Pitch In Creativity

You've all faced it, whether you like it or not. Work is having a pitch in and you have to bring something. Some people love it, but some dread it.  Hopefully, whomever came up with the great idea doesn't just leave it as "everybody bring some good food". That's a nightmare for either group. Those who don't cook get stressed out as to what qualifies as "good" and what if they don't want to make something. Is store bought enough? The other group, the "foodies" get stressed because they are wondering what everyone else is bringing. Will whatever we choose go with the rest of the menu? What if everyone brings a dessert and no one brings an entree? Either way, a fun group activity turns into chaos.

Case in point, my birthday pitch in at work today.  It was a co-worker's birthday over the weekend so the mantra of the day was "bring good food". Well, long story short, we ended up with asian peanut butter spread, a cheeseball, a small amount of chicken wings, chips and french onion dip, corn casserole, pasta salad, donuts, a birthday cake, some mini tarts from the local supermarket bakery and 3 boxes of Little Debbie's snacks. Not exactly what I would call a normal lunch! This is the same group who put on a wonderful baby shower a few weeks ago with a Mexican theme. Everybody brought in something on their level and it all jelled together. I'm a big proponent of theme to keep everyone on task. I even suggest a sign up sheet with suggested items. That way, those who don't know what to bring can get ideas and those who may not want to feel obligated to cook can pick something easy (soda, plates, chips, condiments). 

You also have to remember quantity when you have 13 people all bringing food. No one needs to bring enough food for a small army! Even if you don't have a theme, you can still do a simple sign up:

Breakfast ______1_______      _______2_________  (fruit, pastries)

Main Lunch _____3_______  _______4__________ (chicken wings, meatballs, pulled pork)

Side Dishes ____5______    _______6________ (salad: potato, green or pasta, rice, pasta)

Appetizer _____7_____      ______8________ (chips & dip, bite size snacks, salsa, queso)

Dessert  _______9______     ______10___________ (cupcakes, cookies, brownies, candy)

Drinks _______11__________

Misc. _____12______      ________13_______ (plates, forks, napkins, condiments, chips)

Just for those of you keep score, I say even the most non baker in the group can do better than Little Debbies. You just have to have some imagination. So, here's one for the next pitch in that even the most inexperienced cook can handle. It barely even takes having to measure the ingredients but I assure you it's quite tasty. In fact, it goes in my "everything's better with bacon" mentality.

As always, have fun!

Bacon and Tomato Cheddar Dip

Ingredients:
16 oz. sour cream               2 c. shredded cheddar cheese           2 oz. bacon bits
10 oz can diced tomatoes w/ green chilis                                      1 envelope ranch dressing

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. 
2. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour to blend flavors.
3. Use this dip with vegetables, potato chips or tortilla chips.