Argh, the dreaded potluck. And it seems like the holidays are the potluck heydey. I’ve been invited to six potlucks in one week. And it is tough to find the time or money for them. Between heating this old house and buying presents for seven thousand nieces and nephews, I’m in the red.
Which is okay. My kids and I are eating a lot of peanut butter sandwiches and oatmeal. Tis the season. But it’s not really okay to bring peanut butter and oatmeal to the potluck. So what to do? I did some research and found a few things that have helped me save potluck face without breaking the piggy bank.
Pasta Roni to the Rescue! Okay, so we won’t tell anyone that it’s Pasta Roni. That’s between you and me. Buy three bags of the instant side dish. They’re only like a buck a piece. Then, buy a can or two of tuna. Follow directions on the noodles and add tuna. It’s fast and cheap, but it doesn’t taste fast and cheap.
Vegetarian Chili! Hold the meat, and save on money. If you’ve got a stocked spice shelf, this is any easy thing to whip up. (If you don’t have the spices, it’s probably not cost effective to do this one.) I made a pot of acceptable chili for less than five dollars. Here’s a recipe you can use.
Fruit Crisp! I noticed that a friend of mine always bring this to the potlucks, so I asked her why. You guessed it: cheap and easy. She has blackberry bushes in her backyard, which gives her an advantage, but the beauty of this is, you can use any fruit you want. (Well, maybe not avocado.) She’s used blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, apples, and combinations of these. I once used canned peaches and my hubbie thought I was brilliant. So, choose your fruit and then spread it out over the bottom of a 9x12 baking pan. Sprinkle sugar over the top. The more you use, the more popular you’ll be. Then add a layer of old-fashioned oats. Then sprinkle brown sugar over the whole business. Then, and this is the fun part, pour melted butter over the whole thing. Again, the more the merrier, but I just use a stick. Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes. Super easy, and you probably have the ingredients on hand.
Posted by Robin
