A nice cold slaw sounds nice.

Maybe fruit salad?

Crackers, cheeses, sliced meats, deviled eggs,veggie tray. Nice and cool, no cooking, you can prep ahead.

Deanna

A big salad topped with ham, turkey, and cheese strips? You could use the same meat and cheese to make sandwiches for the children or cubes on pretzel sticks. I'd have some fruit yogurt on hand for the children also.

A congealed salad always tastes good when it's hot and I'd have plenty of ice cream and popsicles on hand, too.

Teresa

Diced WATERMELON! I always crave watermelon when it's hot & humid. Seriously, a fruit salad would be great.

/tricia

For lunch with mini cheeseburgers/hamburgers I would do a good old-fashioned potato salad and cubed cantaloupe & watermelon. Easy, cold and good.

Set up a taco bar and a fresh fruit tray.

Lots of things come to mind for lunch on a hot summer day.

Pasta salads, grilled corn on the cob, cucumber salad, cole slaw, fruit salads, Salad Nicoise, mufuletta's, devilled eggs, gazpacho, grilled kebabs, crock-pot French Dip sandwiches, ice cream or sorbets, or maybe some fun ice-pops for the kids...

Angelaid's idea of tacos is one of our favorites, too! As are fajitas; just grill up some beef or chicken, serve on flour tortillas with shredded lettuce, chopped tomato, onion, shredded cheddar and some salsa, maybe a dab of sour cream and/or guacamole.

Linda

For the age of the kids, I think premade little burgers are just right. Whatever sides you decide on are fine. Keep it simple.
I would have oven fries, fruit salad and slaw. And lettuce and tomato for the adults. And fun dessert options like ice cream (or milkshakes) and popsicles for the kids.

Here's a recipe I got from Opkikid (I think that's how she spells it, but I'm not sure) on this forum. It is super delicious, and after you pan sear the meat, it is basically a "dump in the crockpot and forget about it until it is ready" dish. I'm normally a vegetarian, but I make this when I want to make an easy good impression with the meat eaters for a luncheon. I serve it on buns like sloppy joes. With coleslaw and potato salad--great.

Slow Cooker Shredded Beef Tacos
1 1/2 pounds boneless beef chuck, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
3/4 cup bottled chunky medium-hot salsa
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 tablespoon (packed) dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice (optional)
Combine the salsa, brown sugar and soy sauce and pour over the meat in the slow cooker insert. Cover and cook for 8 hours on LOW or 5 to 6 hours on HIGH, or until the meat is fork-tender. Shred the meat with two forks and stir in cilantro and lime juice if using.
Set out taco shells (I like small soft corn tortillas) and all the fixings.

Note: I pan sear the meat first.

My mom's potato salad is the kind I like best. She has to make it this way for my finicky dad--just potatoes and eggs, with a dressing of a mix of dill, mayo and dijon mustard. When I make it I put celery or radishes in it.

Another great lunch I make, but it's for more adventurous palates--falafel from a mix, pita bread or wraps, tabouleh salad and cucumber and sour cream salad from my mom's recipe. A half canteloupe filled with frozen yogurt for dessert for the adults, canteloupe pieces for the kids. Can use ice cream, it's great too, I just use frozen yogurt for a middle eastern touch. Can have baklava for dessert if you have a bakery where you can get it.

Phyllis' cucumber salad (this is good even if you aren't going middle eastern)

3 cukes, peeled and sliced very thin
2-3 TBLSP chopped chives or 2-3 chopped green onions
2-3 TBLSP lemon juice
1 cup sour cream (I use lowfat)
1-1.5 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

I varied the amount of seasoning for the dressing because it does depend on your taste. I like a lot of lemon and more onion, but my dad is very sensitive to onion and my mom only makes it with the limited amount of chives for him. This needs to sit for an hour or more to develop good flavor.

I don't have a tabouleh recipe, I just wing it. I also don't have a falafel recipe, I always make it with a mix--that's what makes this an easy luncheon. You can also buy tabouleh mixes and jazz them up with your own ingredients. I sometimes buy stuffed grape leaves and fancy olives from the deli to serve as an appetizer with wine for the grownups--and spincach dip with feta cheese is also nice for an appetizer--serve with pita chips or bagel chips. Just add some feta to your spinach dip recipe. Chopped canned roasted red peppers are nice too. Grapes are another nice addition to this meal. This whole thing makes a lovely luncheon buffet. If you put all the options out, there will be something for almost everyone if they are open to middle eastern food.

Welcome to the Cooking forum, ifiknewthen. We're a great group, we don't bite (much, watch out for me lol).

Is it OK to turn on the stovetop but not the oven?

If NOT, because I understand not wanting add heat, I'd stick with fruit and cut up veggies with ranch dressing. Are you grilling the burgers, so you are outside? You can make tons of stuff on the grill, even a day before. The kids seem little so I'm trying to think 'simple and kid friendly' unless they are foodies.

Quesadillas are grill friendly.
Ooooh Pea salad, where's Weed30 for her recipe? That is definitely a no-cook crowd pleaser.
Cornbread could be made a day ahead too.

Any of our ideas sticking?

My grandson will eat anything off of a toothpick. I cut up nectarines and peaches and skewer them. you could add grapes and watermelon for a fun side dish. Maybe make up a yogurt based dipping sauce for more nutrients.
For a backup protein, don't forget about chicken tenders. Costco has Dinosaurs and the kids will eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Thank you everyone for your wonderful suggestions! I love to cook and have made Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas brunch, Easter dinner, etc. for my family but the thought of cooking for friends and three small kids just sorta through me for a loop. My DD is 13 so it's been awhile since I've had to consider young people when planning! Plus, I like to do neat things while entertaining.

I look forward to stopping back at this forum after the weekend to learn more and chat more with y'all!

My kids like things on toothpicks, too, but they can be too pointy for little ones . . . so you can use coffee stirs as a skewer.

We like cherry tomatoes alternated with small mozzarella balls or strawberries alternated with pineapple. They also like to dip apple slices in caramel or banana slices in chocolate sauce.

A lot of kids don't like spicy food so you could leave salsa out for a dip for those who like spicy.

If nobody is allergic to PB, you can use a pretzel stick as a "fishing pole" that you dip in PB, then pick up a Goldfish cracker. That's a big hit.

Have fun!

Kari