Funky, I just noticed that you mentioned ”grilled onions and mushrooms” in the initial comment. We love baked onions. They cook for about an hour to an hour and a half, depending on the size of the onion. They are easy to prepare and take no tending to once they go in the oven. Recipe below: For each serving: One medium size onion, yellow onion or a sweet onion such as Vidalia or 1014 1 Tbslp butter 1 Tblsp soy sauce (I use low sodium) 1 Tblsp Worcestershire sauce sprinkle of some sort of spicy seasoning like Tony Cachere’s (optional) Heat oven to 425 degrees. Peel and trim the onion. Without cutting all the way through, slice it pole to pole in eighths (like a tomato you are going to stuff). Place the onion in an individual sized casserole dish (like a Corningware Grab-it) or place on a square of aluminum foil of sufficient size to completely enclose it. Put the pat of butter on top of the onion. Drizzle with soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce. If using, sprinkle with seasoning. Cover tightly with foil if using an individual dish or close up the foil and place the onion packets in a casserole dish. Bake for an hour to an hour and a half, depending on the size of the onion. NOTE: as the onions bake, they make a lot of juice. If you use the foil packets, you’ll need to serve the onions in a dish that will contain the juice when the foil is opened.

Chicken teriyaki with fresh pineapple chunks and circles of blanched pea pods. Stick the skewers in a fresh pineapple (or a fresh pineapple halved lengthwise). Makes a nice presentation. Bloody Mary skewers - Marinated cherry tomatoes using vodka, olive juice, Tobasco sauce and spices (I use Mrs. Dash table grind), olives, celery, shrimp and candied bacon.

Fresh Spring Rolls are always a hit. If you want extra fancy, artfully arrange the ingredients so the design shows through the rice paper wrappers. I usually do 3 kinds, vegetarian, chicken, and shrimp or scallop. Spring Rolls Rolls: 1 lb. cooked shrimp, chicken, or scallops, diced 1/8” 1 cup lettuce shredded then chopped fine 1 cup of bean sprouts, diced ¼ cup fresh cilantro minced fine 1 cup cooked rice noodles, chopped 1 cup carrots shredded then chopped fine ¼ cup scallions green and white part, minced fine 30 8” rice paper wrappers (Do not use egg roll/wonton wrappers) Large bowl of hot water for softening rice papers. Note: Depending on how fast you work, the water may need to be changed several times to maintain temperature. Mix first 7 ingredients together for filling. Prepare work surface for rolling spring rolls. I cover the counter with 2 layers of paper towels. Place one rice paper in the hot water. Keep remaining papers in plastic bag or they will stick together. As soon as the rice paper is soft about 30 seconds, remove from water and lay flat on paper towels. Place 2 heaping tablespoons of filling in the center of the rice papers. Fold end of rice paper over filling and pull tight to form log, roll slightly to hold then fold in sides and finish rolling tight. Place rolls seam side down on serving platter. Repeat. Makes 30. Sauce: 1 cup creamy peanut butter or (if you are worried about peanut allergies use sun butter) ½ cup hot water 2 tbs. pickled ginger, minced fine ¼ cup lite soy sauce 1 tbs. wasabi paste 1-2 tbs. agave or honey 1 tsp. garlic minced very fine Whisk together peanut butter, soy sauce and hot water until smooth. Stir in ginger, wasabi paste and garlic and mix well. Refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving for flavors to blend. Stir well before serving.

I disagree with trying to force something else on the party girl. Or maybe not force, but convince otherwise. You can absolutely fill up and have a full hearty meal off of just appetizers. We do that ALL the time. And its easier. No utensils, no hefty bowls or big plates to balance, and much more suited to a casual, fun affair with conversation and celebration as the attraction. It is also easier to accommodate a much broader group of people, as long as you make sure there is a good mix of things. These are some of the things we usually do or are at least in rotation for our large family parties that can end up being way more than 50 people. Buffalo Chicken Dip Eggrolls Olive bread bites BLT bites Meatballs Sausage Balls Cream cheese olive chip dip Spinach artichoke Dip Popcorn chicken with various dips Cocktail Weenies Devilled eggs Spanakopita Stuffed Mushrooms Shrimp Cocktail And of course, Costco and Sams has a nice selection of frozen or prepared apps that would fit the bill. Throw in a charcuterie board or a cheese and cracker tray, and the cupcakes, perfect. If you absolutely feel the need to have an offering that feels more like a "meal" do a sandwich tray with rolls. Various deli meats, sliced cheese, the rolls and another tray with toppings like lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, etc and some condiments. But I think that throws off the idea of appies.