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Church Pot Luck followup
Well the event was today... and the food was, shall I say ordinary?
Last month was apparantly an abberation (that day they had all protein - three different people brought chicken). Today the table was a starch-fest and there were five 'salads' (all either potato or pasta), bread, two different baked bean dishes (one mixed with vienna sausage and covered in biscuits so it looked like food...) etc. and only a small pot of chilli and a tray of supermarket fried chicken for protein. I'm ashamed to say I added to the starchfest - I ended up making a pasta salad with canned beans and corn and frozen broccoli/peppers, and I also made some fresh blueberry muffins because they were on sale. Most of the salad got eaten but the muffins weren't needed because a birthday celebration had been organised for a couple of the church kids and there was icecream and birthday cake. Next month I swear to you I will make a HUGE bowl of green salad with lots of yummy vegetables in it, and also something involving whatever kind of real meat I can get the cheapest that week... probably apricot chicken or something like that. The nicest thing on the table was a big bowl of empanadas - the lady must make them every month. -- ~Karen aka Kajikit Crafts, cats, and chocolate - the three essentials of life http://www.kajikitscorner.com |
Karen AKA Kajikit wrote:
> Well the event was today... and the food was, shall I say ordinary? > Last month was apparantly an abberation (that day they had all protein > - three different people brought chicken). Today the table was a > starch-fest Over the years I have gotten the strong impresison that people LOVE to eat at potlucks for the potential variety of foods, but HATE to cook for them because it gets expensive to cook good food for a crowd. I honestly think the problem is the cost involved in providing a meat dish, particularly for people with limited imaginations. Our local high school PTA equivalent had no problem 20 years ago, asking members and their friends to provide a very nice, well-rounded buffet lunch for the staff on their first day back to school in the fall. Some 10 years ago this project began to face failure when, as you say, it became a meatless pasta starchfest, even when half the people were asked to bring a "main dish". Pasta salads and brownies became the norm. The short-term solution was to set up a baked potato bar with lots of toppings and a few green salads on the side. A few members baked ovensfull of very large potatoes for ~250 people, the rest provided things they were free to choose from a list. I have no idea what they do now since I have not been involved for about 5 years. gloria p |
On Sun, 17 Jul 2005 16:07:38 -0400, Karen AKA Kajikit
> wrote: one snippy snippy >Next month I swear to you I will make a HUGE bowl of green salad with >lots of yummy vegetables in it. two snippy snippy Karen, When we have pot lucks at work one lady always brings two different kinds of green salad, one with fruit (spinach strawberry) and another loaded with yummy vegetables. They are always the first to dissapear. I make sure I'm busy helping with arranging the table so I can be one of the first to get to the greens. I'm sure your's will be a bit hit. Koko A Yuman being on the net (posting from San Diego) |
Karen AKA Kajikit > wrote:
>Well the event was today... and the food was, shall I say ordinary? >Last month was apparantly an abberation (that day they had all protein >- three different people brought chicken). Today the table was a >starch-fest and there were five 'salads' (all either potato or pasta), >bread, two different baked bean dishes (one mixed with vienna sausage >and covered in biscuits so it looked like food...) etc. and only a >small pot of chilli and a tray of supermarket fried chicken for >protein. I'm ashamed to say I added to the starchfest - I ended up >making a pasta salad with canned beans and corn and frozen >broccoli/peppers, and I also made some fresh blueberry muffins because >they were on sale. Most of the salad got eaten but the muffins weren't >needed because a birthday celebration had been organised for a couple >of the church kids and there was icecream and birthday cake. > Oh, heavens. At least everyone survived, Ihope <G>. That's very unusual, as I have always found that church socials or potlucks of any kind seem to bring out some really good food. Better luck next time? I am continually amazed at how very different everyone's version of something as simple as fried chicken or potato salad can all taste. It's very interesting. I still remember an "ice cream social" many years ago - there must have been 30 or more batches of ice cream and they were all so completely different. Well, I didn't try ALL of them, but I did my best. -- The Doc says my brain waves closely match those of a crazed ferret. At least now I have an excuse. |
Puester wrote:
> Karen AKA Kajikit wrote: >> Well the event was today... and the food was, shall I say ordinary? >> Last month was apparantly an abberation (that day they had all >> protein - three different people brought chicken). Today the table >> was a starch-fest > > > Over the years I have gotten the strong impresison that people > LOVE to eat at potlucks for the potential variety of foods, but > HATE to cook for them because it gets expensive to cook good food > for a crowd. I honestly think the problem is the cost involved in > providing a meat dish, particularly for people with limited > imaginations. > Yep, it's expensive. I used to take a crock-pot of teriyaki chicken thighs to work (bought the "family" pack) but even that was a tad pricy. > Our local high school PTA equivalent had no problem 20 years > ago, asking members and their friends to provide a very nice, > well-rounded buffet lunch for the staff on their first day back > to school in the fall. Some 10 years ago this project began > to face failure when, as you say, it became a meatless pasta > starchfest, even when half the people were asked to bring a > "main dish". Pasta salads and brownies became the norm. > And store-bought cakes. (snippage) > gloria p I think the closest we really got at work to "vegetables" was someone would bring the ubiquitous broccoli-rice casserole. Much more rice than broccoli, of course. Jill |
On Sun, 17 Jul 2005 19:44:54 -0500, jmcquown wrote:
> I think the closest we really got at work to "vegetables" was someone would > bring the ubiquitous broccoli-rice casserole. Much more rice than broccoli, > of course. Vegetable dishes usually aren't eaten anyway. |
Karen AKA Kajikit wrote: > Well the event was today... and the food was, shall I say ordinary? > Last month was apparantly an abberation (that day they had all protein > - three different people brought chicken). Today the table was a > starch-fest [snip] > > Next month I swear to you I will make a HUGE bowl of green salad with > lots of yummy vegetables in it, and also something involving whatever > kind of real meat I can get the cheapest that week... probably apricot > chicken or something like that. [snip] Has it not occurred to this group that a tiny bit of nearly effortless planning can solve the imbalance problem? All you need is a sign-up sheet, or the verbal or telephonic or electronic equivalent, with broad categories like Meat, Starch, Fruit/Vegetable/Salad, Dessert. I mean, I know it's church, but that doesn't mean you have to take important things like meal planning on Faith. :-) -aem |
sf wrote:
> On Sun, 17 Jul 2005 19:44:54 -0500, jmcquown wrote: > >> I think the closest we really got at work to "vegetables" was >> someone would bring the ubiquitous broccoli-rice casserole. Much >> more rice than broccoli, of course. > > Vegetable dishes usually aren't eaten anyway. Oh, they ate up the broccoli-rice casserole for sure. They also ate my yellow squash casserole and my cheese-hash brown casserole. But most people brought desserts and stuff like that. Jill |
aem wrote:
> Karen AKA Kajikit wrote: >> Well the event was today... and the food was, shall I say ordinary? >> Last month was apparantly an abberation (that day they had all >> protein - three different people brought chicken). Today the table >> was a starch-fest [snip] >> >> Next month I swear to you I will make a HUGE bowl of green salad with >> lots of yummy vegetables in it, and also something involving whatever >> kind of real meat I can get the cheapest that week... probably >> apricot chicken or something like that. [snip] > > Has it not occurred to this group that a tiny bit of nearly effortless > planning can solve the imbalance problem? All you need is a sign-up > sheet, or the verbal or telephonic or electronic equivalent, with > broad categories like Meat, Starch, Fruit/Vegetable/Salad, Dessert. > I mean, I know it's church, but that doesn't mean you have to take > important things like meal planning on Faith. :-) -aem You sure are being ****y lately, aem. Maybe it's not apparent to you but Karen is from Australia. Maybe they do things differently in Australia. the sign-up sheet, that's pretty funny. I find the men (the ones who participate on this ng are excluded) sign up to bring paper plates, napkins, plastic utensils. Rarely any food. Meat/protein dishes are hard to come by. Everyone wants to bring a pasta salad or some sort of dessert. Blanks are left next to things like vegetables or meats. Just happens that way. Jill |
"aem" > wrote:
> > >Karen AKA Kajikit wrote: >> Well the event was today... and the food was, shall I say ordinary? >> Last month was apparantly an abberation (that day they had all protein >> - three different people brought chicken). Today the table was a >> starch-fest [snip] >> >> Next month I swear to you I will make a HUGE bowl of green salad with >> lots of yummy vegetables in it, and also something involving whatever >> kind of real meat I can get the cheapest that week... probably apricot >> chicken or something like that. [snip] > >Has it not occurred to this group that a tiny bit of nearly effortless >planning can solve the imbalance problem? All you need is a sign-up >sheet, or the verbal or telephonic or electronic equivalent, with broad >categories like Meat, Starch, Fruit/Vegetable/Salad, Dessert. I mean, >I know it's church, but that doesn't mean you have to take important >things like meal planning on Faith. :-) -aem I do not think that the purpose of the pot luck suppers is necessarily to have a meat, starch, veggie and dessert meal. The purpose is the fellowship. I am planning a family reunion and my husband said something to the effect that he hoped everyone didn't bring chips. My cousin replied that as long a they remember the dip it would be fine. -- Susan N. "Moral indignation is in most cases two percent moral, 48 percent indignation, and 50 percent envy." Vittorio De Sica, Italian movie director (1901-1974) |
jmcquown wrote: > > You sure are being ****y lately, aem. Well, ****onya, mate. > Maybe it's not apparent to you but > Karen is from Australia. Maybe they do things differently in Australia. > > the sign-up sheet, that's pretty funny. I find the men (the ones who > participate on this ng are excluded) sign up to bring paper plates, napkins, > plastic utensils. Rarely any food. Meat/protein dishes are hard to come > by. Everyone wants to bring a pasta salad or some sort of dessert. Blanks > are left next to things like vegetables or meats. Just happens that way. Well, our group was a good deal more cooperative than that. Pays to be lucky, I guess. Or, you've been unlucky. In either case, I don't see how the OP could lose by considering my suggestion. -aem |
In article .com>,
"aem" > wrote: > Karen AKA Kajikit wrote: > > Well the event was today... and the food was, shall I say ordinary? > > Last month was apparantly an abberation (that day they had all protein > > - three different people brought chicken). Today the table was a > > starch-fest [snip] > > > > Next month I swear to you I will make a HUGE bowl of green salad with > > lots of yummy vegetables in it, and also something involving whatever > > kind of real meat I can get the cheapest that week... probably apricot > > chicken or something like that. [snip] > > Has it not occurred to this group that a tiny bit of nearly effortless > planning can solve the imbalance problem? All you need is a sign-up > sheet, or the verbal or telephonic or electronic equivalent, with broad > categories like Meat, Starch, Fruit/Vegetable/Salad, Dessert. I mean, > I know it's church, but that doesn't mean you have to take important > things like meal planning on Faith. :-) -aem Potlucks aren't supposed to be planned -- they're supposed to be for taking potluck at what you get. I hate signup sheets for potlucks. Before I got kicked out of church we'd organize them to the extent that last names beginning A-H brought salad, I-Q brought entrees or hotdishes, and S-Z brought dessert. Do you know how many last names begin with S.? Could be worse fate than that. Bread and beverages were usually provided. When things really went to hell as far as willing workers went, we'd bring our own plates and utensils, too. -- -Barb, <http://www.jamlady.eboard.com> 7/8/05 WeBeJammin'! |
jmcquown wrote on 20 Jul 2005 in rec.food.cooking
> You sure are being ****y lately, aem. Maybe it's not apparent to > you but Karen is from Australia. Maybe they do things differently > in Australia. > > the sign-up sheet, that's pretty funny. I find the men (the > ones who participate on this ng are excluded) sign up to bring > paper plates, napkins, plastic utensils. Rarely any food. > Meat/protein dishes are hard to come by. Everyone wants to bring > a pasta salad or some sort of dessert. Blanks are left next to > things like vegetables or meats. Just happens that way. > > Jill > I'm the guy who organizes the lunch potlucks at work for our floor...I always bring a meat dish...Something like chicken wings or a crockpot ham. If I didn't do it...there wouldn't be potlucks lunches at where I work. We have a sign-up sheet...Ya puts your name and your dish...People are bright enough to see what is in abundance and what is needed. So we rarely get similar items. We get a well blended meal...several meat entries, 3 or 4 casserole dealies...salads...veggies and usually 5 or 6 desserts. I'd say at a guess there are approx 20 women and about 5 men on my floor. Rosie the female clerk who sits near me is one of the few who doesn't cook for it but brings store bought crusty rolls or soft drinks. Sure most of the men don't spend a long time on their dishes, but bring or make there...things like tortilla roll-ups, ceasar salads. The sign up lists also provides an opertunity to cancel if only say 3 people sign up. Somebody (not me) wanted a monthly pot luck...after 2 months attendance fell off dramatically...now its a 4 times a year dealie. -- It's not a question of where he grips it! It's a simple question of weight ratios! A five ounce bird could not carry a one pound coconut. Are you suggesting coconuts migrate? |
"jmcquown" > wrote in message .. . > aem wrote: >> Karen AKA Kajikit wrote: >>> Well the event was today... and the food was, shall I say ordinary? >>> Last month was apparantly an abberation (that day they had all >>> protein - three different people brought chicken). Today the table >>> was a starch-fest [snip] >>> >>> Next month I swear to you I will make a HUGE bowl of green salad with >>> lots of yummy vegetables in it, and also something involving whatever >>> kind of real meat I can get the cheapest that week... probably >>> apricot chicken or something like that. [snip] >> >> Has it not occurred to this group that a tiny bit of nearly effortless >> planning can solve the imbalance problem? All you need is a sign-up >> sheet, or the verbal or telephonic or electronic equivalent, with >> broad categories like Meat, Starch, Fruit/Vegetable/Salad, Dessert. >> I mean, I know it's church, but that doesn't mean you have to take >> important things like meal planning on Faith. :-) -aem > > You sure are being ****y lately, aem. Maybe it's not apparent to you but > Karen is from Australia. Maybe they do things differently in Australia. > > the sign-up sheet, that's pretty funny. I find the men (the ones who > participate on this ng are excluded) sign up to bring paper plates, > napkins, > plastic utensils. Rarely any food. Meat/protein dishes are hard to come > by. Everyone wants to bring a pasta salad or some sort of dessert. > Blanks > are left next to things like vegetables or meats. Just happens that way. > > Jill > > Besides, half the fun of a pot luck is eating 6 kinds of pasta salad and 11 desserts. Kathy |
"kr_gentner" > wrote in message news:yZvDe.114306$gc6.78621@okepread04... > > "jmcquown" > wrote in message > .. . > > aem wrote: > >> Karen AKA Kajikit wrote: > >>> Well the event was today... and the food was, shall I say ordinary? > >>> Last month was apparantly an abberation (that day they had all > >>> protein - three different people brought chicken). Today the table > >>> was a starch-fest [snip] > >>> > >>> Next month I swear to you I will make a HUGE bowl of green salad with > >>> lots of yummy vegetables in it, and also something involving whatever > >>> kind of real meat I can get the cheapest that week... probably > >>> apricot chicken or something like that. [snip] > >> > >> Has it not occurred to this group that a tiny bit of nearly effortless > >> planning can solve the imbalance problem? All you need is a sign-up > >> sheet, or the verbal or telephonic or electronic equivalent, with > >> broad categories like Meat, Starch, Fruit/Vegetable/Salad, Dessert. > >> I mean, I know it's church, but that doesn't mean you have to take > >> important things like meal planning on Faith. :-) -aem > > > > You sure are being ****y lately, aem. Maybe it's not apparent to you but > > Karen is from Australia. Maybe they do things differently in Australia. > > > > the sign-up sheet, that's pretty funny. I find the men (the ones who > > participate on this ng are excluded) sign up to bring paper plates, > > napkins, > > plastic utensils. Rarely any food. Meat/protein dishes are hard to come > > by. Everyone wants to bring a pasta salad or some sort of dessert. > > Blanks > > are left next to things like vegetables or meats. Just happens that way. > > > > Jill > > > > > > Besides, half the fun of a pot luck is eating 6 kinds of pasta salad and 11 > desserts. > > Kathy > > Isn't that why it's called Pot LUCK???? kili |
"kilikini" > wrote in message .. . > > "kr_gentner" > wrote in message > news:yZvDe.114306$gc6.78621@okepread04... >> >> Besides, half the fun of a pot luck is eating 6 kinds of pasta salad and > 11 >> desserts. >> >> Kathy >> >> > > Isn't that why it's called Pot LUCK???? > > kili > > I don't know about you but I consider 11 desserts lucky. Kathy |
Monsur Fromage du Pollet wrote: > > [snip] We have a sign-up sheet...Ya puts your name and your > dish...People are bright enough to see what is in abundance and what is > needed. So we rarely get similar items. We get a well blended > meal...several meat entries, 3 or 4 casserole > dealies...salads...veggies and usually 5 or 6 desserts. [snip] Exactly. How tough is that? -aem |
In article >,
Karen AKA Kajikit > wrote: > It's a very small church with only about twenty families... and a lot > of them seem to be mediocre cooks. Thank goodness for the Spanish lady > and her empanadas! Oh well, I'll do better next month :) I'm sorry to hear that. :( Well, except for the empanadas. We have a small church, with all the kids it's about 50 people, nine families. However, we all come from varied backgrounds and all love food. We talk about our church growing, and we mean in girth. :) One family is a cross of military brat who lived in China and Hong Kong for much of their time, then the US, and a country American girl whose father was from Hungary, there is a family where the father is Puerto Rican and the mother is pretty Anglo, but she was a missionary kid and grew up in Africa and Mexico, there is one family who specializes in soulful, southern food, dad is southern black, mom is from Wisconsin white, our family with Rich's pretty American upbringing, but adventurous, and my middle eastern and foodie proclivities, four families who are pretty much midwest church supper folks, don't do much in the way of cooking out of their sphere, and a family that is half Greek. We eat well, and we eat a lot. You should move here and join our church. :) Regards, Ranee Remove do not & spam to e-mail me. "She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands." Prov 31:13 http://arabianknits.blogspot.com/ http://talesfromthekitchen.blogspot.com/ |
Karen AKA Kajikit wrote:
> Well the event was today... and the food was, shall I say ordinary? > Last month was apparantly an abberation (that day they had all protein > - three different people brought chicken). Today the table was a > starch-fest and there were five 'salads' (all either potato or pasta), > bread, two different baked bean dishes (one mixed with vienna sausage > and covered in biscuits so it looked like food...) etc. and only a > small pot of chilli and a tray of supermarket fried chicken for > protein. I'm ashamed to say I added to the starchfest - I ended up > making a pasta salad with canned beans and corn and frozen > broccoli/peppers, and I also made some fresh blueberry muffins because > they were on sale. Most of the salad got eaten but the muffins weren't > needed because a birthday celebration had been organised for a couple > of the church kids and there was icecream and birthday cake. > > Next month I swear to you I will make a HUGE bowl of green salad with > lots of yummy vegetables in it, and also something involving whatever > kind of real meat I can get the cheapest that week... probably apricot > chicken or something like that. > > The nicest thing on the table was a big bowl of empanadas - the lady > must make them every month. > Have you considered making a couscous or bulgur sald with lots of veg? easy to make, healthy, affordable and you can choose how much or little veg you put into it. |
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