The best is sesame or peanut noodles with lots of fresh veggies thrown on top. Deborah Madison has lots of good recipes for this (and peanut sauce). However, here's my version: throw a block of silken tofu in the blender with a good amount of natural peanut butter, a dash of sesame oil, a few TB. of soy and lime juice, some fresh cilantro and/or fresh basil & mint, some sri racha or chile paste, and extra rice vinegar if needed. If it needs to be thinned out, add some water. Toss with noodles (soba, Chinese egg noodles, ramen noodles cooked without seasoning, or regular old linguini) and arrange on a pretty platter. Top with chopped green onion, shredded carrot, sugar snap peas, asparagus, bell peppers, or anything your heart desires (including shredded chicken). Garnish with extra sauce or sesame seeds too. Yum!

If you need to bring a dessert, by far the easiest thing to do is get yellow cake mix, some whipped cream, and strawberries (fresh if you can get them, otherwise, drain frozen ones). Bake the cake, refrigerate it. Once it's cold, spread whipped cream over the top. Slice the strawberries, cover them with some sugar, and spread evenly over the top. Keep the cake cool as long as possible.
Every office where I have ever worked, I have made this for at least one potluck. It manages to feed a good amount of people and they consistently LOVE it and request it every time we have a potluck from then on. It is very easy to throw together and not too expensive. Never any leftovers.

Baklava is my fail-safe dish -- every piece usually gets eaten within the first hour. Easy to make (if you now the secret tricks) and people will be impressed by your prowess! I have a tutorial on my blog here: http://boneflowers.blogspot.com/2008/10/how-to-win-friends-and-influence-people.html

Banana pudding. Easy to put together, easy to transport, people want to lick the bowl before you take it home. Gross, but flattering.

Sweet and sour meatballs, made with cranberries and chili sauce. I make it in the crockpot, take it to the potluck, and plug it in there so they stay warm. Really easy to make, and people love them. If you want to make it really fast and easy, use a large bag of frozen meatballs.

Greek salad; this is also more of a summer dish, but everyone raves about it anytime I make it. I use cherry tomatoes, and the dressing is olive oil, oregano, salt and pepper. Throw in some diced rotisserie chicken to make it a main course.

Baked mac and cheese. Super easy, not too expensive, lets you use up the end bits of cheese in your fridge, and there are never any leftovers. If you've been charged to bring something that counts as a main, put some ham or chicken and spinach or broccoli or other veggies in it. Never any leftovers.

pansit works really well cold. in addition to it being a great fridge cleaner, I personally think it tastes better cold. be sure to serve with lots of lemon wedges!

Baked ziti or good, old fashioned poppyseed chicken casserole. Just the thought takes me back to the covered dish suppers at church when I was a kid.

Hey Torrie....I've never heard of poppyseed chicken casserole...do you have a favorite cookbook or website that has the recipe?

I recently posted a potato pie recipe that's simple and always a crowd pleaser at potlucks:
http://www.dcfoodies.com/2008/12/white-potato-pi.html

There's a black bean salad recipe from Allrecipes that is my go-to dish for potlucks. It's easy, it doubles nicely and it's vegan. I've never had to bring home leftovers, but if you do, it tastes better the next day.

KerryTay-- I generally make the casserole without a recipe since I've been making it for so long. This recipe from allrecipes.com is very similar.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Poppy-Seed-Chicken-II/Detail.aspx

Yes, it does require a can of condensed soup, but the results are so yummy that I can forget about that! Sometimes when I'm feeling really lazy I'll use a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. You can also change up the recipe by adding rice, or by adding a little bit of sherry to the sauce.

Sara Kate is going to have your head for recommending a recipe with asparagus in the winter!

My broccoli casserole *always* gets licked clean. It uses processed ingredients and is probably very bad for you, but everyone loves it.

1 cup (uncooked) Minute Rice
Water to cook rice
Broccoli, either fresh (chop and steam it) or frozen (box or bag)
1 can Cream of Something Soup (celery, mushroom, etc)
1 pound Velveeta
Salt & Pepper to taste

Cook rice. Mix in everything else and stir until velveeta is melted. Bake until hot.

How funny. I typed potluck recipes into yahoo search and this was on the second page. Thought it was old so did not look too close but here it is! I have been going over and over what to bring to my holiday potluck at work. I was slow and many simple and easy items I am good were taken. I have decided on chicken caccitore(sp). It is a small gathering, 12 people, so not too expensive.

Thanks so much for all the suggestions! This entry will be used as a resource for many potlucks to come!

~Brande (aka Ednarb:)

Risotto, always and forever. I've made it for three potlucks and it's now devoured in the first twenty minutes. Yes, it's a bit labour intensive. But it doesn't have to be expensive, it's pretty straightforward, and appeals to a wide range of people. You can also make it with seasonal ingredients. I usually make a bacon, goat cheese, and butternut squash risotto. Many of the people I spend time with don't eat pork for religious reasons, so I usually put half of the risotto aside and add the bacon to the other portion.

Also, lasagna, gratins, potato dishes (mashed, scalloped), a big salad of some kind, taco dip.

Just made a Migas today, originally inspired by the recipe from Rebar Modern Food Cook Book.

Layer in a casserole or baking dish:
White Corn Tortilla chips; soft scrambed eggs (eggs, cream, salt, pepper) add cheddar cheese to melt, mix in black beans, jalapeno diced, top with sourcream, cilantro, green salsa.

Use good source for fresh eggs, good organic cheddar and it all comes together nicely. Basically a dressed up scramble, great for brunches.

If a non-alcoholic beverage is required, make a quick and impressive mint limeaid.

To make quick and easy, I used Simply Limeaid mixed with equal parts Pellegrino (sparkling water), garnished with lots of fresh mint and lime slices.

Very refreshing and lovely for summer, outdoors. Add splash of vodka for an extra kick for adults.