FAVOURITE THINGS —SUMMERTIME POTLUCK BRING-ALONGS

ICED (RASPBERRY) TEA

One way to sweeten iced tea is to cook the sugar into the boiling water using a Dutch oven or heavy pot. Steep tea along with raspberries and lemon juice but remember to discard the bags and raspberries before transferring this pretty tea to a glass pitcher. Then add fresh berries and lemon slices for an Instagram-worthy pic.

FRIED AND BAKED CHICKEN

There’s no need to stand over a fryer of hot oil for any longer than is needed to crisp up the coating. Finish the cooking process in the oven, then cool. Cold chicken on a warm summer day... yum!

S'MORES CRISPY BARS

Nothing says summer like Smores but combine them with Rice Crispy Squares and you have a truly portable potluck delight. You’ve got chocolate chips, grapham crackers, marshmallows, butter and Rice Crispies glued together with marshmallows and sugar, topped with a hunk of milk chocolate... what’s not to like?

PASTA SALAD

For an Italian twist, add julienned salami, your favourite olives, provolone cheese, sweet onions and tomatoes. The key is to make an oil and vinegar dressing rather than mayonaisse... for obvious heat and healthrelated reasons.

BBQ SHORT RIBS

BYO-MEAT for the BBQ? No problem! Just concoct your own sauce in a handy Mason jar, pre-boil some short ribs, and pack them on ice for safe transport. They can be finished off on the grill. And for bonus points, bring extra tongs and a heat-proof brush.

FLAVOURED BUTTER

The fancy term is compound but basically, it’s seasoned and flavoured butter shaped into a log. You may need the help of a piece of plastic wrap to do the shaping. Wrap the log in waxed paper and refrigerate for about a half hour to firm it up. Then slice and distribute one slice per serving of grilled corn to really class up the joint!

MIX-IN-THE-PAN CHOCOLATE CAKE

Make this time honoured I-need-something-for-tomorrow’s bake-sale cake in the cool of the evening before the potluck. There are plenty of recipes online and you’re good to go as long as you have vinegar and baking soda in your pantry... aside from the flour, oil, sugar and cocao powder.