Easy appetizers for an outdoor summer party?

Question

I'm having my daughter's birthday party in our backyard this year in July. I need some ideas for easy but delicious appetizers and snacks. We are having children and adults, so I need a variety of things to please all ages. Any help is appreciated, thanks!

Answer 1

cheese, sausage and crackers- maybe cut cheese and sausages with cookie cutter for fun shapes for the kids

veggie tray and dips

chips and salsa (fresh is better!)

I love taco dip at parties!

spinach dip and bread bowl

fresh fruit and dip (mix cool whip with strawberry yogurt for a great smooth dip!)

meatballs and lil weenies in a crock pot - great sauce mix is one jar chili sauce and one can jellied cranberry sauce, get frozen meatballs to save time

ants on a log

deviled eggs- don't leave out for too long!

maybe a batch of sloppy joes and buns

cookies/cupcakes

some type of pasta salad

tortilla roll ups

kids LOVE black olives and pickles too!

maybe a pizza cut into bite sized pieces

heres a great site I use all the time for recipe ideas http://allrecipes.com/

Answer 2

Fruit & Dip (apples, strawberries, bananas, grapes, etc.)

Cookie Tray (chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, etc.)

Veggies & Dip (mushrooms, carrots, green pepper slices, etc)

Breadsticks & marinara sauce

maybe get small rolls & some lunch meat & condiments

Stuffed mushrooms or tomatoes

Answer 3

We recently had a party and this is what we did:  We ordered a fruit tray, cheese/cracker tray, veggie tray, taco dip and chips and silver dollar sandwich rolls. No one touched the veggie tray. The cheese tray was 1/3 eaten. The taco tip went over great and had to be restocked twice, the fruit tray went over great, and the silver dollar rolls went over great. They were ham, turkey and beef. These are hand size and perfect and I saw the rolls for this at the grocery store.

Anyway, so if I were you I would make a small cheese tray, make a double batch or taco dip, and have a good fruit tray and make the silver dollar rolls.

These are all simple to put together.

Taco Dip:

2 softened cream cheese.

1 16oz sour cream

1 packet taco seasoning.

Mix with mixer. Put in bottom of a cookie sheet. Top with shredded cheese, shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes and green onions. Use the cheese but you can altered the rest to your taste, maybe add black olives. Make 2 of these. Serve with tostitos scoops.

Fruit bowl,.

Whole pineppple into chunks. Slice strawberries. Add whole table grapes no seeds, add chunks of watermelon, and cut oranges in slices cut into triangles. This is best made the night before so that the juices can all run together and stir before serving.

Silver dollar rolls:

http://www.heb.com/yourHEBStore/SD-deli-...

It is just shaved deli meat and cheese triangles. You dont have to put lettuce on them, ours did not have it. t. The ones that we had catered just had real butter on them and they had mayo and mustard packets on ice on the side.

puppy chow:  Kids absolutely love this!

PUPPY CHOW

6 cups Crispix cereal

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup butter

12 ounce chocolate chips

2 cups powdered sugar

Melt peanut butter, butter and chocolate chips together in the microwave or on the stove. Stir into cereal. Put powdered sugar in a paper sack. Put cereal mixture in and shake until well coated.

I hope this helps you.

You can make all this the day before!

Answer 4

nachos and salsa or cheese.

get a chocolate fountain and get fruit

Answer 5

My grandkids love little cheese cubes, with a thin pretzel stick stuck into the top;  and they also love fresh veggies with Ranch dressing to dip;  and fresh fruit (make kebobs and stick them into a whole fresh pineapple) ......Salsa, guacamole and hummus with tortilla/pita chips are good for the adults;  as are cheese balls with crackers

Answer 6

wantons it is a chinesseappetizers, chips, cheese and onion dip.

Answer 7

Queso and chips

cookies

soda

flavored chips

Answer 8

A burger or taco bar with all of the fixins or roller sandwiches for your main meal.

I would stay away from anything with mayo in it as it's risky on a hot day.

Pasta salads with a vinegar/ italian dressing base and lots of veggies are good.

I have recipes for the following appetizers that are very easy- send me a PM or email and I'll send them to you!

Cheesy Bacon Bites

Chunky Artichoke Salsa

Creamy Peanut Dip w/ Fresh Veggies

Garden Pizza Appetizers

Hope this helps!  Have fun!

Answer 9

A yummy appetizer would be pasta salad!

Buy as many boxes that you need of elbow macaroni noodles and boil them. Let them cool (run them under cold water) and then, just before you serve, pour on Ken's 3 Cheese Italian dressing (that is my preference. You can use any ITALIAN dressing you want.) And wallah! A yummy and delicious summery pasta salad!

Answer 10

Hello,

I think these appetizers will appeal to people of all ages, they are easy and tasty too.. You can find lots more recipes by clicking the link I posted below. =)

Recipe #1

Spinach Sticks

RECIPE INGREDIENTS:

2 (10-ounce) boxes frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry  

8 ounces feta cheese  

8 ounces cream cheese, softened  

Pepper to taste  

1 package phyllo dough, defrosted (40 sheets, 14 by 9 inches)  

2/3 cup olive oil  

1. Heat the oven to 375° F. In a food processor fitted with the steel S blade, combine the spinach, feta, and cream cheese. Pulse the mixture until it is smooth. Season with pepper if desired.

2. Transfer the mixture to a ziplock bag and snip a 1/4-inch piece from one corner (you can also use a pastry bag).

3. On a clean work surface, lay out 1 sheet of the phyllo. Brush half of the sheet widthwise with olive oil and fold it in half to make a 7- by 9-inch rectangle. Brush the folded side with oil. Squeeze a thin line of the spinach mixture (approximately 1 tablespoon) along the folded edge. Roll the dough and filling the long way, into a 9-inch-long cylinder. Place the roll on a cookie sheet and brush it with oil. Repeat with the remaining sheets and filling.

4. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden. Makes 40 sticks.

Recipe #2

Cheeseburger bread

RECIPE INGREDIENTS:

1 pound lean ground beef  

1/2 teaspoon salt  

1/4 teaspoon pepper  

1/4 cup olive oil  

1 small onion, chopped  

1 small garlic clove, minced  

1 (16-ounce) box hot-roll mix (we used Pillsbury)  

1 1/4 cups warm water  

10 slices American cheese  

1. Heat the oven to 375° F. Brown the beef in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Drain off the fat and stir in the salt and pepper. Transfer the beef to a bowl and set it aside.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in the skillet and sauté the onion and garlic for about 1 1/2 minutes. Stir in the beef.

3. In a large bowl, combine the roll mix, water, and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Stir until the dough is formed. Turn it out onto a floured surface and knead it for 5 minutes. Line a 10- by 15-inch cookie sheet with parchment paper and lightly grease the paper. Place the dough on the sheet, cover it with a kitchen towel, and let it rest for 5 minutes.

4. Press the dough out to the edges of the cookie sheet and slice it lengthwise to create two 5- by 15-inch rectangles. Sprinkle the beef mixture over the two doughs and top it with the slices of American cheese.

5. Fold over about 1 inch of the short ends, then roll up each rectangle the long way to create 2 loaves. Pinch the ends closed. Reposition the loaves so they're evenly spaced on the cookie sheet and brush the tops with the remaining olive oil. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Let the loaves cool for about 7 minutes before slicing. Makes 24 servings.

Hope I helped and you all have a lovely party =)

Answer 11

if it's hot outside- make a dish called "shweaty balls"

that is meatballs with a light cream sauce over them that smells like garlic and sour k***t.

Answer 12

since it is in July, why not grilled veggie kebabs, with ranch dip, or grilled fruit kebabs with a fruit dip, Velveeta dip with tortilla chips.

Answer 13

take ritz crackers, put some kind of cheese spread on them with half a cherry tomatoe and half an olive.  Lady bug snacks.  They're a big hit in my place.

good luck

Answer 14

A good appetizer for children and adults is Honey Chicken Kabobs. It's real easy to make, but it takes a while. One small tip is to make them the day before the party. The link for the recipe is  http://buzz.prevention.com/honey-chicken...

Answer 15

For a healthier choice put out some veggies with dip cut up nicely, as well as some bowls of fruits. You can bake some cookies or muffins that i'm sure both the kids and adults would enjoy. Also put out different drinks, juices, cocktails, lemonade, something for everyone. Have a good party!

Answer 16

Cucumber sandwiches.  Mix whipped cream cheese with a packet of Good Seasons dry italian dressing mix.  Spread on cocktail rye or a sliced baguette.  Top with a cucumber slice and sprinkle with dill.  I make these and everyone loves them!