An organization Hubby Tony belongs to always has a potluck dinner and presentation of donations to four or five charities at their December meeting, which would have been tonight. Of course the event got cancelled this year. The donation portion turned into a Zoom event, which we will watch, but I was sad that there would be no socialization....and no food.
A couple of days ago I decided that although there was no way I could recreate the 50 plus dishes that would line the cafeteria tables at a normal event, I could make an adventure out of dinner tonight by serving a small-plate tapas meal with lots of choices.
The real event always includes smoked pork loin and fried chicken, so during his lunch break today Tony and I walked to the grocery store and bought deli fried chicken, some sliced pork, and some barbecue beans. Other than that, whenever possible I tried to use ingredients I already had in the house. Most of the dishes were simple and took no more than five minutes to make. They included:
Savory
- A rice/black eyed pea casserole that started with a single serving of soup from the freezer
- A personal-sized deep dish pizza
- Deviled eggs
- Frozen peas marinated in Italian dressing
- Cubed and roasted sweet potatoes
- Chopped salad from a bag
Breads
- Seeduction (from Whole Foods)
Desserts
- Frozen miniature cheesecakes
- Chocolate chip/pretzel cookies
- Spiced peach slices
- Dark chocolate covered ginger
Twenty minutes before it was time to eat I baked the pizza, heated up the hot things, and arranged all the dishes on the island. The hardest part was finding enough serving spoons for everything. I didn't plan it, but when we were finished I realized there was enough food left over to recreate the meal again tomorrow.
What a delicious feast! Even better it can be finished up tomorrow with no waste!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE nights were all I have to do is reheat!
DeleteI love this idea. We do something like this on New Year's Eve but it's all appetizer like finger foods.
ReplyDeleteLately I have been freezing single serving portions of dinner left overs and will defrost them all at once to serve like this as well. So much fun.
When everyone was at home, on Christmas Eve our tradition was for each person to choose a frozen appetizer-like food from the store. We'd go to church then come home and cook everything. I had forgotten all about that-thanks for helping me remember!
DeleteGreat idea! Wishing you all the Best, Stay Safe, my friend!
ReplyDeleteThank you.
DeleteYou are so wise to arrange diversity of food with simplicity and quickly dear Kathy :)
ReplyDeleteI know it was sad to have event get cancelled. It is happening everywhere. Socialization has shrunk to great extent indeed
I hope situation will change once vaccine is introduced in market
Oh I miss days when I was at ease with having leftovers. Stomach issues don't allow me to have such privilege anymore
Stay safe and happy my friend!
I'm sad to hear that you and leftovers don't get along. That means a lot more work for you.
DeleteClever way to still have a "potluck." Years ago I enjoyed potlucks and trying others' foods, now not so much. I don't see ever returning to a potluck style of meal, even after the pandemic.
ReplyDeleteAs much as I enjoy the variety of food, I enjoy the camaraderie of a potluck more. Can't wait until they come back.
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