eBook
Available on Compatible NOOK devices, the free NOOK App and in My Digital Library.
Related collections and offers
Overview
There are finger foods, canapes, and "trios"—Trio of Marinated Goat Cheese, Asian Summer Rolls with a Trio of Sauces, Trio of Pastry-Wrapped Camemberts. 25 surprising salads: White Corn Salad with Fresh Thyme, Asparagus and Grilled Peppers with Asian Soy Dressing. Main dishes for a party, from Southern-Style Pulled Pork to Creamy White Bean and Spinach Lasagne. Desserts (of course, 25 of them), and a full chapter of loaves and other gifts from the kitchen, including Chocolate Sour Cherry Bread and Sun-Cooked Peach Preserves. Each recipe comes with Tote Notes (how best to transport the dish), Big Batch (how to multiply the dish), and When You Arrive (how to put the finishing touches on the dish). Plus there are "Grab & Gos"—super-quick recipes—for each section, etiquette tips for working in someone else's kitchen, and a "Notes" area for each recipe, to jot down tips and log in when you made the dish and for what occasion, so you don't repeat yourself.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780761159520 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Workman Publishing Company |
| Publication date: | 11/10/2007 |
| Sold by: | Hachette Digital, Inc. |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 543 |
| File size: | 6 MB |
About the Author
Anne Byrn is the author of the bestselling Cake Mix Doctor series and The Dinner Doctor, with over 3.5 million copies in print. She makes frequent appearances on Good Morning America and QVC. She lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with her family. Her website is www.cakemixdoctor.com.
Read an Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
What Can I Bring? 101
You would think, by now, I'd know what to bring. And, pretty much, I do. But I used to tremble after I asked that question. You see, where I live it's not unusual to have some event that calls for food every weekend — whether it's dinner at a friend's house, a school picnic, a church fund-raiser, or a tennis team potluck. Although I have a classic Caesar salad, a tried-and-true baked beans, a creamy Southern potato salad, and garlic bread that has everyone coming back for seconds in my repertoire, I found myself stuck in a recipe rut.
So I set off in search of new recipes that I could turn to the next time I opened my mouth and asked the question. I'm delighted to report that I found all sorts of new and inventive dishes I had never dreamed of — everything from easy-to-tote appetizers through desserts, plus some food that makes good gifts. Now I also have a sweet potato cake scented with nutmeg, grilled vegetables with a pesto dip, a colorful salad of papaya and arugula, and the most delicious salmon that you smoke in your own backyard. And that's just a small sampling. So, what can you bring? Fear no more. Come with me and find out.
How to Pick the Right Recipe
Just like great dishes that you plan on serving at home, ones that travel well should reflect the season of the year, the time of day that the event is being held, and the crowd who'll be enjoying the dishes. As a really general rule, warm appetizers, soups, and desserts are best in the fall and winter, whereas cold soups and desserts are nirvana in the heat of summer.
Salads are wonderfully seasonal. Serve Waldorf salad in the fall, when apples are at their best, and whip up a fresh green salad with berries strewn on top in the spring or summer. Some dishes are tied to an occasion — who can imagine the Super Bowl without chili? Or Thanksgiving without a sweet potato casserole or a pumpkin pie?
Obviously, great recipes that travel well don't slip and slide in transit. They stay hot if they are supposed to be, or cold if they're best eaten chilled. They are quick to assemble when you're on-site — or require no work at all. And if they have only a handful of ingredients, that's even better.
The right recipe also fits the guests. Is it a group of young, adventurous eaters or an older group, who may prefer less spicy, less exotic fare? Are children included? Will there be vegetarians coming or any people with food allergies? It's smart to ask the host about who will be attending the gathering and then select your recipe accordingly.
Chances are that recipes well liked by you and your family will also be well received at a potluck. But there is something else to consider: The best dishes not only taste delicious, they look appetizing on a platter or in a bowl. When some friends from our wine-tasting group gathered outdoors by Marie's backyard pool one spring evening, we became intent on spreading Marie's wonderful dip onto French bread rounds. It was a simple recipe she had gotten from her sister — canned white beans, good olive oil, and fresh basil pureed together. But, piled into a deep white bowl and garnished with shiny black kalamata olives and a scattering of basil slivers, it was stunning. Even the simplest food — sliced tomatoes, sliced melon, sliced ham, a few good cheeses — looks extraordinary on a pretty platter. It is how you present food that garners those first "oohs" and "aahs." So, dig around for a few attractive serving pieces.
To Plan or Just Take Potluck?
One of my favorite toting stories involves my husband's cousin Ann Mills, a resident of Charlottesville, Virginia, who should have earned a medal of honor for the food she toted to Chattanooga one summer. Her mother, my husband's Aunt Janet, was celebrating a significant birthday, and her children and their families, scattered across the country, were convening in Chattanooga to host a festive dinner party in Aunt Janet's honor. Ann baked Virginia hams and smoked fillets of salmon, then packed them on ice, placed them in the back of her station wagon, and drove through the cool of the night so that the food would be at its best. The melon-hued slabs of smoked fish, laid out on long white platters, were drizzled with olive oil and garnished with green and black olives and thin lemon slices. Forked onto a cracker, this salmon was unlike any food I had tasted.
Janet's birthday menu was well planned by her children, and if you are feeding a crowd there is peace of mind in knowing what everyone will bring. My family does this at Thanksgiving and on the Fourth of July, making sure all the necessary sides we look forward to are covered by someone.
But what if in the true spirit of potluck you just let everyone bring what they want? Office potluck lunches and block parties are great occasions to sit back and watch the food roll in. Often one person will provide the main course and another the drinks. Everyone else will bring the appetizers, sides, and desserts. If you wind up with five potato salads, chances are no two will be the same.
If this scenario has you Type A's feeling anxious, put a little order in things by finding a functional but fun way to organize the meal. Suggest that the women bring salads, the men desserts. Or, divide recipes up by the alphabet — make those with names beginning with the letters closest to "A" responsible for bringing an appetizer, ask the middle of the alphabet to bring the sides, and the end of the alphabet to supply the desserts. You can have order and a well-balanced meal and still share in the spirit of potluck.
Trouble-Free Toting
Okay, you know what you're bringing: Now, how do you get the food to where you're going without spilling it in your car or onto your clothes, and keep it looking like it was just prepared? Start with the right container.
SEALED WITH A KISS: I LOVE THESE CONTAINERS
To me, the containers listed here are indispensable. They fit into my life and my kitchen space, and when I need to travel with food, I open the drawer or the pantry and they are there, ready to go.
• Quart-size glass jars (recycled from mayonnaise or pasta sauce) for toting soup for four.
• Glass jars of assorted sizes — perfect for storing vinaigrette, sauces, toasted nuts, confectioners' sugar, you name it. Make sure they have lids that fit.
• Glass or stainless steel bowls of all sizes that come with snap-on plastic lids; these transport anything.
• A 13 by 9–inch metal baking pan with a plastic lid, good for transporting bars, brownies, cakes, cookies, and tea sandwiches.
• A round plastic cake saver, or two. Tupperware cake carriers are not only durable but their lids lock in place; go towww.tupperware.com to see them.
• A large, sturdy rectangular woven wooden basket in which you can carry a hot glass or ceramic baking dish.
• A second sturdy woven basket that's more square in shape and has a handle and possibly a divider inside allowing you to carry two pies at once. Peterboro Baskets of New Hampshire makes these; go to www.peterborobasket.com.
• An attractive woven reed shopping basket with handles; use it to tote a bottle of wine, a bouquet of flowers, a jar of soup, and the makings for salad. Look for one at www.medinabaskets.com. Or, opt for a classic canvas tote from L.L. Bean (www.llbean.com).
• A fun collapsible, insulated canvas tote that looks like a shopping basket and keeps food hot or cold; check out www.picnictime.comfor this.
• A pretty laquered tray with handles — use it to carry an appetizer from the car to the table. Pottery Barn has these (www.potterybarn.com).
• Insulated casserole carriers that hold your favorite baking dishes.
• Gallon-size resealable plastic bags to hold salad greens for eight.
• Small, cup-size resealable plastic bags for a handful of garnish.
• Disposable plastic containers of all sizes — one cup, one quart, and one and a half quarts — for sliced tomatoes, fresh fruit, or leftovers.
Have a look in your cupboards and your pantry because the best containers for toting food are often right there — glass dishes with snap-on plastic lids, plastic containers with lids, glass and ceramic casseroles, pretty trays, baskets, quart-size glass jars, and a slow cooker. I also have a ready stash of disposable plastic and aluminum foil containers, because if I am bringing food to a large gathering when I might need to leave early, or if I am dropping off food and don't want the recipients to have to wash and return dishes, disposables make the handiest carriers. At the supermarket, look for plastic containers of all sizes. They are perfect for toting salads, desserts, and soups, and you can just leave the container behind. Aluminum foil casserole pans with plastic lids that lock in place are great for side dishes, main dishes, and most anything that needs to be reheated or baked on-site. Save clean cardboard shirt boxes, then line them with parchment paper or waxed paper to fill with brownies, lemon bars, even tea sandwiches. For storing pasta and rice salads, try large resealable plastic bags. Shake up the salad well in the bag before transferring it to a serving bowl.
One of the simplest ways to transport food is to place it on a serving platter or in a serving bowl, then cover the dish with plastic wrap. Choose plastic wrap that sticks to the sides of the platter securely. Aluminum foil also makes a good cover, but be sure that the food is not tomato-based or chocolate or another highly acidic food that might cause the foil to pit and discolor. If in doubt, cover the food with waxed paper and then wrap that with foil.
If you're toting food on a platter, make sure to write your name with a permanent marker on a piece of tape and stick it on the bottom of the platter. Do keep your heirloom platters at home, opting for inexpensive ones made from nonbreakable plastic or wood or lightweight pottery. I'll never forget taking a rice and shrimp salad, a rather labor-intensive dish, to an office potluck lunch many years ago. On the way into the office, I dropped it, ruining the salad and breaking the platter I had purchased at a craft fair. You may be better off wrapping each of the components of a dish separately in aluminum foil, or placing them in plastic containers, and assembling the platter when you get to your destination.
For longer trips Bundt cakes survive the most mileage. They arrive in one piece, no matter your mode of transport. Desserts of all types — cakes, pies, and bars — are especially easy to tote in a handy cake carrier with a handle. These are not inexpensive but will last you a long time — as long as you put your name on the carrier and keep track of it.
If it's not unusual for you to tote entire meals to and fro, consider investing in a large, woven wood pie basket with handles, a lid, and an inside shelf, which will easily accommodate two or three dishes. Other accessories to keep on hand are an insulated casserole cover with handles, if you tend to take casseroles, and a large, round, sturdy plastic container with a snap-on lid for carrying pies and anything else that's round. Also good for toting hot food is a large clear plastic box with handles, the sort of thing in which you would store sweaters. Line it with a clean towel and place it in the back of your car. You can put casseroles or baking dishes filled with hot food right in this bin, making it easy to carry them into a house — then use the bin to tote home the dirty dishes.
Etiquette: Read This, Please
Ah, the many and often prickly questions of potluck protocol: 1. Should a guest plan on using the host's pantry supplies and kitchenware without notifying the host? 2. Should a guest waltz in the door with fried chicken, drop the platter in the kitchen, and run for a cold drink? 3. Should a guest clean up his or her dishes after the party is over? Or, should the host do this? Both the guest and host bear responsibility at a gathering where food is brought and shared, so mind your manners!
LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED
Here's a checklist for the host. When the party is at your house, make sure you have all of these on hand.
• Plates
• Bowls, if you are serving soup or ice cream or fruit salad
• Glasses (count on one per person unless you are having a cocktail hour ahead of time, then count on two)
• Hot cups, if you are serving coffee or tea
• Knives, forks, and spoons
• Napkins
• A spare serving dish or platter or two, just in case
• Ice
• Paper towels
• Garbage bags
• Dishwashing soap
• Aluminum foil
• Plastic wrap
• Plastic containers for leftovers
• Resealable plastic bags in a variety of sizes
The answers to those questions?
1. No, bring all the food supplies you need along with as many of the necessary kitchen items as possible.
2. No, when you bring the dish, you need to see it through the evening. Talk with the host as to whether you should replenish the platter, when needed. And make sure you bring a serving spoon or fork if the dish requires one. Should the dish you bring need to be reheated or baked, go ahead and write the name of the recipe on an index card along with the temperature at which it needs to be baked and the length of time it will take, and place the index card with the dish; that way anyone in the kitchen can help out getting things ready.
3. As for cleaning up your dish, defer to the host. Some may want to wash platters and have them ready for guests to take home. Others might welcome your help. If you are in doubt, rinse the platter, wrap it in a plastic bag, and take it home to wash. Be sure to offer any leftovers to the host.
If you are the host, you have a bit more to consider than the color of the platter and how much plastic wrap to use. You will need to organize your kitchen so there's plenty of room to put the dishes when they arrive and a place where people can do any last-minute assembly. You may also want to clear off a second spot, even the laundry room, where plastic containers, bags, and baskets can be stored until it is time to leave. To make dish identification easier, have freezer tape and permanent markers on hand to label dishes if they are not already marked with their owners' names. And have extra serving trays and utensils on hand because people may not bring their own.
Decide ahead of time where certain dishes will go on the buffet table, and place a note card on the table. This will help you and your guests be better organized. As people arrive they can place their dishes on the table where designated. For dishes that need to be kept warm, have a warming tray, warming drawer, or low oven ready.
City Apartment? How to Entertain a Crowd in Less Space
Fear of crowds is what keeps most people from hosting the big party. Yes, hosts have a few more responsibilities; they also have more control over the gathering and a chance to share their homes with their family and friends. But let's say you live in a small space and that you want to host a potluck meal with more people than you have dining room chairs for. The answer is always simple — the casual buffet, preferred by potluckers everywhere. Here is how my friend Nancy in Chicago and her friends stage such a meal: They unwrap the food and garnish platters in the kitchen and then place the appetizers on the coffee table in the living room for people to help themselves. For beverages, they fill a bar sink, metal tub, or bucket with ice and add bottles of beer, water, and soda, arranging a variety of glasses on the side. The main dishes and sides are served buffet-style from the dining room table, and people sit wherever they like and mix and mingle.
WHAT CAN I DO? LISTS FOR THE GUEST AND HOST
FOR THE GUEST
1. Do let your host know what recipe you're bringing. And do follow through and prepare the type of dish (appetizer, salad, dessert, and so on) that you said you would.
2. Do select a recipe that needs no on-site assembly or that is easy to put together. Let your host know if you have a slow cooker that needs to be plugged into an outlet or will need a free oven in which to reheat the dish, a warming drawer or tray to keep the food warm, or space in the refrigerator or freezer to keep the food cold.
3. Do ask your host to set aside counter space for food preparation. And do confine yourself to a small area of the host's kitchen or you might be labeled a kitchen hog!
4. Do check to see how many people are coming to the party so you can make enough food to go around.
5. Do bring a serving spoon or fork or a platter, if needed.
6. Do arrive on time if you are bringing the appetizer.
7. Do see your dish through by replenishing it if needed.
8. Do offer leftovers to the host. Rinse your dish or wrap it in a plastic bag before heading home.
FOR THE HOST
1. Do plan a menu so that you have all the courses you desire — for example, an appetizer, salad, main dish, and dessert.
2. Do decide how formal you want the gathering to be — china and glass, or paper and plastic?
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "What Can I Bring? Cookbook"
by .
Copyright © 2007 Anne Byrn.
Excerpted by permission of Workman Publishing.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
What Can I Bring? 101Page XI
Some things to keep in mind when putting together a meal prepared by more than one cook: choosing the right dish, supplies to have on hand or bring with you, tips on traveling with food, and a few thoughts on kitchen etiquette.
Appetizers and Soups
Page 1
So many to choose from...and so easy to make. Whether you bring the Olive Cheese Puffs or the Caramelized Onion Spread, the Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps or Little Crisp Crab Cakes, the Summertime Gazpacho or Tuscan White Bean Soup, you'll be getting the party off to a great start.
The Best Salads
Page 89
Both main dish salads and side salads are welcome at any picnic or potluck. With the right containers, it's easy to tote The Best Caesar Salad, Theresa's Romaine and Apricot Salad, a Fresh Green Bean Salad with Crumbled Feta Vinaigrette, and a Sliced Tomato Salad with Basil and Buttermilk Dressing. For mains, pack up a Chicken and Basmati Rice Salad or a Chilled Shrimp Rémoulade or one of my other favorite choices.
Crowd-Pleasing Main Dishes
Page 169
Main dishes to tote and main dishes to make when you're the host. Easy-to-carry mains include Susan's Chicken Potpie, January Lamb Stew, and a savory Mushroom and Gruyère Cheesecake. Dishes best made when there's no travel involved include Lemony Cuban Chicken Legs, Braised Pork Loin with Prunes and Almonds, and Grilled Dry-Rub Flank Steaks.
Sensational Sides
Page 251
Sides like to steal the spotlight and these are sure to, no matter what the entrée is. Curried Corn and Bell Peppers, Green Beans with a Spicy Tomato Sauce, Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Crunch, and Sweet and Savory Baked Apricots are just some of the winners in this chapter.
Dazzling Desserts
Page 335
Who doesn't like to be in charge of the grand finale? Whether you decide to tote a rich German Chocolate Cake, a Fresh Apple Cake with Caramel Glaze, a plate of Butter Pecan Sugar Cookies, or a Deep Dish Cherry Cobbler—the choice seems endless—everyone will be clambering for your share of the meal.
It's a Gift
Page 441
When you want to bring a little something to the host who's doing it all, think beyond the bottle of wine. Zucchini Walnut Bread, Sour Cream Cinnamon Streusel Loaves, a ceramic jar filled with Homemade Pesto, or Refrigerator Peach Preserves all make delicious and thoughtful gifts.
Related Subjects
Customer Reviews
Explore More Items
