15 Easy Appetizer Ideas
Double Cranberry Crostini
Top baguette slices with cream cheese, sliced deli meat, and cranberry chutney for a fall-inspired starter.
Falling Leaves
Spice up wonton wrappers with curry, dill, basil, and juice from a can of beets to create these colorful crackers. Use cookie cutters to make leaf shapes, spritz them with vegetable-oil spray, and brush on one or two flavorings. Sprinkle the leaves with sea salt and bake on a cookie sheet at 400 degrees F for about 4 minutes. After they've cooled, let the kids rake them in.
Parents' food editor Erica Clark shows how to make yummy leaf chips from wonton wrappers and spices.
Food Editor Erica Clark demonstrates how you can make this fun fall snack with the kids using just a few simple ingredients.
Berry-Good Apples
Kids tend to like fruit more than veggies. Cut up red and green apples (brush them with a little lemon juice to prevent browning) and serve with this yummy raspberry spread.
Blend 12 ounces reduced-fat whipped cream cheese with 3 tablespoons seedless raspberry preserves until smooth. Serve with apple wedges.
Kiddie Cheese Tray
Sure, put out some trays of Brie and Camembert for the adults. But don't forget about your younger guests: Make a separate cheese tray filled with string and cheddar cheeses, grapes, carrot sticks, and other munchies that kids love.
Feta Olive Toast
This olive toast topped with feta looks fancy, but it'll take you only a couple of minutes to make!
Amazing Onion Dip
Caramelizing the onions beforehand gives this dip its sweet flavor. Serve with sliced bell peppers, broccoli, and other veggies.
Shrimp & Pepper Bruschetta
Topping bruschetta with shrimp gives this appetizer a fun twist! Toast the bruschetta in a grill pan, if you have one, to create clean grill marks.
Polenta Pizzas
For a snack the kids will love, top slices of packaged polenta with tomato sauce and cheese.
Cheese-Stuffed Celery
Fill stalks with a seasoned cream cheese mixture and top with walnuts. Leave a few celery stalks with plain cream cheese in case some kids are allergic to walnuts -- or just picky!
Flavorful Feta
Dice your favorite brand of feta cheese into small cubes, and marinate the cubes in herbs and spices. Serve the feta solo or as part of a cheese tray.
Healthy Hummus
Add this dip to your crudite platter, or, if you're short on time, simply serve it along with some pita wedges.
Orange you glad to have a healthy snack to serve this Halloween season?
Eggplant Caponata
Simmer this delicious veggie-olive topping in your slow cooker, then serve warm or chilled.
Stuffed 'Shrooms
Fill mushroom caps with bread crumbs, chopped tomatoes, and cheese, then serve the caps upside down.
Cucumber Bites
Top these light and refreshing veggies with a dollop of our special cheese mixture!
Breaded Asparagus
These asparagus stalks may look deep-fried, but (surprise!) we baked them instead. Serve these veggies with dipping sauce and watch the kids dig in!
Originally published in the November 2010 issue of Parents magazine.
