taking potlucks seriously

i take potlucks seriously.  i seriously love them.  i seriously want to have them every weekend and i seriously want everyone else to love them as much as I do.  there are all kinds of potluck characters, which keeps it exciting.  for those with less refined culinary skills, i prefer the “i’ll bring wine” guy over the “i’ll bring bread” gal.  for those who take cooking seriously, there’s the “here’s my chance to show off my mad kitchen skillz” type and the “look what i bought from the fancy grocery store” type.  i often like to use a potluck to make that dish that everyone loves but never makes for themselves.  for example, taco dip served with frito scoops.  it’s real good people and you don’t have to be ashamed about loving it.  although when i brought this dish to a potluck this weekend, i was worried about the crowd thinking it was a bit, let’s call it pedestrian.  i was new to this potluck circle and my taco dip sat next to this gorgeous homemade broccoli raab flatbread feeling a bit judged.   obviously, i’ve lived in san francisco too long if my taco dip has a complex about flatbread.  so we’ll move on.  the next day, i was lucky enough to go to yet another potluck.  this one hosted by old, dear friends and it was pumpkin themed.  the only thing better than a potluck is a themed potluck!  when you potluck (yes, it’s also a verb) with the same people for many years, you get really good at it.  something mystical happens and all the dishes pair well and all the courses are covered and it’s just delightful, unplanned yumminess!  we dined on pumpkin curry soup, pumpkin ravioli, lentil/pumpkin salad, mayan pumpkin dip, and pumpkin cheesecake. our "i'll bring wine" guy even brought vino that paired with pumpkin well.  what i'm getting at is that a good potluck is really snack sharing at its best.  what’s your best potluck experience?

snack shared:  taco dip and pumpkin soup