Host a Potluck Dinner
Potlucks Easy on the Budget; Great on the Palate for Group Dining
Use this throwback style of entertaining to enjoy an engaging evening with your friends, while keeping the entertaining budget down!
With the current economy far from rosy, and everyone concerned about breaking the bank for entertaining, consider hosting a potluck dinner to spend some quality time with your friends and still have money left over to pay the bills! Potluck dinners gained popular acceptance in America of the 1950s as a whole generation of young couples wanted to socialize in their homes, live the American dream, and of course, try out all those brand spanking new Jell-O recipes from Good Housekeeping magazine!
The word potluck can be attributed to various etymologies, but the most likely genesis of the word is from the joining of “pot” and “luck,” implying that the guest will be treated to the luck of the pot – or whatever is cooking! You can create your own potluck event very effortlessly and share the wealth and the tradition with your friends and neighbors. Who knows – you may just start the next retro hit in your neighborhood!
Potluck Concept
- Host provides the venue, and guests provide the food for this casual dinner party.
Potluck Implementation
- Host invites the guests – generally six or more couples is a large enough number to get some variety in the menu.
- Invited guests or couples each bring an item to share.
- Host should assign dishes in a casual manner (i.e. appetizer or entrée or side) or a structured manner (i.e. mushroom caps or lasagna or green bean casserole) depending on the event and the guests.
- Each item should serve the total number of guests for groups smaller than a dozen in size. For larger groups, each item should serve approximately 2/3 of the total number of guests.
- Host provides beverages, plates, napkins and flatware.
Party Set Up
- Prior to guests arriving, the buffet area should be prepared. Select a kitchen island or countertop or a kitchen or dining room table. You can pre-set levels, if you have an idea of the type of dishes that your guests will be bringing. Opt for larger, wider levels, so that you have more flexibility if people bring their food in bigger casseroles.
- Cover the designated buffet area, including the levels, with fabric or a tablecloth. This one step will unify they entire area, no matter what types of serving pieces your guests use.
- Set aside a variety of serving utensils – spoons, forks, and tongs – to be used with the various dishes, since chances are good that someone will forget to bring their own serving utensil.
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