Potluck Possibilities

Kate Moreland offers simple ideas for family-friendly potluck dishes. What do you serve at late-summer get-togethers?

Labor Day is looming and so are the end-of-summer and beginning-of-school potlucks, parties, and fun. Quick family-friendly recipes make these events more enjoyable all around, so below are some of my favorite potluck dishes. Several of these are particularly great for when that invitation gets forgotten on the counter until the day before the event, causing a mad kitchen scramble for possible dishes to bring. Take a look at the ideas below, and please drop any more great ideas in the comment box as well! We can all use an update to our party food repertoire. 

Pasta Salad: The One-Hit Wonder 

Is there anything more family-friendly than pasta? Every child I have ever known likes pasta, at least in some form or other.  

Several of my children do not like the creamy dressings common to delicious pasta salads. What is wrong with them, you ask? I have no idea; they do not like potatoes either. Clearly, I am failing motherhood. That said, we have a ridiculously easy pasta salad alternative that is also better for hot weather as it will not turn quite so bad after more than two hours outside.   

Make your pasta salad and put in it whatever you like. Obviously include pasta, plus some colorful items like bell peppers, thin carrot slices, even roasted corn. Whatever you have on hand will suffice. Then add something salty. Meat and cheese pieces are good for this, and bacon crumbles are particularly nice. Finally, get a bottle of whatever vinaigrette-style salad dressing your family prefers, pour a reasonable amount onto the salad, and stir. Voila! No messy mayo, a dressed salad, and you are ready to go. 

Rice Krispie Treats 

This is my all-time favorite item to bring to any gathering where I must bring a dish. Cookies are actually my preference, but lately with the newest baby and resulting lack of sleep, I am not always in the mood for making them. Instead, I bring trays of Rice Krispie treats.  

Four ingredients at a minimum plus ten minutes of cooking, and you have a dish everyone will love. As long as you keep a ratio of approximately one stick of butter, six or so cups of cereal, and ten ounces of marshmallows, you will have a tasty base. I usually increase this all a bit to fill a 9”x13” pan.  

Add in another bag of toasted marshmallows along some chocolate chips, then sprinkle the top with graham cracker crumbs for a fireside-inspired treat. Stir in red, white, and blue sprinkles (not nonpareils as they bleed color), and you have an all-American themed dessert. Whatever the theme you are trying to evoke, rice krispie treats can make it happen. Just remember not to press them too hard into the pan or they will be hard to bite. 

Kid-Friendly Bites 

If your kids love to cook as much as mine do, there are several options that are easy and can involve them as much or as little as you like. These are fairly quick to make, require only a few ingredients, and are forgiving to a rushed or semi-illiterate chef. My 9-year-old makes all of these completely independently, and my younger boys can do most of the work if I read the instructions to them.  

Mini hot dogs are incredibly easy and guaranteed to be welcome at any potluck. Buy the tiny hot dogs of your choice and a can (roll? awkward cardboard container?) of pre-made crescent roll dough. Roll each hotdog in a strip of dough and then bake until golden brown. Equal parts caloric and addicting.  

Ambrosia salad, just like Grandma made. I realize this is considered Old Lady Food, but it is welcomed and devoured every time I make it. Start with two cups of Cool Whip or homemade sweetened whipped cream mixed with a half cup of sour cream, then add in all the goodies. Fruit pieces, toasty nuts, coconut, a generous amount of miniature marshmallows … whatever seems good in the moment. Chill and enjoy.  

Go Have Fun! 

While potlucks can be both welcomed and dreaded, having a repertoire of simple recipes that are friendly for all ages makes the thought of bringing a dish far less unappetizing than it might otherwise be. Give these a try for your next gathering and let me know in the comments if you liked them — or share what your favorite potluck dishes are so we can all try something new. Happy cooking! 

Share your thoughts with the Catholic Mom community! You'll find the comment box below the author's bio and list of recommended articles.

Copyright 2024 Kate Moreland
Images: Canva