Plan a Potluck Dinner

At the surface, nothing seems simpler than a potluck. Just think- everyone brings a dish, it cuts way back on cooking and clean-up for you, and everyone is happy! But truth be told, planning the perfect potluck dinner takes a little more effort than sending out the invitations. Want to make sure that your next one is a success? Read on to find out how!

 Coordination

No, we don’t just mean being able to season the chicken with one hand while chopping up veggies with the other (though that would be impressive!). Coordinating with your guests to determine who is bringing what may take a little of the surprise out of the evening, but it is guaranteed to remove the headache as well. Rather than having six people show up bearing trays of chips and dip, let everyone volunteer for a specific kind of dish: side, salad, dessert, appetizer, etc. As the host, you should handle the main course yourself. But if you’ll be too busy to cook on the day of the potluck dinner, prep food ahead of time and store it in the fridge. If it’s a cold dish, you can even store it in the serving bowl you will end up using!

 Commonality

Along the lines of coordination, making sure that the dishes being served have something in common is another essential part of a perfect potluck dinner! If the dishes are too mismatched, it will be difficult for guests to find taste combinations that complement each other on their plates. Let everyone know ahead of time what the main course will be, and if there is a common ingredient they could incorporate into each dish, that will help bring the flavors together.

 Creativity

What’s one thing guaranteed to make any party great? A great theme! Pick a theme that will help your guests decide what kind of food to make or, if they’re helping out with party supplies, what colors and patterns to pick. Let your creativity shine and you’ll be sure to throw a potluck dinner to remember. And speaking of things to remember…

 Clean-Up

Everyone’s least favorite part of the evening! But clean-up doesn’t have to be difficult if you are equipped with all of the right materials. Think you’ll need an extra pair of hands? If a guest who’s not handy in the kitchen opted out of bringing a dish, suggest they volunteer to help out at the end of the evening as a way of contributing to the potluck.

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