Cooking compliments are priceless, especially to moms who are usually too strapped to bring the “wow factor” to the dinner table.
But the potluck is your time to shine, to flex those cooking chops and impress the whole party.
If you’re hankering for some high praise, or just to feel like a super mom, these 11 irresistible dishes will make you the talk of the potluck!
Appetizers
This unique and super simple dish will knock their socks off! Roll red or green grapes in a coating of soft goat cheese, spread the balls with honey and then roll them in crushed pistachios and hazelnuts. Slice in half and serve!
Who isn’t enamored with cheese dips? Just blend ricotta cheese, grated Parmesan, olive oil and lots of fresh herbs like basil, chives and oregano and serve with toasted baguette.
I love the simplicity of this delicious dish!
Roll out puff pastry sheets and baste with a mixture of olive oil, grated Parmesan, dried Italian herbs and cracked pepper. Roll the sheet onto itself and cut into small rolls, about two inches thick. Put on a baking sheet and baste the outside with more of the mixture. Bake at 400 degrees until golden brown.
Side Dishes
This creamy western-inspired dish will have party guests raving ‘til the cows come home!
In a large bowl, stir together eggs, creamed corn, American cheese, milk, crushed salted crackers (like Saltines), diced green Chile peppers, sugar, salt and black pepper. Put the mixture in a baking dish and bake uncovered in a 350-degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until the center appears set. Enjoy!
This rich pasta dish is so mouth-watering, guests will be fighting for seconds.
The sauce is made with Fontina cheese, chopped porcini mushrooms, butter, heavy cream and shiitake mushrooms. Pour it over the cooked pasta, sprinkle with Parmesan-Reggiano and bake in a 375-degree oven.
I am obsessed with roasted broccoli right now, and everything tastes better with butter and cheese sauce, so how can this recipe go wrong?
Roast the broccoli (tossed in olive oil and salt) on a pan until the florets start to brown. Then, toss in the butter-cheese sauce, sprinkle with two cups MORE cheese (mmm), along with some more butter and bake at 325-degrees until broccoli is tender.
Main Dishes
I don’t know anyone who would pass up chicken fettuccine, and this dish is even more decadent with the addition of crumbled bacon and sun-dried tomatoes.
Make a simple cream sauce with butter, half-and-half, chicken broth and Parmesan cheese, then mix in chopped cooked chicken, bacon crumbles, and sun-dried tomatoes (packed in oil). Mix with cooked fettuccine, sprinkle with more Parmesan, and bake uncovered in a 350-degree oven for 30 minutes.
This recipe had me at “cream cheese!”
Take ground beef and mix with your favorite pasta sauce—this recipe calls for making your own, but I would skip that!
See the recipe for the full instructions — but let’s just say noodles, beef, cheese and more cheese.
Pork tenderloin is a perfect potluck main dish, and this recipe is so easy, it steals the show in my book!
Just pour in a mixture of dried onion soup, water, soy sauce and red wine over the pork in the slow cooker. Spread minced garlic on the pork and sprinkle with cracked pepper. Cook on low for four hours and you’re done!
Desserts
Everybody loves chocolate chip cookies, but those alone aren’t going to win any potluck awards!
This recipe calls for pre-made cookie dough (in the tube), rolled out into a baking dish and cooked until crisp and brown. Let it cool on a drying rack, and mix together cream cheese and confectioner’s sugar with some whipped cream. Layer it onto the cookie “cake,” and then mix together a pack of chocolate pudding, vanilla pudding and milk. Layer that mixture onto the cream cheese layer, and refrigerate for eight hours or until firm. Serve with whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles on top!
This dessert is easy, genius and delicious!
Make the treats as you would Rice Krispies treats, but add in graham cereal instead. Press half the mixture into a baking pan and sprinkle with milk chocolate bar pieces. Press the other half of the mixture on top of the chocolate and top with more chocolate pieces. After cooling and hardening, cut into squares!
With these 11 easy potluck recipes, you’ll steal the show!
