*Reunions & Holidays* That Means "POTLUCK"

A potluck is a gathering of people where each person or group of people contributes a dish of food to be shared among the group. Synonyms include: potluck dinner, spread, Jacob's join, Jacob's supper, faith supper, covered dish supper, bring and share, shared lunch, pitch-in, carry-in, bring-a-plate, smorgasbord, dish-to-pass.

A widely known but little-discussed fact about potlucks is they tend to inspire fierce competition. After all, who can hang around a potluck table without wondering whose dish will disappear first?

*Macaroni Coleslaw*

Ingredients

• 1 package (7 ounces) ring macaroni or ditalini
• 1 package (14 ounces) coleslaw mix
• 2 medium onions, finely chopped
• 2 celery ribs, finely chopped
• 1 medium cucumber, finely chopped
• 1 medium green pepper, finely chopped
• 1 can (8 ounces) whole water chestnuts, drained and chopped
• DRESSING:
• 1-1/2 cups Miracle Whip Light
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  

Directions

• Cook macaroni according to package directions; drain and rinse in cold water. Transfer to a large bowl; add the coleslaw mix, onions, celery, cucumber, green pepper and water chestnuts.
• In a small bowl, whisk the dressing ingredients. Pour over salad; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

*Broccoli Salad*

"Confirmed broccoli haters have changed their minds after tasting this salad. It is great for potlucks or buffet meals. Make a day or so before you wish to serve to meld the ingredients. You can use sugar substitutes for the white sugar and also used nonfat or low-fat mayonnaise and it still tastes great!"

Ingredients

• 10 slices bacon
• 1 head fresh broccoli, cut into bite size pieces
• 1/4 cup red onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 cup sunflower seeds

Directions

1. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the broccoli, onion and raisins. In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, sugar and mayonnaise. Pour over broccoli mixture, and toss until well mixed. Refrigerate for at least two hours.
3. Before serving, toss salad with crumbled bacon and sunflower seeds.               

*Chicken Potpie*

"Chock-full of chicken, potatoes, peas and corn, this autumn favorite makes two golden pies, so you can serve one at supper and save the other for a busy night. They're perfect for company or a potluck."

Ingredients

• 2 cups diced peeled potatoes
• 1 3/4 cups sliced carrots
• 2/3 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup butter or margarine
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 3/4 teaspoon pepper
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 4 cups cubed cooked chicken
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie

Directions

1. Place potatoes and carrots in a large saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain and set aside. In a large skillet, saute onion in butter until tender. Stir in the flour, salt, thyme and pepper until blended. Gradually stir in broth and milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add the chicken, peas, corn, potatoes and carrots; remove from the heat.
2. Line two 9-in. pie plates with bottom pastry; trim even with edge of plate. Fill pastry shells with chicken mixture. Roll out remaining pastry to fit top of pies. Cut slits or decorative cutouts in pastry. Place over filling; trim, seal and flute edges.
3. Bake one potpie at 425 degrees F for 35-40 minutes or until crust is lightly browned. Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting. Cover and freeze remaining potpie for up to 3 months.               

*Pecan Sweet Potato Casserole*

"Creamy sweet potatoes are treated to a brown-sugar-and-pecan topping in this pared-down casserole."

Ingredients

• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons 2% milk
• 2 tablespoons beaten egg
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• TOPPING:
• 2 tablespoons chopped pecans
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted

Directions

1. Place sweet potato in a small saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook for 20-25 minutes or until tender. Drain. Place potato in a bowl; mash. Stir in the sugar, milk, egg, butter and vanilla until blended. Transfer to a 3-cup baking dish coated with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Combine topping ingredients; sprinkle over sweet potato mixture. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until heated through.

*Banana Trifle*

"Pound cake, whipped cream, banana pudding and vanilla wafers are layered to form this easy trifle that's sure to please."

Ingredients

• 2 (3.5 ounce) packages instant banana pudding mix
• 1 quart cold milk
• 2 bananas, chopped
• 4 cups heavy cream
• 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 (12 ounce) package prepared pound cake, cubed
• 1/2 (12 ounce) box vanilla wafers (such as Nilla®), crushed

Directions

1. Whisk pudding mix with milk until smooth. Stir in chopped bananas; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whip cream until stiff peaks are just about to form. Beat in vanilla and sugar until peaks form. Make sure not to over-beat, or cream will become lumpy and butter-like.
3. Layer half the pound cake cubes, half the pudding, half the whipped cream, and half the crushed vanilla wafers in a trifle bowl. Repeat with the remaining cake, pudding, and whipped cream, and top with the remaining crushed wafers. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.               

*N.Y.Style Cheesecake*

Recipe adapted from Chantals New York Cheesecake on Allrecipes.com
Crust Ingredients:
18 graham crackers
3 tablespoons melted butter
Filling Ingredients:
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2/3 cup milk
4 eggs
1 or 2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest
1 or 2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest

*Zucchini Brownies*

"A fast-to-fix peanut butter and chocolate frosting tops these moist brownies that are a sweet way to use up your green garden squash."

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup baking cocoa
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups shredded zucchini

Directions

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in yogurt and vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture. Stir in zucchini.
• Pour into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
• For frosting, in a small saucepan, combine chocolate chips and peanut butter. Cook and stir over low heat until smooth. Spread over warm brownies. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars.

*Citrus Pineapple Coleslaw*

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 packages (3 ounces each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese (softened or cubed), softened
• 1 medium head cabbage, shredded
• 2 large carrots, shredded
• 1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple, drained
• 1 cup miniature marshmallows
• Carrot curls, optional

Directions

• In a saucepan, combine the first six ingredients until smooth. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir a small amount into the eggs. Return all to saucepan, stirring constantly. Cook and stir until mixture reaches 160°. Cool for 5 minutes. Stir in cream cheese until melted. Refrigerate.
• In a large salad bowl, combine the cabbage, carrots, pineapple and marshmallows. Add dressing; toss to coat. Garnish with carrot curls if desired.

*Antipasto Platter*

Ingredients

• 1 jar (24 ounces) pepperoncinis, drained
• 1 can (15 ounces) garbanzo beans or chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 2 cups halved fresh mushrooms
• 2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 pound provolone cheese, cubed
• 1 can (6 ounces) pitted ripe olives, drained
• 1 package (3-1/2 ounces) sliced pepperoni
• 1 bottle (8 ounces) Italian vinaigrette dressing
• Lettuce leaves

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine the peppers, beans, mushrooms, tomatoes, cheese, olives and pepperoni. Pour vinaigrette over mixture; toss to coat.
• Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or overnight. Arrange on a lettuce-lined platter. Serve with toothpicks.

*Truffled Potato Gratin*

If you've never had truffles before, and are wondering what all the fuss is about, then this is the recipe to try for experiencing the real magic of these fabulous fungi. The great thing about this recipe is you don't need a fortune worth of fresh truffles to make it, thanks to an Italian cheese called sottocenere.Sottocenere is a semi-soft, fairly mild cheese that's studded with fragrant truffles. When baked into a potato gratin like it's done here, you get the full punch of truffle flavor and aroma, but at a fraction of the cost.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp butter, divided
1 tbsp olive oil
5 cups sliced mushrooms
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
5 medium russet potatoes, sliced thin
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
6 oz sottocenere cheese, grated
2 cups cream
1 cup chicken broth

*Potato Salad Deviled Eggs*

"Deviled eggs get a stuffing of potato salad for a tasty little bite on a summer day. Bring to a picnic, a cookout, or just serve for brunch or a light meal."      

Ingredients

• 8 eggs
• 1 large potato, coarsely chopped
• 2 teaspoons pickle relish
• 2 teaspoons mustard
• 4 teaspoons creamy salad dressing (such as Miracle Whip®)
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste
• paprika for garnish

Directions

1. Place the eggs into a saucepan in a single layer and fill with water to cover the eggs by 1 inch. Cover the saucepan and bring the water to a boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, remove from the heat and let the eggs stand in the hot water for 15 minutes. Pour out the hot water, then cool the eggs under cold running water in the sink. Peel once cold. Slice the cooled eggs in half lengthwise, and scoop out and reserve the yolks.
2. While the eggs are cooking, place the cut-up potato into a saucepan with water to cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until the potato pieces are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain the potato, and let cool.
3. In a bowl, mash the reserved egg yolks with pickle relish, mustard, creamy dressing, salt, and pepper until well combined. Place the potato into a bowl, and coarsely mash with a fork. Lightly combine the potato with the yolk mixture. Stuff each egg half generously with potato salad, and sprinkle with paprika. Cover and chill until ready to serve, at least 20 minutes.