First impressions matter, but they don’t have to be painful. Pick just a couple show-stopping, low-effort appetizers and fill in the gaps with easy cocktail party fare like bruschetta and a charcuterie board so you can start big and still focus on killing it with the rest of the meal. These fast, simple snacks take minimal effort for maximum flavor.
Scatter your snacks in more than one place and dish them out in batches throughout the evening. Snack-designated gathering spots prevent bottlenecks in a crowded kitchen, and timing is everything if you want to keep your drinking guests from donning a lampshade because you ran out of food.
2. Recipe: Roasted Artichokes with Garlic Aioli
3. Recipe: Spicy Bacon Caramel Corn
Marianne Moore is a contributor to Sauce Magazine and Dierbergs culinary creative director.
This article appears in November 2017.