The Potluck People: What We Bring to the Table.
There are two kinds of people at a potluck: the ones who bring something sensible, and the ones who make a beeline for the queso before they’ve even taken off their coats. Around here, we suspect a few of our agents fall into the second category. And honestly, who’s to blame them.
We asked the Stephens crew about their favorite potluck dishes, and the answers tell us a thing or two about what makes a gathering worth attending. Namely, good food, familiar faces, and absolutely no need to fuss over who’s bringing what. Well, almost no fuss. Somebody still has to bring the plates.
Chad Frickey is always up for chips and queso, a dependable choice that has never been known to languish on a buffet table.
Kylie Dister goes straight to the family recipe book with her mom’s sausage cheese dip, served with Tostitos Scoops. That’s the sort of dish that makes you wish you’d worn pants with an elastic waistband.
Then there’s Mark Hummel, who knows his way around a cold-weather gathering with baked potato soup loaded with bacon and cheddar.
Lee Beth Dever is firmly in the potato camp, too, with hash brown casserole, which she describes as the “yummy goodness of potatoes, cheese and all the special sauce baked into a delicious casserole.” We believe that description needs no further editing.
Regan Flood brings pigs in a blanket, a little bite of nostalgia that somehow tastes just as good at 35 as it did at 5. There’s a reason these little fellows have stuck around all these years. They know their audience.
Shelley Ezell takes a different approach, bringing a salad with romaine, spinach, fruit, nuts and goat cheese tossed in vinaigrette. A little color, a little crunch, a little something green to make the rest of us feel better about that second helping of casserole.
Lauren Ballard is a soup-and-dip enthusiast, with her choice depending on the season.
Zach Dodson agrees that the calendar has a say in the menu, favoring pasta salad or chili when the weather turns cool.
And there you have it. A table with room for soup and salad, family recipes, finger foods and enough melted cheese to make a cardiologist nervous. Truth is, the best potlucks aren’t really about the food. They’re about the people who show up carrying a casserole dish, a crockpot, or a bag of chips, ready to share something they love. Some recipes have been handed down through generations. Others are picked up at the grocery store on the way over. Both have their place at the table.
Just do us one favor: If you’re bringing the queso, get there early. We’ve got a feeling Chad won’t be the only one keeping an eye on it.