When I hear the word ‘potluck’, I start thinking of excuses to not show up. Too many questions pop up in my mind. What do I bring? Should I buy something or should I make something? What do people want to eat? What’s a dish that is easy to bring and make and doesn’t go bad after sitting out for some time? How many people do I have to estimate the portion for?
I thought and thought and thought. Here were some options I came up with:
- Spam Musubi – I love making spam musubi – if I have the time for it. Unfortunately, I did not this time.
- Costco’s Mac & Cheese – This would be easy as long as it can fit in my small oven. It is very cheesy and very carb-heavy though, so if the crowd is not a fan of mac & cheese, it’ll take days to finish any leftovers.
- Costco’s Salmon Milano with Basil Pesto Butter – This is another great option because all I would have to do is put it in the oven and let it cook. It is a lot of salmon and butter though!
- Costco’s Spiral Sliced Ham – I saw this as I was walking around Costco, and who doesn’t love ham? The only issue with this is that it’s such a big piece there will definitely be leftovers. Do people want to be cutting a big piece of ham just to grab a slice? This would require a lot of work.
- Costco’s Grass-Fed Beef Sirloin – This purely protein package is around 2lbs of beef, and it comes fully cooked! All you have to do is heat it up. The beef is also pre-sliced. The fear with this one is that it would get cold pretty quick after setting it out.
- Chinese Barbeque Pork – This is actually not a bad idea, but I feel like this is something I would need to bring with white rice.
- Sushi Platter – This would probably be very popular, but I needed to reserve a day in advance (at least for the good places) and it would turn out to be quite pricey!
- Poke & Chips – I quickly realized that poke by the pound can start adding up pretty fast. While I’m sure this would be another popular item, it’ll be hard to get enough for the crowd while staying within a reasonable budget.
After all the thinking, I decided to go with…Costco’s Grass-Fed Beef Sirloin! I initially thought it would take 30 minutes to heat up (I did not realize it was already fully cooked), but after reading the instructions more carefully, it’s actually just 30 seconds to 1 minute! This was very simple and convenient – and turned out to be an excellent choice. It was enough for around 11 people (with the dishes that other people brought, of course).
What would you bring for a Friendsgiving Potluck this Thanksgiving?