Old school covered dish supper

Back when I was a kid, potluck suppers were a thing. And I recall them at church most vividly. When you attend a small town church, then you get to enjoy what we called "covered dish meals", or "lunch on the grounds". My granny and mother's generations were more about lunch on the grounds after church in the days before air conditioning found its way to Texas. I recall my generation always gathering in the fellowship hall to enjoy covered dish meals, because everyone appreciates a climate controlled environment that's bug-free.

Today a lot of folks fix their food in those silver disposable pans you can find at the grocery store. I'll admit I sometimes use them. But back in the day, all of the church ladies would haul out their Sunday best serving dishes to whip up a favorite family recipe. In my opinion, the most outstanding thing about those gatherings was always the great variety of made-from-scratch dishes presented.

Fast forward to our new lake community. I really enjoy the sweet little nondenominational church that's located here in the gates of our neighborhood. In the fall they hosted a spaghetti supper. Then this week they scheduled a bring your favorite recipe potluck dinner. I whipped up my great aunt Jodie's cheesy squash casserole, as well as my mother's yummy chicken and rice dish, as you see below. 

Now I'm gonna tattle on myself with a little story from the fall spaghetti supper. I made a pasta salad and dessert to share for that gathering. I had offered my elderly neighbor a ride. So when I was getting her into my SUV, I sat my food on the hood since I still had it in my hands and wanted to be sure she didn't trip on the running board. We quickly discovered the hood was more sloped than it appeared. Because dontcha know, the salad and cake slid off the front and landed with a PLOP on the  driveway. Oh the horror, y'all! The pasta salad was in a plastic airtight container and none the worse for its fall. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for the lemon pound cake. Over at the church we were able to salvage some pieces to put out for the crowd. But the rest of it looked like it had weathered a beating and come out the loser. Lesson learned. No more putting anything on the hood of my SUV that I don't want tumbling off it.