Trite....but no one ever complains....lots of raw veggies and a couple of different dips...one of them being Ranch for the kids....and a couple of kinds of cheese and some crackers.
Also you could serve "snackers" a pickled meat served on a cracker, stuffed mini cream puffs, or make a shrimp spread for crackers, or a ground ham spread, little cucumber sandwiches on party rye.
Lots of possibilities.
Linda c

OK, so kids need to like it? How about those roll us things, with cream cheese and salsa, whatever you like rolled up inside a tortilla and then sliced.

My girls loved a spear of steamed asparagus, wrapped in a slice of turkey which had been spread with herbed mayonnaise and I've made these rye puffs, like a little cream puff that's Reuben flavored:

Rye Party Puffs

Dough
1 cup water
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup rye flour
2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
Caraway seeds

Corned Beef Filling
16 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 (2 1/2 ounce) packages thinly sliced
cooked corned beef, chopped
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons minced chives
2 tablespoons diced onion
1 teaspoon spicy brown mustard
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
10 small stuffed olives, chopped

In a saucepan over medium heat, bring water and butter to a boil. Add flours, parsley, garlic powder and salt all at once; stir until a smooth ball forms. Remove from the heat; let stand for 5 minutes.

Beat in eggs, one at time. Beat until smooth. Drop batter by rounded teaspoons 2-in. apart onto greased baking sheets. Sprinkle with caraway. Bake at 400 degrees F for 18-20 minutes or until golden.

Remove to wire racks. Immediately cut a slit in each puff to allow steam to escape; cool. In a mixing bowl, combine the first eight filling ingredients; mix well. Stir in olives. Split puffs; add filling. Refrigerate.
Yield: 4 1/2 dozen.

NOTE:The corned beef filling makes enough to fill two batches of the dough.

You could make the 7 layer mexican dip, just get all the ingredients together and take them in plastic bags, then quickly assemble when you arrive, it takes 2 minutes or less, and serve with chips. Kids love it and can pick off the olives. I'd make it pretty mild for the kids...

Seven Layer Bean Dip

1 (16 oz) can refried beans

Hot sauce (dash or two to taste)

Worcestershire sauce (dash or two to taste)

1 1/2 cups sour cream

1-2 tablespoons powdered taco seasoning (blend to taste)

2 fresh green roasted Anaheim or New Mexico green chiles, seeded and chopped

1 1/2 cups guacamole

2 cups Tomatoes, peeled and chopped

1 cup red onion, chopped

Salt

Pepper

1 cup black olives, pitted and chopped

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 cups grated Monterey Jack Cheese

Combine the sour cream, taco seasoning and chopped green chiles in a small bowl and set aside.

Peel and chop the tomatoes, chop red onions, chop cilantro and stir together. Salt and pepper to taste and set aside.

Blend into the refried beans a dash or two of your favorite hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Spread the bean mixture into the bottom of an 11 by 7 inch glass baking dish.

Now began to layer the beans with the avocado guacamole, cover with the sour cream mixture.

Sprinkle on the chopped black olives.

Spoon on the tomato, red onion and cilantro mixture.

Top with grated Monterey Jack Cheese and the green onions.

Refrigerate for one to four hours. Serve with fresh tortillas, tortilla chips and strips.

Buschetta is always good, and it's tomato season right now:

Bruschetta

4 Vine Ripe tomatoes (seeded and chopped)
1 clove Garlic crushed
8 Basil leaves chopped
1/8 sp salt
1/8 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 tablespoon Fresh choped Italian Parsley
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
1/4 cup of a GOOD Parmesean broken into small chunks

Mix all ingredients (except cheese) in a glass bowl, place chunks of cheese on top, cover and refrigerate.

When ready to serve mix all ingredients, including cheese. Serve with sliced bread, either toasted rounds or garlic bread.

I love hummus and pita chips, and here's a similar bean dip from Lori. You could buy pita chips and use them, and I plead guilty to leaving the lemon juice out of this by accident and I actually liked it that way too.

White Bean Dip with Pita Chips (Lori)

1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup olive oil, plus 4 tablespoons
1/4 cup (loosely packed) fresh Italian parsley leaves
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
6 pitas
1 teaspoon dried oregano

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the beans, garlic, lemon juice, 1/3 cup olive oil, and parsley in the work bowl of a food processor. Pulse
until the mixture is coarsely chopped. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Transfer the bean puree to a small
bowl. (Note: The dip will turn green in a relatively short time due to the fresh parsley.)

Cut each pita in half and then into 8 wedges. Arrange the pita wedges on a large baking sheet. Pour the remaining oil over the pitas. Toss and spread out the wedges evenly. Sprinkle with the oregano, salt, and pepper. Bake for 8 to 12 minutes, or until toasted and golden in color. Serve the pita toasts warm or at room temperature alongside the bean puree.

Have fun!

Annie

Linda, I must be the one person that is never happy to see a vegetable/dip platter as an appetizer. I love appetizers and I'm disappointed if the appetizer turns out to be a veggie platter with dip.

How about an antipasto platter? You could grill the veggies (eggplant, zucchini, mushrooms, red and green peppers) a head of time, add olives, artichokes and melon wrapped with prosciutto, etc.. Drizzle with a little olive oil seasoned with "Fresh" garlic. Serve at room temperature. Dates stuffed with gorgonzola are also a nice addition.

Wrap a piece of prosciutto around a chunk of melon (honeydew or cantaloupe) and spear it with a toothpick. Easy.

Stir together brown sugar and sour cream. Dip strawberries into it.

Love Ann's idea of dates stuffed with gorgonzola.

Ann, you raise everything to an art form!

Kid friendly, edible by adults, and not needing a reheat:

Meat and cheese tidbits. Cold cuts wrapped around cheese fillings and secured with a toothpick. Salami, cream cheese and black olives. Ham, cheddar and mustard. Turkey, Swiss and pickle slivers.

Any kind of chicken wings, served room temp. For kids, I'd go with Teriyaki.

Pretzels with a bowl of peanut butter (blended with honey if you like) for dipping.

Tea sandwiches...egg salad, tuna salad, peanut butter and jelly, ham and cheese, whatever filling you like really, but cut in small, bite sized pieces. Kids are more attracted to any food cut into bite sizes...dunno why...plus, they love it if the crusts are cut off.

If you can plug in a crockpot that block of velveeta and a can of rotel or chili with chips is always a hit. Same for the little smokies in bbq sauce. A fresh fruit platter is always a hit with my group. Pineapple, cantalope, and strawberries are our favorites. Watermelon is in season too. Shrimp cocktail, smoked salem with cream cheese and crackers, spiced nuts, hummus with pita chips, cheese ball, cream cheese with hot pepper jelly or salsa poured over it with crackers. Most of the kids in my group will eat this stuff...not all..but it's hard to please everyone with something at a party.

David

Your suggestions so far have been wonderful... I am going to do a few of these...thanks to all.

june

Caprese on skewers. Fresh mozzarella, grape tomatoes, fresh basil, pitted olives, proscuitto or whatever strikes your fancy. Vary the ingredients to make some kid friendly. Serve with a roasted pepper or balsamic dipping sauce. For presentation and quick set up when you get there, stick the skewers in an eggplant cut in half lengthwise and placed on the platter cut side down.

Or use the same idea with fruit i.e. on skewers. Serve with a cream cheese or yogurt dipping sauce. Use a whole pineapple on a platter to stick the skewers in.

I can't say that I am a "fan" of fresh veggies and dip served with my cocktails....but it does make me feel virtuous! LOL!
And while I would much rather have grilled veggies drizzled with a little balsamic, the only kid I know who would eat such a thing is one of my grandsons, while cauliflower, carrots, and celery and perhaps jicma with "Ranch" would be gobbled up.
I have 7 grand kids....and it is our custom, from when my jkids were young, to have lunch on Christmas day be hors d'ouvres, eaten while we open packages. I try to make it a "complete meal" that is offer fruits and veggies as well as chips and dip.
Adults and lids love little smokies in BBQ sauce, moste veryone eats all kinds of cheese I offer...but 3 don't like blue. 5 pig out on shrimp, 2 won't touch it, 1 loves cold poached salmon the rest won't touch it, I make a veggie tray of carrots, celery, red peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, cherry tomatoes and a couple of kinds of dip. The kids eat the carrots and celery and one will eat some cherry tomatoes. Swedish meatballs are a go....but the favorite is a hot chili cheese dip that you heat in the microwave. It's gone before it starts!!
One time I fixed grilled veggies and served a blue cheese/sour cream sauce along side. The kids dipped meatballs in the blue cheese....not no one but the one over 21 ate the grilled veggies....and the adults!
What I* have learned is, kids often won't eat what adults like, but all adults like what kids like....mostly!!
For one funeral lunch where there were a lot of grand kids and great grands, I made 2 packages of Kraft mac and cheese and a plate of peanut butter and grape jelly sandwiches and put them out along side the lovely chicken salad sandwiches and the ham sandwiches.....and had to go make more Pb and J as the adults were taking them!
If you have time, do fancy for the adults, but simple stuff for the kids.
Linda C

I'm completely with you on the room temperature apps. They are so much less stressful. Sour cream and brown sugar sounds delicious, and so does the white bean dip. I am happy for the new options :-)

One of my standbys is grilled chicken skewers. I cut chicken into cubes, spear on a skewer, cover in dry spices (salt, red pepper flakes, garlic, whatever) and pan-fry on both sides. I make peanut sauce for dipping-- dump a spoon of peanut butter in a bowl of soy sauce, microwave, and whisk together. It's a surprisingly good combination, better than most of the complicated peanut sauces I've tried to make. Chicken skewers are easy, taste good at room temperature, and relatively healthy. You can add veggies onto the skewers or make some separate veggie ones if you have vegetarians. I also recently made the black bottoms below for a party and they were a big hit.

Ann, those grill marks are enviable! Did you use a grill or grill pan?

Here is a link that might be useful: Black Bottoms

I know you are probably set but here is one more..
Garlic Feta Dip
Finely chopped garlic clove, 1/2 chopped red pepper, crumbled feta cheese (about 1 cup), chopped fresh parsley and sprinkle of hot pepper flakes, toss together and top with olive oil (very generously) and serve on top of baguette slices.
I love appetizers but having a veggie tray nearby is a must (I am like a goldfish and have to keep eating so I need something that's "safe").