Notes from the Potluck Options Auditions

RantWoman had a potluck to go to last  weekend. RantWoman is highly certain that someone in the known universe will be fascinated by this inventory of options RantWoman considered and constraints and "use case" info about the realities of life by bus. Plus RantWoman is in the middle of computer and software upgrade hell. RantWoman will find it gratifying just to type reliably for a bit

Spoiler alert:
RantWoman wound up taking sauted summer vegetables, squash, onions, peppers, garlic fresh basil spiced with a tad more white peppepper than RantWoman intended. But the diners like spice and no one objected! The summer veggies even held their own in the home of an avid gardener.

Past RantWoman potluck performances include:
"cooking" at the donut holes shelf at Dunkin Donuts for a potluck full of vegans and gluten sensitive  granola heads and the kind of people RantWoman would have predicted would completely turn up their noses at donut holes. RantWoman went through the line late and concentrated on real food; when she came back for dessert, ALL the donut holes had disappeared.

"Cooking" at the produce counter:
   Fresh pineapple
   Fresh melon
--RantWoman only does this if the potluck destination can be relied on to have decent knives. RantWoman a little too often has to pass through some kind of governmental weapons check and lives in fear of having worthy cutting implements confiscated.
   Plus RantWoman did have one unworthy cutting implement confiscated. RantWoman had just ridden a bus all the way downtown watching one of her fellow passengers flick a switchblade when she needed to pass through a weapons check. Alas, one forgotten butter knife from a quick bread potluck contribution wound up consigned to the sheriff's custody. Fare thee well?
--RantWoman's other cook at the produce counter motivator: sometimes RantWoman prepares potluck food in advance but for one reason or another does not want to carry it around all day AND does not make it home between the rest of the day's travels and potluck.

"Cooking" in the healthy junk food aisle at the nearest food co-op. This time one of the attenders disdains beets and RantWoman is undecided about sweet potato chips, though recent experience is that these also wind up being a hit among people RantWoman would predict might turn up noses...

Amaretti from Borrachini's
Ground almonds, egg whites, sugar: how can one go wrong, unless nut allergies are involved. Tasty. Also conveniently gluten free!

Chick peas: RantWoman has a hunber for and a good supply of chick peas / garbanzos. RantWoman wound up rethinking this idea because someone else expressed an email intent to bring dal. He changed his mind but not before RantWoman decided to save the following list of options for another time:

Chickpea salads
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Chickpea-Salad-with-Parsley-Lemon-and-Sun-Dried-Tomatoes-106823
RantWoman even has sun-dried tomatoes but rats, dried, not packed in oil

Chickpea, grapefruit, lemon, fennel
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/chickpea-fennel-and-citrus-salad-51147440
This sounds GOOD to RantWoman but RantWoman is less sure this crowd will go for the flavor combo.
RantWoman would add garlic and maybe parsley on principle.
Jamie Oliver's take on chickpeas
http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetables-recipes/summer-chickpea-salad
RantWoman is not wild about feta but thinks goat cheese would be fine.
RantWoman really enjoys recipes that call for handfuls of this and handfuls of that.
RantWoman is a spelling geek and curls up her lip about "chilies,"

With Feta and broccoli
http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=1098031
Garbanzos, zucchini
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/garbanzo-bean-and-zucchini-salad-recipe.html
RantWoman likes lima beans but thinks lingering over the chick pease zucchini and lima bean recipe just might be more flirting with social opprobrium than even RantWoman wants to risk
But the chick pea, barley, zucchini item...
http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-chickpea-barley-and-zucchini-ribbon-salad-with-mint-and-feta-173373
http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/zesty-zucchini-chick-pea-salad-recipe.htm