My company is having it's annual Christmas Potluck Lunch next week. Needing some great ideas that I could bring to the table (pun intended). Approx 30 people will be there. Any thoughts and ideas would be much appreciated.
It can be anything...main dish, side dish, dessert, whatever... Just looking for some good ideas that I can bring to the thing.
I would find it easier to be a people pleaser by sticking to desserts. You can keep them relatively simple. Since it's Christmas season, you could make a homemade vanilla pudding. Adding a bit of cinnamon and nutmeg goes a long way to giving it a Christmas-y flavor. German chocolate cake always works well, IMO. Not everyone loves chocolate, but those who do typically appreciate a slice of this. You could also try bringing in a pie. Pumpkin and Key Lime are pretty darn easy to make, especially if you use a pre-made crust. An awesome cookie recipe I've had before is the Texas Governor's Mansion Cowboy Cookies. They're not the healthiest thing in the world, but they kick major butt. If you're not looking for a dessert, casseroles are usually a good way to go. You can have anything from vegetables, pasta, chicken, sausage, fish, etc. in a casserole.
I have always found that chili is a good thing to take. It works really well in a crock pot. You can cook it overnight in the crock pot and then continue it on Low or Warm until lunch. Also, since you are in Tenn, most folks would really appreciate some good Texas chili. No beans, of course.
So, I just got done with the company lunch. I went with the Cherry Cheesecake Tarts because they looked delicious. They were a huge hit and everyone loved them. So, thanks Michtex for the idea...you rock! Merry Crimma
TNLonghorn, Glad to hear that they went over well. I've always had the same experience when I've taken them to office X-mas functions. Hopefully the boss will reward you for your efforts come review time.
There is a great family story related to Yankees and chili. An elderly couple drove from Indianapolis to Austin. They stopped in Waco and decided to have chili. "They called it chili," she lamented, "but it didn't have no tomatoes, no kindney beans, no spagetti, no nothing." I explained to her that in Texas, they put meat in it to call it chili. In New Mexico where I was born, you want meat you call it chili con carne. Otherwise it's just the juice of the pepper.
My cousin was trying a new recipe and add "Cincinnati Chili". It was pretty good, but tasted nothing like real chili and was served over spaghetti. So we decided is was good Cincinnati spaghetti!
I slightly modified the cherry cheese tarts for a company pot luck and had rave reviews. I don't personally like cherry pie filling much so I substituted blueberry pie filling. Also, I left out the lemon because I, sadly enough, we were out. So I didn't call them tarts, just cupcake sized blueberry cheesecakes. I used to always make stuffed jalapenos. They went over well, but one guy at work, usually a real gentleman, would just load his plate with 'em. I made two dozen, but when half were gone in a flash and a lot of people don't even get a taste, I didn't feel like I was really sharing.
Just revisiting Mich's recipe. This year I'm making a lot, so some will have blueberry pie filling at the top and for a game changer I'm going to put little chocolate squares on top of some of the little cheesecakes. I'll put the chocolate on just when the cheesecakes come out of the oven so the heat will maybe melt the chocolate a little. When they cool, I'll put a little cool whip on top. I'll let you know how they go over today.
Crockett, Have you thought about melting the chocolate separately and pouring it on top of the filling and then doing something like this with a toothpick. The Link
Good suggestion Mich. I'll try it. Melting the chocolate on top didn't work out so well. When it hardened it was much harder than the cheescake, so the flavors didn't blend much. I think melting, pouring and swirling will come out better. Thanks for revisiting this thread.
Melting the chocolate and swirling it in worked fine. But family members (I did one Thanksgiving Meal, my side of the family, one with the in-laws) at both locations liked it better with the fruit toppings.