say peppers give them heartburn.

A mix I love is onions, corn, green beans and a little bit of tomato. Season with S+P and basil...yum! Had this mix at a very upscale restaurant the first time. Been making it ever since.

Nancy

It sounds good to me but I don't know if it would appeal to your group.

If you have home canned green beans, you could mix some sauteed chopped onion, a can of stewed or diced tomatoes and the green beans.

When in doubt, carrots are always an idea. These hold nicely on a buffet table. I shread the carrots with the grater of my food processor so it only takes a few minutes to put this one together.

BAKED CARROTS

1 lb. carrots, peeled, ends trimmed
1 small bunch green onions
1 Tbs. finely chopped celery leaves
2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt (or more to taste)
1/4 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
3 Tbs. butter

Grate carrots on coarse hole of grater (should be about 4 cups). Trim and slice onions, using a little bit of the green tops (should be about 1/3 cup). Combine all ingredients except butter in a large bowl. Mix well. Spoon into baking dish. Dot with butter. Cover and bake at 325 for about 45 min. to an hour, or until carrots are crisply tender.

{{gwi:1495852}}

I'd just do with the home canned green beans....although I am always amazed at how well something I fear might be a little avant guard for the old folks gets snarfed down....things like water chestnuts in chicken casserole and strips of red pepper and baked pineapple with cheese...Oh my they love that!

The red peppers I was thinking about are sweet red peppers, mostly for color! No spicy stuff!!

Good point about the heartburn, Nancy. Even bell peppers might not go over very well.

Ruthanna, those carrots look wonderful! They're definitely on my "to try" list, even if they never make it to church!!

You're right, lindac! Sometimes I am surprised!
Helps if I don't tell them until AFTER they've tried it! Hee hee.

Thank you everyone for all the suggestions and ideas.
Part of the decision will come down to what I feel like doing this weekend! :-)

Deanna
(planning a pretty heavy work day in the garden Saturday and might just open a jar of beans and call it good...or not).

That generation, in my family, thinks that sweet red peppers are too spicy. :)

/t

I have done lots and lost of "church meals" for large groups of people who are mostly un adventuresome eaters...I haves erved such strange things as chicken salad with grapes in it and veggie casserole with broccoli, onions, red peppers and mushrooms, mixed veggie pasta and chicken casserole with red peppers peas mushrooms and water chesnuts...I have made ham sandwiches with dijon mustard on it and salads with red cabbage...RAW red cabbage in it....and occasionally someone would pick out the red pepper....like one person out of 50....but the thing most people pick out is peas! I can't tell you the number of plates that have come from the cleared tables with peas lined up along the edge of the plate.
No problems with red pepper that I have seen....more problems with broccoli than redpeppers..
But just don't let them see pieces of onion!
Linda C

ROFL, lindac!!
This crowd (I use that term loosely...) will eat unidentifiable "schtuff" in a casserole sometimes, but not simple things like a tossed green salad.

If it's laden with fat and/or sugar it usually goes over well! LOL
Cream of XXXX soup and bacon are bonus ingredients!

However, I like to take something that I actually can eat on Weight Watchers!
And there are a few adventursome ones, so it isn't just for me!

I wonder if you put those peas in some cream of celery soup, topped it with buttered cracker crumbs and cooked it for about an hour if they'd eat them?

Deanna

Well, just in case....here is another idea. It's really tasty and can be served warm or at room temp (A bonus!)

Grilled Ratatouille
Source: Rachel Ray Magazine

3 large tomatoes, halved crosswise
2 bell peppers, quartered
2 zucchini, thickly sliced lengthwise
1 eggplant, thickly sliced lengthwise
1 onion, thickly sliced crosswise
1 head garlic, halved crosswise
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, sliced
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Preheat a grill (I used stovetop grill pan) to medium-high. On a large baking sheet, arrange the tomatoes, bell peppers, zucchini, eggplant, onion and garlic in a single layer. Brush with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Transfer the vegetables to the grill and cook, turning once, until just tender and slightly charred, about 5 minutes for the tomatoes, 8 minutes for the peppers, zucchini and eggplant and 10 minutes for the onions and garlic. Return to the baking sheet and let stand until cool enough to handle.

Chop the peppers, zucchini, eggplant and onions into 1/2 inch pieces and transfer to a large bowl. Squeeze out the garlic cloves, finely chop and add to the bowl. Working over the bowl, slip off and discard the tomato skins and remove the cores, then crush the tomatoes with your hands and add to the bowl. Add the olives and vinegar, season with salt and pepper and toss.

My notes...1/28/10 This is incredible! I subbed a carrot for the eggplant. Could easily sub black olives for the kalamata.

Linda

LOL!! Likely not....they would just eat the sodden crackers and pick out the peas!
I thought I had seen everything...but one particularly tragic funeral funeral lunch, for a 50 year old man who was a farmer ( and I say that with great respect...owned "several" acres of prime Iowa farmland)...was messing around in an ultra light helicopter he built, want to get a view of his land and crashed and burned...literally. simply awful!
Anyhow at that funeral meal I saw a man get up and go to the kitchen to get a salt shaker to salt his ham sandwich!..And I'll bet he would be picking out peas, broccoli AND red peppers!

i keep thinking 'broccoli salad' with that mayo/sugar/vinegar dressing, bacon bits, sunflower seeds

Deanna, I attended a church for quite some time that was somewhat disproportionately...er....Senior. We had "coffee hour" every week, which was most often more like lunch, and then often more "elaborate" potluck events. Yes, starchy casseroles were standard fare, as well as somethings or others cooked in Campbells mushroom soup and "Mexican" dishes topped with melted Velveeta.

I always made something heavy on vegetables, whether a vegetable salad of some kind, a soup or a main dish.I figured, I'd bring something I was sure at least I and my husband would like, and see what happened. I think others were just as happy to have something a bit different. They would all take a portion for politeness' sake, even if it looked outlandish to them, but end up coming back for more.

That's the neat thing about a potluck. People don't feel backed into a corner with a dish they're sure they won't like, because they have the excuse of just taking a little because there are so many things, so they're more willing to try the unfamiliar.

I don't see anything wrong with your original idea, in fact I think it might go over quite well. Raw garlic can be upsetting to the digestion of some elders who didn't grow up eating it, but a judicious amount of thoroughly cooked garlic shouldn't cause problems.

I love that broccoli salad, Jessica. Mine has bacon, onion and raisins rather than sunflower seeds.
But, alas, that's what I brought last month! :-)

I'm also working on using the things that I have put up in the most abundance! Corn. Beans. Onions. Bell Peppers. Bacon (not great for Weight Watchers...).
Trying to see how well I can match the end of my supply with the appropriate harvest time this year.

Better known as.............use what you've got!

Yes, rachelellen, Velveeta often makes an appearance here too! LOL I forgot about the "italian" dishes too.
Ground Beef, macaroni, Campbell's Tomato soup lasagne!
The Jiffy mix cornbread pudding (which I actually like...in very small quantities). Funny though, the same person always makes 'the best' Lemon Meringue Pie...from scratch.

Oh well, it isn't really about the food, it's about the fellowship and that's ALL GOOD! Great people!

Deanna

Hey Deanna you could serve goat.....homemade goat darfc

Tomorrow is our first of the month church dinner. We have about a hundred that attend. I have only good comments about the food everyone brings and there always seem to be the right amount of everything there. We are in a farming community too. I am taking two pies, sugar cream and black raspberry, a white cake, and a pan of American spaghetti. I take plenty so if my daughter's don't want to cook they don't have to. I like to cook and bake. The biggest hit is always the chicken and noodles with the mashed potatoes. We always have ham sometimes fried chicken, meat loaf and other times beef, pork or turkey. It is always varied. Everyone loves the food. Good luck with your meal.

Sue

Well, my elderly dad is one of those "pepper phobes" but he has always been that way. Same goes with celery and onions. And even though he loves corn, nowdays he shouldn't eat it because he has diverticulitus. Having said that, for those that do like veggies, you can't go wrong with corn. I'm sure there will be SOME there that will feel the same way as you and appreciate a veggie dish, even if they just eat a spoonful.

I've been introduced to two yummy dishes by friends at potlucks, one was the broccoli salad, except I make mine lower in fat with lowfat mayo, fake bacon bits, and use cauliflower and broccoli. The other dish is roasted root vegetables. My friend brought that to a potluck and everone raved. Another possibility is sweet and sour cabbage or coleslaw. My uber picky dad likes cabbage things, so go figure.

I make a "Hoppin' John" salad with canned blackeyed peas, chopped peppers and celery and tomatoes, a tad of mayo, fake bacon bits, and something else which escapes me right now but I can look it up later, and a dash of hot sauce. It's a lot like black bean salsa except it has bigger bits of things, lol!

DEATH TO EVIL GREEN LINKS!