Party Snacks!: 50 Simple, Stylish Recipes to Make You a Popular Party Host (50 Series) [Hardcover]

A. J. Rathbun (Author)

Book Description

Series: 50 Series | Publication Date: August 18, 2008

This book presents 50 recipes for savory finger foods, along with a brief introduction featuring general tips for serving food and drink at any kind of home party, from informal get-togethers to carefully planned cocktail parties. In five concise recipe chapters, A.J. Rathbun offers stuffed, skewered, baked, dipped, spreadable, and speedy party snacks. Recipes including Classic Southwestern Crudites, Creamy Cauliflower Crisps, Sweet Speared Shrimp, Eggplant Parmesan Nibblers, and Heroic Tiny Ham and Cheesers make it easy to create a superior spread of party snacks!

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for Good Spirits: Every year brings a new cocktail book, but this one is unusually intelligent. --Charlotte Observer

Praise for Good Spirits: In this gorgeous guide to every cocktail imaginable, Rathbun….breaks out the 12 chapters not by ingredients but by useful, or at least amusing, categories…The scores of full-color photos…are thirst inducing and add an irresistible retro charm to the proceedings. --Publishers Weekly (starred review)

About the Author

A.J. Rathbun is an IACP award-winning freelance food and entertaining writer. His work has appeared in numerous national publications, including Every Day with Rachael Ray and Wine Enthusiast. He is the author of Good Spirits, Luscious Liqueurs, and Party Drinks! and teaches cocktail classes.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: Harvard Common Press (August 18, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558323473
• ISBN-13: 978-1558323476
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #37,514 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #8 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Meals > Appetizers
  • #73 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Entertaining

More About the Author

A.J. Rathbun is a food and entertaining writer and poet and the author of Champagne Cocktails, Dark Spirits, Wine Cocktails, Luscious Liqueurs, Party Snacks!, Party Drinks!, the IACP Award-winning Good Spirits, Double Take (in collaboration with chef Jeremy Holt), and editor and contributor for In Their Cups. In addition to his cocktail books and cookbooks, Rathbun is the author of Want, a collection of poems. He lives in Seattle, Washington. To learn more, visit Rathbun's website at www.ajrathbun.com and drink up his blog Spiked Punch (it's lonely, and needs attention).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Party Snacks I Can Get Down With, October 3, 2008

By 

AndreaLeigh (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Party Snacks!: 50 Simple, Stylish Recipes to Make You a Popular Party Host (50 Series) (Hardcover)

There are lots of snack recipe books out there, and it takes the right combination of content for one to stand out from the crowd--this one has it! I love having friends over and graduated from setting out chips n' dip ages ago, but it's still daunting to try anything complicated. This book contains a variety of recipes for things that look and taste fancy, but are actually super simple to make. Impress your friends (and yourself) with tasty tidbits like watercress sandwiches, spicy cheese balls, and savory cannoli. Bonuses include drink pairing suggestions, lovely photography, and of course, Rathbun's funny and friendly writing! A note of warning though: do not read this book when hungry--the pictures of the gougeres and mini frittatas alone will cause you to drool uncontrollably!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Easy, fun, delicious, August 28, 2008

By 

Patrick T. Winters (Seattle) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Party Snacks!: 50 Simple, Stylish Recipes to Make You a Popular Party Host (50 Series) (Hardcover)

I just received Party Snacks! in my mail three days ago and already I'm certain this is money well spent. While having mixed a few beverages from recipes read in one of the author's other books, Good Spirits: Recipes, Revelations, Refreshments, and Romance, Shaken and Served with a Twist, I was fascinated to see what the "noted raconteur" could do to make me a snack-master.

I've tried only one of the 50 recipes (pretty-piquant chicken wings) and they were not only simple, but stylish and delicious! I can't wait to try some of the other great recipes. I highly recommend this book as a great companion to Good Spirits. These two books will turn you into a great bartender, a great host, or maybe even a noted raconteur!

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Shout Out! For Party Snacks! Hollaback!, October 20, 2008

By 

Mark Butler - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Party Snacks!: 50 Simple, Stylish Recipes to Make You a Popular Party Host (50 Series) (Hardcover)

Times are tight, and while you may not have the resources for a big fancy dinner, you don't have to stay home alone and eat microwave popcorn every night. Partymaster A.J. Rathbun has compiled 50 incredible recipes to help you put some zip and zest into your next party, without you breaking the bank (or a sweat!) Party Snacks! (love the exclamation mark!) is jampacked with yummy stuff. The spicy cheese balls are amazing, but the Gorgeous Gougeres might be the ultimate party chow. The gougeres (which may or may not be French for awesome cheese biscuit) are simple to make. They have just a few basic ingredients: flour, salt, butter, eggs, parmesan cheese, gruyere cheese - but man, they are excellent. The last party where they were served saw a swarm of guests hovering over the basket of biscuits until they were gone. Put 'em in the center of the room, toss in a couple other tasty snacks, and enjoy yourself and your friends.