Potluck Perfect for Memorial Day

No Comments | Written on May 15, 2012 at 9:00 am, by The Editors

The Great American Summer officially kicks off Memorial Day weekend, with barbecues in a backyard filled with friends and family you haven’t seen since, well, last Memorial Day weekend. Yeah, summer’s fun, but who wants to ruin it by slaving all day in the kitchen or over a hot grill. The answer: potluck. Everybody brings a dish, and all you have to do is ooh and aah a few times as you peek beneath the tin foil before saying “thank you” and slipping the dish into the fridge in front of all the other stuff. No so hard, really.

And trust us on this: everybody has a favorite potluck dish. So do we. We don’t want to start a fight—we know some of you have seriously perfected the art of potluck. But here are some never-fail, easy to make recipes you can whip up the morning of (or day before) a backyard cookout and know you’ll go home with an empty casserole dish.

We’re thinking of perennial pleasures like, mac and cheese, pasta salad (it’s even called Potluck Pasta Salad!), tuna salad “subs,” healthy Greek dip (fortified with vegetables on top), and a smashing vegetarian chili that can be made days ahead. How about kicking off the party with some unusual appetizers. Easy with these recipes for bacon crisps and mini tacos.

Remember to smile after your dish has been handed over to the host or hostess. Just say “it was nothing,” and don’t forget to grab your casserole dish on the way out.