Cast Iron Pam

PICNIC BASKETS

Picnic Baskets

We love going on picnics. Everyone gets to play and have fun or just relax. It's also a great way to bond with your kids and make memories that last a life time. I love them. We like to be ready to go on the spur of the moment.

Here's what we have ready to go at all times.

In a crate with flip lids (you could use any storage bin):

1 single burner stove (screws on top of a propane bottle- use a chubby bottle, they are more secure)

1 can of propane

1 box of matches

1 tea kettle

1 coffee pot

6 coffee filters

1 small container of evaporated cane juice

1 box of instant cocoa

1 bread knife

1 serving spoon

1 pkg. of paper cups

1 pkg. of plastic flatware

1 pkg. of napkins

1 pkg. of paper plates

6 pk. of bottled water

1 sm. jar of pepperoncini's

1 sleeve of crackers

1 bag of chips or snack mix

1 can of nuts

1 pkg. of cookies

1 bottle of sunscreen

1 can of bug repellant

1 pkg. of wipes

1 bottle of hand sanitizer

1 cribbage board

1 deck of cards

1 note book

1 pen

1 Frisbee

1 container for catching snakes and lizards or other critter

Then in a small ice chest we put in our cold food and ground coffee beans.

We bring a jug of iced tea and a jug of water (for making coffee and cocoa). It may also come in handy for the car’s radiator- you never know!

A FEW TIDBITS

Macaroni and Cheese

To keep things interesting when you make macaroni and cheese it's nice to sometimes make little changes. 

Something as simple as changing the type of cheese you use or adding a little bit of chili paste (to taste) or other seasoning, can really make a difference and keep them wanting more.

Give it a try sometime and see what your family thinks about it. You may be surprised. They may even make a suggestion for next time.

Pineapple Upside-down Cake

When making upside down cake don't be stuck in a rut with only using pineapple, try apricots or peaches or some other favorite fruit or fruit spread.

Trying Something New

Whenever trying something new keep notes!

That way you can look back and make changes as necessary.

STRETCHING YOUR FOOD DOLLARS

Need to stretch the food dollars? Here's a tidbit for you…

How to serve 6 people four meals for $14 using 1 chicken:

1. Cook Chicken (I use big chickens) on the barbecue and serve it with a cool green salad. (Cost about $6) 

2. The next day take the drippings and the carcasses from the chickens and make Chicken Stock. (Cost about $1) Use the chicken stock and make Ranch Beans for dinner and serve it with Corn Bread and Salad. (Cost about $4)

3. Take the leftover chicken meat and cut it up into bite size pieces. throw on a couple of potatoes to bake or peel and cut them into bite size pieces, put them in a pot of water and boil 'til tender and drain the water off, and use them to make Chicken Pot Pie.(Cost about $3)

4. Use leftover beans and any leftover chicken to make Tamale pie.

There you have 4 meals from 1 Chicken total cost of about $14. How's that for stretching your food dollars?!

POTLUCKS AND POTLUCK ETIQUETTE

Potlucks and Potluck Etiquette

This is dedicated to my friend Renee´ because if not for her suggestion I never would have thought of this topic.

Planning:

You may be talking to yourself saying things like “Where do I begin? I mean I really do want to have several people over and have them bring a dish but, how do I go about it?”

Well I hope you find your questions answered in this book.

Let’s begin.

To start with you need a date, time, and guest list. Secondly you need a menu. This is where a lot of people get stuck. I find it easier to plan a menu when you have a theme, for instance, Christmas.

Now that you have a theme you can plan the menu. Below I’ve given you a sample menu.

Appetizers:

Roasted nuts

Potato chips

Dips (onion, ranch, spinach)

Vegetable tray

Fruit tray

Christmas dinner:

Turkey

Stuffing

Gravy

Mashed potatoes

Butter

Salt

Pepper

Tossed green salad

Cranberry sauce

Green bean casserole

Jell-O salad

Sparkling cider

Desserts:

Apple Pie

Pecan Pie

Cheesecake bars

Cookies (especially if there’s a lot of kids)

As the host/ hostess it’s your place to supply the main dish(es), and tableware (plates, cups,  flatware, napkins, table cloths), at least some of the appetizers, and the basic condiments (butter, salt, and pepper).

if you decorate according to So for Christmas dinner you would supply the turkey, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, butter, salt, pepper, plus the items listed above.

It's also fun to have a theme.

You may even want to have people dress in costumes, if it’s appropriate.

After you’ve made your menu, when you get RSVP’s you just write down their name next to the item(s) they’re bringing.

After that’s done you may find that you’ll need to revise your menu a bit and fill in the gaps.

For church or club potlucks it’s best to break up the last names by

Groups, such as A-D, E-H, I-L, M-P, Q-T,U-Z. Now you can assign each group a dish to bring (appetizers, main dish, side dish, bread, beverages). The church or club would be responsible for all tableware, condiments, coffee, and pitchers of water. If it’s a small group they may also put out a main dish and a dessert just as a buffer. Main dishes and desserts are probably the two most important items to be sure there’s plenty of to keep everybody happy.

Themes

Themes are a great way to help plan a menu. This is especially nice for church or club potlucks. It helps people to be able to come up with a dish to bring. I’ve found that if there isn’t a theme then you end up with a huge amount of desserts and not nearly enough of main or side dishes. This makes for a lot of grumbling adults and very hyper kids.

Here’s a list of different themes you may like to try:

All American

Asian

Family Heritage

Italian

Mexican

Soup and Salads

Etiquette

There’s an etiquette associated with potlucks? Officially no, but in “my book” there is.

Just look back to the potlucks you have been to in the past.

One question that gets tumbled around is “Who goes to the front of the line?”

Here’s the answer.

Pregnant women and their families along with the elderly.

Why? You ask.

Here’s why.

Maybe you’re pregnant and by the time you get to the food you’re about to pass out from low blood sugar.

It’s hard enough for many elderly people to stand very long. They lose their balance easily so getting bumped into by someone running into them can cause them to fall and possibly break something. Besides they deserve to have some respect shown to them by letting them ahead of the line.

How many times have you been waiting in line and a couple of kids take four pieces of fried chicken that you know they’re not going to eat only to have them take a bite out of one and throw the rest away?

Maybe you’ve finished your real food and are ready for some dessert. So you go to get the one you’ve been waiting for only to have someone ahead of you take three or four desserts, and of course there’s nothing left of the one you wanted. Walking back to your seat you see several people have loaded up on desserts leaving several people without any?

To solve this problem parents of children nine years old or younger should dish up what they expect their child(ren) to actually eat for the meal before they get dessert. When their child(ren) is/are done with their food the parents should get some dessert for their child(ren). This way the kids eat a meal, get some dessert, and provided there was plenty of food and desserts brought in the first place everyone benefits and is happy.

In Closing

This is meant to be a guideline for those putting on or in charge of potlucks.

I did not include recipes.