Potluck Parties: The Popular Pastime Goes Posh
Dinner parties take a cue from the past, with revival in potlucks during hard financial times.
PLUS: New cookbook full of recipes perfect for these friends-and-family get-togethers!
As wallets tighten, friends and family have to get more creative about the way they socialize, seeking to make get-togethers more budget-friendly without sacrificing the fun. That challenge is what has brought about the revival of potlucks to the social scene.
The Potluck Club Cookbook
by Linda Evans Shepherd & Eva Marie Everson
ISBN: 978-0-8007-3349-0
$14.99
September 2009
“Eating in is the new eating out,” says Eva Marie Everson, a potluck enthusiast and co-author of The Potluck Club Cookbook. For instance, Everson and her husband used to meet up with another couple each month over dinner at a different restaurant. “But with the recent economy, we started eating in and dining à la potluck. We get to sit on a screened-in patio and watch the sun set over the lake behind the house. We all agree we should have been doing this all along!”
Potlucks are easy even on strained budgets because no one person carries the full cost of a table-full of food; instead, guests each bring their own favorite dish and together cater the event. This allows guests to sample new dishes and share favorite recipes from their closest friends.
These potlucks that are popping up in even the classiest of circles barely resemble the potlucks of yesterday. Now, they might carry intriguing themes that the dishes are based around. For instance, a book club’s potluck might feature foods mentioned in the pages of their latest read. Or a birthday celebration for a longtime friend might be a wine-and-cheese potluck showcasing favorite edibles that get better with age. For a close girlfriend who is always known for accenting with yellow, a potluck in her honor might include a savory, golden-hued smorgasbord.
Whatever your affair may look like, Eva Marie Everson and Linda Evans Shepherd are the experts when it comes to hosting and attending these shared meals. Veterans of countless potlucks over the years, the duo has gathered their favorite potluck-ready recipes—from salads to slow-cooker delights—plus their experienced insights about pulling off a potluck into one source: The Potluck Club Cookbook. Shepherd and Evans are also the authors of the popular fiction series The Potluck Club and The Potluck Catering Club—so their penchant for potlucks is obvious.
“Potlucks have been a part of my life since childhood,” explains Everson, whose memories are rife with these culinary celebrations—from her days growing up in the South to her newlywed years to the times toting her young children along to the potluck, too. “The potluck meal isn’t just about sharing good, home-cooked food, but also about connecting with your closest friends and family and creating memories that last a lifetime,” Shepherd adds. “Potlucks must be what love tastes like.”
MY REVIEW:
I have a dilema at my house... I can't use my stove/oven because we need to rewire our house. This means we have to be creative in our cooking and so I was curious as to whether I would be able to make many recipes from the Potluck Club Cookbook. I was pleasantly surprised when I made a fantastic microwave mint fudge - yum! I also made some recipes from the back of the Potluck Catering Club "A Taste of Fame". Man, the honey glazed salmon is fabulous, the Tex-Mex dip is quick and easy and the Banana Cream Pie is unbelievable! I am looking forward to trying more of these recipes. I love the simplicity of the ingrediants, I've heard of all of them! And no drawn out steps, just nice and easy.
This book would make fantastic bridal shower/wedding gifts or secret sister gifts and for the person that loves to cook, this is a great addition to their cookbook collection. And at only $14.99 ($9.99 on cbd.com) it is worth every penny!
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