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Across the Fence:  Potluck  |
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ali2583
True Blue Farmgirl
404 Posts
Alison
Winnipeg
Manitoba
Canada
404 Posts |
 Posted - Oct 16 2006 : 3:35:11 PM
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Hi Girls,
We just had a potluck at work today, and I volunteered to bring carrot cake. I had a heap of carrots left over from my garden and I have a yummy recipe for carrot cake with cream cheese icing - it's one of my old standby's.
Anyways, got to work today, and as people were setting up food on the table, I noticed I was the only one who had brought anything homemade. There was a store bought veggie tray, a store bought cheese and meat tray, a case of soda pop (yuck) and a bag of store bought buns. I felt so dissapointed that I had made my carrot cake from scratch, when everyone else just went to the store and bought the quickest, easiest thing.
Just wanted to vent, I take pride in making such yummy desserts.
"God's gift to you is life. What you choose to do with that life is your gift to God" |
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primjillie
True Blue Farmgirl
138 Posts
Jill
Antelope
CA
USA
138 Posts |
Posted - Oct 16 2006 : 4:08:12 PM
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| I know how you feel. I work with about 50 people and I'm usually in charge of the potlucks. It is sad how few people cook anymore. We usually have maybe 1 homemade main dish, a few salads and 1 dessert if we are lucky. All the rest are storebought. In fact, it has gotten so discouraging, I have sort of resisting planning anymore potlucks. I can buy stuff at the store if I want to eat that type of food, I prefer homemade food at a party! When we do our Thanksgiving potluck, I stress homemade, since I can't imagine eating purchased dressing or mashed potatoes! I know a lot of the younger girls don't/won't cook and do take out or fast food for their families. Sometimes I think cooking and baking is becoming a lost art. :-( |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - Oct 16 2006 : 4:09:57 PM
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ooo! You made the pregnant woman hungry! I wish you could send me the carrot cake! I would appreciate the homemade cake!
People are so used to just jumping out and buying stuff for these Potlucks, but they miss out on the taste and health benefits. I bet your cake was a hit! |
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lilpunkin
True Blue Farmgirl
368 Posts
Texas
USA
368 Posts |
Posted - Oct 16 2006 : 5:01:23 PM
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Aww! That does stink! Dont you just hate that? I mean I am only 32 and I love to bake and cook. I especially like to do it for other people and special events. And I really like to do it when I know I have a special recipe. Maybe you will have set the bar higher for your co workers. I bet it was good! Yum!
lilpunkin |
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willowtreecreek
True Blue Farmgirl
4813 Posts
Julie
Russell
AR
USA
4813 Posts |
Posted - Oct 16 2006 : 5:56:30 PM
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I teach and once a month we have a b-day potluck. I too have noticed that myself and one other lady are the only ones who bring homemade stuff! I'd just assume bring my own lunch than eat all that packaged junk!
Jewelry, art, baskets, etc.
www.willowtreecreek.com |
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LauraH
True Blue Farmgirl
305 Posts
Laura
North Creek
New York
USA
305 Posts |
Posted - Oct 16 2006 : 6:13:22 PM
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I have this happen to me time & time again with volunteering to bring in some food item for one of my girl's school parties, I will go through all the trouble of finding a great recipe special for the theme or holiday, & then when you arrive with the item all you see on the table is plastic grocery store containers of premade muffins,cookies,even premade cut up fruit! I too believe cooking & baking is becoming a lost art. how unfortunate.
LauraH |
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~Tracey~
True Blue Farmgirl
351 Posts
Tracey
TN
USA
351 Posts |
Posted - Oct 16 2006 : 7:29:51 PM
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That is awesome that you took the time!! My mom always does too when she has one at work and if anyone else happens to make something from scratch as well, she always tries to sneak me a bit of it!! Some people still truly appreciate "real" food!! Good for you for making that my very favorite cake!!
Tracey,
mama to Callum 13, Katie 8, Wil 5.5, Benjamin 3 and Andrew 6 months!!
http://hansenhootenanny.blogspot.com/ |
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bramble
True Blue Farmgirl
2044 Posts
2044 Posts |
Posted - Oct 16 2006 : 7:56:01 PM
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Girls don't be discouraged, your food will be remembered and appreciated. I was Room Mom every year K-6 and I always made homemade treats, etc. I once even cooked a huge turkey for the first grade Thanksgiving feast. Some kids had never had turkey before! Many kids still talk about the parties we had and how they loved all the fun stuff we had and did. I was lucky to have a Co-Room Mom who also liked to make and bake. Some of these kids had NEVER had homemade desserts of any kind. I had a mother give me a box of cake mix because she didn't have time! One boy wrote an essay on what he wanted to be and he chose a chef because he would like to make all the good food that Mrs.S and Mrs. P knew how to make! I know all the food that gets donated for middle school parties/dances is usually store bought but the few of us that do bake always seem to be the first gone! I'm making spiderweb cookies for the Halloween Dance. Just be happy and proud of what you are able to do.
with a happy heart |
Edited by - bramble on Oct 16 2006 7:57:35 PM |
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junebug
True Blue Farmgirl
2421 Posts
Sue
West Plains,
Mo.
USA
2421 Posts |
Posted - Oct 17 2006 : 04:53:00 AM
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Nobody does homemade anymore, what has it come too? The holidays are getting like that too, with 3 daughter in laws now, all of whom would rather just buy something, really gets to me! I make everything homemade and hopefully it will rub off one day, what's the holidays without homemade love??
www.herbalfarmstead.blogspot.com
www.countrypleasures.blogspot.com |
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katie-ell
True Blue Farmgirl
1818 Posts
Katie
Illinois
1818 Posts |
Posted - Oct 17 2006 : 05:28:17 AM
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| I'll never forget the potluck we had when my son was in Boy Scouts -- one of the families brought spaghetti from KFC! I didn't even know they made spaghetti! Although I must admit, lots of the kids went for that dish -- something familiar, alas. |
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ktknits
True Blue Farmgirl
582 Posts
Kathy
Northwest Indiana
USA
582 Posts |
Posted - Oct 17 2006 : 08:13:51 AM
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I work full time, actually 2 jobs, but I LOVE to cook, and always make something homemade, unless I'm really, really, really in a time crunch.
And, the clincher here is that because we use so many "fast foods", our families come to like those better than the real thing! I'll never forget the Thanksgiving that my mom asked me to bring mashed potatoes because she says mine always turn out the best. My kids and husband wanted me to make "real" (read, Hungry Jack) potatoes and take those too for them. AAARRGGH! Where have I gone wrong?
Or, the time my younger daughter had to take a cake to school and we didn't have "canned" frosting. I said no problem, we have plenty of powdered sugar--we'll make it. She said she didn't want to be "embarrassed" by having "homemade" frosting.
Now, at ages 29 & 25 my daughters have grown out of that and appreciate "homemade", but my husband.......now, that's another story!! He'd be just as happy taking a bag of chips to a potluck, and well, if anyone said anything, he'd be just as happy eating nothing but the chips!! I can see that after 30 years of marriage I still have some work to do!
Kathy |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - Oct 17 2006 : 08:19:12 AM
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Oh Kathy! At least your kids appreciate it!
I remember when my sisters and I were growing up- we rarely ate out, and mom never used Hamburger Helper to make meals. Then I moved in with Doug and he grew up on Hamburger Helper! ICK! I couldn't even stand it whenever he made dinner because that is what he would make!
Doug also couldn't believe it when I made my own spagetti sauce.
We have since come to a compromise- I will eat whatever pre packaged junk he makes, but he has actually come to really like my homemade stuff.
I bet your husband would rather eat homemade than nothing! :) |
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GaiasRose
True Blue Farmgirl
2552 Posts
Tasha-Rose
St. Paul
Minnesota
2552 Posts |
Posted - Oct 17 2006 : 08:49:16 AM
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My family loves that I cook. I admit some nights I am just too tired and we take the easy route and pop in an oven bake pizza, but that doesn't happen very often.
I want to get in touch with a homeschooling co-op so that I can teach home ec. (well, home ec, english and women's studies) I think that kids are going to grow up worse off thean their parents because they are not seeing cooking at home. Their mother's cookbook is the touch tone phone.
And obesity rates are how high in our country? There is somethng to all the processed crap and the refined anything. We have no white stuff in our house....only turbinado and unbleached flours and whole wheat flours.
It's so sad that SO MUCH is a lost art anymore.
~*~Brightest Blessings~*~
Tasha-Rose
blog: http://gaiarose.wordpress.com |
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Bridge
True Blue Farmgirl
814 Posts
Bridgette
Southern
Indiana
USA
814 Posts |
Posted - Oct 17 2006 : 10:23:30 AM
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The only thing that gets me fired up is for work carry-ins, you go to all the work and expense to make a good dish. Then everyone else brings in a $1 bag of chips or packaged cookies. That really ticks me off.
~~Bridge's Boutique~~
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ali2583
True Blue Farmgirl
404 Posts
Alison
Winnipeg
Manitoba
Canada
404 Posts |
Posted - Oct 17 2006 : 4:15:09 PM
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I totally agree with you Bridge!
"God's gift to you is life. What you choose to do with that life is your gift to God" |
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lambgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
93 Posts
Heidi
Ellensburg
wa
USA
93 Posts |
Posted - Oct 17 2006 : 5:38:21 PM
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| My kids school won't allow us to bring anything unless it is prepackaged from a store. I really miss making cupcakes for my kids classroom. |
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asnedecor
True Blue Farmgirl
1054 Posts
Anne
Portland
Or
USA
1054 Posts |
Posted - Oct 17 2006 : 5:56:54 PM
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We have potlucks at work also - usually it is a breakfast one because we start work so early. The guys are usually the ones you go to the store - only a few cook or can talk their wives into cooking. There is only 5 girls and 13 guys. We girls usually make homemade - though our head of the department - bless his wife - always brings wonderful homemade items. And yes the homemade stuff from scratch is always remembered more then the store bought. So don't be discouraged, it is just nice that you can do this type of thing. I think is brings co-workers a bit closer and makes work a bit more fun.
Anne in Portland
"Weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them" Eyeore from Winnie the Pooh
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Across the Fence: Potluck |
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Potluck
