As it’s the season for potlucks and Christmas parties, we have a few ideas for you. Inspired by our own staff potluck, here are a few ideas and some simple recipes.
Every year we pair the potluck with a version of secret Santa. Here are the rules.
Each person grabs a present randomly and stands in a circle. Then one person reads how the Grinch stole Christmas or a made-up story. Whenever that person says Grinch everyone passes the present to the right, and every time they say, Snow, the presents get passed to the left. When the story ends, the present you’re holding is the one you keep!
The second component of the potluck is the food, of course. Like a typical potluck, each person makes a dish to share with everyone. Here are a few quick and simple recipes for all levels of experience with cooking and baking. Keep in mind, because the following recipes were actually provided by people in our office (unlike the other recipes we post that are provided by a professional chef), the ingredients and directions are customized to their own taste and skill level.
Hummus Dip
This recipe is yummy and is easy to make. People are sure going to love this one!
Ingredients1 large can of chickpeas½ cup tahiniLemon juice from ½ large lemon1 teaspoon garlic powder½ teaspoon salt½ teaspoon cumin2/3 to 1 cup of warm waterGarnish with paprika, olive oil
Directions
Drain liquid from chickpeas and wash under cold water in a colander. Place chickpeas in a food processor and add the rest of the ingredients. Start processing until a crumbly mixture had formed. Add ½ cup of warm water and continue processing until all ingredients are mixed well. The consistency of the hummus will depend on the amount of water you use.
Place in a flat bowl, sprinkle some paprika on top and drizzle a little bit of high-quality olive oil.
Serve with fresh pita bread, pita chips or veggie sticks.
Chocolate Covered Pretzels
This recipe is less reliant on experience with cooking and baking.
Ingredients
Rold Gold Pretzels, classic thins (400 grams)Hershey’s Chipits Pure Semi-Sweet chocolate chips (600 grams)
Directions
Melt chocolate chips in a cooking pan over a bed of boiling water. Remove from overheat, dip pretzels in melted chocolate. Put dipped pretzels on a sheet of wax paper on a tray. Refrigerate for 60 minutes.
If you need more recipes, check out our Chef’s Blog here.