Signature Dish

On By Lois RoelofsIn aging, humor, memoir, writing

I’m having a miniature identity crisis and desperately need the help of a few of you readers. I was invited last week to a meet and greet on the block of my Arizona home. The hostess said we could bring a small something to share or not.

I certainly didn’t want to be not only a newish member on the block, but the person who brought the “or not.” But I had a serious problem. I’ve still not learned my way around the grocery store or about the items you can find there to combine into a “small something” to share.

Some of you know that my husband was my cook and grocery shopper. The only advice he gave me before he died nearly four years ago was “Find a guy who cooks.”

Well, that hasn’t been successful. So what do I do? I’d already shipped my car home, so I had no means of going anywhere to find that “small something.” But, lucky me, I remembered that when my daughter had visited, she’d brought several tubes of frozen dough and caramel sauce for caramel rolls. I decided, even though the meet and greet was for a 4-6pm happy hour, I would bring warm breakfast caramel rolls.

I forgot to get them out the night before to rise (or raise?). So I did this task at 8am. The directions said they needed eight hours to rise. So I “rose” them until 3:40 and baked them till 4:10, arriving at the meet and greet 15 minutes late with my piping hot rolls. Because we were having some super hot weather, the hostess had decided we’d stay inside instead of gathering on her steamy windy patio.

Her decision was beneficial for my piping hot rolls. They liked the A/C.

When I entered the dining room, I saw the “spread” on the very large table. The items displayed there were not small inconsequential items. I stood back in awe. How did people think up these beautiful concoctions?

I made a place for my piping hot rolls and took a small paper plate to pile on some of the beautiful items covering the whole table. One particular “glob” looked like a yummy “fluff” salad my mother used to make, so I took a heaping spoon of it. Some tiny bits of red and green something drowned in Cool Whip, perhaps.

When my small plate was full, I sat on the couch next to a neighbor I knew. I took a bite of the “fluff” but it was NOT the fluff. I asked my neighbor if she knew what it was. “I brought that,” she said brightly. “It’s hummus dip.”

I felt myself go pale. Dip. “Oh, its something you put on crackers?”

“Yes, the crackers were right next to it on the table.”

I felt like I’d never been properly socialized. At the age of 80, I still didn’t recognize a dip and crackers ensemble.

After getting some crackers, I took a large spoonful of a mushy-cakey-like thing with dark red dots. Maybe a chopped up strawberry short cake?

It was delicious. I asked my neighbor what it was. “That’s Ginny’s (not her real name) signature dish. It is really yummy. She brings it every time we have a party. Everyone loves it.”

As I shriveled back into the sofa cushions feeling totally deflated, I got a bright idea. I could redeem myself. I could get famous myself if only I had my very own special signature dish! If only!

And that’s where you come in, readers. What simple, simple dish–say no more that five items–is a knockout dish that could become my signature dish? One I could bring to block parties and everyone would exclaim: “There’s Lois again with that wonderful ……! It’s so wonderful, we just can’t wait for another party so we can have it again!”

I had dinner with these two woman before I left AZ. I mentioned in passing that I was a blogger and this “signature dish” may show up on my blog. I don’t know if they believed me or not.

But to back track, after I’d recovered a bit at the party, the hostess came to sit by me. “Did you bring these yummy rolls? They are wonderful!” My neighbor chimed in: “Yes, they are so good. They melt in your mouth. You’ll have to give me the recipe.”

I smiled sweetly inside and said a prayer that my grandkids’ school would be selling these frozen tubes of caramel rolls again. Meanwhile, if you have that simple, simple recipe to share, who knows? You could be the winner in helping me become famous!

Photo by EKATERINA BOLOVTSOVA on Pexels.com

20 thoughts on “Signature Dish”

  2. I enjoy cooking, and we eat a lot of homemade soup at our family gatherings. Probably not what you have in mind. However, my sister in law often brings a taco dip that’s both easy and quite yummy. This recipe looks pretty close to what she makes, although she often skips the ground meat as there are a lot of vegetarians in the family. Tasty with tortilla chips on Fritos! https://hip2save.com/recipes/baked-taco-dip/

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  3. I don’t go to our condo’s happy hours because I don’t seem to know how to do those quick and beautiful little snacky things. You may have to stick with the caramel rolls. 🙂

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  5. This gave me a much needed smile at the end of my hectic day! I wish I could give you a signature dish, but I avoid cooking in favor of doing almost anything else. But I did love to cook at one time! Now I like to write.

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  6. Oh Lois, this made me smile. I would be the ‘or not’ person. I can never come up with a signature dish. Your caramel buns would surpass anything I could think of. Well done.

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  7. Mary Anne Staszewski

    BLT Dip ! Cup Mayo
    1 cup Sour Cream
    1 tomato chopped fine
    I pkg Hormel real Bacon bits
    Mix all together . Refrigerate. When ready to serve, make several pieces of toast and cut them into triangles.

    Dump Cake
    1 box of yellow or white cake mix
    1 stick of butter 9i use unsalted) sliced
    I cup chopped nuts
    1 large can of sliced peaches with syrup
    Dump peaches into 9×13 “ pan , Sprinkle the cake mix over te peaches.add nuts and then top with sliced butter . Bake in 350 oven for 35-40 min. Can be serviced with whipped cream or ice cream. I have also used cherry, or blueberry pie filling .

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  10. I don’t really bother with fancy dishes to haul to events. I hale from the Midwest where it is just good old fashion rib-sticking food. However, one year I got caught short for a 4th of July potluck at the lake. I found out at the last minute I could attend. I had nothing to take with me. Usually I had potato salad, bars, or something made up ahead of time. Desperate I looked around and spotted a jar of kosher dill pickles. A two quart one pint jar of Vlasic pickles! The industiral size jar! They were leftover from an event I had been involved in two weeks before. I grabbed the jar and I was off.
    Those pickles spears were the hit of the potluck. Everyone was looking for more. They went in beer, homemade Bloody Marys, they were eaten plain, snacked on all day and I realized I could have brought more! From then on I was the Pickle Lady. Easiest dish I have ever provided.
    https://meekamayesmarket.wordpress.com/

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