From finger foods kids and adults will want to chow down on, to more elevated apps for kid-free events, we’ve curated a list of appatizer recipes that are so easy, they almost don’t need recipe instructions. So browse through our top easy appetizer picks and enjoy eliminating the stress of menu planning for your next gathering.
Bacon-wrapped dates with goat cheese
Bacon-wrapped dates are that elusive combination of super-fancy and super-easy.
Get the full recipe from Pinch of Yum.
Honey & pistachio goat cheese appetizer
Want something a little more involved than a cheese plate? Try this honey and pistachio goat cheese, which guests can spread on crackers, apple slices or whatever other vessels you serve.
Get the full recipe from A Southern Soul.
Easy, cheesy garlic bread
Cheesy garlic bread may not be the most elevated appetizer, but its flavor is definitely award-winning.
Get the full recipe from Cafe Delites.
Mini-quiche
This recipe gives four suggestions for mini-quiche filling. Try all four or pick ~The Favourite~ and just make one.
Get the full recipe from Culinary Hill.
Ahi tuna cucumber bites
These next-level tuna cucumber bites call for high-quality fish but are really easy to throw together once you have the ingredients.
Get the full recipe from Paleo Leap.
Asparagus-pancetta puff pastry bundles
Store-bought puff pastry is the ultimate secret weapon when it comes to simple, classy appetizers. Here, it gets some vegetable treatment with asparagus-pancetta puff pastry bundles.
Get the full recipe from Completely Delicious.
Smoked salmon sandwiches
Serve smoked salmon sandwiches at you’re parties and we’ll RSVP yes every time.
Get the full recipe from Recipe Tin Eats.
3-ingredient cranberry-brie bites
Another great way to put puff pastry to use? Three-ingredient cranberry-brie bites.
Get the full recipe from Tablespoon.
Crab-stuffed potatoes
The cool thing about these crab-stuffed potatoes is that you can use small potatoes for the appetizer version or make giant ones with baking potatoes.
Get the full recipe from Life Currents.
Spinach dip bites
Love spinach dip, hate the mess? These spinach dip bites are perfect.
Get the full recipe from Lil’ Luna.
Cranberry-prosciutto crostini
Breaking news: Cranberry sauce is not just for Thanksgiving. Keep a can or two on hand to whip up these super easy crostinis.
Get the full recipe from Pizzazzerie.
Skillet black bean queso dip
This elegant skillet queso will be the star of your spread.
Get the full recipe from Peas and Crayons.
Bacon & spinach 4-cheese stuffed mushrooms
These bacon-spinach-cheese-stuffed mushrooms are even more stacked than this year’s best picture category.
Get the full recipe from Will Cook for Smiles.
White pizza dip
No matter what kind of party you’re throwing, white pizza dip deserves an invitation.
Get the full recipe from How Sweet Eats.
]]>If you’re the type of person who likes to put thought into every single detail of entertaining, then you likely have a stash of decorative ice cube trays already on lock. But these new molds from Target’s Threshold line should be added to your Halloween collection ASAP. They come in super fun shapes that will make your guests do a double-take at whatever potion you’re handing them.
They’re the perfect accessory for any spooky season cocktail party, and at just $10 each, you can collect them all.
The Skull Ice Cube Mold from Threshold comes with four skull-shaped cavities to freeze some super spooky skull-shaped cubes. Place the two halves of the mold together and use the included funnel to fill the entire compartment. After a few hours in the freezer, you’ll be left with bone-chilling cubes that are perfect for your Halloween goblet.
Threshold Skull Ice Cube Mold
You can use regular water for these ice cubes, or make them stand out even more by using cranberry or grape juice to add a bit of depth to the cube (and flavor to the drink!).
Looking for something not so spooky? This Threshold mold makes your ice into rose-shaped cubes, which can actually be used for cocktails well past Halloween. This vampy mold is filled the same way as the skull mold and is top-rack dishwasher safe, so cleanup is a breeze.
Threshold Roses Ice Cube Mold
How cute would these look floating in a coupe glass or bobbing up and down in a glass of rosé?
And if you’re still going strong in your Reputation Era, then check out this ice cube mold that shapes your cubes into snakes. This mold works similarly to the other two, but instead of having one smooth side and one side with an indentation, the entire cube is shaped like a coiled snake. The snake’s head on each cube sticks up a bit, so it will look like he’s coming up for air when put into your drink.
All of these ice cube molds are available at Target right now for just $10 each, so grab one of each to make every drink a little extra special this Halloween season. Both you and your guests won’t be able to get enough of them!
Before you go, check out our slideshow below:
What would summer be without a fancy cocktail or two? Having a refreshing drink in hand is a must when the temperature starts skyrocketing. But instead of fussing around with a sticky cocktail shaker and trying to not get sand into the open bottles you brought to the beach, why not step out of your comfort zone and try some canned wine?
Whether going to a picnic or barbeque, taking a hike, or relaxing at the beach, poolside, or home, canned wine is becoming an on-the-go drink of choice, but finding the best tasting canned wines can be tricky. People like that canned wine is durable, the packaging is usually slick, it’s a conversation starter, cost-effective (one can is sometimes equivalent to a ½ bottle of wine) and most of all, the quality is pretty darn good!
In fact, WICresearch, a research company that has been tracking the escalating rise of canned wine in the past few years, conducted a canned wine vs. bottled wine blind-taste test and discovered that 48.5 percent preferred the wine they tasted from a bottle while 51.1 percent either preferred the can or indicated they found no difference. And now that canned hard seltzer and canned craft beer are so common, there’s no reason to keep being snobby about wine.
So whether you’re already a canned wine fan or are trying it for the first time, we’ve rounded up the best tasting canned wines sure to suit your palate.
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Is it just us, or are canned cocktails totally a thing now? For the longest time it seemed like everyone looked down on canned drinks, but slowly, they took over. First, fancy craft beers returned to cans over bottles, and then, we started seeing more and more canned wines come onto the market. Next thing we know, a full-blown canned cocktail boom was on our hands!
Canned cocktails are perfect for summer. We’re always off adventuring when the weather gets warm, and the last thing we want to have to drag to the beach with us is all of the ingredients and supplies needed to shake up a few drinks.
That’s where the new generation of tasty canned cocktails comes in. Fizzy and fruity, tart and tangy, classic and creative, there’s a canned cocktail out there for every palate. Interested in tasting a few for yourself? Here are some of our favorite canned cocktails to try.
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Paris Hilton has truly built a business empire that makes sure we’re living our best lives, from powerful skincare and enchanting perfumes to cookware that brightens up our kitchens. And now, her bestselling French press is over 40 percent off; and shoppers are swarming to it!
The Paris Hilton French Press Coffee Maker is a truly gorgeous, and Barbie-coded eight-cup coffee press. Not only is the design super-cute, but it’s super functional. It has a non-drop spout for easy pouring, temp-safe glass so no breakage, and a stainless steel heart frame to keep it all in place.
So it’s versatile, handy, and beautiful? No wonder shoppers adore it.
As a reminder, all the incredible discounts you can score during Prime Day are only for Amazon Prime Members. If you’re not a member yet, be sure to sign up HERE to take advantage of all the great savings during Amazon Prime Day 2025. Young adults (18-24 years old) can also try out Prime for free for six months HERE, or sign up for a paid membership HERE for only $8 per month.
“This is perfect for my morning coffee! It makes me feel so bougie and sophisticated. Like who doesn’t love hearts on their stuff! Even my husband thinks it is darling,” one shopper said.
Another shopper said, “This is a must-have. First of all, I love the pink. It is a very soft color and really stands out. The press worked very well and no grains were floating around in it. It is perfect to have standing out in your kitchen.”
“This coffee press is so beautiful and functional. I am also impressed that with its beauty and quality, it does not cost an arm and a leg. I am so impressed that Paris Hilton made items for regular women and not just for her friends in Hollywood,” a third shopper said. “This would be a great gift to give to any girly girls or femme men. I really like it. I really really do. And I will make sure to gift the girly girls in my life whenever I can.”
Another shopper added, “So cute and works great! Small things like this make day to day life less mundane. It even comes with a cute heart shaped spoon!”
In search of more summer recipes? Giada De Laurentiis has plenty:
This is not a drill: we found a seriously powerful kitchen tool that’ll make our lives easier, and it’s Khloe Kardashian-approved!
In a deep dive on Kardashian-Jenner approved products through EOnline, Khloe shouted out the Bonsenkitchen Hand Blender, which is on major sale til midnight!
The Bonsenkitchen Hand Blender is a handy dandy, electric immersion blender that has become shoppers’ go-to for blending everything. No, seriously, it works with anything, including making soups, smoothies, dips, baby food, and more. This is thanks to the two mixing speeds: one for softer foods, and the second for tougher foods like nuts, carrots, and meat.
Not only is it versatile, but it’s easy-to-use because of the powerful stainless steel blades, the anti-splash design, and the fact that it’s easy to clean since the detachable blender stick is dishwasher safe.
And along with the Kardashians loving it, so do shoppers.
As a reminder, all the incredible discounts you can score during Prime Day are only for Amazon Prime Members. If you’re not a member yet, be sure to sign up HERE to take advantage of all the great savings during Amazon Prime Day 2025. Young adults (18-24 years old) can also try out Prime for free for six months HERE, or sign up for a paid membership HERE for only $8 per month.
One shopper said, “I recently bought this Bonsenkitchen hand blender and it’s been a great addition to my kitchen. It’s powerful enough to blend soups, sauces, and smoothies in seconds. The motor is strong but not too loud, and it feels comfortable to hold. I also love how easy it is to clean just detach and rinse the blending part.”
“Works as good if not better than name brand,” another shopper said. “I love this kitchen item, i really put it to the test when making jams, jelly’s, and even homemade goats milk soap. yes I use it for all of these items because its so easy to clean and cuts the mix time in half! well worth your money if your a homesteader or even just love to be in the kitchen! planning to use this for spaghetti sauce this year! no noisier than a kitchen aid!”
“Sometimes I’m lazy, and this is just a quick way to blend and clean it,” another shopper said. A fourth shopper added, “Blends like a dream! I’ve always wanted to be a smoothie person, but the idea of getting out my old food processor, and holding on for dear life while it vibrates loudly all over my counter just never appealed to lazy ol’ me. This will change that. I used it on a crockpot of broccoli cheese soup last night and it turned everything into smooth, cheesy deliciousness with no broccoli chunks in site. Amazing. Should’ve bought something like this years ago!”
In search of more summer recipes? Giada De Laurentiis has plenty:
One of our favorite parts about summer (besides the nice weather and relaxation, of course) is all of the delicious and refreshing treats we nosh on to cool ourselves down on those scorching hot days. Ice cream, smoothies, sparkling waters — they more than make up for the scorching temperatures outside. And naturally, when we need to stock up on summery treats, we head to our favorite store: Costco.
Costco is basically our one-stop summer shop (the air conditioning in-store is pretty amazing, too). Between their great patio furniture deals and all of the enticing summer treats we’re about to show you, there’s really not much of a reason to shop anywhere else. If you don’t have a membership yet, what are you waiting for? The benefits are endless. Just take a look at these irresistible summer treats and try telling us they’re not worth the price of a membership.
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Frozen foods get a pretty bad rap. And honestly, they don’t deserve it. Sure, you have your mozzarella sticks, your pizza bagels, and your toaster waffles. But while these decadent snacks may have made up a disproportionate amount of our dorm room diets, they represent only a fraction of what the frozen food aisle has to offer. And nowhere is this more obvious than in Costco’s frozen foods section.
Take a moment to peruse Costco’s frozen food selection, and you’ll find everything from gourmet chocolate cakes to Wagyu beef burgers. King crab abounds—so does wild Alaskan salmon. And in true Costco style, both are available in 10-pound packs. Also abundant? Sets of fully crafted meals. We’re talking seared chicken breasts paired with cooked vegetables, grain-encrusted cod atop a bed of broccoli and cauliflower, and salmon filets served alongside sautéed asparagus spears. These are just three of the seven meals you can find in a single party pack. (And yes, the other four meals in the set sound exactly as delicious.)
Costco is proving that not only can frozen food be gourmet—it can feel genuinely special. Part of the allure of fine dining is that you get to eat something you could’ve never made yourself. Delivery and takeout offer a similar kind of convenience. But none of these options are as budget-friendly as a home-cooked meal. Genuinely nice frozen foods make it easier to close this gap. They invite you to indulge in delicious food you didn’t have to cook for yourself, while offering the convenience and (general) affordability of a home-cooked meal.
No, you probably can’t set up a Michelin Star restaurant from the comfort of your kitchen, but with a few of these foods, you can get pretty darn close. Date night in the Costco frozen food aisle, anyone?
]]>Ever wanted to dine like the stars? Well, if you happen to be in NYC, you can dine like Taylor Swift because we just figured out what her favorite Italian restaurant in the city is: Via Carota.
Most recently, she made headlines for going to Via Carota with her brother and Dakota Johnson, but she’s gone quite a few times over the years.
It’s unclear what exactly she orders, but we do know what the average price is for a meal there.
Located in the West Village, Via Carota is a gastroteca that serves some delicious Italian food from chefs Jody Williams and Rita Sodi. It’s open from 10 am to 11 pm, and we have some more details.
Entrees range from $22 to $30, with appetizers being around $15 to $20, and desserts are typically under $20. So for one person, the price can range from $60 to $80, excluding beverages and gratuity.
Speaking of, per their website, they have an impressive collection of wines and beverages, with some bottles being as low as the Trento Brut for $68 and as expensive as the $305 Chouilly Grand Cru Brut Special Club Champagne.
Now, if you’re not in NYC, or can’t make the trip, you can bring a bit of Via Carota to you.
If you go to their website, you can see that they have craft cocktails you can buy online.
You can treat yourself to their signature Manhattan, Martini, Negroni, Old Fashioned, Espresso Martini, and Margarita drinks, either in a single bottle or a set, ranging from $39 to $421. (And yes, they also have sparkling drinks!)
So, treat yourself and have your own Taylor Swift-like outing in your own town thanks to these drinks.
Before you go, check out our roundup of summer cocktails below:
We love a good dinner party, especially when we get to be the guests instead of the hosts. Now, we have hosted a lot of dinner parties ourselves, so we know how much work goes into the planning, shopping, cooking, and decorating, and that’s why we always like to bring the party host a little gift to show our appreciation. No one knows more about dinner parties than the Barefoot Contessa, so we always listen to her advice. In the past, Ina Garten has shared her go-to dinner party host gift, and it’s perfect for chocolate lovers. But recently, she shared two host gift mistakes everyone should avoid, and we’re glad she did, because we can’t say they’re issues we’ve ever thought of before.
In an interview clip posted on the TODAY Show’s TikTok, Garten spilled the details on the two things she says you should never bring to a party. The first was “Something that the host feels like they should serve,” giving the example of a Jell-O salad. Who wants to have to serve that at a party, anyway? But the same holds true for things like bottles of wine or other comestibles. If you do bring something like that, tell the host explicitly that it’s a special treat just for them, and that you don’t expect it to be served at the party. That way, the host can enjoy it in peace, rather than having to do the extra work of serving it to their guests (or, in the case of a Jell-O salad, they can discreetly dispose of it after everyone has gone home).
Garten’s next tip shows how detail-oriented and considerate she is of the party host’s time. “Don’t ever bring flowers that aren’t in a vase,” Garten advises. That’s because if you do bring flowers that aren’t in a vase, the party host has to stop what they’re doing to go dig one out of storage, then has to trim the flower stems, fill the vase with water, and arrange the flowers so they actually look nice. Who has time for that when they have a house full of hungry guests?
Commenters on TikTok chimed in with their own thoughts about these rules. “My grandma always said giving flowers without a vase is giving the host a chore instead of a gift,” shared Michael Kinson, while user Wolfies Dad said, “I like to send flowers to arrive that afternoon w/card saying looking forward to seeing you.” That’s pretty classy, and the vase problem can be avoided if you get an arrangement that comes with one.
Some TikTok commenters shared host gift rules and suggestions of their own. “Also don’t bring something that has to be heated up,” suggested user132104528031Kath. If you are asked to bring a dish to share with others at the dinner party, “Make sure whatever you bring has the serving plate/bowl and serving utensils,” said Apple User686497. And if you’re still searching for host gift ideas, here’s one that sounds pretty scrumptious and low-stress: “I have brought breakfast for the next day — really good bagels or homemade muffins and homemade jam and flavored butter,” said Dawhoo.
The next time you’re invited to a dinner party, keep Ina Garten’s host gift tips in mind. Not only will you avoid putting unnecessary stress on the party host, but you’ll also increase your chances at getting a repeat invite for the next dinner party.
Before you go, check out Garten’s best dinner recipes below:
