MNP Week 27: Buck Stardusky Steals The Show

We apologize for the lack of a Monday Night Potluck blog this week. The author's fat finger were too lazy to type after the heavy influx of potluck grub from last week's MNP. Congratulations to Buck Stardusky and his merry band of Coconut Curry Lentils which stole first place from the plethora of delicious desserts that created the sugar overload from which I am only now just crashing, and to Matt and Christine's cheesy Smoked Gouda & Pancetta Pizza (2nd place) and Jesse and Kate's Whiskey Chili (3rd place). See, that sentence was not even close to grammatically correct, this blog must end.

Shout out to all who brought delicious dishes! See you all this evening for German night! 

Don Wood - Green Chili
Maria Mattera - Maria's Not So Mexican Chicken Enchiladas
Marisa R. - Peanut Butter Block
Jesse and Kate - Whiskey Chili! (3rd Place)
Buck Stardusky - Coconut Curry Lentils (1st Place)
Katie Schroeder - Chocolate Eclair Cake
Brittany Wilson - Cookies & Cream Cookies
Heidi and James - Oreo Cheesecake
Tom Greiner - Jimmy Dean Dip
Jake Fockelman - Tipsy Mud Pie
Warren and Samantha - Collard Greens
Warren and Samantha - Jambalaya
Matt and Christine - Smoked Gouda & Pancetta Pizza (2nd Place)

MNP Week 25: Peanut Butter Cheesecake Bars Delight On Way To Victory

After a steady and slow climb through the Monday Night Potluck rankings, Katie Schroeder finally secured a potluck victory last Monday evening at Broken Compass. 

On the first potluck of April, Schroeder's Peanut Butter Cheesecake Bars cruised to a first place finish over 13 delightful dishes. Cheesecake Bars, using a delicious combination of sweets with a base of incredible graham cracker and buoyed by a veteran potluck placement near the front of the tables.

Richard and Jess's Pork Chili finished second with 30 points, a strong finish after the duo's first place win during MNP Week 24, while Mcintosh's Chicken Cheese Broccoli narrowly took third with 29 points. 

PB Cheesecake Bars win was not only for Schroeder, but for desserts all around, as some potluckers were beginning to speculate that desserts were unable to finish first. 

Desserts will look to continue their streak tonight at the Southern Cooking themed potluck, where cobblers and pies should flourish.

Thanks again to all who brought food for the potluck, here are the dishes and their makers:

Gus - Shrimp
Kathleen/Lisa - Pulled Pork Sliders w/ Coleslaw
Linda/Tom - Brussel Sprouts & Bacon
Kate/Jesse - Spring Berry Salad
Marisa - PB & Honey Mittens
Mcintosh - Jen's Chicken Cheese Broccoli (3rd Place)
Andrei - Jalapeno Potato & Rice Soup
Katie Schroeder - Peanut Butter Cheesecake Bars (1st Place)
Tom Greiner - Buffalo Cheese Dip
Richard & Jess - Pork Chili (2nd Place)
Langleys - Chicken Tortellini w/ Cheese
Blair & Tain - Sweet Potato Curry
Hanna Holtzberg - Blackened Salmon

MNP Week 24: Saucy Meatballs Topple Desserts

In a devastating performance, Saucy Meatballs dominated the potluck competition Monday Night. 

In the season's 24th Monday Night Potluck, Sarah and Jack's Saucy Balls 49 points easily outpaced the excellent field, exceeding the point total of the second and third place finishers combined. 

The dominant dish clearly reflected a team effort. Jack credited Sarah with the majority of the effort, but Sarah reflected that credit back on Jack for "pattying the balls" and "stuffing the cheese."

Saucy Meatballs may have stolen the spotlight, but there was still plenty of room on potluckers plates and palates for other dishes to shine. Desserts followed up on the delightful Meatballs, taking the second and third place spots on the evening. Jess and Richard's Aunt Patti's Bread Pudding narrowly took second place, its 24 points edging out Team Sully's Cran Apple Crunch's 23. 

Thanks again to all who made delicious grub for the potluck! As always, here are the chefs and their dishes:

Angie Dorton - PB Banana Cups
Dave Sutton - Sweet & Sassy Pork Sliders
Brenda Kuznik - Olive Waf & Brie Cheeses
Brenda Kuznik - Skinny Pop Popcorn
Gina Parthum - Pasta w/ Pancetta Cauliflower, Broccoli & Olives
Sarah and Jack - Saucy Meatballs (1st Place)
Team Sully - Cran-Apple Crunch (3rd Place)
Kelly Schaller - Pork Green Chili
Jess and Richard - Aunt Patti's Bread Pudding (2nd Place)
T Jay - Pork on Pork on Pork
Jared - Bourbon Pecan Pie
Chris Hershey - Sloppy Joes

MNP Week 22: St. Patrick's Day Deliciousness

Lana McLaughlin - Irrational Califlower Cheese Pie
Susie Nathnagel - Irish Green Salad w/ Goat Cheese
Amanda and Eleanor - Margarita Cheesecakes
Rick - Bangers and Colcannon w/ Guinness Gravy (1st Place)
Jake and Chris - Double Baca Deviled Eggs
Danny Bumm - Green Irish Dip
Blair - Irish Soda Bread
Katie Schroeder - Pi Day Key Lime Pie
Tom Greiner - Guinness Onion Rings & Gravy
Hailey Michelsen - Guinness and Bailey's and Whiskey Chocolate Cupcakes (2nd Place)
Mike Spies - Ham and Bean Soup
Hanna Holtzbog - Grilled Blackened Salmon (3rd Place)
Kate - Quinoa Vegetable Chicken Chili
Jenna Van Bell - Jenna's Birthday Cake
Dylan Gunther - Mac N Cheese

The MNP champs

MNP Week 21: An Epic Pork Off

March Madness is truly upon us.

In the first Monday Night Potluck of this delightfully hectic month, Broken Compass played host to one of the best potlucks of the season to date.

A mere eight points separated the top four dishes, while 11 of the 18 finished with double digit points. The competition came down to two delicious pulled porks and one double chocolate cake, loaded with so much chocolate even your regular potluck blogger (a notorious sweet tooth) thought it was delightfully rich. 

The pork off pitted two dishes, The Dirty Duke BBQ and Pork Tacos against each other in a clash of styles. Dirty Dukes utilized a more traditional BBQ route, bolstered by the presence of Sweet Baby Ray himself to blow away palates and wow potluckers. Pork Tacos, meanwhile, brought a fresh take to pork, with a Mexican zest and delicious salsa to sprinkle on top of horribly cute mini tortillas (which had to be home made. Or at least, this blogger has never seen them in grocery stores or that's all that would be in my pantry. Stupid cute). 

When the votes were tallied, Dirty Duke came away with slight two point victory over Double Chocolate German Chocolate Cake and Pork Tacos. But upon further review, the Dirty Dukes were stripped of their first place victory due to likely voter collusion (and because the creators happened to be Monday Night Potluck emcee Daniel "Buckets" Miller-McLemore's family, who certainly don't need any more growlers). 

Anne Marie's German Chocolate Cake swooped in for the victory, while Sarah and Jack's Pork Tacos took second and claimed the Pork Off title. Seth Cohen's Coconut Porter Red Curry Chicken nailed down third place with 26 points. 

As always, we thank our amazing potluck chefs who supplied the grub for the evening. You rock.

Beth Groundwater - Kitchen Sink Slaw
Carolyn Magsson - Aussie Chicken And Rice
Chris Miller-McLemore - The Dirty Duke BBQ (1st Place/Disqualified)
Chantal and BIll Kirkhoff - Veggie Ranch Tortilla Pinwheels
Dave and Judy Sutton - Southwest Ranch Chicken & Bacon Salad
Bridget Cavanaugh - Pizza!!!
Loren Richardson - Spaghetti Pie
Sarah and Jack - Pork Tacos (3rd/2nd Place)
Katie Schroeder - Nutter Butter Butterfinger Cheesecake Bars
Tom Greiner - South O' Border Bean Dip
Seth Cohen - Coconut Porter Red Curry Chicken (4th/3rd Place)
Maria - Salad w/ Fennel Shaved Parm & Almonds
Vicki - Philly Chicken Cheese Dip
Amanda - DONUTS!
D... - Tortillas
Anne Marie - Double Chocolate German Chocolate Cake (2nd/1st Place)
Chris - (unreadable by this author)
Else - Scones

MNP Week 17: A Slow Cooking Affair

When a serious group of crockpots get together, a delicious potluck is on hand.

That was the case at this week's Monday Night Potluck, which featured a whopping eight slow cooking dishes, nearly half of the 17 dishes supplied on the evening. In the end, both crockpot and non-crock dishes became champions on this potluck evening, with Claudia Olea's Creole Chili and Dirty Rice claiming a victory in the Cajun category while JT and Lucy Beth's Mini King Cake Rollups took first in the general potluck. 

King Cake Rollups stole the narrow victory from Tomato Pie, which also managed to podium over many delightful slow cooked foods, while a certain Mystery Guest took third with Creole Greek Okra. 

But on Mardi Gras week, nothing could dim the Cajunness of Creole Chili and Dirty Rice, which combined the scrumptious heartiness of a chili with the spicy zestiness of Cajun cooking to run away from the rest of the Louisiana-based dishes. 

Join us next week for our Valentine's/President's Day themed potluck this coming Monday! And as always, here's our awesome chefs from this past MNP: 

Jackie and Kim and Sam and Justin and Matt - The Best King Super Cookies Ever
Trish Streicher - Mac & Cheese
Megan Matza - Goat Cheese Bruschetta
Greta Shackelford - Spinach Salad
Chelsea Vendegna - Veggie Enchilads
JT and Lucy Beth - Mini King Cake Rollups (1st Place)
JT and Lucy Beth - Cranberry Orange Bundtcake
Super Bowl Leftovers - Pizza Dip
Russ Schissler - Quinoa Enchilada Casserole
Richard and Jess - Tomato Pie (2nd Place)
Kate, Jessie, Kathy - Hotter Than Yo Mama's Hummus
Mike Spies - Chicken Marsala
Claudia Olea - Creole Chili and Dirty Rice (Cajun Champion)
Mystery Regular - Creole Greek Okra (3rd Place)
J. Haggerty - Gumbo
Seth Cohen - Turkey Meatballs w/ Chocolate Coffee Stout Mushroom Bacon Cream Sauce
Jamie Machowicz - Cheese Dip and Pretzel Chip Cookies
 

MNP Week 16: Mini Peanut Butter Cheesecakes A Delight, Champion

In a shock to absolutely nobody, Maria Galgas's Mini Peanut Butter Cheesecakes won a commanding victory at last week's Monday Night Potluck. 

An MNP juggernaut, Maria's desserts are renowned across the potluck land for their deliciousness, so when competitors saw her name on the same line as "Cheesecakes" and "Peanut Butter" and "Mini", it was nearly a foregone conclusion. 

With second place up for grabs, however, the remaining dishes held an admirable battle. Sara's Baby Pot Pies clawed their way to the podium, outlasting Mama's Pot Pie in a hearty, chicken-centric pot pie battle, claiming second place with 20 points. Kim and Jen's Salad de Potluck was a late arrival, meanwhile, but managed to secure enough votes for third place while presenting eaters with a different tasty surprise in every bite (seriously, I still have no idea what combinations of foods and flavors were in that salad). 

Delicious as always, and make sure to join us tonight (Feb. 8) for our Cajun themed potluck and to meet our new head brewer, Jason Wiedmaier! (http://www.brokencompassbrewing.com/blog/2016/2/5/meet-our-new-brewer-on-monday-night-potluck)

Loren - Chillin Chilladas
Cliff - Mama Pot Pie
Sara - Baby Pot Pies (2nd Place)
Sarah/Jack - Lil' Smokeys
Samantha and Warren - Mom's Coleslaw
Maria - Mini Peanut Butter Cheesecakes (1st Place)
Tarek/DBallz - Ballz's Beans
Kim and Jen - Salad de Potluck (3rd Place)

MNP Week 15: Asian Cabbage Salad Brings Home Title For Healthiness

As many potluckers nursed Broncos hangovers, a few elite chefs plied their trade yet again at Broken Compass for Monday Night Potluck. 

And in a result that was eerily similar to the Broncos AFC Championship victory, Asian Cabbage Salad narrowly clipped Full Loaded Baked Potato Soup 20-18 to secure Tommy Peters's first MNP victory. It was unclear which competition was more exciting (we're trying to be impartial. Obviously potluck was way more exciting than a damn football game).

It was a tight match from the kickoff, as both Cabbage Salad and Potato Soup showed the qualities that got them to this elite level of cooking and eating. Potato Soup edged ahead to an early lead, receiving crucial contributions from bacon, cheese and scallions off the bench. Not to be outdone however, Cabbage Salad gamely hung with the soupy juggernaut and finally inched into the lead late in the fourth quarter with help from a touch of soy sauce and a missed extra point, staking claim to what is likely the healthiest victory in the history of MNP.

Three dishes finished in a tie for third, as Cinnamon Apple Cookies!, Broken Compass Chili Pepper Pale Ale Five Cheese Spinach Artichoke Dip and Feta, Red Onion, Hot Pepper Jam Sliders w/ Pepper Jack pleased palates and stomachs alike.

Thanks to all who brought food and good fun! As always, here's the chefs and their creations:

Lauren P. - Cinnamon Apple Cookies! (T-3rd Place)
Sarah S. - Fully Loaded Baked Potato Soup (2nd Place)
Seth Cohen - Broken Compass Chili Pepper Pale Ale Five Cheese Spinach Artichoke Dip (T-3rd Place)
Jack Yeaton - Feta, Red Onion, Hot Pepper Jam Sliders w/ Pepper Jack (T-3rd Place)
Tommy Peters - Asian Cabbage Salad (1st Place)
Krisen Kellogg - Kale Parmesan Salad