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![]() Invite your pals to pitch in for a potluck Thursday, December 11, 2003 By Gretchen McKay, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
There's nothing like a party to catch up with friends, neighbors and family. But with jobs, housework and kids' activities, who has the time -- or energy -- to pull together a formal event?
If you enjoy more casual entertaining, there's an easier alternative: a potluck party.
Potlucks, or what some refer to as "cooperative entertaining," are those informal get-togethers where everyone contributes a dish and shares in the responsibility of cleaning up. All the organizer has to do is offer his or her home as the gathering place and provide the basics -- drinks, napkins and plates, utensils and maybe a main course or two.
"It's an opportunity to socialize for very little effort," says Sherry Goldman of Highland Park. She and her boyfriend, Marty Sivitz, give a potluck for about a dozen friends every six weeks or so. "You can fill your house with people and good food, and it's all very loose and spontaneous."
Melissa Neely has been throwing a holiday "soup" potluck with husband Stephen each December since 1993 in their Regent Square home. "It takes the pressure off the host to provide everything."
The annual party has become so popular that they usually get more than 100 people. They've even developed a "soup party" Web site so attendees -- they bring their own soup bowls and spoons -- can get recipes and view photographs.
"It's the kind of environment where everyone feels welcome," says Neely, who has also organized ice cream potlucks, where everyone brings a different topping.
Another great thing about potlucks, say those who throw them, is the wide variety of food you end up with. Do everything yourself and you probably can't prepare more than five or six different dishes. But ask 10 or 20 couples to bring their favorite appetizer or side dish and suddenly the dining room table is covered with everything from curried rice salad and shrimp canapes to cheese squares and chocolate-cherry cheesecake.
"We end up with the most amazing food," says Mary Denison of Squirrel Hill. For 25 years she has been getting together with friends from the East End for a pre-holiday potluck. "I could never do something like that on my own."
Sounds easy enough. A few phone calls or a written invitation, and you're on your way to a fun-filled evening. But beware: The term potluck suggests something random and impromptu -- friends invited on short notice to dinner would be treated like family and served whatever happened to be "in the pot" that night. But potlucks actually take organizing from both hosts and guests.
Here are some tips on planning a successful potluck:
"Don't take it so seriously," says Stephen Neely, who gives prizes for the most "original" soup bowl. "Use it as an excuse to call up your old friends and meet some new ones. Enjoy your company."
How to be a perfect potluck guest
CHEDDAR BISCUITS WITH SMITHFIELD HAM
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly butter two cookie sheets.
Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Add shortening and cut in until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in cheese. Add buttermilk and onions and mix well.
Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and roll out to thickness of 1/2 inch. Cut out biscuits using 1 1/2 -inch round biscuit cutter. Gather scraps and reroll. Cut out additional biscuits.
Transfer biscuits to prepared cookie sheets. Bake until puffed and light golden, about 15 minutes. Cool on rack. (Can be prepared 8 hours ahead. Cover and let stand at room temperature.)
To assemble:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Split and lightly butter biscuits. Stuff with ham.
Place on cookie sheets. Bake biscuits just until heated through, about 5 minutes. Makes about 35 appetizers.
Bon Appetit, November 1992
PREVIEW NIGHT CHEESE SQUARES
This is a great recipe for holiday parties and unexpected guests. Keep some of the cheese mixture on hand in the refrigerator.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Combine the Parmesan and Swiss cheeses, onion, mayonnaise and salt in a bowl and mix well.
Trim the crusts from the bread. Discard the crusts or reserve for another purpose. Spread the cheese mixture on the bread. Cut each bread slice into rectangular quarters. Place on baking sheet.
Bake at 400 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Serve hot or cold. Makes 80 canapes.
Kathryn Chillingworth, "Art in the Kitchen" (Westmoreland Museum of Art)
LUSCIOUS LEMON BARS
Combine 2 cups flour and 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar.
Cut butter into flour mixture with a pastry blender until crumbly. Firmly press mixture into a lightly greased 13-by-9-inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until lightly browned.
Whisk eggs in a large bowl; whisk in 2 cups granulated sugar and lemon juice. Combine remaining 1/4 cup flour and baking powder. Whisk into egg mixture. Pour batter over crust.
Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until set. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Cut into bars and sprinkle evenly with additional powdered sugar. Makes 2 1/2 dozen.
Southern Living, July 2001
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