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Your dinner is planned, your guests are invited, and your playlist is set. But what are you going to offer everyone milling about while you finish the roast? Fussy bites are not the move when you’re taking care of a dozen other things. For a party, we want smart and easy appetizers—the kind you can throw together when you look at the clock and realize your guests are arriving…well, now. We’ve gathered our favorite flavorful hors d’oeuvres that make hosting look effortless, from crowd-pleasing pigs in a blanket to classic guacamole and a cheese ball or two. And yes, we proudly lean on store-bought shortcuts like puff pastry to bring these together deliciously and quickly. Whether you’re cooking for a bash or just need a pre-dinner snack, read on for our favorite dip recipes, cheesy appetizers, and finger foods that won’t occupy your precious time or (too much) oven space.
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Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Gerri Williams
Spicy Shrimp Endive Spears
For an easy appetizer that looks and tastes caterer-made, mix pre-cooked shrimp with spicy mayo and serve in little endive canoes.
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Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Judy Kim, Prop Styling by Stephanie De Luca
Tangy Tomato-Chile Popcorn
Once you have tangy tomato powder—made from dehydrated and pulverized tomatoes—in your arsenal, you’ll never run out of ways to use it. One of them should definitely be this umami-forward popcorn.
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Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Pearl Jones, Prop Styling by Dayna Seman
Spinach Artichoke Dip
Frozen artichokes make easy work of this game day, holiday, movie night, slumber party, and all-around good-time favorite.
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Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Thu Buser, prop styling by Gerri Williams
Hurricane Chips
The secret to truly excellent seasoned chips? A little sugar. The snackable sweet-and-salty contrast makes it all too easy to finish off the bowl. Here, we use it to complete the umami sesame dust that coats each kettle chip.
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Photo by Alex Lau
BA’s Best Guacamole
We’ll never turn down freshly made guacamole with crispy, crunchy tortilla chips. This easy guacamole recipe is a classic best made in a Mexican mortar and pestle called a molcajete. If you don’t have one, a bowl and a potato masher or fork also work.
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Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne, Prop Styling by Gerri K. Williams
Pistachio-Sesame Cheese Ball
Boursin cheese is a great time-saving move—it’s already well-seasoned and packed with flavor. All you need to worry about is zhuzhing the exterior; pistachio and sesame seeds add plenty of nuttiness and texture.
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Photograph by Isa Zapata,