The Cocktail Glass Hack To Make Cheap Snacks Look Elegant
We all love an easy way to up our hosting game, so we were happy to spy this smart serving hack. All you need is a stemmed glass (either a wine glass or cocktail glass will do) and a flat-bottomed bowl large enough to hold it. Set the glass inside the bowl, surround the stem with your favorite snacks, and spoon a few dollops of dip into the glass. Voila! Everyone has their own snack-and-sauce combo that's easy to walk around with at a party and it looks way more upscale than a plastic tub of dip on the table. For extra style points, you can also use colorful herbs, tomatoes, or other veggies to surround the stem.
You don't need fancy matching pieces for this approach. In fact, it might be more charming to use a variety of bowls and glassware. This would help guests tell their containers apart and create a fun, bohemian vibe. The only guidelines would be to choose glasses with short stems and wide bottoms so they stay balanced inside the bowl. And save your finest stemware for the tabletop so you won't fret about your guests dropping one by mistake.
Snack and dip combos to try
We can totally imagine this combo for tortilla chips with either some fire-roasted salsa or a crave-worthy guacamole, but the possibilities go much farther. For a protein-packed, stick-to-your ribs snack, serve toasted pita chips and/or sliced veggies with spicy black bean dip or hummus. You could also cook up some summer squash fritters with pesto goat cheese dipping sauce to show off your culinary skills. With a big enough bowl, even chicken wings and honey-mustard or Buffalo sauce would work, keeping the whole gang fed during the big game.
At first glance, this hack might seem like it's custom-made for salty and savory snacks, but sweet ones can get in on the fun, too. Try a yogurt-based dip with skewers of berries, or blend cream cheese, peanut butter, and yogurt into an accompaniment for sliced apples. If you're serving to kids, animal crackers and yogurt or pudding would be fun to pair — though you may want to stick to plastic stemmed glasses to keep your party safe.