You can bemoan how fast time is going all you want, and wonder where summer went, but the fact remains that the holidays are officially upon us.
During the months of November and December many workplaces take advantage of the festive atmosphere and organize potluck meals for staff members. An office potluck is a win-win situation. Hosting the potluck does not generally cost the business a significant expense, and it allows co-workers to mingle with each other while enjoying yummy food.
How to Have a Successful Office Potluck
They key to a successful office potluck, of course, is the food. It is important to make sure that there is enough food to go around, and that there are a variety of dishes. Nobody wants to have a plate full of everybody’s family cranberry sauce recipe.
If you are hosting a Thanksgiving potluck or “Worksgiving,” you definitely don’t want to forget the turkey. A turkey or other sort of main dish is a great item for an owner or manager to provide for the gathering. In order to keep track of everything else, ask employees to sign up for dishes beforehand, and advise them on how much should they expect to bring.
What to Bring to an Office Potluck
Potlucks can be wonderful, but things get tricky when it comes to deciding what to bring. Why? First of all, this time of year everybody is busy and sometimes having to make a dish for work just seems like one more thing on the list.
Secondly, most likely your office doesn’t have a set up for a sit down meal for all employees, which means you want to keep the dish you bring fairly easy for somebody to eat while standing up.
We’ve rounded up a few simple ideas that are easy to eat and easy to make in order to help make your office party a fun event instead of just another obligation this holiday season.
Office Potluck Ideas for Busy People
1- Mini Sweet Potato Casserole
Sweet potato casserole just screams Thanksgiving, doesn’t it? A mini version can be much easier to both serve and eat in an office setting. This recipe from Real Housemoms, consisting of individual mini casseroles, looks simple and delicious.
2- Sweet Potato Fries
Tasty? Check. Healthy? Check. Quick to Make? Check. Easy finger food? Check. Sweet potato fries check all of the boxes. A simple recipe can easily be tweaked to make the fries savory or sweet. This Paula Deen recipe from The Food Network is sure to please.
3- Cornbread
There aren’t many people that don’t like cornbread, so if you choose to bring a pan of it, I doubt you will leave with many leftovers. One of the best parts of bringing cornbread is that if you are really crunched for time, or just don’t have the baking touch, even box mixes of cornbread still taste delicious.
4- Glazed Carrots
This is another tasty and quick cooking dish that only uses one pan. Check out Sunny Anderson’s Honey Glazed Carrots recipe via the Food Network.
5- Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes
Slow cookers are a busy person’s best friend! This recipe from The Kitchn allows you to make this favorite holiday side dish with barely any work on your part.
6- Deviled Eggs
A delicious finger food that can go with almost any menu. If the yolk mix and eggs whites are sealed and stored separately, they can even be made a few days ahead of time. Gimme Some Oven offers a basic deviled egg recipe as well as some tips for tweaking it it.
7- Pumpkin Cookies
There are plenty of recipes out there for various pumpkin pastries and desserts. However, these cookies will probably be one of the easiest desserts you’ve ever made. This is because they only require 2 ingredients. Impress your co-workers with a decadent cake-like cookie without spending a whole night baking.
8- Dinner Rolls
Rolls are a wonderful addition to any potluck. They can help soak up any gravy or dressing, and they taste great on their own or with some butter. Offering to bring rolls also gives you plenty of options. You can bake rolls from scratch, pick up a bag of rolls from the grocery store, or use pre-made dough.
9- Fruit and Cheese Kabob
This is a spin on the classic fruit and cheese platter. Providing a kabob with fruit and cheese on it makes things much easier for your coworkers to simply pick it up, and it saves room on their plates. It is also a no-cook dish for you! Here are some basic instructions from Taste of Home, but the kabobs can be adjusted based on what fruits look the best at the store and what cheeses you have available.
10- Paper Plates/Utensils
Offering to bring the plates and napkins is not a cop out. They are very necessary to any sort of office potluck. If your life is looking crazy right now, then sign up for the plates and don’t feel bad about it! Next time around, you can do something else.
The point of an office potluck is to create camaraderie and celebrate a holiday. It shouldn’t cause more stress. Hopefully these potluck ideas for busy people will help keep your schedule clear and your belly full this holiday season.
Is your business looking for more advice? Contact us at Lumen Advisory and Finance!
