THE DREADED OFFICE POTLUCK!

[Waffle]

Ok - maybe most people don't dread the office potluck - but since my cooking skills are pretty much limited to breakfast and burgers, I do. After many bad experiences I finally got to the place where I would always sign up to bring a lunchmeat tray - problem solved yeah!

Not this year, this stupid company decides that they are going to provide the meat, so everybody has to bring either a side dish or a dessert. So anybody got any ideas for a side dish or dessert I can buy that people will actually eat? I don't care about passing it off as something I made, I do care if I take something (like the very unsuccessful raw vegetable tray of years' past) that people won't eat.

So give me some suggestions - pretty please.

[swamp]

cheese platter? cheese ball? brie? hummus?

Here's an easy dip: 1 can of artichokes, cut up and drained. 1/2 c mayo, 1/2 c parmesan cheese, 4 oz shredded cheddar cheese. Mix. Place in bowl. Bake 350 for 1/2 hour or nuke until melty. serve with pita chips, wheat thins, triscuits, or other type of cracker/scooper.

[Deleted]

Dec 7, 2012 8:31:47 GMT -5 Waffle said:

Ok - maybe most people don't dread the office potluck - but since my cooking skills are pretty much limited to breakfast and burgers, I do. After many bad experiences I finally got to the place where I would always sign up to bring a lunchmeat tray - problem solved yeah!

Not this year, this stupid company decides that they are going to provide the meat, so everybody has to bring either a side dish or a dessert. So anybody got any ideas for a side dish or dessert I can buy that people will actually eat? I don't care about passing it off as something I made, I do care if I take something (like the very unsuccessful raw vegetable tray of years' past) that people won't eat.

So give me some suggestions - pretty please.

just go to the grocery store and buy a veggie platter, cheese platter, or cheesecake. oops, just saw that people don't eat the raw veggie tray - don't understand that, it's one of the first things to go at the parties I attend. Just get something from the bakery.

[Deleted]

How about cookies? The two big grocery stores around here sell cookie trays in the bakery.

ETA: In fact, you could look in the produce section, deli section and bakery. They have pre-made trays of lots of things! Fruit trays, cheese trays, brownie trays. What about breakfast stuff? You could do bagels and different cream cheeses to start out the day?

[Waffle]

I think I live in an "unhealthy" area - this is small town southern Indiana - where most people (myself included) seem to have grown up on fried foods and fattening casseroles. At least that's what I told myself after the veggie platter was a flop.

[Deleted]

I usually use my crock pot... Soup, buffalo chicken dip, last time I made mini stuffed peppers... Desserts are usually pretty easy to buy... Any bakery or larger grocery would have something.

[alabamagal]

I hate veggie or cheese platters. They look nice but never seem to get eaten. Once I went to a small potluck and about half the people brought store bought veggie platters and another 1/4 brought store bought cheese platters.....lame.

My new favorite, easy, cheap recipe is corn casserole. You can look it up, but you pretty much mix a can of corn, can of cream corn, sour cream and a box of Jiffy corn Mix. Through it in the oven and bake. You can reheat. It is also doesn't have to be super hot to eat.

[Lizard Queen]

Do you have a small crock pot? This is the easiest chips/dip recipe ever:

1 can of Hormel chili
1 block of cream cheese

Tortilla chips

[Deleted]

Just bring a bag of chips or some cookies from the local bakery/grocery. If it's anything like our pot lucks, they're so much freaking food nobody is going to care.

[Deleted]

Good point, paint!

[Deleted]

If you have a Sams Club anywhere close, in the freezer section they carry a 60+ pcs of individual little fancy cheesecakes of 3 different flavor.., Cost is around $15.

[CarolinaKat]

This year I made cheesecake and it was a big hit!

Pecan pie always disappears here too, and you can buy ones that are yummy

[Deleted]

You should bring some 12 alarm chili. That would provide some nice laughs and memories

[Green Eyed Lady]

Easiest thing ever? Chicken salad bites. I make them in my mini-muffin pan. Roll out a package of those crescent rolls and cut them into squares. Push the square into the muffin opening (I use one of the medicine cups that come on the tops of like Pepto Bismol), fill it with a teaspoon or so of chicken salad, bring the corners of the roll up and over. Bake until brown.

I never have even one left.

[Deleted]

Dec 7, 2012 9:28:09 GMT -5 @blondegranny said:

If you have a Sams Club anywhere close, in the freezer section they carry a 60+ pcs of individual little fancy cheesecakes of 3 different flavor.., Cost is around $15.

Or just those frozen cream puff things. YUM!!!

[Deleted]

Go to a grocery store with a REALLY good deli (not Walmart!) and buy potato salad. Sprinkle some paprika on the top to make it look more festive.

We do a potluck, and that's one of the more popular things to bring. Who really wants cold green bean casserole or anything like that?

[BeenThere...DoneThat...]

...any Chick-fil-A platter... or that cheesecake platter Blonde Granny talked about... ;D

[swamp]

Mac and cheese:

Boil a pound of noodles. Drain. Grease a casserole pan. put in a layer of noodles. grate sharp cheddar cheese to cover. sprinkle parm cheese on top. sprinkle with mexican blend shredded cheese. slice butter thin and place on top. Repeat until you get to top of casserole pan. pour in some milk.

Bake at 350 for about an hour. You can warm it up in a microwave.

[midjd]

I usually make a fruit salad - it seems to go over SLIGHTLY better than a veggie tray in this area More of a summer dish, but you can use bananas and grapes as filler for the more expensive/out-of-season fruits.

It's very easy -

Cut up fruit
in bowl
Mix up contents of box of Jello instant vanilla pudding - replace 1/2 the recommended water with OJ
in bowl
Cover and put in fridge.

Also - this is very important - cover it with something more secure than saran wrap if you plan on driving to work with the fruit salad in the passenger seat, or when you slam on your brakes to avoid rear-ending someone, you will end up with floor salad. And 2 years later there will still be pink stains on your floor mat.

[justme]

At my work cupcakes or cookies are always eaten.

[thyme4change]

A bag of oreo's - I think they have candy cane mint christmas ones
Brownies - you can store buy them
Rice Krispie treats - mix in red and green M&M's and cut them very small, so people will think "well, it is only one bite."
One of the port cheese balls with the nuts on the side, with a box of cracker - spread it all out on a tray so it looks nice.
Pita and Hummus - cut the pita into 8's, buy the hummus
Store bought cole slaw
Store bought broccoli salad
Store bought potato salad
Store bought pasta salad

Seriously, the possibilities are endless. Just take something you want to eat, and someone else may like it.

The biggest problem with pot lucks (especially office pot lucks) is that every person shows up with enough food to feed 10, and therefore only 1/10th of anything gets eaten.

[NoNamePerson]

If you go store bought there is one really important thing to remember: Put it in one of your prettiest dishes/platters!!! Works for me. Of course my friends know I am dangerous in the kitchen so they usually ask me where I bought such and such since it was really good

[Deleted]

At my work (as well as all the sports potlucks I've been to) the turkey breast and meatballs are always eaten, as well as the chick-fil-a platters. there are always tons of desserts left, especially generic cookies and cupcakes. Also, the store bought potato salad and macaroni salad- which all the lazy people bring LOL-barely gets eaten.

I think the cheesecake assortment from Sam's (or whoever) is a good choice, but make sure the cut the pieces in half or thirds so more people can sample and it's not wasted.

and I LOVE the veggie platter - although it never comes with enough dip.

[Deleted]

We do our potluck on a Tuesday or Wednesday and then snack on the leftovers for the rest of the week!

[swamp]

swedish meatballs are easy. i'd post the recipe, but I don't remember it exactly.

[thyme4change]

Corn bread. I love corn bread. There is never enough corn bread at any function I've ever been to. Especially if you mix warm butter and honey together to go with it. I think I will make corn bread for dinner tonight.

[swamp]

I don't think I have ever seen cornbread at any potluck I've been to. Maybe it's a Arizona thing?

[Deleted]

Dec 7, 2012 10:37:38 GMT -5 swamp said:

swedish meatballs are easy. i'd post the recipe, but I don't remember it exactly.

Frozen meatballs, brown gravy. DONE!

[thyme4change]

I don't think I have ever seen cornbread at any potluck I've been to. Maybe it's a Arizona thing?

See! That proves it - never enough cornbread.

[Deleted]

sweet and sour meatballs - meatballs, grape jelly, chili sauce. mix in crockpot.

always one of the first things to go...