All about Pot Luck Suppers

Okay, you're invited to a pot luck supper. While traveling, we've enjoyed many of these events, and we think we've reached a point where we know what type of dish is enjoyed by many people while being something the people are not afraid of.

When attending and preparing food for a pot luck there are several things to consider - these are more-or-less random thoughts...sort of like the dinner you're planning to attend. Here goes:

1. Are you 'germophobic' - in other words, do you worry about the people doing the cooking? Some of us simply do not like eating food made by a group of people we know little about - it's understandable. Improperly handled or prepared food can pass along diseases or bacteria that can make you sick...not a good thing. That being said - we've never gotten sick from food we've eaten at a pot luck. See #3 below.

2. We like pot lucks where people sign up ahead of time for what type of dish they are bringing, such as a salad, meat, dessert, etc. This type of sign-up ensures that you have a selection of dishes. In theory, without a sign-up you could end up with a dinner made up of a dozen or so desserts.

3. Make something you like. That way you are ensured of at least one dish you can enjoy. It also goes back to #1 - if that's a consideration to you. You will also typically find that several people (the non-cooks in the crowd) will bring commercially prepared foods such as salads, fruit trays, chicken, pizza, etc,.

4. You do not have to make a dish that will feed everybody at the event. Do a little math here. For example, if you have 20 people signed up for the pot luck, and you are one of 3 people bringing a salad, your 'share' of the salad dishes would be enough to feed 20/3 or 6.67 people - so maybe plan on your dish feeding 8 folks.

Here are a few suggestions for dishes to bring to a pot luck dinner:

Buffalo Wings - easy and easy to serve.
Rice Pudding - A side dish or dessert, served hot or cold.
Corn Loaf - a good side dish.
Mom's Lasagna Recipe - a hearty favorite for a crowd.
Oven Baked Chicken - easy, good, popular dish.
Layered Lettuce Salad - a good option for a salad.
Sweet and Sour Cabbage Salad - a crunchy different salad.
Woodtick Salad - very good!
Mushroom and Potato au Gratin - rich creamy potato dish.