The holidays are just around the corner, and what does that mean for the Masonic world? Potlucks as far as the eye can see. I know T’s Lodge is kicking off the holiday season with a Veteran’s Day potluck, followed by a few more later in the month. Potlucks can often be tricky for those of us that are younger in the Masonic community. On the one hand, we don’t have the time to spend that all of the retired folks do (I know one lovely lady that hand makes 3D decorations for Christmas cookies every year!), but just buying a bag of chips from the store on your way to the Lodge might make you feel like you barely did anything at all. Have no fear! These recipes will have everyone thinking you called into work the day before, just so you could make something awesome for the potluck; in reality, anyone can  find time to make these simple but delicious dishes.

Honey BBQ Wings

Call me crazy, but I think cold weather is the best time to grill. Doesn’t take much effort, gets you in front of a fire, and your meat is cooked nice and fast. You can’t fake that nice grill char anywhere else. Also, wings are super simple. If you haven’t made buffalo wings at home before, I highly recommend it. Grill ‘em, then toss in sauce. Done and yum.

Wings

Prepare grill for medium heat. Grill wings, turning occasionally until golden brown and crisp, about 15-20 minutes.

Sauce

Ingredients

• ½ Cup honey
• 1¼ Cup Ketchup
• ½ Cup white vinegar
• 2 tsp yellow mustard
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1½ tsp kosher salt
• 1 Cup light brown sugar
• cracked pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Add ingredients to pot on stove top and whisk to combine. Bring to boil reduce to simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes. Take off heat and let come to room temperature. Use as a dipping sauce or to baste on meat.
2. Store in airtight container in fridge, or toss wings immediately.

Caprese Bites

Who doesn’t love cheese? These craprese kabobs are super simple, and always a welcome addition to any potluck. I do have two recommendations however, first, get mozerella pearls or balls if you can

help it, you will save yourself a ton of time. Second, not everyone is as big of a fan of balsamic vinegar as I am, so you may want to have it on the side instead of drizzling on top of the kabobs, especially if you are expecting children to attend. Also a nice, light dish, since many items at Masonic potlucks tend to be heavy.

Ingredients

 You will want one of each of these for how many kabobs you want to make:

Grape tomaotes

Mozzarella Balls or pearls

Fresh basil leaves

1/6 cup of olive oil

1/6 cup of balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper

Toothpicks

Instructions

1. Take a toothpick, place tomato, basil leaf, and mozzarella on toothpick
2. Do this until you are satisfied with the number of kabobs you have
3. Sprinkle salt and pepper over bites
4. In a small bowl, combine oil and vinegar, drizzle over bites.

Salsa chicken

 Okay, so, you signed up to bring a meat dish to the potluck, but now you realize you have no time. Like, literally just enough to come home from work, change your clothes, and barely make it to Lodge on time.  Take it from the Hitchhiker’s Guide, Don’t Panic. Salsa chicken is here to save your day. All you need is a crockpot, and if you don’t have one, now is the time. They are a $20 lifesaver, and you can literally unplug it at home, and take the whole thing with you to Lodge.

Ingredients

 4+ boneless chicken breasts- add more if your crockpot allows.

2 cups of salsa – the chunkier the better

Salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Place chicken breasts in a slow cooker and cover with salsa. Toss until the chicken is covered.
2. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours (or low for 6-8 hours), or until the chicken shreds easily with a fork.
3. Shred the chicken in the slow cooker and toss with the remaining salsa and juices until well-mixed.
4. Serve immediately, or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days. (This chicken also freezes well.)

Popcorn Cake

So, I’m known in my household for taking desserts a bit too far. I will happily spend hours making dozens of cookies, only to eat one and no more. This is a super simple twist on rice krispie treats that I made last night for our DeMolay potluck this evening. I might have had a small slice for breakfast, and let it be known, this recipe packs a ton of sugary goodness.

Ingredients

12 cups (about 2 bags) of popped popcorn, unpopped kernels removed –I used movie butter, kettle corn might be too much, unless you are really into sweets

1 stick of butter

16 ounces  of marshmellows – the orginal recipie called for 8, which is almost two bags, I thought mine was a little too marshmellowy, feel free to add more if you want

2 cups of m&ms, any flavor

1 ½-2 cups of 2-3 other mix ins – broken pretzels, peanuts, candy corn, goldfish, gummy bears, anything you love with popcorn or just have around

Instructions

1. Grease your Bundt pan. If you don’t have one, any loaf pan or even a 9×13 pan will be just fine.
2. Mix your popcorn and mix-ins together
3. Melt your butter and marshmallows together in the microwave until smooth. Let cool for about 2 minutes
4. Mix the marshmallow mixture into the popcorn mixture. It will be quite sticky.
5. Move everything into your pan of choice. Place a piece of parchment paper on top to help you smooth the top out.
6. Let cool for at least one hour

I hope that these recipes can help you bring an awesome dish to your next potluck, Masonic or otherwise. If you have any recipes you would like to share, please feel free. And as always, have a wonderful week!