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Long Distance Pot Luck


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Next weekend I have to go to WVA (Berkeley Springs) and we're having a potluck dinner for 12 or so on Saturday night.

Not clear what the cooking conditions will be and there won't be any time to do serious provisioning there. Oh, and I only have a tiny, tiny cooler... :lol:

What to do???

I'm thinking of taking time during the week to make Bourdain's Mushroom soup from the Les Halles cookbook and then freeze it. It should stay relatively cool on the 2 hour drive up and finish defrosting in the fridge. It reheats pretty well and it's a nice soup.

Of course if it's 90 degrees, how many people are going to want soup????

My default potluck entree has been Vace's lasagna -- I wonder how well it would fit into my cooler and if it would stay frozen....

Any other ideas? I don't want to give myself or anyone else food poisoning!

Thanks!

Jennifer

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How about fruit soup? Strawberries being as good as they are now! Or Gazpacho perhaps. I just got this months Martha Stewart mag today and it had a chilled soup that looked very interesting;Tomatoe, peach and hyssop soup. I don't know if tomatoes and peaches are at their best yet though but damn it looked good.

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I did something recently from Pepin's newest stuff. Get some beefsteak tomatoes (I got them from Toigo at Dupont.), cut off the top and scoop out and reserve the innards.

In another bowl, mix together a bunch of stuff that will likely hold for the ride. Pepin uses canned tuna, chopped anchovies, chopped olives and scallions. Stuff that into the tomato cavity. I added other stuff, particularly herbage. Use what you've got, frankly.

Crush the tomato innards along with s and p and olive oil. Serve the stuffed tomatoes surrounded by the tomato sauce.

When I took this to a friend's house recently, I put the stuffed tomatoes in one container, and the crushed sauce in another. Plated it when I got there. No need to cook anything and it tastes great.

edited to add this recipe link: http://www.wineloverspage.com/wineadvisor1/tsfl041014.phtml

Edited by CrescentFresh
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One of my favorites for pot lucks is spanakopita. It travels well, doesn't need to be reheated, and it looks impressive. If you're comfortable using phyllo dough, it's fun. I have used the Moosewood recipe (the original one, with butter!) dozens of times successfully. Pretty easy: mix cooked spinach, eggs, cottage cheese, feta, herbs/spices in a big bowl and slather them on top of layers and layers of buttered phyllo. Top with same, crimp down edges, and bake. Let cool, cover with foil, and travel away.

Another great aspect to spanakopita is that you can cut it small for finger food, or into larger pieces for sit-down dinners.

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Ok, so my friend Maria is having a birthday party this Saturday and going to some wineries, it will be probably around 10 people.  We (Hubby and I) are carpooling with a friend from Alexandria.  We are supposed to meet up at the first place which is about an hour away at 11:00.  Maria said we would get cheese and crackers and she would bring fruit.  We are then going to another winery and then to BOW (which I know has food and will have a market that day).  I think I will probably make pepperoni rolls because they hold up well non-refrigerated for a few days. I could pack a cooler in the trunk.  I just know with a full day of drinking we need to have a bit more food before probably late afternoon lunch/dinner at BOW.  I also think we should have something sweet for her birthday.  I was thinking pie, but would need to get fresh fruit, make pie dough, etc.  Maybe that is too much.  Anyway what would you bring on a wine country picnic??  I could also buy some stuff, but am feeling like I need to make a few things.

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What about fancy cold cut and/or cheese sandwiches that have been cut up into quarters--bigger than finger sandwiches but not full size.   Or you could make them on baguettes and cut them into serving portions.  Society Fair might be a place you could stop to pick stuff up to put together pretty quickly, or even pick up pre-made sandwiches there.  Take some pickles and olives too.

How about brownies for the birthday sweet?  If you keep them in an iced cooler, they'd hold up even if they were frosted (oh, say, with Nutella..).

Make sure to pack bottled water too.

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Well I am baking the pepperoni rolls now.  As soon as word got out I might make them it doomed me.  BUT pepperoni rolls really aren't that hard to make and are awesome.  But then word will spread to other people that I made them and I will have to make more.  Especially because it smells so good in the house getting Hubby not to eat them all immediately will be a challenge.  Now tomorrow night I think I will do the brownies and a galette- the dessert thread got to me on that one.  I think it wouldn't be too hard to pack the galette.  I found a good recipe for a galette that looked nice on Food52.  I need to get a better brownie recipe.  MK normally just makes out of the box ones.  I would like them to be a bit more bar-ish so that I can then ice them with the nutella.   Our friend coming with us is going to bring a pasta salad.   I will buy some hummus and just slice some veggies so I don't feel so guilty about all the sugars I am eating.   

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