Q: Football season marks the beginning of potluck season at my family's boat club. The club graciously hosts Sunday football parties and in return asks that everyone brings something to share. But there is only so much cheese and crackers, taco dip, crock pot beans, and chips and dip a person can eat!
Any suggestions for easy party dishes that can feed a crowd without breaking the bank?
Sent by Lauren
Editor: Lauren, here are a couple helpful recipe roundups, one focused on easy party appetizers, the other on more substantial potluck-friendly recipes:
→ Easy, Yummy Party Food: 25 Bites, Dips & Nibbles
→ 15 Crowd-Pleasing Potluck Recipes
Readers, what are your favorite easy, crowd-pleasing party dishes to bring to a potluck?
Related: Looking for Best Fresh Recipes for a Healthy Potluck Party
(Image: Faith Durand)
Elizabeth Apron fro...

I think some crunchy (raw) sweet potato coleslaw might make a nice change. Or what about falafel or veggie wraps?
Bacon-wrapped dates are super easy to put together (and eat!), and everyone loves them.
Meatballs - bbq, swedish, etc. Hummus and veggies. Fruit tray w/ yogurt dip. Spiced nuts or popcorn. Crockpot of chili or potato soup.
Wonton wrappers can be used to make sweet or savoy treats. You can fill them with taco meat and cheese and serve with salsa. Fill with spinach, onion and feta for a greek twist. Could fill them with shedded bbq beef or pork too. Fill with Nutella or jam for something sweet. Bake them instead of frying and they are low cal and fat. You only need about a tbsp of filling for each one, so your cost is relatively low too.
Mini empanadas!
Deviled eggs... I bought an 'Egg Genie' that makes hard boiled eggs so easy. You can bring everything in a ziplock (2 separate bags, one for the yolks and one for the whites) and then fill the eggs when you get there. Simply snip the corner of the bag & squirt the yolk into the egg. Remember to put some paper towels in with the eggs so the moisture is absorbed. You can also mash your yolks with your other ingredients all in one bag for the filling.
I have a friend who would make blue berry cheesecake whenever we watched football together. Now, I'm not suggesting that you do that, but I'm sure there's a recipe for cake somewhere that's easy to make.
Or you can make fruit salad. I usually just mix whatever fresh fruit is around with a little vanilla yogurt. It's so easy to do, that sometimes I just pick up a few sliced fruits at a grocery store along the way and some yogurt and voila! Instant dessert.
The Foodie Bride posted (what I think is) a very versatile flautas recipe the other day. I don't know how to link in here without it being obnoxious, but you should be able to get it from there!
But anything handheld, like the wonton wrapper idea above, would fit the bill, and everyone loves things you can dip!