I have been to enough Friendsgivings to know the appetizer table is where the whole party ends up standing. Nobody shows up on time, the host is still wrestling with the oven, and everyone brings a dish that has to survive a car ride. So what I bring is sturdy, easy to eat standing up, and fine at room temperature for a couple of hours. Dips count double.
1) Jalapeño Popper Dip
Jalapeño popper dip tastes exactly like the bar snack, minus the frying. Cream cheese, sharp cheddar, diced jalapeños, and crumbled bacon bake at 375°F (190°C) until bubbling, then get a buttery panko crust. Seed the jalapeños if your crowd is mixed on heat. Serve it with celery, crackers, and tortilla chips so everyone has something to scoop with.
2) Pizza Dip With Breadsticks
Pizza dip is the potluck dish people will ask you to bring again next year. Layer cream cheese, marinara, mozzarella, and mini pepperoni in a shallow dish and bake until the cheese browns. I bake it in the dish I am serving it in so it travels straight from oven to table. Surround it with warm breadsticks and it looks like you tried harder than you did.
3) Spicy Guacamole
Guacamole is always the first bowl scraped clean, so I make double. Mash ripe avocados with lime juice, salt, diced jalapeño, red onion, and cilantro, leaving it a little chunky. Press plastic wrap right onto the surface to keep it from browning on the drive over. A pinch of cumin is my quiet addition, and nobody has ever figured it out.
4) Cowboy Caviar
Cowboy caviar is a bean salad that thinks it is a dip, and it is ideal for a party because it only gets better as it sits. Black beans, black-eyed peas, corn, peppers, red onion, and cilantro get tossed in a zippy lime dressing. Make it the night before and give it a stir before serving. It costs about $10 to make a huge bowl.
5) Saucy Party Meatballs
A slow cooker of saucy meatballs is the Friendsgiving dish that travels best. I bake a big batch at 400°F (200°C) for about 18 minutes, then let them simmer in marinara in the slow cooker on low. Plug it in when you arrive and they stay hot all night. Set out toothpicks and a stack of small plates, and do not expect to bring any home.
6) Homemade Tortilla Chips
Homemade tortilla chips are one of those things that sound unnecessary until you try them. Cut corn tortillas into wedges, brush them lightly with oil, and bake at 375°F (190°C) for about 12 minutes, flipping halfway. Salt them the second they come out of the oven so it sticks. They stay crisp in a paper bag for 2 days.
7) Ham and Cheese Sliders
Ham and cheese sliders are the dish I bring when I have no idea who else is coming. Sweet Hawaiian rolls get layered with ham and Swiss, brushed with a butter, Dijon, and poppy seed glaze, and baked until melty. Assemble them the night before and bake them right before you leave. They stay warm for an hour wrapped in foil.
8) Smash Burger Sliders
Smash burger sliders are what turn a Friendsgiving into a party. Press small balls of ground beef onto a screaming-hot griddle, season hard, and flip once when the edges go crispy. Add a slice of American cheese right after flipping so it melts over the patty. Serve them on soft slider buns with pickles and a little burger sauce.
9) BBQ Chicken Flatbread
BBQ chicken flatbread is the fastest crowd pleaser I know when there is leftover chicken in the fridge. Spread barbecue sauce over naan or flatbread, top with shredded chicken, red onion, and mozzarella, and bake at 450°F (230°C) for about 10 minutes. Finish with cilantro once it comes out. Cut it into small squares and it disappears in about 5 minutes.
10) Loaded Black Bean Nachos
A sheet pan of nachos is the most efficient way to feed a room full of people standing around. Layer chips, black beans, and cheese in 2 rounds so the middle chips are not left bare. That is the mistake that ruins most nachos. Bake at 400°F (200°C) until melted, then pile on pico, guacamole, and sour cream right before serving.
11) Patatas Bravas
Patatas bravas are crispy potatoes with a smoky tomato sauce, and they are a sneaky way to fill people up before dinner. Parboil cubed potatoes, rough them up in the colander, and roast at 450°F (230°C) until the edges shatter. Serve them with toothpicks and a garlicky aioli alongside the sauce. They are just as good at room temperature as they are hot.
12) Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Chicken lettuce wraps are the lighter option on the table, and they go faster than you would expect. Cook ground chicken with garlic, ginger, water chestnuts, and a hoisin soy sauce, then let people spoon it into butter lettuce cups. The filling can be made a day ahead and reheated. Keep the lettuce cold and dry until the last minute so the cups stay crisp.
13) Pan-Fried Potstickers
I buy frozen potstickers for Friendsgiving and I have made my peace with that. Fry them in a little oil until the bottoms are golden, add a splash of water, and cover the pan so they steam through. Uncover and let the bottoms crisp again. A simple soy, rice vinegar, and chili oil dip makes them feel homemade.
14) Veggie-Topped Hummus Platter
A big platter of hummus with vegetables arranged on top is the prettiest thing you can make in 15 minutes. Spread the hummus into a shallow dish, then decorate it with carrot ribbons, herbs, and cherry tomatoes. Drizzle it with olive oil and a pinch of paprika right before serving. Set crackers or pita chips around the edge.
15) Charcuterie Board
A charcuterie board is the easiest dish to split with a friend, since one of you can buy the meats and the other the cheese. I aim for 2 or 3 cheeses, a couple of cured meats, grapes or berries, nuts, and something briny like olives. Fan the meats instead of stacking them so people can grab a slice without dismantling the board. A small jar of honey in the corner goes a long way.
16) Prosciutto Puff Pastry Pinwheels
Puff pastry pinwheels look like a lot of work and take about 20 minutes. Roll store-bought puff pastry with prosciutto, spinach, and parmesan, chill the log, then slice and bake at 400°F (200°C) until golden. Chilling before slicing is the whole secret, because warm pastry squishes under the knife. They are good warm or at room temperature.
17) Tomato Basil Mozzarella Flatbread
This flatbread is basically a margherita pizza in party form. Top a flatbread with sliced tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and a drizzle of olive oil, then bake at 450°F (230°C) until the cheese melts. Add the basil after it comes out of the oven so it stays green. Cut it into strips so people can grab one and keep talking.
18) Cheesy Baked Focaccia
Cheesy focaccia is the bread that disappears before anything else on the table. Bake a pan of focaccia dough topped with plenty of olive oil, garlic, and a thick layer of mozzarella and parmesan. It travels well in the pan it baked in and is good at room temperature for hours. Cut it into small squares so it goes further.
19) Bacon Cheese Fries
Bacon cheese fries are the unapologetically indulgent pick on this list. Bake frozen fries at 425°F (220°C) until extra crispy, then pile on cheddar and crumbled bacon and return them to the oven for a few minutes. Finish with green onions and a side of ranch. They are best made at the host’s house, so bring the fries and toppings separately.
20) Sushi Roll Platter
A platter of sushi rolls is the unexpected dish at Friendsgiving, and it is always one of the first finished. I pick up rolls from a good local spot and arrange them on a big plate with soy sauce, pickled ginger, and wasabi. Keep it chilled until right before serving. It gives anyone who does not want another heavy bite something to eat.
21) Crab Salad Crostini
Crab salad crostini are the dish I bring when I want to be the fancy friend. Mix lump crab with mayonnaise, lemon, chives, and a little Old Bay, then spoon it onto toasted baguette slices. Toast the bread ahead but assemble on site so it stays crisp. Imitation crab works too, and nobody will ask.
22) Cheese Quesadilla Wedges
Quesadillas cut into wedges are the appetizer the kids and the adults fight over equally. Fill flour tortillas with shredded cheese, crisp them in a dry skillet, and cut each one into 6 wedges. Serve them with guacamole, salsa, and sour cream. They reheat well in a hot oven if you need to make them ahead.
23) Prosciutto-Wrapped Melon
Prosciutto-wrapped melon is salty, sweet, and the lightest bite on the table. Wrap thin slices of prosciutto around cantaloupe wedges and thread them onto small skewers. Chill until serving and add a few basil leaves or a drizzle of balsamic glaze. It takes 15 minutes and requires no cooking at all.
24) Veggie and Dip Board
A veggie and dip board is the thing people are secretly grateful for when everything else is fried or covered in cheese. Arrange carrots, peppers, cucumbers, snap peas, and crackers around 2 or 3 dips, like ranch, hummus, and tzatziki. Cut everything the night before and store it wrapped in damp paper towels. It holds for hours at room temperature.
25) Caprese Salad
Caprese salad is the no-cook dish I bring when I have exactly 10 minutes before I have to leave. Layer thick slices of tomato and fresh mozzarella with basil leaves, then drizzle with olive oil and balsamic glaze. Pack the salt and oil separately and add them on arrival so the tomatoes do not weep in the car. It looks lovely with almost no effort.
