Luck of the Pot

Potlucks. What can you do? A potluck is about much more than food. It's a social event. A time for friends to gather and enjoy each other's company. But it is also about the food.

I am a devout Christian. A steady church-goer. As such, potlucks are a staple of my existence. We hold a potluck almost every month. Strangely enough, we did not have one in February, and January's got swallowed up in New Year's Day. So this is my first potluck since beginning the diet. What to do?

I must acknowledge the fact that most people do not want to eat the way I am eating. Even my own husband is not thrilled with my food restrictions and bursts out in ice cream and hot chocolate on a recurring basis. And although I am finding sweetness in the weight loss, most people want to find sweetness in the food, instead. Desserts with lots of creamy sugary richness. Main dish? Well, casseroles require starches, usually in the form of potatoes or pasta, both on my forbidden list. I could make a stew, but stew never quite made my top ten “what other people will eat at the potluck” list. Besides, my crockpot is soaking, trying to become clean enough for use, so stew was out of the question. Fried chicken? Chicken and breading are both out. I don't think anyone wants turkey in March.

At last I hit upon it! Eggs! I can have eggs and cheese and who does not like a good devilled egg at a potluck? Whoo-hoo! Of course, I have to tweak the recipe just a little. But it works well. And these aren't really what you would call devilled. There's no heat. But there is lots of cheese.  I would show pictures, but the eggs got eaten up. Sorry.  They wouldn't have lasted long at home, either.

Creamy Cheesy Eggs

1 dozen hard boiled eggs

½ recipe creamy cheesy spread

Cut eggs in half. Place yolks in a bowl. Combine yolks with creamy cheesy spread and blend until smooth. Refill eggs. Serve. Eat remaining yolk mixture with your choice of carrier (I liked it with celery!)

The creamy cheesy spread is a recipe I learned from my mother. I do not remember where she got it, so I cannot credit the original creator of this recipe. And I don't know how tweaked it was before she gave it to me, or what the original name was. This is what we call it. It makes a great party food. It goes really well with those little baguette slices, equally well with crackers, and I just discovered it makes a great filling for celery stalks. The recipe is made with green onions, but you can substitute chopped olives (green or black) for the green onions, or just add them to taste. Wonderfully good.

This is not a dairy free food, but it is gluten free and sugar free and really, really, good. Like I said, you can serve it as stuffed celery for your gluten free friends (or for you) and it is totally yum.

Creamy Cheesy Spread

16 ounces cream cheese, softened

16 ounces sour cream, softened

8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded

4 green onions, finely chopped

Combine all ingredients. Blend well. Serve. (or use to make creamy cheesy eggs)