I need an easy cheap pot luck dish?

Question

My teacher thought it would be "fun" to have a study party in class next week before our final exam. So she told us to bring a dish to share. Yeah, I got the time and extra money for that !
Am not a norm collage student am 28 married with kids. So I have a full kitchen and all the stuff needed. What can I take that makes me look like I really cared about doing this ?
Thank you for your help

Answer 1

pasta salad/ rotini pasta,good seasons salad dressing,small white beans,chopped fresh tomatoes, chopped scallions,yellow pepper chopped also, toss and chill. inexpensive,easy,and i always get compliments when i bring to a picnic or party. good luck

Answer 2

think you should make an Aussie damper. It is so cheap too. Dampers were the food of the Australian Swagmen who lived and roamed in the great outback of Australia. It is a bread type or the substitute for bread.

Damper - Recipe
The recipe was made from the basic products available to the average "bushy" at the time - plain flour, water, milk and salt.

There is no quantity type recipe for this - you make it up as you go.

Basically you take a quantity of flour (perhaps 250 - 500 grams) and a pinch of salt. Add to this either enough water to make a dough, or equal quantities of milk and water to make a dough. The dough should be rather firm and not sticky. It may need some kneading too.

Now take a large sheet of foil and put the dough in the centre. Wrap the dough in the foil and place it under the coals of the fire, or in your oven heated to, at a guess, 200C (make your own experiments) and take the damper out and check occasionally until it's done.

That's how you make it. Slice it and put your favourite topping on...butter and honey...yummo. Good luck from an Aussie. Poppet

Answer 3

Green Bean Casserole

French Style Green Beans 2 Cans
Cream Of Mushroom Soup 1
Durkee French Fried Onions 1 Large Can

Can Double Recipe Easily

Answer 4

When I was a kid just after the war and in the 1950's my father died of war wounds leaving my mother with 2 children, my sister and me. Money was short but she still made many tasty meals that I still cook even now. Here's cheap but tasty one.

Suet crust pie.

Ingredients

1 lb potatoes peeled
1 onion
Left over meat chopped into small pieces or 1/4 bl minced meat.
Salt and pepper.
4 oz self raising flour
2 oz suet
1 pint of Beef stock or gravy

Chop the potatoes into 1" cubes
Chop the onion finely
Bring the stock to boil and drop in the meat, potatoes and onion and a sprinkling of salt.
Cook until the potatoes are tender adding water if the liquid dries up.
Transfer to an ovenproof dish
Mix the flour and suet and add a little water (not too much) until you form a dough that is slightly sticky. Pat into a circular shape with your hands on a floured surface until you have a disk the size of the dish. Place the disk over the contents of the bowl and place in a preheated oven 190 deg C and cook until the crust rises and is crispy and brown. Serve with pickled onions, beetroot or red cabbage.

If you have to take it in make sure there is an oven available to warm it up. Crust should be crunchy on top and soft underneath. Delicious.

Answer 5

Get a prepared graham pie crust, a box of instant chocolate pudding, and a small container of cool whip. Prepare the pudding according to package directions and then mix in the whip cream. Pur the mixture into the pie crust and freeze for a few hours or until hard. If you want and you have some lying around, you can sprinkle some chocolate chips in with the mixture and on top. Easy and cheap!

You could also get a box of suddenly salad and bring that; they are under $2 a box.

Or, you can make cheese bread. Get a loaf of italian bread, cut it in half, sprinkle it with cheese, then broil it until the cheese melts and cut it into small slices. You can serve it with some marinara sauce.

Another idea is to pop some popcorn and bring it in a big bowl.

Answer 6

How about a Cesar salad.Here's afresh dressing if your interested.
10 anchovies fillets
1/8 c garlic
1/8 c chopped shallots
3Tbsp Worcestershire
!/4 c dijon must
1 1/4 c olive oil
1 1/2 c Parmesan
2 Tbsp white pepper
Put ingredients in blender and puree
Add 3 c mayo and mix by hand w/ spatula
Grate some fresh parm
Add parm,romaine and croutons in a bowl w/ generous amount of dressing and toss.
sprinkle fresh parm over top as well
You can bring stuff w/ you and mix there.It's simple and people love it.You should be able to make dressing in 15 min.

Answer 7

I think Sheila C has a really good point! But if you like to cook at all, here's something I bring to potlucks that's cheap-ish and very easy, and without fail, someone ALWAYS asks for the recipe.

--Cook some pasta--about half a pound dried, rotini, fusilli. farfalle or even penne--al dente. Drain it and toss it with just a little bit of olive oil to keep it from sticking together. Let it cool down before you proceed with the salad, about 15 minutes.

--You'll need between 1/4 and 1/3 pound cooked shrimpmeat for this. I know shrimp aren't really cheap, but a little bit goes a long way here. If you can, get shrimp that haven't been frozen before. But if you can't, not to worry, just make sure they're thoroughly thawed and then blot them dry with paper towels. Store them in the fridge until you're ready to assemble the salad.

--While the pasta cools, juice 1 lemon. Stir about half the lemon juice into 1/3 cup prepared pesto ( the kind you buy in the supermarket). Once pasta has cooled, stir in the pesto/lemon mixture.

--Heat about 1 tablespoon vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add 1/2 of a small onion, peeled, quartered and thinly sliced, and 1 large garlic clove, pressed. Saute just until the onion is starting to get translucent, about 4 minutes. Take off the heat. Add 1/4 cup frozen tiny peas and a good pinch of dried red pepper flakes (you can find these in the spice aisle). Fold this into your pasta. You can chill this until you're getting ready to head to your potluck.

--Just before you go, fold in the shrimp and add the rest of the lemon juice. Check to see if it needs more salt or pepper. Make sure it's at room temperature when you serve it.

Enjoy!

Answer 8

I always like a GOOD tuna noodle casserole; you know, pound of elbow mac, some milk, butter, salt, pepper, frozen peas, 2 cans tuna(not drained-add to entire mix), cheddar cheese; then mix some unflavored breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese and butter together and sprinkle on top; cover for about 25 minutes at 325-350, then another 10 minutes to brown the top....easy and yummy!

Answer 9

I like to make a "cheater's" chicken fried rice.

Buy a box of Dainty Instant Chicken Flavoured Rice Mix, a large can of bean sprouts, a couple of cans of sliced water chestnuts, frozen peas and carrots, and a package of boneless, skinless chicken thighes. Chop the thighes into bite sized pieces and cook in your frying pan until just done. Drain. Boil about 2 cups of the peas/carrots until they're just slightly tender. Prepare the Rice mix according to package directions. Add the chicken, drained veggies, drained water chestnuts, drained bean sprouts and then season the whole thing with soy sauce (to taste).

When I make this for get-togethers, there are NEVER any leftovers.

Answer 10

Make a wonderful pot of chili...best and easiest recipe...mix two cans of (drained) red kidney beans with a large jar of cheap salsa. Add onions and cook in a crock pot on high for about 2 hours.

Answer 11

I would either make cheeseburger hamburger helper and add a package of frozen mixed veggies. Sprinkle extra cheese on the top - it will be gone in seconds.

Another is a big crockpot of sloppy joes & buns.

Or - Mexican 7-layer dip with chips.