The 5 Essential Appetizers Every Party Needs

We're not going to spend a lot of time explaining this to you: A good party needs food, preferably foods that can be eaten with one hand, allowing your other to hold an alcoholic beverage. This is a no-brainer, and yet so few party hosts take the time to make a decent spread to soak up the evening's booze.

It doesn't have to be so. To wit, here are a few of our many, many options for finger foods and party appetizers. Dig the hell in.

Cheesy Artichoke Dip No holiday party is complete without this classic. And this version from chef Kelly Fields doesn't skimp on the cream and cheese. (Don't worry, we have a vegan version, too.)

Pizza Bagel Bites Yes, you could certainly buy these in the frozen section at the grocery store, but you'll get infinitely more points for making them from scratch.

Potstickers Royale In addition to the fact that potstickers are goddamn delicious any time of day, these "royale" pork-stuffed versions come with a crispy lattice of crepe batter to munch.

Texan Queso It's melted cheese in a bowl. What more do you need?

Baked Clams Just in case you don't want your whole table to be nothing but carbs and cheese, these baked clams from Frank Pinello are packed with essential protein and minerals, and also tasty damn good, too.

Need more appetizer ideas? Check out the rest of our party food recipes.