\n<\/p>\n
When it comes to holiday hosting, I like to focus on cooking the three things I do well and run to the grocery store for everything else.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Here are four chef-approved appetizers straight from stores that require, at most, some heating.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Trader Joe\u2019s is a real-life wonderland for frozen shortcuts. \u201cOur favorite easy holiday hack is to take Trader Joe\u2019s Caramelized Onion and Feta Pastry Bites<\/a> [and] jazz them up,\u201d says Kaiy Smith-Biesman, chef, sommelier, and food stylist of Stems<\/a> in Pasadena, California. \u201cI top them with chopped pears, brown sugar, and a little bit of nutmeg and butter before baking.\u201d Short on time? Smith-Biesman says you can also serve the bites as is.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n When you serve tinned fish as an appetizer, basically your only step is to open and empty the packaging. \u201cStraight from the tin, white anchovies, mollusks, or octopus make for a fun addition to holiday apps and entrees,\u201d says Juan Cassalett, chef of Malag\u00f3n<\/a> in Charleston, South Carolina. Cassalett counts Ortiz products<\/a>, which Malag\u00f3n sells in its mercado, as favorites. \u201cMy go-to for the Ortiz white anchovies is with Espaniler whole piquillo peppers served with Los Aljibes olive oil for a simple, shareable tapa with toasted sourdough bread or crackers,\u201d he adds.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n