To follow with your bruschetta theme you could do a tomato, mozzarella and basil on a kabob. Search appetizers on Pinterest and the choices are endless.

We had a potluck a couple weeks ago and someone made antipasto skewers that were delicious. Of course, they are loaded with sodium so you may not want to do them. I'm sure someone will come on here and tell you they aren't healthy. But they were so good. She got the recipe off of one of the recipe sites like Allrecipes.

I saw a very cool looking appetizer I'm going to try at a tea party this fall. Take a slice of gouda cheese and form into bowls using muffin tins and bake. Fill with spinach/strawberry salad and serve. You could fill with the salad right before serving to keep them from getting soggy. Another was wonton bowls filled with chicken salad.

Gouda Bowls

Wonton Bowls Filled with Chicken Salad

I also saw the wonton bowls filled with artichoke/spinach dip. I guess I have a thing for little bowls/containers!

Pit dates, stuff with cheese (or not), wrap in bacon, bake until bacon done. Can be served warm or room temp. That delicious salty-sweet thing.

As long as they don't somewhat duplicate the bruschetta you're serving, the Caprese skewers jewels_ks mentioned would be nice.

Just thinking since I made these again recently...if they sound appealing to you. I have a great book called "The Meatball Shop Cookbook" with some very tasty versions of meatballs. These mini meatballs and dressing can be made well in advance.

Mini Buffalo Chicken Balls

2 T. vegetable oil
4 T. butter
1/3 cup (or to taste) hot sauce (any favorite is fine)
1 pound ground chicken, preferably thigh meat
1 large egg
1/2 celery stalk, minced
3/4 cup bread crumbs
1 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 450. Coat a 9×13-inch baking dish evenly with the vegetable oil. Set aside.

Combine the butter and hot sauce in a small saucepan, and cook over low heat, whisking until the butter is melted and fully incorporated. Remove from the heat and allow the mixture to cool for 10 minutes.

Combine the hot sauce mixture, ground chicken, egg, celery, bread crumbs, and salt in a large mixing bowl and mix by hand until thoroughly incorporated.

Roll the mixture into round, 3/4 -inch balls, making sure to pack the meat firmly. Place the balls in the prepared baking dish, being careful to line them up snugly and in even rows vertically and horizontally to form a grid. The meatballs should be touching one another.

Roast for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the meatballs are firm and cooked through (a meat thermometer should read 165). Allow the meatballs to cool for 5 minutes in the baking dish before serving. (Can also store in fridge at this point to reheat later.) Use toothpicks or cocktail skewers to serve/dip meatballs in dressing.

Blue Cheese Dressing
(Keeps 5 days in the fridge.)

3/4 cup sour cream
1/3 cup crumbled Blue Cheese
1/3 cup whole milk
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon salt or more to taste
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Place the sour cream, blue cheese, milk, mayonnaise, salt, and vinegar in a medium bowl and whisk thoroughly until completely combined. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if desired.

I love asparagus wrapped in prosciutto.

Any number of vegetables can be stuffed in some way.

ETA: Although I agree in theory about healthy options, I don't feel everything has to be when you are having a party with 40 people. Each person should monitor themselves. If you have to watch every diet, what are you left with?

So taking mine as an example, the meat is easy to slide off and the person can just eat the asparagus. He can give the prosciutto to his wife.

I have a mustard-dill tortellini salad on a skewer recipe and a marinated chicken satay with peanut sauce recipe if you are interested, Both are delicious.

These are great - thanks. Keep the ideas/recipes coming, please. Georgysmom2, yes, please, especially the chicken satay. How would I do it last minute?

Something really easy, refreshing and not heavy is a skewer of a watermelon ball or bite, small basil leaf, and a mozzarella ball. You can drizzle a little balsamic on the plate if desired but not really necessary.

edited to add, I have also used small multi-colored pepper halves stuffed with guacamole. Big hit.

We love these and they are to me even better at room temperature than hot.

https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/pepper-poppers/

My original copy's picture did not leave the stems on, but I may try that next time. I use an 8oz preshredded Mexican cheese blend instead of the two different cheeses and we don't use a dip of any kind. I cook for the 40 minutes.

ETA: I fold the bacon in half lengthwise and cut, then each half in half the long way. Then cut the strips into small chunks. Cook after cutting and drain. It is easier to cut before cooking than to crumble after.

tigereye, my husband would love those. That reminds me...I've bought those mini baby bell peppers at Trader Joe's to stuff with a mixture of pancetta, onion, ricotta cheese, Parmesan.

Suzieque, can you tell us what kind of bruschetta you're serving?

choloebud, somehow I always lose a few when I am stuffing the peppers before cooking. I can't imagine where they are going to, wink wink.

Chicken Satay

1 garlic clove minced, 3 T. soy sauce, 2 T. lemon juice, 1 tsp curry (I use a tiny bit less) 1/2 tsp. pepper. Two skinless chicken breast or some chicken tenders cut in about 2 - 3" strips. Combine first 5 ingredients. Put chicken in marinade 30 minutes. Skewer chicken, discard marinade. Grill chicken (I just use a frying pan with a little bit of oil) Serve with peanut sauce.....can also be used as main dish over rice pilaf.

Peanut Sauce

1 small sweet onion chopped fine, 1 tsp. minced fresh ginger, 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper, 1 tsp. corn oil, 1/2 C creamy peanut butter, 1 C. water, 1 T. soy sauce, 1/4 tsp. salt

Saute' first 3 ingredients in hot oil 1 min. stir in peanut butter, gradually stir in next e ingredients. Bring to boil. Cook stirring 3 min. or until thickened. Makes 2 C.

I cut up chicken in strips and freeze on cookie sheet then put in zip-lock bag. That can be done a month ahead, making the rest of process very easy. I served this to my Mexican Train group the other night, Cooking the chicken stove top several hours before they came. slightly undercooked chicken, then just heated up in the oven. It tastes just as good at room temp. Just put peanut sauce in microwave and heated that up a minute or two.

Mustard-Dill Tortellini Skewers

1 - 9 oz. pkg. cheese tortellini, 1 pt. grape tomatoes halved, 1 8 oz. pkg. sugar snap peas.

Cook tortellini according to directions. Blanch sugar snap peas and shock in cold ice water. Put pasta, tomato halves and peas in a covered container with vinaigrette. (Can do the night before.)

Mustard - Dill vinaigrette

1/2 C. white vinegar, 2 T. fresh dill, 3 T. Dijon mustard, 2 crushed garlic cloves, 2 tsp. sugar, 1 1/4 C. oil (half olive) salt and pepper to taste.

Thread picks with half tomato, tortellini, sugar snap pea. It's a little messy doing it this way but I prefer me dealing with the mess then skewering first and pouring vinaigrette over and getting skewers all oily. These are very refreshing in the summertime but also very attractive at Christmas with the red and green.

oven-baked bacon-wrapped water chestnuts ... with toothpicks for their own individual skewers ... watch the salt

I'm assuming that the bruschetta will be served hot/warm??? If so I would go with something cold or room temp. We were at a due last weekend where the hostess served a slice of cucumber, topped with a cube of watermelon and topped with a small bite of feta.......they were amazing! Refreshing on the palate and such a nice touch as the day was hot.

If you want a second hot then stuffed mushrooms may be an idea. Easily made ahead and then just popped in the oven for ten minutes. If it interests you I have a simple recipe that always gets yums!

Edited to add the feat was marinated in oil and herbs.

1/4'd artichoke hearts packed in water, drain and rinse. Marinate overnight in Good Seasons Italian dressing. Wrap with sliced ham strips held together with toothpick......broil a few minutes and serve.

In keeping with chase's water melon and cucumber, just today I saw something which was the same idea but the watermelon was cute in cubes, hollowed out with a melon scoop and stuffed with the cuke finely chopped, some feta and drizzled with balsamic. it looked quite lovely.......recipe can be found on Taste of Home/Watermelon Cups. For those that don't like cilantro, you can use parsley instead.

Since it is melon season, I'd go with a slice of canteloup or honeydew wrapped with thin slice of proscuitto. I also second the suggestion of a cube of watermelon, cuke and a cube of feta on a skewer.

I know you said no dips, but this is not really like a dip with chips so I thought I'd mention it....my GF made it, I loved it, I've made it and everyone I've served it to loves it too. Sort of like a crustless quiche with a southwest flavor.

https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a10530/chili-con-queso-bites-recipe-campbells-1109/

To make the dip, I just stir some leftover picante sauce into some sour cream.

This thread reminds me of a potluck except we aren't sharing actual food. Everyone is posting their best appetizers to share and I love it! I might use some of these for the tea party I'm hosting later this year.

gardengal's suggestion of watermelon and feta is a good one. Love that combination.

Something I always have at Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's might go over well also. It is certainty easy. A tray of pickled things. All kinds of olives, pickled okra, pickled baby corn, assorted different cucumber pickles, etc.

Rosemary Skewers are yummy, and a beautiful presentation. They benefit from being made ahead.

https://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/rosemary-skewers/

I have been enjoying this forum for almost 20 years........how scary is that? By far and away my favourite threads are when we actually share tried and true recipes, menu ideas , solving real entertaining dilemmas and the odd insight into our lives.

Some of my favourite threads were just throwing out an ingredient and asking for T&T' s.

I always like to serve something a little healthy if possible...or at least not too rich or carb heavy. While they fit that bill, I think Caprese skewers are pretty popular/common and likely to be duplicated.

Recently pinned this as an interesting and different, somewhat healthy appetizer but haven't tried it yet. If you can't get good crab, you could stuff with any of your favorite cream cheezy or goat cheezy spread:

https://www.recipegirl.com/crab-and-cream-cheese-stuffed-snow-peas/

These may be too similar to wings, which someone will surely serve, but they are easy, and no bones, so can be eaten with a toothpick. Keep warm in a crockpot:

I found Garden Web by accident. I bought a greenhouse in 2010 that had glowing reviews. Well, lets just say they were editing them. I finally, in 2011, googled Rion Greenhouse PROBLEMS, and this popped up. Been a fan ever since! Branched out from greenhouses, to gardening, to cooking, and everything else.

Someone mentioned asparagus wrapped with prosciutto. My mom used to make something similar to the recipe in this link. They were so good!

https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/asparagus-appetizer-roll-ups/

Olychick, I've never seen stuffed snow peas before! What a fabulous idea!

I think a protein heavy choice, that's not too fatty or salty, would be a great choice with all those houses and nibbles. I wonder if the satay skewers (pre-cooked), for instance, if left trayed up in the fridge, can be heated in five minutes, plus pre-heat time. I think that would be a perfect choice if you can get the logistics worked out. Or could they hold without drying out, under foil in a keep warm temperature oven? Assuming you have oven space if you're going to toast the bruschetta?

If that doesn't work, how about meatballs marinara in a crockpot or two? They'd go with the bruschetta, too. Or, if you want contrast, any other kind of meatball. They can be served on long toothpicks.

For that matter, grilled popcorn-cut chicken can be fantastic. Lean and flavorful. Marinate with a sauce that has some oil and some sugar in it, cook on an outdoor grill or hot cast iron griddle or frying pan, or whatever you prefer. Just don't crowd the pan. Serve in a big salad bowl with toothpicks or skewers, stab your own. :)

Yum - these are all wonderful suggestions - thank you! I'm headed out now for a bit but will read through more closely and respond later. You all rock!

Just a comment about the snow peas....I think that they need to be used as fresh, young pods in that recipe. They are considered a late winter, very early spring crop and are harvestable for a pretty short time. Mine were finished in March, I think.

Frozen ones wouldn't be a good substitute for the tender young pods and I don't 'think' that I've seen out of season fresh pods in the stores.

But , I can attest to the fact that stuffed snow peas are truly delicious.

The above comment is meant purely as a public service announcement, not by any means a criticism, lol.

In August, I have served cold gazbacho as an appetizer in small plastic cups with small spoons. A plate of pumpernickel croutons can be plated nearby.

The snow peas (and sugar snaps) need to be trimmed of tails and strings.

Depends on where you live (snow peas). Here in the PNW they are still young and fresh at the farmer's market and available almost year round (fresh and delicious) at our food co-op.

Even when we grow them I always trim and string them...

They're available fresh here year round as well, though sometimes they're out for a week or so, and sometimes they're only available beyond the tiny/tender stage, or look sad and not appealing for raw. I think the larger ones would work, too, if cooked beyond blanching a bit, and carefully destringed on both sides. As long as they're sweet and crunchy (when still raw) rather than fibrous and going bitter, they should be okay. 'Course, I love snow peas... I love all peas and pea pods. Perhaps this particular recipe wouldn't be so good with a larger, thicker pea, but the stuffing idea would work.

So, I was just thinking how convenient a cold item would be if you're toasting the bruschetta, and had a lightbulb moment--cornets! Talk about fun party foods! The filling is no different from a canape, really, but it's fun! I'm sorry I don't have a T&T recipe for you, but recipes and instructions are easy to find. You can make the shells well ahead. Add flavoring to the batter to go with your filling. Fill with any kind of fresh seafood preparation or whatever else comes to mind. You can stand them in shot glasses, a popper tray, or even just a tray full of grain/rice, large crystal salt, seeds or whatnot. They look fantastic, are easy to pick up, fun to eat, and you can even stuff them a la minute in the five minutes if everything is organized and ready to go, or have them stuffed and ready to pull out of the fridge (test your exact recipe ahead to make sure it won't go soggy if you have to store in the fridge)..

Shrimp shooters? A small shrimp[ and a dab of cocktail sauce in a small "jello-0 shot cup"..plastic.
An olive tapenade....sort of like the bruschetta but different,
Salad on a stick....skewer with a cherry tomato, a slice of cucumber, a mozerella ball, chunk of green pepper, more cucumber, a cube of mild chedder, a black olive.....and you could provide ad ressing to dip into.

Something that is make ahead and needs no last minute faffing are shot glasses filled with something delicious like guacamole with some smoked salmon on top or tuna mousse with some fish eggs or coronation chicken on a bed of chopped salad....... we call them verrines. Very popular in France.

https://www.google.com/search?q=verrines+apéro&client=tablet-android-samsung&prmd=isvn&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjO7p2LkeHjAhXJ6OAKHZLcAJYQ_AUoAXoECA0QAQ&biw=1280&bih=800

Mini meatballs kept warm in the crockpot. I often make Asian style for my book group. Can be prepared the day before and reheated.

Oysters on the half shell, some popped under the broiler with Rockefeller topping of sorts, just throwing out ideas. This type of thing make me competitive, I would want to have the best food and presentation lol

For a cold appetiser that travels easily, I take a box of small round water crackers, a small Tupperware container of pre-slivered smoked salmon, a small container of drained capers, and I whip a brick of cream cheese with enough sour cream to make it fluffy, add some dill and put it into a piping bag with a star nozzle. At the party, I simply lay out the crackers on a serving tray, blurt the cream cheese on each one, top with some smoked salmon and a couple of capers and call it good. They’re never left over.

For a hot appetiser, similar to marymd, I split a pitted prune, fill with cream cheese, wrap with bacon and secure it with a toothpick. Bake on a tray in the oven until the bacon is cooked.

Individual leaves of Belgian endive make great crudites. I like a dollop of a horseradish cream (just horseradish stirred into some marscapone or whatever) with a nice piece of smoked trout and a sprig of dill or tarragon. Another option (used more in the winter for me) is some goat cheese, a couple of blood or navel orange supremes and some good toasted sliced almonds. You could drizzle a bit of olive oil and black pepper on this, or not. The possibilities are many.

Ooh, small gougeres are nice. Nobody turns down deviled eggs.

Wow- my, my! I'm blown away by the generosity here! Yup, I love this forum. Thank you everyone for your spectacular ideas - I'm drooling just reading through them. I've got another 2 weeks before the event so will definitely be experimenting with these and will let you know what I end up with. Thanks again.

Suzieque, would love to hear what you decide. These appetizer threads are always fun.

One of my all time favorites is the very simple caprese...esp this time of year...little fresh mozzarella balls with a cherry tomato and part of a basil leaf skewered on toothpicks and drizzled with good olive oil and/or balsamic vinegar. Yum.

Slice of tart apple (put in acidulated water after cutting), piece of pineapple wedge, rolled crisp lettuce, on a toothpick, sprinkled with sea salt and toasted sesame seeds. Unexpected combo.

Annie, I almost thought yours was the same as what I had posted, and then I realized you were using cherry tomatoes, not watermelon! Try the melon sometime (if you like watermelon anyway), it’s really a refreshing change, and I am a big tomato lover.

I would love to hear what you decide to serve.

MQ'S Tiny Roquefort Popovers
From Williams-Sonoma

Vegetable oil, for brushing

1 cup (5 oz/155 g) all-purpose (plain) flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley
1 and 1/4 cups (10 fl oz/310 ml) milk, at room temperature
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
3 oz (90 g) Roquefort or other strong-flavored, crumbly blue cheese, crumbled

Position an oven rack in the bottom third of the oven and preheat to 450 (220°C). Generously brush two 12-cup nonstick mini muffin pans with vegetable oil.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, white pepper, and parsley. In a large measuring pitcher, whisk together the milk, eggs, and melted butter. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and whisk together until just combined (don't worry if a few lumps remain). Pour the batter into the prepared muffin cups to within about 1/4 inch (6 mm) of the rim (about 1 and 1/2 tablespoons each). Place a scant teaspoon crumbled cheese in the center of each filled cup.

Bake for 10 minutes. Do not open the oven door during this time. Reduce the heat to 350 (18O°C) and continue to bake until brown and crusty and fully puffed, 8-10 minutes longer. Remove from the oven and immediately transfer to a warmed: platter or napkin-lined bowl. Serve at once.

Or, let cool on racks (for up to 2 hours, then reheat in a 350 (18O°C) oven for 10 minutes.

MAKES 24 WARM BITES.

Just popping in to say I made georgysmom2's recipe for chicken satay and peanut sauce for guests today. It received rave reviews and I will be making it again. Thank you georgysmom2 for posting the recipe.

Cold appetizers:

Strawberries, cut open enough from the tip to stuff with brie, topped with a mint leaf

Fresh figs stuffed with a mix of blue and goat cheeses, topped with a candied walnut

Chunks or spears of cantaloup, wrapped in prosciutto, secured with a toothpick

Glad you enjoyed, Ava.