What is your "signature" potluck dish?

[cezanne]

I usually like to bring the tri-tips or deboned chicken thighs marinated in my secret sauce (Aloha BBQ Sauce). For some reason my wife is almost always requested to make her baked beans. She doesn't get it... I guess, being from the mainland, that's like just bringing rice to her...I dunno.

What are you famous for? Do you make something? Do you just buy a tray of something or whatever?

[helen]

My cooking skill is not the best in the world, so I would normally buy for a pot luck. As to a theme, maybe chips, maybe manapua or one time the drinks. It varies.

[Pomai]

My friend often brings his "Easy Shoyu Chicken". Just throw a few (cheap) 5 lbs boxes of thawed out chicken in the pot with with shoyu, pineapple juice, brown sugar, ginger and garlic.

Not necessarily MY signature dish, but I've made and brought Big Island Style Smoked Pork several times to office pot lucks and they got completely wiped out in no time...

http://www.96seven44.com/images/sm_donepresentation1.jpg

Of course, nothing wrong with buying prepared, ready-to-cook stuff (like Lasagna) from Costco or Sam's.

[tutusue]

Fudge!!! :D

[cynsaligia]

eric is known for his turkey chili, which requires cinnamon, cocoa powder, and a bottle of porter. he found the recipe and was the first to cook it, but since then i am the one who labors over the pot. to be fair, he does help a lot. he comes when i yell, "honey! the beer! time to pour the beer!" (he pops the bottle open and dumps the beer in the pot) and "honey, give me another swig of that beer!" and he "feeds' me beer whilst i cook. ahhh, aren't we disgustingly cute??!! :rolleyes:

lately, i've been bringing my turkey taco salad--the not so secret ingredients are a homemade spice mix including chili powder, cumin, cayenne, oregano, and cinnamon. no mccormick's for me!

but people really enjoy my peanut butter marshmallow rice crispy treats with dark cocoa chips and dried cranberries. the not-so-secret ingredient in there is that i replace a couple cups of rice crispies with all bran nuggets. a good number of eric's friends have demanded to know why i've arrived at a gathering without a couple of pans!

[Mike_Lowery]

I'm the first to grab the paper/plastic goods and drinks. :D

[LikaNui]

Zippy's chili.

:D

[EastCoastTropics]

I usually make my coconut cream pie and sometimes I will make my chicken long rice or mac salad. Speaking of food, lately I've been making spam and teriyaki chicken musubis to bring to golfing. I pass them out to another couple that my husband and I golf with. Its a great snack!

[hawaiiguy]

I have two-either my mac/potato/tuna/peas salad or my version of chili: ground beef/taco bell's taco seasoning mix/hunts or del monte spaghetti sauce/sometimes with van camps kidney beans, sometimes without it...

[Kelly0040]

it's a cornbread casserole thingy and I usually have to make 2 pans worth. it's like cornbread with whole and cream corn, pepperjack cheese and chiles in the center. It's easy, cheap and sooo goooood.

[blueyecicle]

Devilled eggs, and I DETEST devilled eggs but for some reason they are always in demand and the first thing to get eaten away!
I don't touch em or taste em! *yuck*:mad:
That and chocolate chip cookies, or snickerdoodles. Generally I make all 3.

[Beau]

Homemade Chinese noodles with veggies, chicken and char siu or kalbi if it's an entree. Chinese Chicken Salad, or my own invention of curried potatoe salad with imitation crab for side dishes. Made from scatch pineapple upside down cake or macadamia nut pie (made like southern style pecan pie using macadamia nuts instead) if it's for dessert.

[cezanne]

I shoulda named this HT's Virtual Potluck Thread:D

Re: Deviled Eggs
Blue, my wife hates to eat those things too but that's the other thing she makes... my sister gave her a set of these dishes with concave indents to serve deviled eggs so my wife feels obligated to make those things sometimes.

[oceanpacific]

Portuguese Bean STEW (not soup) taught to me by my late Pocho step-father (he was a cook in the army). So thick that the spoon stands up. Just add more water if you prefer a more soup-like consistency.

One of the secrets: use the more expensive ham SHANKS, not the cheaper ham HOCKS. Shanks are meatier with less gristle.

I start on Thursday afternoons for Saturday UH football tail-gates. Takes a couple days for the flavors to ripen .............

[Lei Liko]

Bacon-wrapped asparagus.

I don't know why, but people love it.

I'm really particular about the size of asparagus I use. It can't be too skinny or too fat or else it won't cook properly. It usually takes forever for me to leave the Produce section because I inspect each bunch.

Take em home, sprinkle black pepper and olive oil, wrap the bacon, and secure with toothpicks. Really quick cooking them on the grill.

[Kungpao]

Lumpia (ground pork, ground shrimp, salt, pepper, minced green onion, egg, lumpia wrapper)

Sweet/Sour Sauce (water, lemon juice, soy sauce, sugar, corn starch)

I tend to be the only Filipino around so I enjoy letting my sadistic side out when someone says "These are delicious, what's in them?" I usually reply with "fish eyes" when they have a mouthfull! LOL.

That or I'm becoming famous for my butternut squash soup.:D

[Pomai]

Lumpia (ground pork, ground shrimp, salt, pepper, minced green onion, egg, lumpia wrapper)Seen my fair share of Lumpia at da' potluck. Piles upon piles of Pancit noodles too.

Ever notice when the potluck sign-up sheet goes around, most people signing up for entree put down CHICKEN. Cheap 'das why. :p

At a couple of office potlucks, the guy in our IT department brought a Weber-roasted PRIME (actually CHOICE) RIB. I mean rib eye, not no chuck roast. Nice.

[Kungpao]

Haha.. yeah lumpia is such a delicacy here in PA... I'm the only one that brings it ;) They all ask "Are you gonna bring those thingies that look like little eggrolls except better?"

[Karen]

I usually grab a large pan of chicken chow mein from wherever I can remember has a good version of it.

[Pua'i Mana'o]

My FIL raises pigs and runs the imu all the time. Our freezer is always packed with kalua pig. If I need to bring an entree and I have 1/2 hr to cook it, I make a big pot of kalua pig and cabbage. Never fails to satisfy!

[Pomai]

My FIL raises pigs and runs the imu all the time. Our freezer is always packed with kalua pig. If I need to bring an entree and I have 1/2 hr to cook it, I make a big pot of kalua pig and cabbage. Never fails to satisfy!

Cabbage: #1 cost-effective way to make a little go a long way. My sister makes a gazillion lumpia wrappers for her kids using just a little ground pork and WHOLE bunch of shredded cabbage. lol

I think I'll put that on the pot luck entree list next time we have one.. Kalua Pig and Cabbage. No can go wrong. Guaranz' crowd pleaser and fairly cheap fo' make. Except my Kalua prolly' going be made either in the oven or on the Weber.

[NiuBoy]

I have a few favorites that I use.
1. I make a tri-colored pasta salad with feta cheese, sun-dried tomatoes and pesto. It is very rich and quite good.
2. I also make potato salad which is based on a recipe I got from a family friend. I combine potatoes, brown mustard, boiled eggs, onion, celery, mayonnaise, salt, pepper, dill pickles and their juice. This concoction, when mixed in appropriate quantities yeilds a very tasty potato salad.
3. I also make smallish cream puffs filled with sweetened whipped cream. I use a basic pata choux recipe for the puff pastry. After filling with a generous dollop of whipped cream, I finish the pastry with a sprinkling of powdered sugar. Considering how decadent they appear, they are actually a nice, light dessert.

[Da Rolling Eye]

Kinda depends on what we sign up for or what someone volunteers us for. :D

Veggie dish: sauteed asparagus or Texas style cauliflower cole slaw.

Meat: Daddy's World Famous Sweet Sour Hotdogs and Lil Smokies. Wot? It's mostly foah da keiki. I only use premium all beef hotdogs. Not them jelly roll hotdogs. ;) Gramma's Imperial Chicken Wings.

Soup: Daddy's World Famous Portuguese Beanless Soup, Mommy's World Famous Corn Chowder or Seaweed soup.

Casserole type dish: Auntie Gin Gin's More, Cowboy Beans, homemade Zippy's style chili, spaghetti and meat sauce, quick sweet sour spareribs.

Dessert: Cream cheese carrot bundt cake.

[Jake's Ohana]

I enjoy bringing my version of House Special Fried Rice. I like to add: peas & carrots, diced onions, shrimp, cha siu pork, and scrambled eggs. Of course I top off with some diced green onions on top and serve with some spicy sciracha hot sauce for the spicy lovers. :) I put some sho-yu, oyster sauce, a little salt & peppa, and no can forgit some sprinkles of sugah to give a little zing.

[Pomai]

I make a big pot of kalua pig and cabbage. Never fails to satisfy!You got me determined on this now Pua'i! So I dug through my freezer, found a bag of my Kalua Pig, busted out that head of cabbage I had a couple of weeks now (and still fresh!), and made this pot of you-know-what for tonight's dinner!...

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1189/766741449_3e24e1fdc5_o.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=766741449&size=o)
Photo taken by Pomai 20 minutes ago

Witness the cabbage-to-Kalua Pig (http://tastyisland.wordpress.com/2007/03/06/kalua-pig-made-on-a-bbq-grill/) ratio. Just right. Seasoned simply with just a dash or two of Shoyu (Aloha brand) and Hawaiian salt.

Not stopping there, I had to add a side dish of steamed Lup Cheong for added "kick" to the rice (and my cardiovascular system) lol....

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1115/766741451_7347615ad5_o.jpg
Photo taken by Pomai 22 minutes ago

A couple Pirie mangoes for dessert and I'm good.

Oh, it's a good sleep tonight. :)

Which brings to mind, what if you told everyone you're bringing a huge honkin' steamin' pan of Lup Cheong for your pot luck dish. What would everyong think? Who cares. Bust it out with the rice and shoyu and I'm on it!

[Karen]

Pomai, looks wonderful! yes, the photography is good but I mean the food. I think my hubby puts more pork, less cabbage, meaning too much. Yours looks like what I've been served at others' homes. Man, when food is good AND healthy........I'm there! ;)

[oceanpacific]

Gonna have PORTUGUESE BEAN STEW this weekend, so I went to the market to pick up the ingredients: 2.5 lbs. smoked ham shanks; 10 oz. Portuguese sausage; carrots; celery; potatoes. Already have the crushed tomatoes; round onions; bay leaves,; ground cloves; kidney beans; macaroni.

Cooking starts tomorrow afternoon ...............

[MixedPlateBroker]

I might have to change mine to rafute (Okinawan shoyu pork). Made it for the first time last weekend and it got wiped out!

Pork butts were going for $1.29/lb at Marukai. Pressure cooking time is only one hour for 5lbs. Came out quite tender.

[achow]

Zippy's Chili
Popeye's Chicken
May's hamburger
My own pasta salad

[cezanne]

Hoy I borrowed your idea this past weekend! I picked up some asparagus and bacon and did like you said. Winners! Maybe I should buy more than one bundle of asparagus next time tho.
Bacon-wrapped asparagus.

I don't know why, but people love it.

I'm really particular about the size of asparagus I use. It can't be too skinny or too fat or else it won't cook properly. It usually takes forever for me to leave the Produce section because I inspect each bunch.

Take em home, sprinkle black pepper and olive oil, wrap the bacon, and secure with toothpicks. Really quick cooking them on the grill.

[jdub]

I make an olive tapenade that will break your heart. Spendy, but worth it when I make it for the ohana.

[adrian]

Chicken Katsu

[infinitypro]

All depends on time and location.

If it's at our home, we'll bring RICE, JUICE, KALBI RIBS, CRAB HAND-ROLLS, and BEER!

If it's elsewhere and the kids have activities too, then FRIED SAIMIN NOODLES from Chun Wah Kam.

And, as a side note, we always have a cousin who may or may not show up on-time or at all...bring the dip!

[GeckoGeek]

Brownies.

The only time I bother cooking is when chocolate is involved. :D