What's your favorite simple appetizer to make/serve?

Pigs in a blanket or Deviled Eggs

You can toast whole shelled pecans in a pan, slowly, with a tiny bit of butter, cayenne pepper, salt and brown sugar until glazed.

A veggie tray

Spanish tortilla

Boil up some of ‘dem damn shrimp, and make a simple cocktail sauce (ketchup, tabasco, horseradish, soy). Nothing easier or better.

Hummus (Trader Joe’s recommended if they are in your area)
Tzatziki (Greek yogurt dip)
Guacomole
Carrots, crackers, pita to dip in the hummus tzatziki and guacamole.

Really good bread with olive oil to dip

Place goat cheese in a baking dish, cover with pasta sauce, warm in the oven
Serve with bread

I have never done it, but a friend fo mine told me you can take pillsbury crescent rolls and lay it out flat, so it is a rectangle, and kind of pinch together the perferations so they dissappear, then havarti cheese, and then a top layer of pillsbury crescent roll dough, and cook to the cresecent roll package directions. Let cool a few minutes and cut into squares.

Quesadillas: flour tortilla with zuchini, orange peppers and a mild white cheese.

Fresh fried flour tortillas and queso dip.

Veggies and dip. Knorr veggie soup makes a great dip.

Edamame

If you go for crackers and cheese, I just discovered Townhouse pretzel crackers, they are great.

Mini kabobs of beef or chicken with onion, pepper, tomato.

I like serving veggies with hummus and pita wedges.

Tortilla roll-ups & my hot wing recipe. Mmmmmm

I like the way you think jaytkay and now I am famished

Buy a nice crusty bread (French or Italian). Slice it on an angle, toast it in the oven with some olive oil and then top it with anything you like (cheese, peppers, sardines etc). It’s very simple to do and yet it looks good.

One more. I buy the polenta that comes in cylinder shape, the one I buy is Frieda’s http://www.friedas.com/index.cfm?show=searchmart I find it in the produce section. I like the plain traditional one. Cut it into ¼ to1/3 inch disks and pan fry in a little bit of oil until it starts to brown. You can serve like this with some sauce, or top with cheese and/or sausage and melt under a broiler for a few minutes.

Note: It is packed with a little water, so when you open the package beware it will spill out.

If you’ve never had this, it’s gonna sound so ghetto, but it’s really good. Take a block of cream cheese, set it on a plate, pour worcestershire sauce on it, and serve it with townhouse or ritz. Another variation is mint or jalepeno jelly on top.

@chelseababyy wow you said pigs in a blanket – I’m surprised you know what those are – and impressed.

~chips and salsa~

Forgot stuffed mushrooms. I have an easy way to make them.

Large mushrooms, cut out the stalks.

For the stuffing I use crushed croutons (buy whatever flavor and brand you prefer), fresh onions, and some pieces from the mushroom stems. Fry the onions and mushroom pieces, and add the crushed croutons, then set aside.

In a pan open side down sautee mushrooms, then flip over and fill with crouton and onion mixture. Top with mozerella cheese and cover so the mushroom continues to cook and the cheese melts.

Get a good and flavorful salami or (I prefer) Lebanon Bologna. Take a slice of the meat, spread a bit of cream cheese on it and then roll it into s cylinder. Stick a toothpick in it to both keep it rolled and give it a handle.

You can also get a good, salty ham sliced very, very thin and wrap it around thin slices of melon (without the outer rind).

I have also enjoyed something like these Spinach Brownies, although the name isn’t the best.

Another one I like is Sweet Potato Rounds.

If you are going to have a vegetable tray served with hummus, you might also make some Tsatziki to use as a dip. It is made basically of plain yogurt (preferably the thick Greek-style), diced cucumbers and garlic. Here is a basic recipe.

And I find that a simple tomato, basil and olive oil bruschetta can go over well, something like this

My favorite is olive dip – 8oz of cream cheese at room temperature mixed with chopped olives and about ¼ cup of the olive juice. I serve this dip with wheat thins or ritz crackers.
Another quick option is a sweet fruit dip – 8oz cream cheese mixed (room temp) mixed with ½ jar marshmallow fluff, serve with cut fruit (apples, pears, melon) or whole strawberries and grapes.
Something that takes a little more time is stuffed cherry tomatoes – hollow out 12 tomatoes with a melon bawler and fill with a mixture of 2oz cream cheese, 1tbs mayo, 1/8cup finely chopped cucumber, ½tbsp chopped green onion and 1tbsp fresh dill (or 1/8tsp dried dill weed). Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Anything that is in the freezer section of the store and that will feed 5 very hungry people.

Salmon Spread
Tall can of Salmon
1lb block of cream cheese
small bunch of fresh parsley
paprika
fresh ground black pepper
juice of freshly squeezed lemon half
¼ teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce

fold the Salmon, juice and all into the creme cheese
mince the parsley fine and fold that in
fold in the spices and lemon juice
serve with crackers, bagel chips or sourdough baguette rounds

@hungryhungryhortence, oh man, I LOVE that stuff. You’re gettin’ a real Pavlovian response here…

Oh my god, I love all these suggestions and don’t know which to do!

The cream cheese and hot pepper jelly suggested by @stratman37 is delicious and super simple. Even tastier if you take some phyllo dough, cut it into squares and put them in a mini muffin tin, put a bit of cream cheese and jelly in them and bake for a few minutes. I’ve never had the Worcestershire version.

Another one that sounds strange but is very tasty is a green pepper and pineapple cheese ball. Delicious and easy.

You can also dump your favorite salsa over cream cheese and serve it with tortilla chips, or your favorite chutney ditto and serve it with pita chips or naan.

And now I am starving.

Chicken strips, and taquitos are my favorite.

If you serve veggies like carrot sticks and need a dip, a beautiful presentation is a big green bell pepper in the center of the plate filled with the dip.

Cucumber Salad

4 cucumbers, peeled
2 tbls fresh dill, chopped
¾ cup of apple vinegar
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Slice the cucumbers to ¼” thickness.
Put cucumbers and dill in a bowl.
Mix in the vinegar.
Season with salt and pepper.
Put in the fridge for at least a half hour.

Yay!