Heritage Potluck

Dan & I threw a potluck for a few friends, and decided to go with a theme of having people bring a dish that represents their background. Some made a dish from the cuisine of the country of their ancestry, whereas others of us made dishes that were passed down through our family or just reminded us of meals we had as a child. The spread of food was amazing, and represented a wide variety of cultures and traditions, all of them delicious.



It was fun to entertain in our house, and we were lucky enough to have a nice clear day so we could use all the entertaining centers we've created in our home. The party started in the living room/dining room/kitchen area, then slowly moved downstairs to the tiki bar for desserts, and finally we moved out back to the patio for some drinks, a fire, and conversation. Here's a roundup of what everyone brought to share - and I'll be soliciting recipes from everyone to add, too.


Jerry brought a Baked Ziti in honor of his NYC roots (given that his Irish heritage isn't ripe with delicious culinary options).


Heath shared Gerwelkten Salat mit Speck & Edamer - an egg, potato, sausage and lettuce stew representing his German background.


Spencer made Fri-chick casserole - a vegetarian treat his Seventh Day Adventist family enjoyed.


Tricia brought a Chicken dish made using cream of chicken soup, served with mashed potatoes...




And a classic apple pie.


Anna & Jason brought Crevettes a la moda Grecque avec Penne - a shimp pasta with feta that was delicious.


And their son Otis made his famous spicy potato skins.


Ian arrived via taxi, with a huge pot of Arroz con Pollo.




Gary delighted us with Kalua Pig with cabbage


and his boyfriend Keoni made Kon Sushi - fried tofu skins stuffed with rice.

Warren made a great Morrocan dish, and Jason & Jayson brought their slow-cooker and busted out vegetarian Sloppy Joes. (both of which seemed to have eluded my camera).


Ruth brought dual desserts - a Key Lime pie...


and South St. Louis Deep Gooey: a cake recipe gone wrong in all the right ways that became famous.


Dan represented his Polish heritage with Polish sausage with onions (fried in butter), perogies (fried in butter), and potato dumplings (fried in butter).


And I honored both sides of my family by making my GranMarie's Corn & Oysters...

Corn & Oysters
1 can (14oz) creamed corn
1 small (4.5 oz) can oysters
8-10 saltine crackers, crushed
1/4 cup evaporated milk
pepper to taste

Combine in a casserole dish and cook at 325 degrees for 35 minutes.


and her HappleBerry Pie (huckleberry/apple)...

HappleBerry Pie
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tspn salt
2/3 cup shortening
6-7 Tbspn cold water

In a mixing bowl, stir together flour and salt. Cut in shortening til pieces are the size of peas. Sprinkle one tablespoon of cold water over part of the mixture, gently toss with a fork, and push to the side of the bowl. Repeat until all dough is moistened. Divide dough in two, and form each half into a ball. On a lightly floured surface, flatten dough with hands. Roll dough out from center to the edges, forming a circle about 12 inches in diameter. Wrap pastry around rolling pin and unroll into a 9 inch pie plate. Ease pastry into plate, being careful not to stretch pastry. Trim to 1/2 inch beyond edge of pie plate. Repeat steps with second ball of dough, stopping once dough is wrapped around the rolling pin.

3 cups thinly sliced, peeled cooking apples (1 lb)
2 cups fresh huckleberries
1 cup granulated sugar
3 Tbspn all purpose flour
Dash salt
1 Tbpsn butter, cut into small pieces

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a mixing bowl, gently combine apple slices and berries. Add sugar, flour and salt, and mix to coat. Pour fruit mixture into pastry lined pie plate, filling evenly. Ensure that berries and apples are equally dispersed. Dot the surface of the fruit mixture with pieces of butter. Unroll remaining pastry over fruit. Using a fork, press down along the edges of the pie to crimp the two layers of pastry together. Trim excess pastry from around pie with a knife. Cover edges of pie with foil and bake for 22 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for 23 more minutes. Cool and serve.



And making a huge batch of my Mom's 'Russian' tea, which I remember drinking when I was really young, spending time with her while she worked on PTA stuff at my school.

Russian Tea
1 cup Tang drink mix
1/2 cup powdered lemonade drink mix
1/2 cup powdered instant tea
1 tspn cinnamon
1/2 tspn cloves
1/2 tspn allspice

Mix and use about 2 tspns for a cup of water. Can be enjoyed hot or cold.