Back to School Potluck 2015
Well, schools back in session this week for us. For the first time since Z was in full time child care, both of my kiddos are going to finish their day in the same building. Hooray! R started afternoon Kindergarten and Z is in 2nd Grade. According to R, the best part of her day is recess (of course) and Z says she thinks 2nd grade is *awesome*….well, that was her opinion until the homework folder came home on Friday. Now she says school is going to be great because her sister’s classroom is really close to her. Gotta love that!
To kick off the new school year, we invited some friends for a potluck BBQ. And then I got an email from Foster Farms offering some free gluten free corndogs for the gathering. Hello? Free corn dogs and a house filled with kids ages 3 to 8? Yes please and thank you! (By the way, I have a couple coupons (2) to give away for anyone who wants to try the corn dogs. They are really yummy and were scarfed down by the kids really quickly.)
I’m not sure what my fall schedule will shake out to be like yet. We’ve only had three days of school so far (and one day of kindergarten). At the high school level, that means I have met my new 155 (!!!) students, been to two pep rallies, three days of inservice, two parent-teacher conferences, two open houses and my favorite unscheduled event: a new crown at the dentists on the night of the first day of school. Seriously, life can’t keep up this pace, RIGHT?????
Gluten free potlucks are really easy to host. I honestly did not ask anyone to bring anything specifically gluten free. I told them to bring what they love and their kids owl love too. Some people made gluten free treats to share because they enjoy them even though. I would never ask anyone to bring only gluten free items to a potluck – that is so not fair! – unless I knew every single person or family coming had someone in their house that was GF too. People should come to hang out and enjoy company, not stress about food! After all, I’m perfectly capable of taking care of my own food needs and making sure there were GF options for me. I didn’t expect nearly the entire spread to be GF though! I seriously have the best friends ever and my kids have picked some wonderful ones too.
People brought fruit salads, kale salad with lentils, gluten free black bean brownies, gluten free peanut butter cookies and marshmallow-rice treats (GF too when you use the right cereal), etc. We made spicy Korean BBQ chicken on the grill for all of the adults (although at least two of us stole bites of the kids corn dogs too…ha!). We had hummus, guacamole, pineapple-strawberry salsa, black bean and corn salsa, quinoa tabbouleh, fresh fruit, cole slaw etc. It was the best way to kick off our new school year!
Are you interested in trying the Foster Farms yummy GF Corn Dogs too? They are slightly sweet and crunchy. The corn flavor is delicious and it stays together well. We highly recommend the oven method – although we did have on lonely corn dog leftover that we reheated in the microwave for my little one for lunch the next day. She still gobbled it up but it was missing that yummy sweet crunch for me. 😀 All is good in the land of corn dogs for the kidlet though. If you have a Celiac child or you are a corn dog lover yourself, these are delicious and convenient.
Good luck! Hope your September is going swimmingly!
Now I off to Pinterest to re-examine those “Family Organization Centers”. The Friday folder and backpack opening after school already started the flurry of paperwork around the kitchen. Got any good tips for a small space to organize, anyone? I’m open to suggestions! Ha! (It’s like a never ending battle for me, this organization thing. LOL)
~Kate & Family