Turn up the fun at your next party with easy-as-pie starters. No fussing needed — no recipes, either. To put together a quick yet sumptuous appetizer spread, combine great ingredients with a few tricks to make them stand out. A few ideas:
Savvy Shrimp Cocktail
Pick up party-ready peeled, deveined and cooked shrimp from the Publix seafood counter. Arrange on a platter around cocktail sauce and dress up the platter with lemon slices and herb sprigs. Take it up a notch, if you like, and marinate the shrimp for several hours in a purchased balsamic vinaigrette. Drain; sprinkle with feta cheese and serve with toothpicks.
Cheese-Cherry-Tomato Delights
Hollow out cherry tomatoes and fill with Boursin cheese. Top with sprigs of fresh dill or parsley.
Crowd-Pleasing Meatballs
Saucy meatballs are always one of the first things to disappear off the appetizer buffet. Conveniently, they're also one of the easiest to make! Simply thaw frozen meatballs as directed on the package. Then, heat in your favorite barbecue sauce and keep warm in a slow cooker.
Ravishing Radishes
Top thin baguette slices with a slather of softened butter and some sliced radishes. Arrange on a platter with a bowl of kosher salt in the middle. Invite guests to sprinkle a little salt on each of these clever canapes.
Smoked Salmon
Serve a plank of smoked salmon alongside crackers and bowls of the classic accompaniments: lemon wedges, fresh snipped dill weed, capers and sour cream. Invite guests to stack their crackers with these classy fixings.
Elegant Appetizer Bowl
In a stemmed glass bowl, layer an assortment of olives, marinated artichoke hearts and marinated feta cheese. Serve with a long-handled fork, toothpicks and small appetizer plates.
What wines should you serve with an appetizer party? Chardonnay and Merlot are perennial crowd-pleasers. But if you want to try something a little off the beaten path, reach for Viognier and Shiraz.