the RevGal Carnival gets games!

This week over at RGBP our carnival is getting a midway--full of fun games to play. We've been asked to ponder a Friday Five--the game we play every week. If I were in charge of creating the Friday Five, what five things would I ask?

Hmm.

Well, given my day yesterday (when I planned to write this blog post but was derailed by a cooking task--did you know it takes an hour to caramelize onions? Holy cow), I think I want your top five potluck recipes. What do you bring when you need to bring a dish to a party, a friend's house, a church potluck, or wherever you might go with food? Recipes always welcome.

Here are my five:

1. Baked Brie. so easy--just a wedge of brie, a can of crescent roll dough (even better if it's the sheet, not the actual crescent rolls), and a jar of raspberry preserves. Delicious every time.

2. puff pastry bites. Also easy but a little more labor intensive. a sheet of Trader Joe's frozen puff pastry dough, cut into 1" squares, topped with some goat cheese crumbles and a split kalamata olive, or chives, sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, or whatever you want. bake about 10 minutes and voila!

3. quinoa salad. I don't make this the same way every time, but it's been good every time so far. It starts with cooked quinoa (red or white is fine). Then I add a can (drained) of chickpeas, a diced cucumber and a package of smoked sun-dried tomatoes. I like olives (kalamata, preferably), but it's good without them too. Then you can choose how to dress it. I've used bottled greek dressing with great success. I've also used a combination of pesto and a splash of vinegar (for those who don't eat dairy) and it's turned out beautifully. grind in some black pepper and you're good to go. Chill in the fridge for an hour or so before serving.

4. baked mostaccioli. Just cook some penne or other tubular pasta, put it in a baking dish mixed and covered with sauce (use a vodka cream sauce for amazingness, or just plain old spaghetti sauce). Layer shredded mozzarella about halfway in and on top (so you don't get that problem where once someone eats the cheese off the top, there's no more cheese to be had). Bake it for bout 45 minutes or until it's bubbly and starting to brown. (You may need to make a little foil hat for the dish so the top cheese doesn't burn.)

5. tuxedo chili. so easy, so delicious! Can be made either stovetop or in the crockpot. you just need 2 cans of black beans, 2 cans of great northern (white) beans, 2 cans of rotel, a cup or so of veggie broth, one diced onion, some minced garlic, lots of cumin, and whatever other spices you want. Drain 1 of each of the beans and leave the other with liquid. Saute the onion and garlic in the pot. Add all the other ingredients, including tons of cumin. You may want other spices, like chili powder or smoked paprika, or a few dashes of liquid smoke or something. Simmer, stirring frequently, at least 30 minutes. Even better if you can let it go longer, but who are we kidding, most of us make this stuff at the last minute. If you're using a crockpot, keep it on low for the day. When ready to serve, squeeze some lime juice into the chili. serve with crusty bread. (I also like mine topped with a sprinkle of cheese...)


Why is this my FF choice today? Well, because yesterday I went to a potluck and I took--are you ready?--a zucchini and caramelized onion frittata. It sounded so easy, and like a good choice because it could be served room temperature. This is how I learned that it takes an hour to caramelize onions, and then 45 minutes to bake a quiche. what???? It was delicious, but wow.