Pounding

Chocolate covered pretzels, strawberries and grapes

While we were in Indiana visiting friends, we attending a "Pounding." It was an Old German Baptist "Young Folks" meeting at our friends' grandparent's house. Contrary to what anyone who has survived middle school may think, it did not involve physical violence. The event received its name because each participant brings a pound of food--pretzels, flour, chocolate, cheese--to be prepared for dinner. 

After everyone arrived, we spread the food on tables in the garage and divided into four teams. Then we took turns choosing a pound of food from the table. My team acquired Velveeta cheese, tortilla chips, cheddar cheese, canned chicken, noodles, a loaf of bread and black beans, which we transformed into a noodle casserole, cheesy-bean dip and chips, and garlic bread (The hostess was generous with extras such as butter and garlic powder, and we traded another group some Velveeta cheese for an onion). 

There were two kitchens in the house, and we prepared our food in the basement. When the cooking was completed, we gathered in the garage to sample our creations. There were several noodle casserole dishes and even a peach cobbler, but the most original was the chocolate covered grapes.