Let's Talk About..Appetizers

Ok. We have all been invited to a party where the invitation reads, "Please bring an appetizer and wine." First, what happened to the word "hors d'oeuvre?" Is it too hard to spell? (Protip: just ask Google, I did.)

Now, I can handle the wine part, but the appetizer sends me into a tizzy (yes, I said "tizzy" - a woefully underutilized but easy-to-spell word).

Why? Well, we all have our go-to appetizers at home: nuts, cheese and crackers and, everyone's favorite: shrimp cocktail.

But don't we want to up our game when asked directly to provide an appetizer/hors d'oeuvre at someone else's house? I mean there are lettuce wraps, crostini, ceviche, charcuterie, caviar, palmiers, skewers of something in basil-tarragon sauce and crabcake bites. I know.

But let's be honest, at the end of the party, what appetizers are completely gone, decimated, wiped clean?

Inevitably it's the onion dip and Fritos.

(Followed closely by pigs in a blanket and pizza bagels.)

Horrifying to some but, trust me, reliable crowd pleasers.

Undoubtedly, people roll their eyes when faced with the prospect of serving onion dip (yes, the kind you make from Lipton onion soup mix and plain sour cream), but let me tell you, the proof is in the empty bowl with overly scraped sides.

Yes, I am all for healthy beautiful hors d'oeuvres, and yes, I love it when people ogle at what I have brought, but, in the end, no matter how elegant the Christmas/New Year's/engagement party is, even the most well-turned-out guest can be found lapping up those Fritos and onion dip while exclaiming, "I haven't had this since college!" Don't believe it.