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Harvest Potluck |
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I go to
lots of potluck gatherings during the harvest season. It’s a
great way to enjoy a wide variety of delicious and colorful dishes
all made by loving hands. Sometimes someone assigns appetizers,
entrees, salad and dessert, but just as often everyone brings their
favorite special dish and its always amazing to see how a complete
meal usually appears with little or no planning.
While there are lots of
standard potluck dishes, I really look forward to these events as
places to taste and enjoy new flavor combinations. Best of all, you
can meet the cook and learn any special preparation tips involved if
you want to make one of the dishes you particularly relished.
Some of my favorite
potlucks have been theme parties. For example, our 4 H club had a
Valentine potluck where everyone brought a red or white dessert. Our
local garden club had an edible flower and herbal potluck where we
all got a chance to eat fresh basil pesto, rosemary chicken and
delicious cucumber sandwiches.
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Renee's Harvest Potluck Recipes
Wendy’s Summer
Garden Cornbread
Mediterranean
Salad
Spinach, Ricotta
and Basil Mushrooms
Middle
Eastern Stuffed Peppers
Pea and Toasted Walnut
Pate
Chunky
Chicken Salad
Carrot and Kohlrabi Slaw
Harvest
Pumpkin Cobbler
Try more great recipes from
Renee's cookbooks:
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 Wedding
dinner potlucks are also a lot of fun as everyone brings one festive
side dish and the bridal party just makes the main dish and provides
the drinks. I hosted an afternoon wedding potluck in my garden last
year-the bride and groom provided cold turkey and salmon and we
probably had 50 other fabulous salads and vegetable dishes to feast
on. Everyone who brought a dish also brought the recipe on a card so
the bride was able to have a wedding recipe index and she can make
whichever ones she likes best in her new home.
It's also interesting
to see how some potluck dishes seem to go in popularity waves. When
I was a girl there were always fruit and gelatin salads. Then there
was the era of lots of raw vegetables and dips, especially spinach
dips carved in hollowed out French breads. Chinese chicken salad and
baked brie also enjoyed a few seasons of being on everyone's list.
Lately I've seen a lot of stuffed baked potatoes and spicy chicken
wings on potluck tables.
When I go to garage sales I always look for extra inexpensive
serving dishes and utensils that way I don't have to worry if I
leave behind the plate or spoon I brought with my potluck dish.
Other times I put a piece of masking tape with my name written on it
in magic marker on the bottom of my serving dish or underneath the
handles of my serving spoons. This ensures I can pick out my
tableware at the end of the event.
Here are some of my
best take-along recipes bring to your next communal feast. These
dishes can all be made ahead, include colorful, healthy fresh
ingredients and don’t involve a lot of complicated preparation. They
all have been big hits for me over recent years and I enjoyed
sharing these recipes with others in the best potluck tradition!
 Wendy’s Summer Garden Cornbread is always a crowd pleaser
because most people love the nutty warm taste of cornmeal combined
with fresh corn. The addition of the cheese, herbs and spicy
jalapeno chiles really gives the bread a rich flavor punch that is
both satisfying and hearty. It’s also a very handsome bread.
The Mediterranean Salad is quick and simple to put together. The
flavors of olives and capers and pickles add a zesty richness to the
crisp-steamed fresh vegetables enhanced by a simple vinaigrette that
melds all the tastes into a great ensemble. This is the kind of
salad I love to offer at a gathering – vivid colors, lots of flavors
and easy to eat!
 My Spinach, Ricotta and Basil Stuffed
Mushrooms are so juicy and
delicious I have a really hard time not eating more than my share!
These baked goodies can either serve as a scrumptious appetizer or
satisfying main dish. Their creamy fresh herb and cheese filling
combined with fresh spinach and savory sundried tomatoes is an
unbeatable combination of flavors that complements the meaty flavor
of the baked mushroom caps.
 My version of Stuffed Peppers features a Middle Eastern filling
with lamb, fresh mint, pinenuts, little rice shaped pasta
and feta cheese. The pretty ripe pepper halves’ sweet flesh sets off
the flavors of the tasty filling that will gently remind you of the
exotic places and great food of the southern Mediterranean. This
classic dish is sure to become a standard in your repertoire.
 Pea and Toasted Walnut Pate is a fine vegetable based dip that
will surprise you with its depth of flavor. Fresh peas and toasted
walnuts contribute a wonderful nutty taste and the hard boiled egg,
sautéed shallots and fresh thyme combine to make a consistency and
texture just like a rich pate.
The
Chunky Chicken Salad is one of my favorites to bring to
potluck affairs ever since I began finding dried cranberries and
cherries readily available at the supermarket. It combines the sweet
flavors of fruits mixed with a hint of cinnamon and sweet white wine
with the piquant tartness of sour cream and a little horseradish all
tumbled together with crunchy apple chunks and freshly poached
chicken breast pieces. The result is a sweet/tart explosion of
tastes and texture appreciated by everyone.
Carrot and Kohlrabi Slaw is a great new way to go beyond cole
slaw -a new twist on this classic standard.
The lovely color and crunch of orange carrots are
combined with shredded kohlrabi bulbs, whose flavors of sweet apple
and nutty turnip marry perfectly with the carrots in a light dilled
cream dressing.
I’ve made Harvest Pumpkin Cobbler dozens of times as my friends and family remember it always and ask for it often! Easy to assemble, the topping ingredients go in first, then
the filling. As the cobbler bakes, the topping rises to the top to
form a wonderful crispy caramelized layer over a temptingly rich
pumpkin filling, a combination that is quite irresistible. I find
this dish much quicker to make than pumpkin pie and more warmly
appreciated as a new sweet treat.
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