Looking for ideas for a family reunion potluck...

R

richard-in-cincy

Well-known member
I am going to dad's annual family reunion this Sunday. This isn't the German side of the family as most of you that know me are aware of, this is the Irish-German side of things and they are basic people who live up in the hills and hollers of southern Ohio. The German comes from my maternal grandmother's side of things that this branch of my family do not know. The food will be your basic fried pork chops with fried cabbage, fried chicken, fried round steak, fried green tomatoes, fried this and fried that, potato salad, macaroni salad, blackberry cakes, and apple and peach pies. They eat a very southern diet. It's a very old-fashioned feed that doesn't come out of a can as the old-timers cling to their heritage and traditions.

I have been pondering what to take and feel uninspired. Of course, being me, I want to take something absoutely fabulous, but what I consider fabulous is usually left untouched when the chow lines have finished. I'm doing this for my dad who would take great pride in something that I brought actually being eaten and raved over.

So I was thinking about a platter of my Austrian Sauerkraut with a pile of grilled sausages from my German butcher, but that seems so uninspired to me now that I decided on it. I thought about a large pan of Rindrouladen, but that would probably be considered yet another example of my esotericism.

Any ideas for a wonderful and popular potluck dish that might fit into the parameters of this event?

I would love to take the Chicken in Coconut Curry Sauce, atop a succulent platter of pilaf and adorned with a wreath of cliantro and cashews, that I made last week. Wow, was that ever delicious. But you can imagine the reception that would recieve.

Should I just bite the bullet and make meatloaf or beef pot pie and a chocolate cake?

 
Yes, you should bite the bullet and make something simple, but delicious

without cashews or cilantro, lol. The Sauerkraut and sausages sound wonderful to me.

 
Seeing as all of my relatives come from Des Arc, Arkansas, I can sympathize....

No one would even TOUCH the curry... saurkraut, yes, but the sausages would probably be untouched.

The hits at our reunions (aside from everything-under-the-sun-fried), would be:

bean salad (recipe below)
baked beans
black-eyed peas and ham
scalloped pineapple (recipe below)
spaghetti salad (recipe below)
coleslaw
probably anything with bacon in it


Iris’ (Grammy’s) Bean Salad

1 cup canned wax beans, drained
1 cup canned green beans, drained
1 cup canned red beans, drained
1 cup canned garbanzo beans, drained
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/4 cup pimento
1 red onion cut in thin rings

Dressing:
3/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup tarragon vinegar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp. celery salt
1 tsp. table salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper

Mix together dressing. Toss all together and put into glass container. Let sit overnight, or up to 2 weeks.

Scalloped Pineapple Casserole

1 cup sugar
6 tbl. flour
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
2 20-oz. cans pineapple chunks, drained, and 6 tbl. of the juice reserved
1 cup Ritz cracker crumbs
8 tbl. (1 stick) butter, melted, plus extra for greasing the pan

Preheat oven to 350 deg.
Grease a medium size casserole dish the butter.
In large bowl, stir together sugar and flour. Gradually stir in cheese and pineapple chunks. Pour into casserole dish.
In another bowl, combine the Ritz crumbs, melted butter and reserved 6 tbl. pineapple juice, stirring with a rubber spatula until evenly blended. Spread crumb mixture over top of casserole.
Garden Spaghetti Salad
This was published in Taste of Home Magazine

8 oz. spaghetti, broken into 2" pieces
1 Tbl. olive or vegetable oil
2 cps. cooked fresh or frozen, defrosted corn kernels
2 cps. fresh or frozen lima beans
2 med. tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
3/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/3 cup minced fresh parsley
6 bacon strips, cooked, crumbled

Dressing:
1/3 cup. olive or vegetable. oil
3 Tbl. cider or red wine vinegar
2 tbl. lemon juice
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. paprika
dash pepper

Cook spaghetti according to package directions; rinse in cold water and drain. Place in large bowl; toss with oil. Add next five ingredients; stir in 3/4 of the bacon.
In small bowl, whisk dressing ingredients. Pour over spaghetti mixture and toss gently. Garnish with rest of bacon. Serve immediately or chill.
10-12 servings.

 
Bite the bullet. Afterall, it is about your dad. Maybe make a great cake, but keep it simpile

or simple would be another way to say it.
Some basic, but delicious cake, nothing exotic. For the main dish, maybe some spareribs and sauerkraut or barbecued spareribs.
Or maybe a dish that you know you dad loves.
It's really about being with family.

 
my maiden name is Schmidt, 'nough said, and you got me on the ..

kraut part, if you want to do something more than simple, how about a great sauerbraten? can i come....please?!!

 
Having tasted your Autrian potato salad and saurkraut

I'd say that you should stick with that and the sausages from your German butcher.

If you have th option for dessert, how about a gingerbread?
I'd suggest the the oatmeal stout gingerbread that I posted in the FK archives.

 
Thanks Traca, that really sounds wonderful...

when I make meatloaf, I love the basil, bacon, egg, and cheddar stuffed meatlof that I posted years ago. It's truly over the top.

But, from the other comments, I think I'm going to go with the Austrian sauerkraut and grilled sausages and a big pan of deluxe over-the-top baked macaroni and cheese (an idea that was sent to me in private messages).

And I'll still be adding a layer cake. Just need to decide on the flavor.

Yes, need to go with the audience.

As much as I fret over it. smileys/smile.gif

 
Sounds like a lot of food will be there. I would go for dessert. Maybe not only a chocolate cake but

some fabulous fruit pie or fruit salad (might not travel well though).

 
I think the sausages and sauerkraut sound perfect for this crowd. Can't go wrong with caramel cake!

I've learned the hard way that the satisfaction of making something really cool and contemporary, like something you'd get in a sleek bistro etc quickly gets doused when no one touches the food. Such a bad feeling, I've stopped trying to wow the un-wowable crowd. Save the efforts for your friends that appreciate and look forward to your dinner invites!! smileys/smile.gif
Have fun!
M

 
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