Hometown Get-Togethers - Candace Floyd [0]
Memorable Meals for Great Gatherings From the Editors of Amercian Profile
Candace Floyd, Anne Gillem, Nancy S. Hughes, and Jill Melton
Hometown Get-Togethers: Memorable Meals for Great Gatherings is dedicated—with our gratitude—to the cooks across the country who read American Profile magazine each week. We especially salute those who are upholding food traditions of generations past as well as starting new ones of their own. A special thanks goes to all those who contributed cherished recipes, sharing with us the special ways they celebrate at gatherings large and small.
Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Breakfasts
Appetizers
Breads
Soups
Photographic Insert I
Salads
Sides
Entrées
Photographic Insert II
Desserts
List of Contributors
Searchable Terms
Other Books by American Profile
Credits
Copyright
About the Publisher
Acknowledgments
Without the help of many people, Hometown Get-Togethers: Memorable Meals for Great Gatherings would not have been possible.
Our thanks go to American Profile magazine’s Stephen Duggan, chief financial officer; Charlie Cox, executive editor, and Steve Minucci, director of business development, all of whom cleared the way for this book to be created. Special thanks to Laura Meisner, administrative assistant for Publishing Group of America, who compiled the list of contributors to this book and kept track of the thousands of recipe submissions.
Sarah Durand, our editor at HarperCollins in New York, and her colleagues offered invaluable advice and expertise.
We are grateful to Betty Yandrasits, president of Saint Vincent de Paul Society of Christ the King Catholic Church in Daphne, Alabama, who found recipients for the food prepared in our test kitchen. The elderly, sick, and those who just needed a good meal received the food.
For help in testing the recipes, our thanks go to Robin Brinker, Maura Dismuke, Jessica Hendry, Monica Davis, Maria Skinner, and Libby Allen. For days on end, they helped shop, chop, measure, and clean up, only to start all over again with the next batch of recipes the following day.
Karry Hosford of High Cotton Food Styling & Photography in Natchez, Mississippi, created the beautiful food photography. Our thanks to her as well.
Bringing together these recipes for Hometown Get-Togethers was no small task, but it was a rewarding one. Americans’ traditions of family and food are alive and well. And all who attend family reunions, church potlucks, and other social gatherings are the fortunate beneficiaries.
Introduction
Potlucks, church socials, tailgating parties, and family reunions happen almost every day. And for many home cooks, the first question asked after accepting an invitation is, “What should I bring?”
Social gatherings give home cooks the chance to shine. Fresh seasonal salads, wholesome main dishes, and delectable desserts scaled up to feed a crowd are in order for these events. And to help fill the bill, American Profile magazine’s readers have once again answered our call for recipes. Just as they did for our Hometown Recipes for the Holidays, they sent us nearly 1,500 of their favorite recipes, and here we present more than 170 of the best.
In these pages, you’ll find innovative dishes such as breakfast omelets boiled in plastic bags and Reunion Cake and Pie. There are also classics such as Scarborough Fair Herb Bread, using parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme to make two generously sized loaves; Incredible Chicken Tortilla Soup, which feeds a crowd at church suppers, and Potluck Polynesian Chicken, which garnered not only rave reviews at a community luncheon but also helped facilitate a marriage proposal. The recipes and stories in this book are reminders of the importance of food to family gatherings and community events.
You’ll also find the recipes that won prizes in our Hometown Get-Togethers Recipe Contest. Michelle Gauer of Spicer, Minnesota, won the Grand Prize for her Fudge Cappuccino Orange Torte. Blending the rich flavor of chocolate with the sweetness of orange,