CAN YOU BRING THIS TO A MINNESOTA POTLUCK?

If you have been born and raised in Minnesota, then you may not understand the depth of this question. Everyone knows the rules of potluck anywhere, right? Not exactly. You need to know that if you are invited to a funeral, invited to a picnic, invited to a party, and are told it is 'potluck,' then there are only two questions you need to ask.

Question one: What would you like me to bring? Question two: How many people are we feeding?

A MINNESOTA GET-TOGETHER HAS RULES

When we have get-togethers in my family, we do discuss what the host is bringing. Everyone else needs to base their contribution around the host's food. For example, if the host is providing hamburgers, hot dogs, and brats for a 4th of July event, then the rest of the guests need to find a way to talk about what types of food they want. Quite often, I bring a three-bean hotdish (because casseroles don't exist in Minnesota). If I find out that someone is bringing beans, then I make a left turn and bring a veggie pizza.

If it's a family affair, it's pretty easy to decide who is going to bring what. It seems that everyone has a specialty. So if you've brought something in the past and everyone fell in love with it, then it might be your job to continue to bring that same dish every year if it is an annual event.

THE EXCEPTIONS...AND THERE ARE NOT MANY

There are a few exceptions. If you are the busy one...the one that truly doesn't have any time to make something from scratch, then you are allowed to bring things like buns, rolls, or chips that are purchased from the store.

BUT...there is one thing that is never truly accepted at a potluck.

When you are asked to bring a dessert, you are expected to bring something homemade. If you can't bake, then you'd better be calling someone you know who can, because if you show up with cupcakes from the grocery store, you're going to get the Minnesota Nice treatment.

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MINNESOTA NICE

Those cookies, cupcakes, or bars that you just picked up on your way to the potluck might make it to the table, but they are sort of like a backup plan. If you make something, AND bring baked goods from the store, then you are off the hook. Make sense?

RELATED: Only In Minnesota: Spicy Dorito Chicken Hotdish [RECIPE]

The homemade deserts will be put out on display and once the main event is over, the store bought items will be slowly and secretly put out at the end of the desert table sort of as a 'if you're still hungry, you can eat this stuff at the end of the table' thing.

DON'T BE OFFENDED

Don't be offended. Think about it this way. If you were invited to come to this get-together and invited to bring something to the potluck, you were invited to share a piece of yourself with the rest of the group. You are allowed to create something that brings joy to you, and then you share that joy with everyone else. The Minnesota Nice potluck is rooted in sharing, joy, kindness, and deliciousness. So, when you bring something that was last minute, not a well-thought-out caring contribution, then you missed the whole idea of what a Minnesota potluck is for.

So if someone asks you to bring bars to the next potluck, dig in and find a simple recipe. If you aren't familiar with making bars, ask a friend, or maybe a loved one to help you create something from scratch.