How about chili?

Beef stew.....with lots of red wine and lots of mushrooms.
A "crowd pleaser" I make is snackers....served at room temperature with thost party rye rounds.
Snackers
1 ring Dutch Balogna ( about a pound )
2 medium yellow onions ( about the size of a baseball)
Slice and layer in a crock or straihgt sided bowl
In a sauce pan place 1 c. cider vinegar, 1 cup water and 3/4 c sugar and 1 tsp mustard seed ( whole). Bring to a boil and pour over meat and let stand un refigerated for 24 hours. Serve with cocktail rye.

Linda...your Snackers sound good. We are always looking for another way to use the Pella Dutch Bologna.

MMm. I think red beans and rice is what I'd want. It's not just for laundry day anymore!

Hi Trudy!!! Hope all the hosta are soundly sleeping under the snow.
Snackers are a "man pleaser"...men seem to love that combination.
Linda C

My cheater baked beans are always a crowd pleaser a family gatherings or pot luck events.

Baked Beans
1 Can kidney beans drained
1 Can lima beans drained
2 Can Brown Beans
1 1/2 Cup of chili sauce
2 Tbl brown sugar
1 Tbl Dijon mustard
1 Tbl Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbl molasses
3 Slice bacon cut in half

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. In a medium baking dish, mix kidney beans, lima beans, brown beanas, chili sauce, brown sugar, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce and molasses. Top with bacon. Bake 1 hour in the preheated oven, until thick and bubbly.

Last night I was at a little holiday party of 14 people. the Hostess made this main course dish in her crock pot and it was delicious.

Pesto Lasagna

1 (10 oz) pkg frozen chopped spinach
1 lb ground turkey
1 (10-oz) jar pesto sauce
1 cup frozen chopped onion
1 large egg
1 (15-oz) container ricotta cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
2 (16-oz) Jars Four Cheese Alfredo Pasta Sauce
1 (9-oz) box NO Boil lasagna sheets
1 (16-oz) pkg shredded Mozzarella Cheese
Cooking Spray (Pam)

Cook spinach in microwave for 6 - 8 mins. Drain and let cool. Squeeze excess liquid out. Set aside.

Cook ground turkey until browned, drain. Stir in pesto sauce & onions. Set aside.

In another bowl, add beaten egg to ricotta cheese, parm cheese & spinach; mix well.

Spray crock pot w/Pam.

Pour 3/4 cup of the pasta cheese sauce in bottom of crock pot. Top w/layer of noodles, breaking them to fit. Add 1/3 cup ricotta mixture spreading to edges. Sprinkle 1/3 cup turkey mixture over ricotta. Top with 1 cup mozzarella. Pour 3/4 cup pasta sauce on that. Repeat layers twice ending w/noodles and remqaining pasta sauce.

Cover and refrigerate the remaining mozzarella cheese.

Cook on LOW 4 hrs. Once done, sprinkle remaining mozzarella cheese on top. Cover and let stand 10 mins or until the cheese is melted.

If you want something casual, buffalo chicken dip is always a favorite.

Buffalo Chicken Dip
posted by Glenda_al
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 lbs)
1 12oz. bottle Frank's Hot Sauce
2 8oz pkgs. cream cheese
1 16oz. bottle blue cheese salad dressing(or Ranch if you prefer)
8 oz shredded sharp cheddar, Mont. Jack or a combo
Boil chicken until cooked through, shred with 2 forks.
Preheat oven to 350. In a 13x9, combine chicken with hot sauce and spread evenly.

In a large saucepan over med. heat, combine the cream cheese and dressing, stirring until smooth and hot. Pour evenly over chicken. Bake uncovered for 20 min., then sprinkly with shredded cheese and bake uncovered for another 10 min. Let stand 10 min. before serving.

Note:
Serve with Frito scoops, your favorite crackers, etc.
Just be sure to have a spoon or fork to put on chips, crackers!
Have made this many times, and found it works better, for me, by mixing everything together, including the cheese, then bake for 20-30 minutes until good and hot. Then let it stand for 10 minutes or EVEN LONGER to serve.

Something that always seems to be in short supply at potlucks are good vegetables. Oh, there are usually some salads, and sometimes a corn or green bean casserole, or a tray of raw veggies.

I like to bring vegetable dishes to potlucks, and people always seem to enjoy them. One is a veggie casserole that is quite popular...I don't have an actual recipe, but I typed out instructions for a friend:

RachelÂs Veggie Casserole

I make this two different ways, depending on my mood. I either precook the veggies quickly on a very hot grill so as to get grill marks but leave them only barely cooked, or I use raw vegetables without the grilling step.

It's very simple, and you need a fairly deep casserole dish.

Slice a variety of vegetables in a 1/4 inch slice. I like eggplant, zucchini, crookneck squash, mushrooms, asparagus (unsliced!). A layer of yam, sweet potato or regular potatoes is nice as well, generally I precook these a wee bit.

Sometimes I get a little jazzy and add a layer of other items, like artichoke hearts (from a jar) or if I am grilling, baby artichokes. Roasted red bell pepper, kale or other greens (especially if I have some left over that I cooked with bacon & red pepper flakes). Frozen peas or corn add some variety if I'm lacking that quality-this is a dish I usually make on the spur of the moment with whatever I have on hand. I only add onions if I'm grilling, as I don't care for the flavor they add without the char for some reason. If I want to up the protein ratio, I'll add a layer of garbanzo (or other) beans. If I've got fresh basil in the garden, a layer of leaves or two is very nice. If IÂve some leftover lentils or Indian dal, IÂll add a layer of that.

Anyway, you get the idea...it's veggie madness.

Alternating between layers of vegetables and cheese (mozz, Parm, pepperjack, or even blue), are layers of whatever tomato sauce I have on hand, whether it be home made or Classico from a jar.

Then I bake it until the cheese layer on top is hot and bubbling and a skewer pushed through the layers proves the veggies to be tender. If I grilled the veggies, I use a hotter oven, as I want the cheese to melt without the vegetables turning to mush, I'll also tend to put more of the cheese on the top layers for the same reason.

Anyway, it is a very pretty dish, with all the different vegetables, and very tasty too. It doesn't have to be served piping hot, though that's my favorite way, but it should at least be warm so the cheese won't harden up.

The buffalo chicken dip is good warm or room temp.

Thank you all for the great suggestions. I think the crock pot lasagna might be a winner, I didn't see any lasagna on the list. Buffalo chicken dip sounds really good too. Veggie casserole, boy howdy but that sounds great. Hmmm, so many great ideas and only one pot luck this weekend, what to do, what to do.

Thanks again,
augie

What to do??

Accept invitations to more potlucks!

Thank you supercooks. I made the crock pot lasagna, though I made it my own, and it was a huge hit. No leftovers! I also made a pantry raid desert, I was in the mood to experiment, a pumpkin pecan roll that also went over well.

Thanks for all the great ideas,
augie