Smoked salmon: A+
Smoked salmon is expensive, but it's worth it. Bring a slab of this to the next holiday party along with some crackers and a spreadable cheese (Brie, cream cheese, whatever) and you will be the hero of the night.
Trader Joe's delicious nut mixes: A-
Trader Joe's has several yummy nut options. It's the perfect party snack: doesn't leave a lot of residue on your fingers, affordable to buy, and easy to deploy. My personal favorites are the sesame cashews, coconut cashews, and the wasabi peas.
High-end olives: B+
Be sure to bring a balance of black and green olives, because most people like either one or the other. And be sure the olives are pitted. No one wants to chew on a pit and spit it out in the middle of a holiday party. Gross.
Chex Mix/Puppy Chow/Muddy Buddies B-
Done right, these treats are the bomb diggity. But just as often they are too salty or worse, were made a month ago and have since gone noticeably stale. They also get powder all over your fingers. Still, though: pretty good stuff.
Chips and salsa: C+
Nothing says "I'm not really trying" like a bag of corn chips and a plastic tub of pre-made salsa.
Basic crudites: C-
Baby carrots with that strange white patina. Celery sticks that have gone leathery at the end. And the inevitable radish slices. These snacks are healthy and cheap and serve as a decent enough delivery system for ranch dressing. But they are not tasty and make no mistake: no one actually likes them.
Tortilla cream cheese wrap pinwheel sandwiches: F
I am not a big fan of cold flour tortillas. Stick some cream cheese and low-quality pre-packaged deli ham in there, roll it up, and you've got yourself a recipe for "Yuck."
Image courtesy Flickr/Nodame
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