Need main dish for potluck dinner

[JulieAnn]

We are blessing our new baby the first week in February. This tends to be as much a social event around here as much as a religious one! We're expecting around 20 people at my house, and the custom tends to be the baby's parents provide the main dish and the guests - the sides. Everyone usually does sandwich fixings for the main dish, but I'd like to do something a little more unique. I thought of Spaghetti Pie, but for some reason I didn't think it was that great. Thanks for any ideas

[Susan]

How about chili??? Sides could be things to top chili with (cheese, onions, sour cream, salsa, tortilla chips etc.), tossed green salads, fruit salads, and bread. You could do the chili in the crockpot or stovetop (maybe two different kind? meat/veggie? ground beef/white bean with chicken? spicy/mild).

~~Susan~~

edited to add: Congrats on your new baby!

[This message has been edited by Susan (edited 01-03-2001).]

[tobykitty]

Congrats on the new baby!!!!

Have you thought about lasagna or just plain ol' spaghetti. You could have garlic bread and salad for your sides.

[Gail]

I've taken crawfish etoufee to potlucks and had great success. (No crawfish tails available? You could also do it with shrimp.) Or little less exotic suggestions might be lasagna, a stew of some sort (run a search, Lorilei had a thread of the subject a couple of months back) or tamale pie.

Congratulations and good luck!

[Beth]

If you want something a little more "dressed up", I have a shrimp and wild rice casserole made with cream cheese in the sauce. It could be made ahead and heated in a large pan. A little prep work in chopping veggies (onion, celery, green pepper) and peeling shrimp, but not difficult at all.

[HARRYET]

My husband and I are both part of large families, and whenever we got together (before we moved to the other side of the country) we always did easy make ahead kind of foods, ie: lasagna, meatballs, sausage, salad and bread or mexican, chili, tacos and some kind of sw casserole,and cornbread. All easy and make ahead so you can enjoy your new baby and your company!

congratulations on your new baby, enjoy everyday you have, they go by way to quickly. by the way is it a girl or a boy?

Ann

[lindrusso]

If the Spaghetti Pie doesn't do anything for you, maybe this pasta casserole will! It's Chicken Florentine Casserole and it is very tasty. If you want to make the recipe easier, you can use frozen spinach.

Here's the link: http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/Forum1/HTML/002166.html

[Laura]

What about a couple of different quiches. They are easy to make and can be made ahead.

[Leanne]

Originally posted by Gail:
I've taken crawfish etoufee to potlucks and had great success. (No crawfish tails available? You could also do it with shrimp.) Or little less exotic suggestions might be lasagna, a stew of some sort (run a search, Lorilei had a thread of the subject a couple of months back) or tamale pie.

Congratulations and good luck!

Gail - I absolutely LOVE crawfish etoufee - could you please post your recipe?
Thanks.

Beth - I'd love your shrimp/wild rice recipe too!



[This message has been edited by Leanne (edited 01-04-2001).]

[Jessica]

How about the barbecued chicken pie with cornbread crust from Jan. 1998? I make this often and it is a household favorite--it is tasty but not too too spicy and very easy to make. You can even put it together the day before and put the crust on top right before you bake it.

[Anne]

Hi JulieAnn. congrats on the new baby, how exciting. How about pizza - you do the crusts and everyone brings their favorite topping. Or perhaps burrittoes - do the tortillas and main filling and let the other folks bring their favorite add-ins. Both are a lot of fun if you have enough counter space.

[SHERRY]

When my son was baptized, we also had a pot luck. I marinaded a beef brisket the night before in a throw away aluminum pan, popped it in the oven the morning of the baptism, and at 2:00 we at a great bbq brisket. Some people just ate the sliced meat, but others used egg buns to make a tasty sandwich.

[This message has been edited by SHERRY (edited 01-04-2001).]

[SusanL]

JulieAnn,
Here is a quick t/t recipe for beef brisket that you can make in the crockpot. I am sure that you would have to double the recipe, or make two batches prior to the event and it reheats beautifully!
BBQ Brisket
One large onion, sliced
1 pkg dry onion soup mix
garlic powder(I minced 2 garlic cloves instead)
salt and pepper
1 T mustard (prepared)
1 1/2 c brown sugar
1 c BBQ sauce
1/2 c catsup
1 3-4lb beef brisket

Pam the bottom of the crockpot
place 1/2 onion slices on bottom. Place brisket on onions. In a bowl, mix the other ingredients. Pour over the brisket. Top with onions. Cook on low heat for 7-8 hours. Take out brisket and onions. Pour sauce in a pan, add some cornstarch mixed with water. Stir until thick. Thinly slice brisket, add sauce.
It could be served as sandwiches or with mahsed potatoes/rice. I really like it because it is thinly sliced and goes a long way!

[JulieAnn]

I've been so busy I didn't check the board until today. You guys are fabulous! I never expected so many great responses. You've given me a lot of ideas, now i've just got to make a decision! Gail - what is etoufee? Harryet - I had a boy. He's my second. I already have a 3 year old boy.

[Gail]

Hi,

Sorry I'm so late getting back, but I've been down with the flu. Even now, things seem a little floaty...

In answer to your question, JulieAnn, etouffee actually is a sort of Cajun stew. This is a bit spicy (which you can control depending upon how much Rotel you use) and has always been gobbled up anytime I've made it.

...anyway, here you go, Leanne:

CRAWFISH ÉTOUFFÉE

Author's note: This is probably my favorite Cajun dish. It is impossible in many areas to find crawfish meat, but you can substitute langostinos, the tiny crustaceans from Chile, if crawfish is not available. You can usually find them in the frozen seafood section of your supermarket. If not, you can also make a wonderful shrimp étouffée by using shrimp instead of crawfish.

1 cup onion, finely chopped
1 cup celery, finely chopped
1/2 cup green onions with tops, finely chopped
4 tablespoons chopped shallots
2 cloves garlic, mashed
1 stick butter
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup Rotel tomatoes**
Salt to taste (if you use prepackaged crawfish tails as I do, you may not need any)
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Dash cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 pounds crawfish meat, langostinos, or shrimp
Cornstarch for thickening

In a heavy Dutch oven, sauté the onion, celery, green onions, shallots and garlic in the butter. Cook until these vegetables are soft but not brown. Stir in the flour and cook until light brown, stirring constantly. (Be patient and don't be tempted to crank up your burner too high. Proper browning takes a while.) Gradually add the chicken stock, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Add the tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the salt, pepper, cayenne, and Worcestershire to taste. This should be spicy. If the crawfish meat has been frozen, it should be rinsed lightly and drained because it is often too salty. Add crawfish to étouffée mixture and cook over a low heat for 15 minutes. Serve over rice.

Serves 6-8

**Rotel is a brand name of spicy hot tomatoes with jalapeño peppers-- if you cannot find these try some hot Mexican salsas with jalapeños; just do this to taste. I (author and Gail both) use the whole can of Rotel--for some it may be too hot, for others it may be perfect. (Gail note: for a group of people whose tolerances you don't know, better to stick with the recipe as printed-- it's only mildly spicy that way.)

Good luck!


[This message has been edited by Gail (edited 01-08-2001).]

[Beth]

JulieAnn, I also have 2 boys about 3 years apart. Just put them to bed and found this request. I guess I haven't gone deep enough on the board for a while, but Gail's reply bumped it back up.

This casserole is very plentiful on the shrimp. I would use small to medium shrimp.
Hope you'll like it.


Shrimp and Wild Rice Casserole

1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
½ red bell pepper, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
½ pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
½ stick (4 T) butter
1 T flour
1 cup milk (I use skim)
8 oz. brick low-fat cream cheese
1 T garlic salt
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 ½ cups wild rice blend or brown rice*
2 pounds cooked shrimp
2 cups grated Monterey Jack Cheese


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large heavy skillet, saute the vegetables in butter until soft (you can reduce the amount of butter to reduce the fat, possibly even saute in a spray..add a little broth or white wine if a little moisture is needed).

Add the flour and cook to a thick paste. Add the milk and stir until the sauce is smooth and thick.

Remove from heat and add cream cheese, stirring until the cheese is melted. Add remaining ingredients except grated cheese and transfer to a shallow baking dish (2-3 qt. or a 13x9. I make two 8 or 9 inch squares).

Top with grated cheese and bake about 20 minutes or until bubbly. Can be assembled in advance and freezes well. Serves 6-8.

* I made this in California with Safeway Select brand Royal Blend Rice, which is an unseasoned mix of white, brown and wild rice. I cannot find that here, but you can get the same mix directly from www.chefsoriginal.com. (http://www.chefsoriginal.com.) DO NOT use Uncle Ben’s Wild Rice mix because it will be too heavily seasoned. If the mix is unavailable, use either white or brown rice.

*I cook the rice in Swanson’s Natural Goodness chicken broth. I usually add a pinch of Penzey’s Bay Leaf Seasoning and a shake of their California Seasoned Pepper (mail order, online at Penzeys.com or call 800-741-7787), but plain salt and pepper will get you pretty close.