Potluck Parties for the Domestically Challenged

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You get an invitation to a party. What fun! You scan the details and can make the date and time. Excellent prospects so far, and a quick look at the guest list shows all your favorite people in one place. You put the party on the family calendar and forget about it. It’s not until the host starts pulling together the potluck list that you freeze.

Potluck? As in, you have to cook something? Oh, and everyone else is making fancy dishes from scratch. You can barely cook pasta.

As someone who’s always been domestically challenged, becoming a Mom only made it worse. Being responsible for two more mouths to feed put the pressure on high, never mind the added intensity of making a meal that everyone would love. I’m lucky because my husband is really the cook, but the anxiety that a potluck party brings me would diminish if I could find some standbys that taste great but are still relatively easy to make.

So let’s turn to our favorite source of information: crowdsourcing. It is here where even the most mageirocophobic (it’s a real phobia, look it up) can find some solace in the mythology that yes, anyone can cook. All you need for both an edible and presentable meal is to follow these simple instructions, step by step. Let’s see how easy these recipes really are.

Italian Antipasto Skewers

Kirsten Harrington is from Orlando, Florida and loves the outdoors, exploring Chinese culture and spending time in the kitchen with her two teenagers. She assures me that “if you can boil water, you can make these festive appetizers.” I didn’t tell her that I often forget I’m boiling water, but the rest looks easy enough.

“These skewers are elegant enough to bring to a party but easy enough that even the kids can help make them,” she continued. “No chopsticks or utensils required, making them the perfect finger-friendly food. The ingredients are flexible; feel free to add and subtract to find your favorite combination.”

Ingredients

The exact amount of ingredients you need will depend on how many skewers you want to make

● 1 package of cheese tortellini, cooked according to package. Toss with olive oil and chill

● 1 container of miniature mozzarella balls, or larger size fresh mozzarella cut into chunks

● 1 jar of kalamata olives or other olives without pits

● 1 package of Genoa salami

● 1 container of cherry or golden yellow tomatoes

● 1 can of artichoke hearts, drained and cut into half or quarters

● 1 package of fresh basil leaves, washed and torn in half if large

● Bamboo Skewers

Instructions

● Thread each skewer with alternating items, folding the salami slices into quarters for easy threading.

● Arrange on a platter and cover with plastic wrap until ready to serve.

Variation

“Feel free to experiment with feta cheese cubes, sun-dried tomatoes, pepperoni, ham slices, pickled pearl onions, pepperoncini, yellow peppers, roasted vegetables, or cucumber pieces. If you can thread it onto a skewer and it looks pretty, go for it!” Harrington says.

That recipe barely requires an oven? I’m in!

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Crab Roll

Next, beijingkids’ Chief Manager Mina Yan sent this mouthwatering recipe. Not too many ingredients and most Jenny Lou’s have everything you need. This one may just be doable as well.

“Unless I’m baking, I tend to eyeball the number of ingredients that go into my cooking,” Mina explained. When you’re catering to a large group, putting together something quick and simple is key for me. While imitation crab rolls aren’t healthy, they are delicious and fast to make.”

Delicious, fast, and not healthy: the perfect potluck combination.

Ingredients

● New England style hot dog buns

● Butter

● Imitation crab meat

● Mayonnaise

● Salt and pepper

● Celery

● Chives

● Lemon

Instructions

● Shred the imitation crab meat into small strips (or larger ones if you prefer chunkier bites).

● Add in a tiny dab of mayonnaise just so the consistency is a bit smoother and the meat holds together better.

● Mix in salt and pepper to taste and squeeze in just a dash of lemon juice for a fresh zest.

● On a flat non-stick pan, melt the butter and give your hot dog buns a nice buttery sear until they’re crispy golden brown. Your arteries will hate you but your taste buds will love you.

● Stuff your buns with your crab meat mixture and sprinkle chopped chives and celery on top to garnish.

● Stick a few toothpicks in your rolls so that they hold better when you cut them into smaller serving sizes and you’re done. Enjoy!

Don’t mind if I do. Although I still need more choices in case Mina and I are at a party together, so let’s try the next contribution.

Dahl Curry

Beijing residents Tasneem Jakoet and Jamie Wang created a passion project called FeedHer, which unites a sense of cultural exchange and wellbeing through food. Sounds great, but how easy is it to both find and make these tasty dishes? If you order one of their kits (WeChat: FeedHer), you’ll get the dry ingredients and spice, ready to cook. Here’s what they suggest for those that want to try it from scratch:

Ingredients

● 150g red lentils

● 2 teaspoons masala

● 2 tablespoons of oil

● 1 finely chopped tomato

● 1/2 diced onion

● 2 crushed garlic cloves

● Salt to taste

● 1-2 cups of water

Instructions

● Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pot.

● Add onion and crushed garlic cloves. Cook on medium heat until onions begin to soften.

● Add masala and finely chopped tomato to the onions and stir. Add 1 cup of water and salt to taste.

● Rinse the lentils under cold water and add to the pot. Stir and cook for 15-20 minutes until lentils are soft and the water has disappeared. Remember to stir occasionally.

Variations

“To bulk up the curry add spinach or aubergines. Top with fried onions. Serve with rice or alongside masala fried fish,” Jakoet adds.

I could almost smell that curry as I read the recipe, but I did ruin lentils once, so we’ll see how this one goes.

I’ll be honest. I went into this exploration skeptical that any recipe would be simple enough for me to attempt, but these three are some excellent suggestions. I guess the upcoming holiday season is the ultimate (taste) test!

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Photos: FeedHer, Unsplash, Theresa Tran 

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