Starter

Beer + cheese = the best combination ever.

A legendary layered dip from Matt’s El Rancho in Austin, Texas, of taco meat, queso, guacamole, sour cream, and pico de gallo.

Magical mini versions of Juicy Lucys, cheese-filled burgers that hail from Minnesota.

This recipe is also good with clams, shrimp, or any other quick-cooking seafood you’re in the mood for.

These cheesy bites puff in the oven and taste like gougères, aka fancy French cheese puffs, but this recipe makes them way easier.

Getting the bread out of the crust is a little tricky for this recipe, but once you do, you’ll be wondering what else you can stuff in there.

You may be able to find pre-made everything spice in the grocery store for these palmiers. If not, it’s easy enough to make. Double the recipe and keep it around for topping plain yogurt.

Starting with store-bought puff pastry for this recipe means these crispy, buttery, savory palmiers only look hard.

You’ll probably have some of this deliciousy bacony butter leftover from this recipe, in which case you should probably serve it atop a juicy steak. Obvs.

Think of this recipe as your favorite bacony wedge salad reimagined as an additive party snack.

Golden raisins would also work nicely in this yogurt dip recipe instead of the dried apricots. You want a little sweet to play against the bite of the garlic and the brightness of the herbs.

This figs recipe is sweet, salty, sticky, and acidic—everything you want in a one-bite appetizer.

Cooking the livers to medium/medium-rare in this recipe is key to a moist and rich tasting spread. Overcooking them will make the finished dish dry and crumbly.

Apple and cheddar met on a cheese board, realized they both dreamed of someday turning into a deep-fried doughnut, and ran off to do just that.

Bacon and cream gild this ultra-rich corn chowder recipe, but it easily goes vegetarian if you want it to.

A cool green zingy soup; pack it in a thermos on ice and take it picnicking or to the beach.

Once you get hooked on fresh chiles, you'll want to pack them into everything you cook—including your antipasto.

Watermelon and prosciutto may seem like an unlikely pair, but the salty-sweet mix will make this your new go-to fruit salad.

When you're working with chiles, you should be wearing rubber gloves. Sound funny? Well, it won't after you accidentally touch your eyes.

Sardines can be a hard sell. Which is fine! Smoked trout, gravlax, or even grilled shrimp would be great too.