I need a good pot luck recipe.

[Mrs. H.]

Dh and I are going to his family's annual Easter gathering this Saturday. Every family is required to bring a dish (like a casserole or main course), a dessert, and drinks for their family members. It is a large event, culminating in a massive Easter egg hunt which involves a large prize egg for the adults (over $200 each year). Lots of fun.

Anyway, I need a good 'never-fail' dish to bring to this thing. I have dessert covered, but a nice casserole or whatever you usually bring to a pot luck would be great. Something that always gets eaten but you wouldn't mind if there were leftovers, and it should travel well (20 miles one way to this thing.) The family has no dietary restrictions.

So, what is your tried-and-true pot luck dish?

[TXMomof4]

I was just introduced to this a few weeks ago, but let me tell you, it is a HIT! We use it as a main dish with salad at our house, or as a side, veggie....you decide.

Broccoli Cornbread
2 boxes Jiffy Cornbread Mix
3/4 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
12 oz cottage cheese
2 sticks margarine (melted)
10 oz. chopped broccoli (cooked & drained)
1 small can chopped green chilies
1/2 cup chopped onion

Combine all ingredients. Heat 9 x 13 pan with oil & cornmeal until hot, pour in mixture and bake @ 350 for 35-40 minutes.

That is correct - NO liquid.

[OnTheBrink]

Hashbrown casserole:

2lbs frozen hashbrowns (the shredded kind, not the cubed kind)
2 cans cream of chicken or mushroom soup
1 diced onion (med-small)
about 1 cup shredded cheddar or cheddar jack
1/2 lb cubed cooked ham
diced bell pepper if you like
enough milk to keep it moist

Sorry this is rather vague; this is one of those recipes I just throw together.

Anyway, combine the frozen hash browns, soup, onion, half the cheese, bell pepper in a bowl. It should be moistened enough that everything is covered, but not goopy. If you need more wetness, add milk a little at a time until it's right. Stir in the ham, place in a 9x13 pan, top with remaining cheese. Bake at 400 for about half an hourish, or until edges bubble and cheese is really melted.

[*anj*]

There are some good ones in this thread (http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9998&highlight=potluck)I started a few weeks ago.

[Mamagistra]

I'm not usually crazy about potluck food, but I love one concoction called Calico Beans. The basic dish is a variety of beans with added ground beef and bacon...nothing wrong with that, I say. ;) Just Google it for a whole bunch of variations. :)

[Mrs Mungo]

Casserole-wise I go with one of two recipes:

King Ranch Chicken, I'll post the link to The Homesick Texan's blog about it, including the standard version and her "fancy pants" version (mine is somewhere in between):
King Ranch Chicken (http://homesicktexan.blogspot.com/2007/10/king-of-casseroles-king-ranch-chicken.html)

The other one I like is Southwest Lasagna.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
1.5 lbs lean ground beef
1.5 t cumin
1 T chili powder
1 clover garlic, minced
1/4 t cayenne
1 t salt
1 t pepper
16 oz can chopped tomatoes, drained
12 corn tortillas
2 cups cottage cheese
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, grated
1 egg
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
2 c shredded lettuce
2 or 3 chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup sliced black olives
3 or 4 green onions, chopped

You brown the meat, drain then add the spices and can of tomatoes. Cover the bottom and sides of a 9x13 pan with tortillas, pour in beef mixture and top with another layer of tortillas. In a bowl combine cottage cheese, M. Jack cheese and the egg then spread over the tortillas. Back for about 35 minutes. Take it out and top with a strip of cheddar cheese, diagonally down the center of the casserole. Then working your way out make diagonal strips of lettuce, tomatoes, olives and green onions on either side of the strip of cheese (is this making sense?). It's pretty, delish and easy to serve.

[Mrs Mungo]

Oh! Another potluck dish I love is cornbread salad. It's not a main dish but most everyone loves it! You make 1 batch of sweet cornbread with about 10 oz of corn added to it (off the cob or out of a can). You then add 10 slices of bacon (cooked and crumbled), 5 Roma tomatoes (seeded and chopped), eta: 1 green bell pepper (seeded and chopped)-somehow it erased itself!-1 white onion (chopped fine), 1 cup of Cheddar cheese and 1 cup of mayo. Allow it to sit in the fridge overnight.

[Mamagistra]

Oh! Another potluck dish I love is cornbread salad.

Yes! This is a crazy thing, but it tastes very good. I bet it would be extra good served alongside some Calico Beans. ;)