Need a crowd-pleasing potluck recipe? We’ve got you covered.
By Janet Groene, F47166
September 2017
Fall is potluck season, a time when we step out of our motorhomes to gather in the great outdoors for bonhomie, buffet, and barbecue.
Travel rewards us with opportunities to sample regional cookout cuisine. A salmon bake in the Northwest. A big kettle of Brunswick stew in the Southeast. A clambake in New England. Do you have a hometown specialty everyone asks you to bring?
These recipes are simple to make in the motorhome galley, easy to serve, and delicious no matter where you are.
SALADS TO SHARE
Baja Beach Bag Salad
1 16-ounce bag of shredded cabbage for coleslaw
2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup dried cranberries
1 small can of pineapple tidbits, well drained
1 cup seedless grapes, cut in half
1 cup bottled poppy seed dressing
1 cup crisp Chinese noodles
Directions
Put the shredded cabbage into a 2-gallon zip-top bag and sprinkle with the sugar. Close the bag and mix by jostling. Add the almonds, cranberries, pineapple, and grapes. Close the bag and work it gently to mix the ingredients. Add the dressing and mix again. Chill. Mix again in the bag, and then empty the bag into a serving bowl. Sprinkle with crisp Chinese noodles. Makes about 10 cups.
Watermelon And Sweet Onion Salad
A good ratio of ingredients for this salad is about 6 to 8 cups of watermelon chunks to 2 cups of diced sweet onion. You pick the amounts. Use a watermelon baller or cut the fruit into bite-size chunks.
Seedless watermelon in bite-size pieces
About 15 fresh mint leaves, chopped
1 cup boiling water
2 mint tea bags
Sweet onions, such as Vidalia, diced
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil
Crumbled blue cheese
Directions
Put the watermelon pieces and the chopped mint leaves into a 2-gallon zip-top bag. In a large bowl, pour the boiling water over the mint tea bags and let them steep for 5 minutes. Cut the onions into bite-size pieces. Remove the tea bags and stir the onions into the hot tea. Let the onions soak for 30 to 60 minutes and then drain off the liquid.
Whisk together the vinegar, sugar, and oil. Add the mixture to the watermelon in the bag. Next add the onions. Seal the bag and tip it to mix. Chill for several hours, turning occasionally.
Just before serving, work the bag gently to mix the contents. Quickly cut a small corner from the bottom of the bag to drain off excess liquid. Empty the salad into a big bowl. Garnish with the crumbled blue cheese. Makes six to eight servings.
Pumpkin Aspic
With each portion nestled in a lettuce cup, this makes a pretty platter.
2 four-serving packages orange gelatin dessert mix OR 1 eight-serving package
Water
1 15-ounce can pureed pumpkin
1 small can (2/3 cup) evaporated milk
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 cups finely chopped celery
1/2 cup finely chopped radishes
Lettuce cups
1 8-ounce brick cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
About 2 tablespoons apple juice concentrate
12 to 16 pieces of lettuce
Directions
Spray a 9-inch-by-13-inch dish with nonstick coating. In a bowl, dissolve the gelatin in one cup of boiling water. Whisk in an additional 1/2 cup of cold water, as well as the pumpkin, milk, and ginger. Add the celery and radishes and place the mixture in the dish to chill. Once it’s set, cut to make 12 to 16 portions and place them in lettuce cups.
Soften the cream cheese enough to mix in the cinnamon. Add the apple juice concentrate to thin the mixture to the consistency of heavy cream. Drizzle the mixture over the aspic.
MAIN DISH POTLUCK RECIPES
White ’N’ Gold Chicken Chili
Cutting off the corn in chunks gives this chili a distinctive look.
1 deli-roasted chicken, about 4 pounds
1 tablespoon mild curry powder
31/2 cups water
1/2 cup milk
3 large ears of fresh corn, husk and silk removed
3 chicken bouillon cubes
1 medium onion, diced
1 cup matchstick carrots
1 large yellow tomato, diced
2 14.5-ounce cans white beans, drained and rinsed
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces and place them in a large zip-top plastic bag. Sprinkle with curry powder and toss to mix. Set aside. Bring the water and milk to a boil and add the corn. Cook the corn for 5 minutes and then remove to cool. Add the bouillon cubes, chicken, onion, carrots, and tomato to the water. Bring the water to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 to 20 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
Cut corn from the cobs in chunks and gently stir it and the beans into the chili. Heat through. Adjust the seasonings and serve. Makes eight servings.
Family Reunion Casserole
Make this a day ahead and bake it just in time for the cookout. The pasta “cooks” itself overnight.
1 pound bulk sweet Italian sausage
1 pound lean ground beef or turkey
1 large onion, diced
1 green sweet pepper, seeded and diced
Garlic salt, freshly ground pepper
1 10-ounce can whole kernel corn with red and green pepper
2 cups small pasta such as macaroni or ditalini, uncooked
2 cups grated cheddar cheese, divided
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1 can condensed tomato soup
1 soup can water
Directions
Fry out the sausage and ground meat, gradually stirring in the onion and green pepper. Sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper and let cool. In a greased 10-inch-by-14-inch casserole pan, mix the meat, corn, uncooked pasta, and half of the cheese. In a bowl, whisk together the tomato sauce, tomato soup, and water. Pour the mixture over the casserole and cover it with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.
To bake, remove the plastic wrap and cover the pan with foil. Let it stand for 30 minutes at room temperature and then bake it at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes. Remove the foil, sprinkle with the remaining cheese, and bake 10 minutes more. Makes 10 servings.
SIDE-DISH SHORTCUTS
Potato Salad Casserole
1 stick butter
2 cups sour cream
1 cup dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated dry cheese, such as Parmesan
4 cups of cooked, diced potatoes (homemade or canned)
1 large sweet onion, cut in thin rings
4 hard-cooked eggs
Salt, pepper, sweet paprika
Directions
Butter a 9-inch-by-13 inch baking pan or dish. Soften the butter and whisk in the sour cream. Mix the bread crumbs and Parmesan. In the baking dish, alternate layers of potatoes, onion, and eggs with the butter mixture and most of the crumb mixture, sprinkling lightly with salt, pepper, and paprika as you go. Top with a final sprinkling of the crumb mixture. Bake at 350 degrees to heat through. Makes six to 10 servings.
Ritzy Vegetable Bake
This side dish can be assembled ahead to cook in a microwave oven or regular oven just before serving.
4 thick slices of smoked bacon, cut up
1 sleeve of buttery round crackers such as Ritz, crushed
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (optional)
3 14.5-ounce cans short-cut green beans, drained
1 8-ounce can sliced mushrooms, drained
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
Directioins
Fry the bacon. When it’s crisp, stir the crushed crackers into the bacon and drippings. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce. In a buttered casserole pan, mix the green beans, mushrooms, tomatoes, and half the cracker mixture. Sprinkle the remaining cracker mixture on top. Bake or microwave to heat through. Makes 10 servings.
DESSERT RECIPES
Cranapple Crunch
2 cups fresh cranberries
1 can apple pie filling
1 can pie-sliced apples
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 stick butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 cup minute oats
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Directions
In a buttered 9-inch-by-13-inch baking dish, mix cranberries, pie filling, apples, and 1/2 cup brown sugar. In a bowl, cut the butter into the 1/3 cup brown sugar, minute oats, and cinnamon. Sprinkle over the apple mixture and bake 40 minutes at 350 degrees until the filling is bubbly and the top is crispy. Makes eight servings.
No-Bake Peanut Butter Gems
3 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 16-ounce box of powdered sugar
1 16-ounce jar of peanut butter
11/2 sticks butter
1/2 stick butter
2 cups chocolate chips
Directions
Butter a 9-inch-by-13-inch dish or pan. In a large bowl, mix the crumbs and sugar. Over low heat, melt the 11/2 sticks of butter and peanut butter. Pour over the crumb mixture, mix well, and spread in the pan. Chill. Melt the chocolate chips with the half stick of butter. Spread over the crumb mixture. Let harden. Cut into 36 squares. For easier serving and eating, put each piece in a cupcake paper.