Cheeni Blog
15 International Recipes Inspired by Friends & Family
Looking to make something unique, new and exciting to jazz up your dinner parties?
It’s the perfect time of year to get extra creative in the kitchen with the holiday season quickly approaching. As the next few weeks go by, chances are your calendar will become filled with holiday parties, potlucks, and festivities.
Here are some excellent potluck ideas inspired by my own international friends who have brought these simple and fun dishes to parties I’ve hosted or attended over the years. I’ve included the name of each friend who inspired the corresponding dish in the titles below.
These wonderful recipes are sure to make you the star of any dinner party!
Pesto and Sun dried Tomato Cheese Spread - Angela
The festive colors of this beautiful dish make it extra perfect for the holidays! Your guests will go crazy over the flavors of this spread, which combine sun-dried tomatoes, goat cheese, and pesto all in one perfect swoop. The best part? It’s simple as can be to make, and it doesn’t require any cooking. Just layer the ingredients in a plastic-wrap-lined dish, refrigerate, and voila! Spreads wonderfully over crackers or bread.
https://www.homemadeinterest.com/delicious-holiday-recipes-pesto-sundried-tomato-cheese-spread/
Chocoflan - Viviana
How about a latin-themed dish to really spice-up (or in this case, sweeten) a party? It doesn’t get more decadent than this flan recipe with a fun chocolate-cake twist! A beautiful moist chocolate bundt cake with a custardy flan top-half, glazed with caramel sauce, and then topped with pecan pieces. Makes a beautiful addition to any table. Provecho!
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/marcela-valladolid/chocoflan-recipe-1949457
Pumpkin Banitza - Aneliya
These mouth-watering cinnamon and pumpkin-filled phyllo rolls make the perfect dessert for any dinner party. This pastry recipe is quite simple: just unroll the phyllo-dough, layer, spread the pumpkin filling, roll-up and bake! Best served with coffee or tea.
https://www.thespruce.com/bulgarian-sweet-pumpkin-banitza-recipe-1135757
Liberian Jolloff Rice - Petrolina and Deborah Bome
Bring along some truly exotic flare to your dinner party with this West African favorite. Jollof Rice is a fun and delicious spin on normal rice. The rice is fried in tomato paste, and then boiled in coconut milk with a bunch of spices. This flavorful side dish makes a great addition to any meal!
https://recipesfromapantry.com/jollof-rice/
Cheesy Hot Crab Dip - Nancy
Creamy and decadent with a dash of zest, this cheesy, hot crab-dip will become one of your potluck “go-to’s.” It’s simple to make. Just mix all of the ingredients together in a single baking dish, and pop it in the oven until the cheese on-top starts to brown. All crab-lovers will go wild over this dish!
http://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/awesome-cheesy-hot-crab-dip-113419
Egg Rolls - Tin
These crunchy and delicious vietnamese egg rolls make the perfect appetizer for any dinner party! The best part about this recipe is that it gives you three different options for the filling depending on what you’re feeling: chicken & shrimp, shrimp only, or tofu! The filling includes a good variety of veggies, so it’s a great way to sneak some vegetables into your day.
https://www.thelittlekitchen.net/vietnamese-egg-rolls-recipe/
Baklava - Summa
Who doesn’t go crazy over baklava? People typically assume that baklava is too complex to make at home, but this recipe keeps it easy and do-able. Simply layer the buttered phyllo sheets with the nut mixture, bake until golden brown, and see how long it takes before every piece is gone!
https://natashaskitchen.com/2014/12/21/baklava-recipe/
Spanakopita Pie - Tasia
This classic, famous dish is made easy and delicious every time with this recipe. It’s so beautiful that your guests won’t believe it’s homemade! A flaky pie crust stuffed with spinach, spices, and salty crumbled feta cheese- what isn’t there to love!
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/cat-cora/spanakopitagreek-spinach-pie-recipe-1941101
French Almond Cake - Brandi
Powder-sugar dusted, almond-slice topped French almond cake makes the perfect centerpiece for any dinner party or potluck. Your guests will love this classy and delicious dessert. This moist cake can be made using just one bowl for easy clean-up!
https://thecafesucrefarine.com/french-almond-cake/
Indian Bhel Puri - Salma Auntie
Introduce your guests to one of Mumbai’s most beloved street foods: behl puri. Bhel puri is described as a crispy, soft, sweet, tangy, spicy mixture of many edibles. This recipe is as simple as chopping up the ingredients and adding them into the bowl one after another, the link even shows a step-by-step guide with photos to make it extra simple!
http://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/bhel-puri-mumbai-bhel-puri/
Enchiladas Suizas - Gretel
The complex mixture of textures and flavors of Mexican dishes are loved by so many. This delicious chicken enchiladas recipe is a perfect savory and flavorful main dish to bring to any party. You can even double or triple the recipe depending on how many guests will be present.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/marcela-valladolid/enchiladas-suizas-2666247
Spanish Pan con tomato - Leonar
This simple, yet tasty 5-ingredient tapas recipe makes the perfect appetizer, and can be paired with pretty much anything. Pieces of crusty, toasted ciabatta bread are smothered in a freshly-grated tomato spread and then drizzled with olive oil and sea-salt. Each piece is more addictive than the last!
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2015/09/pan-con-tomate-tomato-bread-spanish-recipe.html
Euro Steamed Artichokes - Aunt Beverly
Artichokes never tasted so good before! If you aren’t a fan of artichokes, this is your chance to give them a second try to see why they’re loved by so many! This recipe pairs steamed artichokes with a creamy, zesty lemon garlic aioli. Serve this appetizer with a glass of white wine and everyone will be happy!
https://www.tasteslovely.com/steamed-artichokes-lemon-garlic-aioli/
Indian Tandoori Chicken Wings - Tania
Chicken wings are a great dish to bring to any party because everybody loves them! There are so many different ways to prepare wings, but these baked tandoori chicken wings are one of my favorites. They’re seasoned with Indian spices and marinated in a yogurt sauce that makes them extra special! Perfect for any type of party, and can be eaten as an appetizer or as included in the main meal.
https://marlameridith.com/baked-tandoori-chicken-wings-recipe/
Mom's Russian Chicken Salad
This chicken salad recipe is a lot different than the American versions of chicken salad that you might be used to. You’re in for a treat with this traditional Slavic favorite! It’s also healthy, as the main ingredients are vegetables, chicken, and boiled eggs. This recipe includes a few shortcuts making it quick and easy to prepare.
https://natashaskitchen.com/2015/07/17/chicken-olivye-chicken-potato-salad/