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The Big Book of Potluck: Good Food - and Lots of It - for Parties, Gatherings, and All Occasions
Maryana Vollstedt, Queen of the best-selling Big Book series, has put the luck back in potluck with more than 250 delicious, no-nonsense recipes. From Chile Cheese Wheels and citrusy Sunburst Salad, to Moroccan Chicken with Dates and Couscous and luscious Hazelnut-Cappuccino Cake, these crowd-pleasing dishes are perfect for toting to family reunions, book clubs, showers, church suppers, picnics, and parties galore - and have everyone begging for the recipe. With tips for streamlining preparation and suggestions for transporting treats safely, this heartwarming cookbook guarantees that dish will go home empty!
344 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2003
22 people are currently reading
39 people want to read
About the author
Maryana Vollstedt
37 books6 followersMaryana Bollinger Vollstedt was a creative, fun-loving woman whose life blended entrepreneurship, culinary talent, and community service. After graduating from Oregon State College in 1948 with a degree in Home Economics, she married Reed Vollstedt and co-founded Reed and Cross, a beloved garden center in Eugene, Oregon. Maryana brought a unique flair to the business, traveling to gift shows and shaping product selections with her signature taste. A prolific cookbook author, she published over 20 titles, including nine with Chronicle Books, and wrote the “What’s for Dinner” column for the Eugene Register-Guard for thirteen years. She cherished family, food, and hosting, and prioritized togetherness. Maryana and Reed were also consultants for Garden Centers of America and traveled internationally as flower industry representatives. In retirement, she mentored students at Cal Young Middle School for over 18 years. A dedicated member of Wesley United Methodist Church, Maryana left a lasting mark on her community.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
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June 12, 2020I usually really like Vollstedt's cookbooks, but this one was a miss for me. I didn't find any recipes I wanted to make. Which is why I'm not rating it. There are some decent tips for potlucks, but this one wasn't for me.
July 8, 2019
Can't wait to try these many easy but delicious recipes
December 31, 2021
Ok, look. I take potlucks VERY seriously. It’s one of the few things from my strict religious upbringing that I still claim and refuse to deconstruct from.
I then went to a Lutheran University for college and was in my University’s choir. One year, we toured the Midwest and LET ME TELL YOU. You have never experienced a potluck until you’ve gone to a Lutheran potluck in the heartland. It’s basically the mothership and origin story for all other potlucks anywhere else. You have NOT potlucked until you’ve been to one of these bad boys. All others are pale imitations.
A casserole is just a fancied up hotdish. And you have not truly lived until you’ve ingested and then digested a hotdish in the basement of some Minnesota Lutheran church.
Picture this: a somewhat chilly (and damp) church basement (complete with a low ceiling and a creaky staircase on down) full of card tables with the flimsy, plastic red checkered table “cloths” covering them with a bunch of metal folding chairs surrounding each. There’s a standup piano off to one side and the carpet (if it is even carpeted to begin with) is brown and worn. There’s a corner with rickety bookshelves full of kid toys and books (so this doubles as either a daycare or Sunday School space). The only other sense of direction you’re able to grab onto is a couple of head tables, full of assorted crockpots. And, bookending the crockpots are on one side the “salads” (they’re not truly salads, they’re simply vehicles for gallons of mayonnaise and maybe some shredded iceberg lettuce) and on the other side are the “desserts” (cream cheese and jello WHAT WHAT).
Cute little old ladies with various assorted hair colors (blue and purple always tended to be v v popular amongst this population) are milling around and stirring the pots that need to be stirred. The smells are a mix of cafeteria, dampness, and old lady perfume.
IF YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW. And if you’re one of us, the memory of this particular mix of smells has already transported your memory back.
Anyway, this cookbook had me super excited because despite the artery clogging that basements like these spawned, potluck foods are truly delicious when done right. And, thankfully, those hardy midwestern Lutherans knew how to potluck and potluck hard.
The recipes in this cookbook didn’t stir up any of the above memories for me. Plus, the lack of pictures is just a hard “WTF” for me. I *NEED* to see all the questionable items, swimming in some unholy combination of butter, Mayo, cream cheese, and/or sour cream to truly be able to give a high rating.
LET ME SEE THE FOOD IN ALL IT’S JELLO MOLD GLORY. SHOW THE FEW PIECES OF ICEBERG LETTUCE, SWIMMING FOR THEIR LIVES IN GALLONS UPON GALLONS OF MAYONNAISE. LET ME BEHOLD THAT 7 LAYER BEAN DIP THAT TRANSLATES INTO THE SAME AMOUNT OF TRIPS YOU WILL BE MAKING TO THE BATHROOM. RELEASE THE VELVEETA DRENCHED B-ROLL. WHERE IS ALL THE MELTY MARGARINE GOODNESS?
You eat with your eyes, after all.
Given my PhD in Potluckery, I cannot in good conscience give this more than 2 stars. It does not capture the true spirit of Potlucks — delicious food (don’t question what’s in it, just eat it and know it was prepared with love as the 1st and most important ingredient) and fellowship of those that prepared the food and the hungry college kids it nourishes. I will continue to hang on to my memories of many wonderful potlucks gone by instead.
At least this cookbook didn’t dare try to included a coffee section. If there is one thing that Lutherans are better at than potlucks, it’s coffee (for reals — it’s in the 95 Theses somewhere, I swear).
I then went to a Lutheran University for college and was in my University’s choir. One year, we toured the Midwest and LET ME TELL YOU. You have never experienced a potluck until you’ve gone to a Lutheran potluck in the heartland. It’s basically the mothership and origin story for all other potlucks anywhere else. You have NOT potlucked until you’ve been to one of these bad boys. All others are pale imitations.
A casserole is just a fancied up hotdish. And you have not truly lived until you’ve ingested and then digested a hotdish in the basement of some Minnesota Lutheran church.
Picture this: a somewhat chilly (and damp) church basement (complete with a low ceiling and a creaky staircase on down) full of card tables with the flimsy, plastic red checkered table “cloths” covering them with a bunch of metal folding chairs surrounding each. There’s a standup piano off to one side and the carpet (if it is even carpeted to begin with) is brown and worn. There’s a corner with rickety bookshelves full of kid toys and books (so this doubles as either a daycare or Sunday School space). The only other sense of direction you’re able to grab onto is a couple of head tables, full of assorted crockpots. And, bookending the crockpots are on one side the “salads” (they’re not truly salads, they’re simply vehicles for gallons of mayonnaise and maybe some shredded iceberg lettuce) and on the other side are the “desserts” (cream cheese and jello WHAT WHAT).
Cute little old ladies with various assorted hair colors (blue and purple always tended to be v v popular amongst this population) are milling around and stirring the pots that need to be stirred. The smells are a mix of cafeteria, dampness, and old lady perfume.
IF YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW. And if you’re one of us, the memory of this particular mix of smells has already transported your memory back.
Anyway, this cookbook had me super excited because despite the artery clogging that basements like these spawned, potluck foods are truly delicious when done right. And, thankfully, those hardy midwestern Lutherans knew how to potluck and potluck hard.
The recipes in this cookbook didn’t stir up any of the above memories for me. Plus, the lack of pictures is just a hard “WTF” for me. I *NEED* to see all the questionable items, swimming in some unholy combination of butter, Mayo, cream cheese, and/or sour cream to truly be able to give a high rating.
LET ME SEE THE FOOD IN ALL IT’S JELLO MOLD GLORY. SHOW THE FEW PIECES OF ICEBERG LETTUCE, SWIMMING FOR THEIR LIVES IN GALLONS UPON GALLONS OF MAYONNAISE. LET ME BEHOLD THAT 7 LAYER BEAN DIP THAT TRANSLATES INTO THE SAME AMOUNT OF TRIPS YOU WILL BE MAKING TO THE BATHROOM. RELEASE THE VELVEETA DRENCHED B-ROLL. WHERE IS ALL THE MELTY MARGARINE GOODNESS?
You eat with your eyes, after all.
Given my PhD in Potluckery, I cannot in good conscience give this more than 2 stars. It does not capture the true spirit of Potlucks — delicious food (don’t question what’s in it, just eat it and know it was prepared with love as the 1st and most important ingredient) and fellowship of those that prepared the food and the hungry college kids it nourishes. I will continue to hang on to my memories of many wonderful potlucks gone by instead.
At least this cookbook didn’t dare try to included a coffee section. If there is one thing that Lutherans are better at than potlucks, it’s coffee (for reals — it’s in the 95 Theses somewhere, I swear).
January 30, 2008
I am in love with this book. It is the gift that keeps on giving. I make dishes for home, book club, various gatherings and get a good response. My husband especially loves the beef enchiladas(made for Christmas eve, great home-made sauce) and the meatloaf. I bought it for my mom and just tell her a page now. Absolutely recommend. I also have the Big Book of Soups, and Casseroles and Easy Suppers. I am a big fan.
January 20, 2009
I really like this book. The recipes are "real" cooking, not just a bunch of ingredients thrown together like a lot of pot luck recipes. But, they are all easy recipes and the book has a good mix of lighter recipes and traditional pot luck dishes.
March 5, 2008
I've been very pleased with the recipes from all of the "Big Book of. . . " series. The recipes are not difficult, yet very tasty.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews