The easy, breezy days of summer bring a welcome change to entertaining, allowing you to have a little more fun when you’re serving barbecue guests or visiting family. We’ve come up with a few suggestions to help you get into the summertime snack groove! (And what do they all have in common? They’re quick, easy to prepare, and crowd-pleasing!)

• When you think bruschetta, you think heavy cheese, sauce and toppings, right? What about a colorful Summer Fruit Bruschetta, offering crusty bread topped with the colorful fruits of summer? It’s a light, tasty snack that will provide guests a new choice at that app table! Check out the recipe!
• Rustic Crust Ciabatta Flatbread is the perfect foundation of a range of hot or cold snacks. Make mini-cold cut/cheese sandwiches, spread with tasty hummus, or cut up the ciabatta and use instead of the usual chips or veggies to dip into just about anything. Yum!
• Got time before guests arrive? Make some homemade salsa! It’s the perfect centerpiece for a party table, easy to make, and your guests will be impressed. Just remember to make it ahead of time for ample refrigeration (so all those great tastes join forces for a fabulous feast!).
• Tired of the same-old, same-old chips and salsas, or veggie dips? Try Rustic Crust Pizza Appetizers! All you’ll need is an assortment of Rustic Crusts, in a variety of flavors and textures (thick, thin, in between) and let your imagination run wild with toppings. Change up the cheese, pile on the veggies, the meat, whatever! A quick pop in the oven, slice them up finger-food style, and you’ll have folks piling their plates!
• No need for utensils, when you can make mini-shrimp skewers! Add your favorite marinade to some shrimp in the morning, refrigerate for the day, then put on skewers and toss on the grill as you’re preheating for your main course. As your guests keep you company while you’re cooking, they’re also enjoying those wonderful shrimp skewers. (PS – Give them a fancy name – even better!)
• Don’t let the foreign name throw you off – making Prosciutto e Melone couldn’t be easier. Why? The translation is Italian Ham & Melon (feel better?). All you need is one cantaloupe (seeded and cut into cubes) and 8 thin slices prosciutto. Wrap the ham around the cubes and secure with a colorful toothpick. A cool snack perfect for a hot summer night!