I don’t know about you, but I love me a good potluck!

I’m sure potlucks are popular everywhere in the U.S but it seems like church groups and Southerners make them legendary. Oh, and southern churches? Those folks have the granddaddies of all potlucks.

Is it just me or are there a myriad of social rules that surround potlucks? Some are stated and pretty obvious, like “bring your own server spoon” or “label your dishes if you want them back.”

I’m often intrigued by how potlucks are organized. When I was a kid, I vaguely remember it being decided by your family’s last initial. Like A-F brought a main dish, G-M brought a side dish, and so on.

My maiden name is Brunk so we obviously were assigned in the “B” category. What if someone who had the last name Gordon wanted to bring a main dish that and what if my family wanted to bring Grammy’s green bean casserole? Would the social structure of the potluck utterly break down if someone went outside their assignment?

This conundrum is why I love creative potluck themes (or not having a theme at all). Why not bring your favorite childhood dish? Or perhaps simply bring something you know you can eat (which is becoming increasingly important with the various food sensitivities out there)?

What does your tribe do about people who don’t bring food to the potluck? At a place I worked for many years, we had the issue of some people always brought several dishes and then some never brought anything. As in, they didn’t even bother to grab a 2-liter of pop. The manager finally made the rule that if you don’t contribute, you don’t eat. I thought it was fair but having to police that sucked the fun out.

Do you ever worry about what to bring to a potluck? There always seems to be this pressure at Southern potlucks to bring something made from scratch. Only the single people got a pass on bringing that bucket of chicken or *gasp* store-bought rolls. Why is this a thing?

First of all, when I was single I was not a half-bad cook so I enjoyed bringing homemade dishes. But what if you’re that busy mom who doesn’t have the time or energy to whip up magic in the kitchen? Bring the chicken…I can promise you that many people will be grateful for a food they recognize.

Oh, and did your church have that one lady who brought a famous dish that no one dared try to replicate by bringing what would most assuredly be a subpar version? I used to think people were just being weird but as an adult, I realize it’s fear. Fear of not measuring up. Fear of shaking the potluck matrix and it might appear that they were trying to unseat the macaroni casserole queen from her throne.

I have to confess that I have two dishes that I started taking to potlucks and they’ve become pretty popular. In fact, they are often requested.

Link to Jamie’s trifle recipe: http://jamiesthots.com/2013/05/16/home-tip-fruit-and-yogurt-trifle/

My mom’s yogurt trifle is a fantastically easy summer dessert. All it has is fruit, yogurt, angel food cake and Cool Whip. I didn’t realize how prideful I had become about this dessert until my husband asked me to make it last year for his company’s Thanksgiving or Christmas potluck. What?!?? You can’t make that in the winter. It just isn’t done.

I did end up making the trifle but sent it with strict instructions that my husband was to explain to each co-worker that it’s normally a lot better with fresh fruit instead of thawed frozen fruit. Considering the bowl came back almost empty I don’t think anyone cared about the fruit.

The other dish I enjoy making is what I call “Jamie’s Enchiladas.” Basically, they are whatever is on the back of the Old El Paso enchilada sauce can but I use more meat, add sliced black olives and am very strict about using flour tortillas instead of corn. It’s weird to me that so many friends love them but it makes me feel good!

 

Link to Jamie’s enchilada recipe: http://jamiesthots.com/2014/02/16/jamies-enchiladas/

What are some other rules (spoken or unspoken) that you see at a potluck? What are your favorite potluck dishes? Share your recipes in the comments!

Jamie writes over at Jamie’s Thots where she loves sharing about life, faith, food and her four furkids.

Link to Jamie’s Thots: http://jamiesthots.com/