Spring Plant Swap 2014 Food PotLuck Discussion

Interesting! It never occurred to me to make Iced tea in the fridge; I'll try that. I usually think of iced tea when I'm hot and thirsty and it's too late to make it the old-fashioned way.

Aha the menu is wide open for my famous Crispy Coleslaw with peppers and onions and oil and vinegar dressing. Someone said they got similar slaw at Williamsburg.

Sally, that sounds great. I'll add it to the list.

Looks like we're wide open for baked beans... I'll go with "easy" this time! (They won't be just straight from the can, though, I do "doctor them up" a little... checked the label on Bush's brand, and no gluten. :-)

OOoh...I love baked beans!

You know what they say about beans, don't you?

*side-stepping away from Seq*

Lol...yup!

I waited to see what was needed. It looks like we have enough veggie, protein, and grain dishes, so I'll bring a dessert. Maybe a pie or cupcakes.

Teri, unless you want or need something special, I'll bring:
Holly wants me to bring a Greek pasta salad and
a special dessert
and a couple bottles of wine.
Let me know if you want me to change anything or special request.

This message was edited May 30, 2014 10:37 AM

My friend Theresa is planning to come, hopefully with her brother Tom in tow. Many of you have met them at previous events. She says she'll bring a pasta salad, or maybe a cake. I'm hoping for one of her cakes... :-)

Should I bring my rice cooker? I could do a quick tex-mex rice with roasted salsa, corn, and black beans.

I can also bring a "warming tray" if we have things that should be kept hot.

Critter, that tex mex rice dish sounds yummy! :-)

I'm going to bring crackers, cheese and grapes (along with wine).

I feel so stupid because I told you all that I would be packing my own food. Turns out I can eat all your food because the last day of our diet is the 30th! So we'll be able to eat whatever we want on the 31st. Woohoo! PAR-TAY!

If it's okay with you, Terri, I would like to bring fruit salad or a dessert, because we will be getting there a little late. My husband and son have Tee-ball in the morning until about 11:15, and then about 1 1/2 hours of drive time.

we'll save you a little food...

hehe I'll take any crumbs you guys leave! :)

Aspenhill, I think I'm going to add mandarin orange selzer water to list of food to bring.

I hope it's ok for me to change it from a dessert to a green salad since Typ is bringing a dessert now.

I just talked to Theresa and nudged her toward carrot cake rather than pasta salad. So that's another addition to the desserts. LOL

Sequoia, in case I forget to mention it Saturday, both the baked beans and the Mexican rice are gluten free... the salsa (from Trader Joe's) I'm using in the rice even says the manufacturer uses strict guidelines to avoid cross-contamination.

I will bring a goat cheese spread with chives and crackers.

I am going to bring a carmelized onion dip/spread with either bagel or pita chips as well as brownies. I've been wanting to try the dip recipe so I figure I can get some good feedback about it.

Great, thanks for letting me know Critter! I love baked beans :) But the more I eat the more I.....

I believe the saying goes:

Ahem.

Beans. Beans.
They're good for your heart.
The more you eat them,
The more you....

...are smart?

No. That doesn't sound right.

...create art?

No. Not quite it either....

Hmm.

I like smart...I'll go with that :)

the more you *ahem* are smart
the better you feel.
So let's eat beans
with every meal!

Sequoia, just curious whether or not you're a fan of black beans, since you didn't mention the other dish... I can use a different bean with the rice & corn, was just trying for something different than your chilli. :-)

No, black beans are great! I'm not sure if there's a bean I don't like :) Thanks Critter!

Baked beans are in the crockpot, smelling yummy!

I looked at the list above and realized that we have something like 15 side dishes... should I still forge ahead with that Tex-Mex rice/corn/bean dish? Seems excessive. It's simple to throw together in the rice cooker, though, and I don't want to disappoint Sequoia with his musical plans!

I love Tex-Mex rice/bean/corn combos! :-)

I do so want to apologize for forgetting the fruit punch, (still in the refrig.) I was so anxious to get the crème puff cake done & packed cold, they slipped my mind.

and I apologize for running out of sweet tea. Two gallons next time!

The rice dish didn't happen since I fell asleep on the couch and Jim let me sleep until noon since I'd had a not-sleeping night... But if you want an easy dish, this is it. I do it in a rice cooker, you could also do it stovetop or in a rice steamer. Using a "roasted" salsa variety is nice with the sweetness of the corn and tempers the black bean flavor into something people will usually eat even if they don't normally like black beans.

1 to 1 1/2 cups rice
1 jar (12 oz) roasted tomato salsa (or other variety)
1 can corn, drained
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained.
water (whatever amount you'd usually use for that much rice)

The baked beans (for those who tried them... my apologies for arriving just after most people had gone through the food line!) were also simple. I added a little mustard, maple syrup (molassas works well also), and ketchup to ordinary baked beans (Bush's in this case) and cooked them down in a pan on the stove until they were thick (sweetens them and lets them stay on a paper plate).

There -- two simple sides for summer grilling nights!

I like knowing what can be made in the rice cooker which is actually more complete- thanks

Somebody's corn salad with peas etc was new to me and very tasty. It all was very tasty!

Sally, I also do half & half combinations of rice & barley, or 3/4 barley & 1/4 quinoa, cooked just as you would do for straight-up rice.

I'd like the recipe for that corn salad, also -- so crisp & sweet, very refreshing!

Gotta say, my favorite dessert was probably Theresa's carrot cake... she made that one for her sister's wedding, after testing 15 recipes. it's different from Pat's carrot cake, which I also adore. :-)

neat thanks. And yeah I will be sure to rinse my quinoa, having not rinsed it once
X^P
( packaged mixes should be OK)

Oh man. I totally missed out on the food. I should have opted for a piece of cake instead of a hot dog for the ride home.

I was ALL good. Notice the word all is capitalized, cuz I shouted it. I've never had raw kale before. That salad was awesome.

Going to two graduation parties this afternoon. Thinking I'll just oink oink my way home.

Oh, who brought kale salad? It was all gone when I got to the table! I LOVE kale salad. What was your recipe?

Don't know who brought the kale salad, but it was YUMMO!

I was surprised how tasty the Chicken Franks/sausages were!

And, Sally--just WHAT makes your "crispy Coleslaw" so crispy???
Is it because it is more coarsely shredded? Is it soaked in ice water?
I snuck some home and had it for lunch today at work--WITH a chicken
sausage and a chunk of the Carrot cake... YUMMMY!

I have to say the cakes were all totally decdent! And the brownies...
and that Cream Puff cake.....OH...OH....be still my heart!!
G.

Cream Puff Cake

1 cup water, 2 large boxes of Vanilla Instant Pudding
1 stick oleo or butter, 1-8 oz package of cream cheese
1 cup flour, 1 8-oz package of cool whip
4 eggs, Chocolate syrup
3 cup milk

Cake: Heat water & butter or oleo to boiling. Remove from heat and stir in flour. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each one. Spread in a well-greased 9 X 13 pan. Spread evenly over bottom and 1/2 to 1/4 of the way up the sides of the pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes. Cool.

Middle layer: Mix milk, pudding and cream cheese. Pour into cooled crust. Top with cool whip. Drizzle with chocolate syrup. Enjoy! Buttoneer


This message was edited Jun 1, 2014 9:29 PM

Crispy Coleslaw
cabbage, about 1 1/2 pound
half a green pepper
half a red pepper
medium onion
one cup sugar

Shred all vegetables and layer in large bowl with sugar, refrigerate for two hours to overnight.

1/2 cup plus 2 TB vinegar
1/2 cup oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp celery seed

Combine oil, vinegar, salt celery seed, bring to boil and pour over the slaw mix. Refrigerate two hours or more, keeps several days