Not to brag, but here's the Christmas potluck dinner I had:

T

tessie-in-cincy

Well-known member
Sliced hot dogs in a crockpot slathered w/ bottled bbq sauce.

Crockpot full of meatballs the same way - I think they were formerly frozen.

Generic brand chicken nuggets (the consistency was more spongy than meaty) w/ bottles of ketchup and ranch alongside.

Chipped beef dip (actually pretty good).

Some sort of sweet whippy dip w/ chopped pimentos in it and savory crackers alongside. For some reason the rest of the extended family went wild over this one.

Bag of generic brand potato chips.

I brought Hanky Pankys since it was a more casual kind of crowd and they went over well.

My big platter of homemade cookies were barely touched in favor of the chocolate sheet cake someone made out of the box w/ a can of whipped chocolate frosting.

Bah, humbug. Sometimes I feel like a circle in a square peg smileys/frown.gif I'll just eat vicariously through you guys. -T

 
Try to think of this experience in a positive vein, Tessie----

You have alot of friends and/or family who NEED a fundamental shift in their entertaining and eating paradigm. (They exhibit the taste and the initiative of teenagers at best.) Invite a few at a time to your house, feed them some real food, introduce them to this site and some others where they could find recipes for real food. I am afraid for their children!

 
Oh, Tessie, don't give up.

I don't know how many times I went above and beyond the "jello crowd" expectations for potlucks. One time I brought a wonderful brie that was compared to something unmentionable. I learned to scale back a bit on my expectations and what I would bring. Just look at it as more leftovers for you to take home and enjoy.

 
Tessie, I feel your pain. It's amazing how many people don't bother to cook real food.

Nor do they have an appreciation for the effort that's gone into the preparation of anything special. You just have to feel sorry for what they are missing in life.

 
My boyfriend owned a pizza place for a short period of time and....

they sold Duncan Hinz chocolate cakes, couldn't make enough! ugh!!!! I don't get it...

 
Some of my family members would have been happily ensconced next to the crock pots

and I'm with Melissa - these are the folks I no longer "waste" my "good stuff" on, since they are perfectly happy with nearly any old thing in front of them.

 
Sylvia, I SO agree! Just printed this for

FloriDad who is hooked on mediocre food. He's coming around slowly but surely (appetite is a bit better now). Perhaps your post will reinforce him to appreciate the delicious low fat and sodium meals I prepare for him!

 
I had a "friend" tell me not to give her a plate of my homemade cookies because I don't wrap each

kind separately and they end up all tasting alike. She asked for my toffee instead.

She didn't get anything!

 
Don't give up Tessie...

I have been making Hospitality lunches for the teachers at my son's elementary school, and they are slowly coming around. The first lunch where I had other people contribute, we had a sad looking Taco Soup, White Bean Chili and I made a homemade cream of tomato soup with fresh basil (adapted from Silver Palate's recipe)and they went crazy for the tomato soup and begged for the recipe.
I have made four meals for them now and they love it. I have started making more exotic dishes and they are loving them. I made a chicken enchilada soup, and one of the teachers asked what the flavor was in the soup. It was masa harina, which is used as the thickener in the soup. She had never heard of it, but I could tell that she was going to be trying it soon. I think the trick was to start out with something they found familiar like tomato soup, and then just make it a really good tomato soup.
My favorite thing is when the kids are waiting in the lunch line, I keep hearing them say "what smells so good? What's for lunch today?" and it makes me want to feed them too! Hang in there Tessie, you can bring them around.

 
I agree, Dawn. Do something within their comfort zone, but make it a delicious homemade version.

 
Tessie, I was open-minded until I got to the canned frosting---GACK!!

It's amazing what people get used to. Maybe your cookies were so beautiful they thought they were only for decoration?

 
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