6 easy dishes for a holiday potluck

This is the time of year when we all get invited to parties, whether they be of the office or neighborhood variety or maybe a family get-together, and often we are asked to bring a favorite dish. We asked our Facebook friends and followers to share their go-to appetizer, salad, vegetable, entree and dessert dishes. Here are samples of each.

photo Bacon-Wrapped Water Chestnuts.

APPETIZER

Bacon-Wrapped Water Chestnuts

Red Bank resident Bryanna Burns says the savory impact of these deceptively elegant snackables makes them her go-to appetizer for holiday gatherings.

"I love this recipe because it's simple to assemble - I am not a fan of complicated recipes - and beyond that, these things taste amazing. The smokiness of the bacon combines well with the soy sauce. Also, it's the only thing my husband lets me help prepare for Thanksgiving dinner.

2 (8-ounce) cans water chestnuts, drained

10 ounces soy sauce

1 pound bacon, sliced

Cut strips of bacon into thirds. Wrap each water chestnut with a strip, and secure with a toothpick. In a medium bowl, marinate wrapped water chestnuts in soy sauce for 6 to 8 hours, or overnight.

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Remove marinated chestnuts from bowl, and arrange on a large baking sheet.

Bake in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the bacon is slightly crisp and evenly brown.

- Compiled by Casey Phillips


photo Johnson created her "Leftover pasta dish" with ingredients she had on hand at the time and it has become her go-to dish for family gatherings and parties.

ENTREE

Gorgonzola and Parmesan "Leftover" Pasta

Former Chattanoogan Priscilla Nelson Johnson says her entree was originally created with what she had on hand at the time.

"Years ago I came up with this pasta when (daughter) Avalon (then 10) was craving pasta. All I had in the fridge were leftovers and a box of bow-tie pasta. I did not feel like running to the grocery store, so I made this up. I prepared it for my sister and her family, and when she found how I made it, she labeled it "the leftovers pasta" dish [and it] became a family favorite.

"I started making it for when I had guests or needed to take a dish to an event, [and] before long it was requested anytime I said 'what can I bring...?' Been making it ever since!"

1/2 pound (1/2 box) of farfalle (bow-tie) pasta

3 cups roasted chicken or turkey (skinless), diced

2 cups roasted/baked cauliflower, al dente

2 cups roasted/baked broccoli, al dente

2 cups sautéed sliced mushrooms

1/2 cup pan-roasted pine nuts (optional)

1 cup parmesan cheese, divided, plus extra to sprinkle on top

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 clove garlic

1 1/2 cups half-and-half

1/2 cup crumbled mild gorgonzola cheese

Pinch of nutmeg

Salt and pepper, to taste

Cook the pasta al dente, according to package directions. Make sure not to overcook pasta.

The chicken and vegetables can be cooked ahead of time and be refrigerated. Make sure vegetables are also not overcooked. Other vegetables can be substituted, according to taste.

In a small pan, roast the pine nuts until golden.

Cut roasted vegetables and roasted chicken into bite-size pieces.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix cooked pasta with roasted chicken, vegetables and pine nuts and 1/2 cup of the parmesan cheese. Set aside.

Sauce: In a saucepan, heat two tablespoons of olive oil and sauté, on medium heat, the garlic until tender. Reduce heat to low, and add the half-and-half, gorgonzola cheese, the remaining 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese and pinch of nutmeg. Slowly heat up, stirring constantly, until the cheese is thoroughly melted. DO NOT boil. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Pour the hot cheese sauce on the pasta mix. Gently mix until pasta is thoroughly coated. Pour onto a large baking dish, and sprinkle with extra parmesan cheese. Bake for 25 minutes or until warm.

- Compiled by Barry Courter


SALAD

Hidden Treasure Christmas Salad

Ooltewah resident Betty Parks says the cheesecake layer in this red gelatin salad is not only pretty but different.

"It's kind of unique, and people go back to it because it is. Every time I've taken it somewhere, people always want the recipe."

2 (3-ounce) packages strawberry gelatin

1 cup boiling water

2 (10-ounce) packages frozen sliced strawberries, partially thawed

1 (20-ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained

3 medium bananas, mashed

1 cup coarsely chopped pecans, divided

1 (10.5-ounce) package unbaked cheesecake mix

1 (8-ounce) container Cool Whip

3/4 cup coconut

Dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Stir in fruit and 1/2 cup nuts. Pour half of gelatin mixture into 13- by 9- by 2-inch Pyrex dish. Chill in refrigerator until firm. Cover bowl containing remaining gelatin, and store at room temperature.

Prepare cheesecake filling according to package directions. Reserve graham cracker crumbs in cheesecake package for other uses.

Spoon cheesecake filling over congealed fruit mixture. Spoon remaining gelatin mixture over cheesecake filling. Chill until firm, then spread Cool Whip over top of salad. Sprinkle with remaining pecans and coconut. Store in refrigerator until ready to serve.

- Compiled by Susan Pierce


photo Brussels Sprouts for Brussels Sprouts Haters.

VEGETABLES

Brussels Sprouts for Brussels Sprouts Haters

Brainerd resident Maddie Kertay says her Brussels sprouts recipe will win over the most dedicated hater of the small green vegetable.

"Roasting the sprouts until golden brings out a nutty flavor that can change the mind of even the biggest Brussels sprout hater, and really who can hate on bacon?" she asks, explaining that bacon is an ingredient that enhances the flavor of Brussels sprouts.

Fresh (not frozen) Brussels sprouts, rinsed with the ends trimmed and cut in half

Olive oil

1 teaspoon coarse sea salt

6 strips of bacon, diced

Balsamic vinegar (optional)

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Clean and prepare Brussels sprouts, and place in bowl. Add olive oil - just enough to make sprouts glisten and no more than 1/8 cup. Sprinkle with sea salt. Toss with diced bacon. Place on foil-lined baking sheet, and place in hot oven about 10 minutes. Edges of sprouts will begin to brown when ready and bacon will be crisp.

Serve as is or add a small splash of balsamic vinegar

- Compiled by Karen Nazor Hill

photo Sweet Corn with Homemade Chimichurri.

Sweet Corn with Homemade Chimichurri

5 ears of fresh corn, kernels cut off or 3 cans of whole kernel corn

2 tablespoons (or more), olive oil

2 or 3 tablespoons, homemade chimichurri sauce (recipe below)

Sautee corn kernels in olive oil on high heat. This will take about 5 to 8 minutes to get the corn bright yellow and sweet. Once cooked to your preference, add about 2 or 3 tablespoons of homemade chimichurri sauce and serve.

Chimichurri

1 large handful, parsley

1/2 large handful, cilantro

3 garlic cloves

1 jalapeno, seeded

1/2 cup olive oil

3 tablespoons, red wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon, ground cumin

1 teaspoon, salt

Place all into a food processor and pulse until mixed. Let sit for at least 20 minutes before adding to corn. Can be stored in the refrigerator for about a week.

- Inspired by Gwyneth Paltrow


DESSERT

Nesselrode Pie

My mother-in-law tells me this was a popular Christmas treat in the 1940s when she was a small child. During World War II, she remembers there was a shortage of canned chestnuts in syrup, so her mother cut up bits of cauliflower to simulate the texture of chestnuts and soaked the bits in syrup. The taste was different but still pretty good because, she says, "it is hard to wreck a Nesselrode pie."

1 1/2 cups cubed candied fruits

1/2 cup canned chestnuts in syrup, chopped

Dark rum or rum-flavored butter

1 package unflavored gelatin

2 egg yolks

2 cups light cream

1/4 cup sugar

Pie shell

Chocolate chips, to taste (optional)

First, make a Nesselrode mix. Take 1 ½ cups cubed candied fruits with a bit more than half a cup of canned chestnuts in syrup chopped up. Soak it all in a few spoons of dark rum for two hours. If children are eating this pie, swap a rum-flavored butter for the marinade.

Dissolve 1 package of unflavored gelatin in 1/4 cup of cold water.

Meanwhile, in a cooking pot, beat two egg yolks, 2 cups of light cream and 1/4 cup of sugar into the gelatin mix inside the pot. Place the pot on a low heat; when the mix thickens, remove from the heat and stir in the gelatin. Drain the Nesselrode, and fold it into the mixture. Pour it into all in a pie shell, then pop it in the fridge for 4 hours.

Note: If you love chocolate, stir in chocolate chips after the mixture has cooled but has not set.

- Compiled by Lynda Edwards

Contact Casey Phillips at cphillips@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6205.

Contact Susan Pierce at spierce@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6284.

Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354.

Contact Karen Nazor Hill at khill@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6396.

Contact Lynda Edwards at ledwards@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6391.

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