# It's Pot-Luck Dinner Season. What do you bring?



## CaptTom

We're going to another pot-luck dinner next weekend. You know, those gatherings where everyone brings something, and everyone eats WAY too much.

So I figured this would be a good time to share our "signature dishes" or other favorites to bring to a pot luck.

It can be as intricate or simple as you like. The best ones are easy to make, easy to transport and serve, and look/taste more difficult to make than they really are.

Here are a couple of easy ones to get started:

1) Meatballs in the crock pot. One large package of frozen (cooked) meatballs, one jar of grape jelly, and one jar of barbecue sauce. Throw them all in the crock pot and let them summer until heated through. Bring the whole crock pot to the event. One pot to wash when done!

Everyone loves that one, but it's off the menu for a while, after having too many left over last time and getting tired of them.

2) One-pot lasagna. (My wife keeps forgetting the name and calling it "pot lasagna" which gives the wrong impression.) There are dozens of recipes out there to Google, so I won't list the ingredients. Basically, throw all the lasagna ingredients into one dutch oven or InstantPot. This one takes a bit more work, since there's some timing involved. But in the end it's still a quick and easy crowd-pleaser. Garlic bread or home-made dinner rolls go good with it.


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## Bud9051

Here's one where we never have leftovers. I once cooked an extra large batch for a gathering at my son's house just so I could bring some home for later. Before I got ready to leave my son asked if he could keep the leftover. I cooked another batch.

It is basically the "winter carnival *casserole*" from Kero but I modify it a bit.

I use 1 box of medium shells, don't overcook as they go into the oven.
I use the Hunt's diced tomatoes with Basil Garlic, & Oregano. Smash the diced if you prefer a smoother sauce.

This has always been a favorite.

Bud


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## Startingover

Love Potlucks. Back at the county we had them every few months to breakup the grueling work. Popular dishes were lasagna, or ziti one lady made fruit salad, all fresh melons and berries tossed and no dressing, just mixed juices from fruit. They insisted on my deviled eggs. We had a new employee once that announced she’d bring deviled eggs. Ha. A couple of women looked at each other with scowls. Didn’t matter to me. Finally one told her that I always bring them. 

Another popular thing I make is a NY cheesecake. 

A shrimp pasta salad was popular. One guy brought crockpot of tiny sausage wieners in a sauce.

My fav to eat is potato salad.


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## Two Knots

Never went to a potluck dinner...I probably would bring cheesecake
and chili or eggplant parm, or chicken parm. 

Starting over I have a cheesecake recipe to die for...Last year I found a 
7” cheesecake pan - then cut my recipe in half cause a big cheesecake
is too big for us. I make the larger size 10” only when we’re having
company.


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## Nik333

Linguine with a clam and pesto sauce.


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## CaptTom

I just remembered another one we haven't made in a while:
Easy Cheesy Chicken Bake

I'll sometimes replace the cream of chicken soup with cream of onion. You could also use green beans instead of broccoli. Google it and you'll find lots of variations on the theme. Some of them use rice instead of stuffing, but to me the stuffing is what makes it.


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## Nik333

There actually are Campbell Soup.cookbooks with favorite recipes. Google it & see.:wink2:


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## gma2rjc

A favorite that my sister brings to family get-togethers is baked corn.

1 two-pound bag of frozen corn.
2 cans of creamed corn
2 or 3 sleeves of Townhouse or Ritz crackers
1 stick of butter (has to be real butter)
Salt and pepper

Mix the frozen corn and cans of corn and a little salt and pepper (to taste) together in a casserole dish. A 9"x13" glass dish works well.

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and remove from heat.

Crumble the crackers into the melted butter and stir until the butter is evenly absorbed by the crackers.

Remove about 1 cup of the crackers from the pan and mix them into the corn mixture.

Spread the remainder of the butter/crackers evenly over the corn. You can also sprinkle pepper over the crackers, to your liking.

Bake at 350º F until the corn is bubbling and the crackers are a golden color.


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## Nik333

@gma2rjc - That's very like my family's oyster casserole, served with roast turkey, except for half & half & raw oysters. The Ritz crackers & butter must have been a thing.


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## wooleybooger

OOPS. And can't find how to delete it.


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## CodeMatters

Nik333 said:


> There actually are Campbell Soup.cookbooks with favorite recipes. Google it & see.:wink2:



Too much meat and dairy for me to eat everyday, but:
Lots of good easy recipes at cookwithcampbells.ca


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## huesmann

My current go-to is corn casserole:
1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix
1 can whole corn kernels, drained
1 can creamed corn
1 stick melted butter
1 cup sour cream

Just mix it all up and bake at 350º for 45 minutes.

Sometimes I'll add some shredded cheddar, or chopped bacon, or chopped jalapenos for a little extra zing.


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## Startingover

Huesmann, I’ll make this xmas. My plain corn is boring.


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## Nik333

huesmann said:


> My current go-to is corn casserole:
> 1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix
> 1 can whole corn kernels, drained
> 1 can creamed corn
> 1 stick melted butter
> 1 cup sour cream
> 
> Just mix it all up and bake at 350º for 45 minutes.
> 
> Sometimes I'll add some shredded cheddar, or chopped bacon, or chopped jalapenos for a little extra zing.


Corn Stroganoff?:wink2:


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## Nik333

:I can't get that out of my mind. . . now I want a hot corn muffin with butter. Yum.


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## SeniorSitizen

huesmann said:


> My current go-to is corn casserole:
> 1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix
> 1 can whole corn kernels, drained
> 1 can creamed corn
> 1 stick melted butter
> 1 cup sour cream
> 
> Just mix it all up and bake at 350º for 45 minutes.
> 
> Sometimes I'll add some shredded cheddar, or chopped bacon, or chopped jalapenos for a little extra zing.


I remembered that name -* Corn Casserole* - and ask the wife. That's exactly what the wife made when all the kids were small and everyone loved it.


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## Old Thomas

I don’t go. I don’t like eating food from unknown kitchens. In my contracting days I saw cats on food prep surfaces with their rear ends sitting like a rubber stamp then food placed there without sanitizing. Also filthy kitchens, meat left out to thaw, fingers in mouths or hair, etc. Stay home and eat safe. My wife uses gloves and keeps things clean.


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## Nik333

I never figure a counter is truly clean unless you just cleaned it & let a disinfectant sit awhile. So raw food or edible food goes on a plate, chopping board, or bowl.

In the hospital, sometimes nurses will prime IV tubing into the sink. Some leave the tubing for awhile. But, the sink isn't clean with everyone washing their hands!

I have cats but since I never assume the counter is clean, it doesn't matter. Especially, if you live with other people. Even an occaisional fly.

I'm not saying I keep the counter dirty. Women's purses are especially dirty. Keys are & so on.


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## CaptTom

Old Thomas said:


> I don’t go. I don’t like eating food from unknown kitchens.


I do go. Yeah, there are "germs" out there. But I don't want to live in a bubble. Even with the emphasis on "serve safe" training, you can still catch something from a restaurant, too. If not from the food prep, then from the other customers. Ever pick up a greasy salt shaker?

OK, now that everyone who's easily grossed out is gone...

One pot luck we went to with our teenage daughter. There was a mix of ages, with quite a few old-timers there. Daughter found some cheese and cracker plates on the appetizer table. They were pretty good. Lots of different crackers, some with poppy seeds, sesame seeds, etc.

It was going great until she noticed that some of the seeds had legs.

Yup. One of the old-timers had brought out that open bag of crackers from the cabinet. Apparently his/her eyesight wasn't that good and didn't notice.

Somehow, we all survived. I don't think our daughter ever went to another function there with us though.


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## huesmann

Another real easy thing to make (though it takes some prep time) is pigs in blankets. Cocktail weenies, plus a can (or two, depending how many weenies) of canned biscuit dough. Pop open the can of dough, separate the rounds of dough and lay them flat (can be done one at a time). Cut each round into 6-8 wedges, like a pie. Take a wedge, stretch it out lengthwise, like from the center of the "pie" to the edge, wrap it around a weenie, and press the pointy end over the fat end. Place on a baking tray and repeat until all dough or weenies are finished. Bake until the biscuit is golden brown.

Best if warmed up.


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## Nik333

Most of the things Startingover really likes at a potluck, I won't eat. Too risky. Now a well-baked Enchilada casserole, yes.


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## SeniorSitizen

SeniorSitizen said:


> I remembered that name -* Corn Casserole* - and ask the wife. That's exactly what the wife made when all the kids were small and everyone loved it.


Good grief, I ask the wife about this yesterday and she just came back from the grocer and has it all to make it. What a good girl. Sure glad I bought her another bottle of campaign a few days ago.:biggrin2:


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## Two Knots

Old Thomas said:


> I don’t go. I don’t like eating food from unknown kitchens. In my contracting days I saw cats on food prep surfaces with their rear ends sitting like a rubber stamp then food placed there without sanitizing. Also filthy kitchens, meat left out to thaw, fingers in mouths or hair, etc. Stay home and eat safe. My wife uses gloves and keeps things clean.


I agree...especially people with cats that jump on the counters. 
One time I walked into my kitchen to find my cat jumping down from
the counter with a mug full of tomato sauce...she was actually licking 
the pot of sauce from the stove while it was cooking! My sister put a 
cheesecake on the counter to cool and her cat ate it! 

Then... the people that don’t keep clean houses! Yuck!


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## SeniorSitizen

huesmann said:


> My current go-to is corn casserole:
> 1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix
> 1 can whole corn kernels, drained
> 1 can creamed corn
> 1 stick melted butter
> 1 cup sour cream
> 
> Just mix it all up and bake at 350º for 45 minutes.
> 
> Sometimes I'll add some shredded cheddar, or chopped bacon, or chopped jalapenos for a little extra zing.


 And it looks and tastes just like it did decades ago. UM Good


I failed to mention the X-tra ingredients for a little more zing but after mentioning that to the wife I'm betten the next one has at least jalapenos and a tad of my charcoal grilled bacon might be good too.


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## Two Knots

Sure looks yummy...
:thumbsup:


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## CoolYeah

Provence wings, grilled corn salad, and the all-purpose after-dinner dessert, creme brulee.


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## Startingover

We had a lot of laughs with creme brûlée last year when daughter bought a kitchen torch to brown it. 

Suppose to tap the browned top, easily, with back of a spoon. Her first ones you needed a chisel to crack the topping. 

Its really good but a person can only eat it so often. Finally the novelty of the torch wore off and its been in the back of the cupboard since


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## Startingover

Reading these posts I guess I never thought about how close we all were back at the county admin building. All of us worked there for years and I’d been in their homes one time or another and was best friends with a few so no qualms eating their food. 

Lol, except one lady. I always said, “that looks so good but my plate’s full so I’ll get some later.”


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## Nik333

SeniorSitizen said:


> Good grief, I ask the wife about this yesterday and she just came back from the grocer and has it all to make it. What a good girl. Sure glad I bought her another bottle of campaign a few days ago.:biggrin2:


I like reading about how much you & BigJim like your wives' cooking after so many years.


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## Nik333

CoolYeah said:


> Provence wings, grilled corn salad, and the all-purpose after-dinner dessert, creme brulee.


Now that's a new one. Sounds good. Thanks.


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## Nik333

Nik333 said:


> Most of the things Startingover really likes at a potluck, I won't eat. Too risky. Now a well-baked Enchilada casserole, yes.


That came out wrong. Darn antihistamines.
What I meant was some foods are more prone to food poisoning, now called food-borne infections. Especially those with eggs.


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## Startingover

Yrs ago we never heard of Ecoli. We also used to laugh back in 80’s at holidays about no one getting sick from MIL’s turkeys. She had a big plug-in roaster she sat on top of her dryer an cooked her 20 lb turkeys all night at 250°. I don’t know anyone who uses those roasters now.


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## huesmann

My mom does in the basement, for large parties, so she can use the main oven for cooking that needs tending. She mostly uses it to re-heat stuff she's already prepared in the main oven, or keep stuff warm.


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## ktownskier

Being from the Mid-West, we have hot dishes. Not your fancy pants Casseroles. And yes, Ketchup is a spice. And Soup is a staple in cooking. So is the crock-pot. 

One of the early hot dishes I learned was a chicken wild rice hot dish. It was a can of Cream of Chicken Soup, can of Cream of Mushroom Soup, a box of Uncle Ben's Long Grain and Wild Rice and 4 chicken breasts. Empty the cans of soup into the corningware (Blue Flower of course) along with 2 cans of water. Mix them all together. Open the box of Uncle Bens, and pour it into the soup mixture and stir it around along with 1/2 the spice mix. Put the Chicken breasts on-top and spread rest of the spice mix on top. Put it into a 350* oven for 50-60 minutes or until the chicken reaches 165*. 

I have modified it to make it healthier. But I still use the soup. Although it is now fat free. And instead of water, I use chicken broth. And, I use a rice mix with texamati, jewel rice and a lot more wild rice. 2c of broth to 1 cup of rice. And, I dice up the chicken and stir it into the mixture. If it looks to too thick, I add more broth. 

Just tonight, I made something new for a get together of the Kremmling Rotary club. Someone was making smoked brisket as the entree. I signed up for potatoes. I was thinking of making something like smokey potatoes. But had no other idea of how to make them. 

So, I did a quick recipe search for smokey potatoes with smoked paprika, as I had plenty of that on hand. And a couple of recipe's brought up smoked cheese. And of course bacon. I asked my wife to bring home some smoked cheddar. She brought home some smoked Gouda. Not quite the same thing. 

My wife reminded me this morning that I needed to make them. She called at noon and reminded me. I got a text at 3....

This hasn't been a good a good week for me. I switched the tires from summer to winter on the jeep last Thursady. Friday morning, I could barely breath my back hurt to much. It got slowly better, but the last couple of says, I have been having trouble breathing and some shortness of breath. But I didn't do anything other than use my rescue inhaler and use my oxygen. Getting back to the smoked potatoes....

I finally dragged my sorry ass out of bed by 4:30 and started peeling some potatoes. (I still wasn't sure what I was going to make yet.) And put them on to boil. I glanced at a couple of recipes and finally decided on smoked gouda, bacon mashed potatoes with onions, sour cream. 

I had a couple of onions on hand so I diced them up quickly and sauteed them in a bit of olive oil. I then added some crumbled bacon to the onions. And started shredding the Gouda. And I pulled out the Crock-Pot. I drained the potato water into the crock pot to start warming it up. Saving a bit to help loosen the potatoes if needed 

I put the potatoes back on the stove on low to dry them out a bit. (It helps them fluff up better) I added half a container of sour cream, half a stick of butter cut into small slices, and half a cup of half and half and started smashing. 

Once they were all smushed, I started whipping them with a bit more half and half, a bit of salt and pepper. (Not too much salt as the bacon was coming) and made them smoother. I then dumped them into the now emptied crock pot. I folded in the bacon/onion mix. Whipped them up some more. Added some more sour cream and half and half. and the cheese and whipped some more. Then my wife got home, I had her grate some more Gouda and she spread it on the top. She then took off for the party, I crawled into bed and fell asleep for an hour.


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## MTN REMODEL LLC

*It's Pot-Luck Dinner Season. What do you bring?*

Pot.... and a bunch of potato chips...???????:wink2::smile:


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## ktownskier

MTN REMODEL LLC said:


> *It's Pot-Luck Dinner Season. What do you bring?*
> 
> Pot.... and a bunch of potato chips...???????:wink2::smile:


Don't forget the Dorito's, Hostess Twinkies and Cupcakes.


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## Nik333

ktownskier said:


> Being from the Mid-West, we have hot dishes. Not your fancy pants Casseroles. And yes, Ketchup is a spice. And Soup is a staple in cooking. So is the crock-pot.
> 
> One of the early hot dishes I learned was a chicken wild rice hot dish. It was a can of Cream of Chicken Soup, can of Cream of Mushroom Soup, a box of Uncle Ben's Long Grain and Wild Rice and 4 chicken breasts. Empty the cans of soup into the corningware (Blue Flower of course) along with 2 cans of water. Mix them all together. Open the box of Uncle Bens, and pour it into the soup mixture and stir it around along with 1/2 the spice mix. Put the Chicken breasts on-top and spread rest of the spice mix on top. Put it into a 350* oven for 50-60 minutes or until the chicken reaches 165*.
> 
> I have modified it to make it healthier. But I still use the soup. Although it is now fat free. And instead of water, I use chicken broth. And, I use a rice mix with texamati, jewel rice and a lot more wild rice. 2c of broth to 1 cup of rice. And, I dice up the chicken and stir it into the mixture. If it looks to too thick, I add more broth.
> 
> Just tonight, I made something new for a get together of the Kremmling Rotary club. Someone was making smoked brisket as the entree. I signed up for potatoes. I was thinking of making something like smokey potatoes. But had no other idea of how to make them.
> 
> So, I did a quick recipe search for smokey potatoes with smoked paprika, as I had plenty of that on hand. And a couple of recipe's brought up smoked cheese. And of course bacon. I asked my wife to bring home some smoked cheddar. She brought home some smoked Gouda. Not quite the same thing.
> 
> My wife reminded me this morning that I needed to make them. She called at noon and reminded me. I got a text at 3....
> 
> This hasn't been a good a good week for me. I switched the tires from summer to winter on the jeep last Thursady. Friday morning, I could barely breath my back hurt to much. It got slowly better, but the last couple of says, I have been having trouble breathing and some shortness of breath. But I didn't do anything other than use my rescue inhaler and use my oxygen. Getting back to the smoked potatoes....
> 
> I finally dragged my sorry ass out of bed by 4:30 and started peeling some potatoes. (I still wasn't sure what I was going to make yet.) And put them on to boil. I glanced at a couple of recipes and finally decided on smoked gouda, bacon mashed potatoes with onions, sour cream.
> 
> I had a couple of onions on hand so I diced them up quickly and sauteed them in a bit of olive oil. I then added some crumbled bacon to the onions. And started shredding the Gouda. And I pulled out the Crock-Pot. I drained the potato water into the crock pot to start warming it up. Saving a bit to help loosen the potatoes if needed
> 
> I put the potatoes back on the stove on low to dry them out a bit. (It helps them fluff up better) I added half a container of sour cream, half a stick of butter cut into small slices, and half a cup of half and half and started smashing.
> 
> Once they were all smushed, I started whipping them with a bit more half and half, a bit of salt and pepper. (Not too much salt as the bacon was coming) and made them smoother. I then dumped them into the now emptied crock pot. I folded in the bacon/onion mix. Whipped them up some more. Added some more sour cream and half and half. and the cheese and whipped some more. Then my wife got home, I had her grate some more Gouda and she spread it on the top. She then took off for the party, I crawled into bed and fell asleep for an hour.


Did you ever consider being a chef, previously? I wanted to go to Le Cordon Bleu school but I had hurt my shoulder by then.:smile:


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## ktownskier

Nik333 said:


> Did you ever consider being a chef, previously? I wanted to go to Le Cordon Bleu school but I had hurt my shoulder by then.:smile:


Yes, that is one of the career paths I had wanted to pursue. 

I had also wanted to open a B&B that would also offer dinners. 

Or, become a private chef.

I think I figured out a way to tell the difference between a cook and a chef. The difference is how they look at a recipe. 

Most people tend to look at a recipe like a road map. It gets you from here to a destination as long a you follow the path directions set by the map. In other words, These are the ingredients, this is the order you put them in, this is how you mix them, this is what you put them in. This is the temp. And, this is what you will get. 

Then there are the others. The ones who look at a recipe and the ingredients and sees the results. And then thinks about all the side trips, detours and tourist traps and wonders what would happen if those were taken into account. I am the that kind of cook. Very seldom do I ever follow a recipe exactly. 

A recipe will call for water. My thoughts are, why add water, when you can add flavor? Just a simple thing as rubbing your spices between the palms of your hands as your adding them to the put will help release more of the oils. 

I can't leave a recipe alone. I always taste as I go and think what is it missing? What can I add to boost the flavor? I put some cinnamon in my chili recently and it was a nice subtle warm flavor.


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## CaptTom

ktownskier said:


> Being from the Mid-West, we have hot dishes. Not your fancy pants Casseroles. And yes, Ketchup is a spice. And Soup is a staple in cooking. So is the crock-pot...
> 
> ...Then there are the others. The ones who look at a recipe and the ingredients and sees the results.


First, you don't have to be from the Mid-West to appreciate good, unpretentious home cooking. I think that's why I like pot-luck dinners, by whatever name.

That sounds like a great potato dish you made, by the way. And your distinction between those who have to follow recipes and those who know how to tweak and improve on them is on the mark.

The internet is a great source of recipes, of course. But the way I use it is to open a bunch of tabs at once, each with a different version of whatever recipe I'm interested in. I consider the different ingredients, why they're used, and what flavors they bring. I also consider the different steps and methods, again trying to figure out why each one is done.

With a general idea of what I want to do, and how I want to do it, I typically only refer once or twice to the recipes, just to make sure I've got the ratios right or whatever.

Funny thing is, I never considered myself a chef. I've worked in restaurants. I have one son who is currently a chef, and another who went to school for it. They know how to make those dishes you get at the high-end places where the prices are huge and the portions are tiny. That's being a chef. What I do is just cooking.

But when my "trained professional" kids come here, they still want good ol' fashioned home cooking. We might discuss various techniques, but they've never even suggested I do anything differently.


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## SeniorSitizen

CaptTom said:


> But when my "trained professional" kids come here, they still want good ol' fashioned home cooking. We might discuss various techniques, but they've never even suggested I do anything differently.


That's no surprise they want good ol' fashioned home cooking and your kids have impeccable manners. :thumbup1:


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## Startingover

Ktown,

“Fancy pants” casserole. Hahaha


I dry my cooked potatoes too. Heard that on cooking show yrs ago. You’re really a good cook.


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## ktownskier

CaptTom said:


> First, you don't have to be from the Mid-West to appreciate good, unpretentious home cooking. I think that's why I like pot-luck dinners, by whatever name.
> CaptTom, I was poking fun at mid-western cooking. Not home cooking which is as you say appreciated everywhere. We are a passive aggressive bunch and wish we could be good at the art of self deprecating. :devil3: (It takes a moment, think about it.)
> 
> That sounds like a great potato dish you made, by the way. My wife said it was well received. I had kept thinking about it and I should have put some hot sauce in it, and the smoked paprika, but I was concerned about the color.
> 
> And your distinction between those who have to follow recipes and those who know how to tweak and improve on them is on the mark.Also, baking and cooking are different creatures. Baking does require following directions. It is more of a science, while cooking is more of an art.
> 
> The internet is a great source of recipes, of course. But the way I use it is to open a bunch of tabs at once, each with a different version of whatever recipe I'm interested in. I consider the different ingredients, why they're used, and what flavors they bring. I also consider the different steps and methods, again trying to figure out why each one is done.
> 
> With a general idea of what I want to do, and how I want to do it, I typically only refer once or twice to the recipes, just to make sure I've got the ratios right or whatever.
> 
> Funny thing is, I never considered myself a chef. I've worked in restaurants. I have one son who is currently a chef, and another who went to school for it. They know how to make those dishes you get at the high-end places where the prices are huge and the portions are tiny. That's being a chef. What I do is just cooking.
> 
> @CaptTom, exactly, I couldn't have said it better. I am a well trained cook, I love what I do, and after many years I have learned how to explore. I am NOT a chef. A Chef is someone who had gone to chef school, worked on the hot line, spent further time under more experienced chefs and has been sworn at in more languages than I can think of. Yet, still comes back in the morning for more. I have done prep work for several chef's who came to the department store I worked at. Craig Claiborne, Martha Stewart, Local Minnesota chef's and others. I loved it. I even got some autographed cook books out of it.
> 
> But when my "trained professional" kids come here, they still want good ol' fashioned home cooking. We might discuss various techniques, but they've never even suggested I do anything differently.


Great Kids, I am sure that they are learning from you as much as you are learning from them. And loving the time spent with you. I taught both my kids to cook basic things. My son was a challenge due to his Asperger's but he knows enough to do the basic's. My daughter loves to cook and has turned into more of a baker.


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