by Bambi Watson

Created on: April 06, 2009

I come from a very large family, so potlucks are a way of life for us. With over 300 people at our last family reunion, we do potluck for everything from baby showers, weddings and birthdays, to holidays, wakes and funerals. By the time I was 12 I already had a small recipe collection put together just for potlucks.

Potluck Tips & Hints:

First lets go over a few things that will make your life easier and help you stand out from the crowd at the next potluck.

Never Use your own personal dishes or serving trays. Go to one of the local party stores and spend a couple dollars to get a festive yet disposable container for the dish you intend to bring. While you are there see if you can find a little decoration you can add to your item to make it look fun. By bringing your item in a throw away container, you never have to worry about losing your own serving dishes.

For a lot of potlucks, the host will assign a category like; desserts, main dishes or salads, and write it on the invitation so you know what type of dish to bring. If you are assigned to bring a salad, but would rather bring a dessert, don't just change your category on your own. Party hosts assign categories for a reason, so they have equal amounts of what will be needed for the party. If you really want to show off your favorite cake recipe, then there are two options you can take. You can ask someone else who is also going to the potluck that was assigned desserts, if they will swap categories with you, or you can bring 2 items. One thing I've learned over the years is no host ever minds if you go out of your category with a second item, as long as you also bring your assigned item too. There is no such thing as too much food at a potluck.

Teach your children early in life to cook at least one dish they can bring to potlucks. Children love to be involved in party preparation and knowing how to make a potluck contribution, is a skill they will thank you for later.

My Best Potluck Recipe: Layered Taco Dip

This dish is very easy to make and can be brought for a salad or a main dish category. Use a disposable rectangular aluminum cookie pan or a round pizza pan. I always buy the disposable trays that also have plastic lids.

Bottom layer: 1 pint of sour cream mixed with ranch dip mix, spread evenly over bottom of tray.

next layer: sprinkle taco meat over dip. You can use ground beef, chicken or turkey, seasoned with a package of taco seasoning.

Next Layer: 1 Cup of chunky salsa mixed with 1/2 cup western dressing. gently spoon this over the meat layer.

Next layer: Shredded Lettuce

Next layer: Top lettuce with black and green olives, purple onions & cheddar cheese. this will make it very festive and colorful. Also you can add tomatoes, but use the tiny grape tomatoes, so people who don't like tomatoes can easily pick them off. You can also add diced cucumber, jalapenos or anything else that you like on tacos.

Don't forget to also bring tortilla chips. I usually also bring a cheap festive bowl to put the chips in. This dish always gets gobbled up at parties and potlucks. Just make sure that you also have some other great recipes, otherwise people will ask you to always bring the taco dip, which can get boring after a few years.

Potlucks are a great way for people to have a fun and easy party or gathering. My wedding reception was potluck and everyone had a blast. If you make your dish look great and add little decorations and festive disposable dishes, you will be the hit of any potluck and get lots more invitations in the future.

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