Ladybug Crackers

Ingredients

• 2 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• Black paste food coloring
• 1/2 teaspoon minced green onion
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/8 teaspoon minced fresh parsley
• 36 butter-flavored crackers
• 18 cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 18 large pitted ripe olives
• 72 fresh green onion pieces (about 1-1/2 inches long)

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and sour cream until smooth. Remove 1 tablespoon to a small bowl and tint black. Place tinted cream cheese mixture in a small plastic bag; set aside.
2. Add the green onion, garlic salt and parsley to the remaining cream cheese mixture. Spread over crackers. Arrange two tomato quarters on each for the ladybug wings.
3. For heads, halve the olives widthwise; place one half on each cracker. Insert two pieces of green onion into olives for antennae. Use tinted cream cheese mixture to pipe spots onto wings.

Texas Confetti Rice Salad

Taste of Home Recipe

 

2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) chicken broth

2 cups uncooked long grain rice

1/2 cup water

4 cups cubed cooked turkey

4 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped

2 cups fresh or frozen corn, thawed

1 large green pepper, chopped

1 medium red onion, chopped

1 cup olive oil

1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro

1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies

3 tablespoons white wine vinegar

3 tablespoons lime juice

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 medium ripe avocado, peeled and cubed

 

Directions

In a large saucepan, bring the broth, rice and water to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-18 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender. Transfer to a large bowl; cool completely.

Stir in the turkey, tomatoes, corn, green pepper and onion. In a small bowl, whisk the oil, cilantro, chilies, vinegar, lime juice, mustard, cumin, garlic salt and pepper flakes. Pour over salad; toss to coat. Chill until serving. Just before serving, stir in avocado.

 

Yield: 12 servings (1-1/3 cups each).

Ginger Crinkles

Original recipe from Gourmet | December 2004, Epicurious.com © CondéNet, Inc. All rights reserved.

 

Yield: Makes about 6 dozen cookies Active Time: 35 min Total Time: 1 ½ hr

 

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¾ teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon ground allspice

½ teaspoon ground cloves

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup vegetable shortening at room temperature

½ stick ( ¼ cup) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 large egg ½ cup molasses (not robust or blackstrap)

About 1/3 cup sanding or granulated sugar for tops of cookies

 

Whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cloves, and salt in a bowl until combined.

Beat together shortening, butter, and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes in a stand mixer (preferably fitted with paddle attachment) or 6 minutes with a handheld. Add egg and molasses, beating until combined. Reduce speed to low, then mix in flour mixture until combined.

 

Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 375°F.

 

Roll 1 heaping teaspoon of dough into a 1-inch ball with wet hands, then dip 1 end of ball in sanding sugar. Make more cookies in same manner, arranging them, sugared side up, 2 inches apart on 2 ungreased baking sheets.

Bake cookies, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until undersides are golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes total, then cool on sheets 1 minute. Transfer to racks to cool completely. Make more cookies with remaining dough on cooled baking sheets.

 

Notes:

· Added about 2/3 cup of chopped candied ginger. Mix in with the flour mixture so the ginger will not stick together & also get distributed evenly.

· Used a #50 scoop (~1.25 T) to make bigger cookies. Yield was 2-½ dozen.

· Rolled the whole dough ball in the sugar, not just the top.

· Baked them 10-12 minutes. Smaller ones would probably need less time.

· Cookies start out chewy & turn crisp with time. I love them both ways.

· Cookies keep, layered between sheets of wax paper or parchment, in an airtight container at room temperature 2 weeks (if they last that long).

Thai Cucumber Salad

3 cucumbers

¼ Cup lemon juice

¼ Cup canola or peanut oil – I also add a dash of sesame oil for flavor

¼ Cup rice vinegar

¼ Cup chopped cilantro

¼ Cup chopped green onions or snipped chives **(I leave this out usually)

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

**I also add sesame seeds for appearance and chopped peanuts if I have them on hand

Peel cucumbers with peeler. Discard green skin. Continue to peel into long shreds. Discard the seed parts of cucumber.

For the dressing, whisk together the lemon juice, oils and rice vinegar. Add the remaining ingredients. Pour the dressing over the cucumber shreds and give them a stir. Top with cilantro. Serve cold and accompanied by the peanuts.

Recipe by Kristina Barney

Cream Cheese Pizza

1/2 loaf of French Bread

1 package cream cheese (softened)

1 can tuna fish

1 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon minced onion

Garlic salt to taste

6 ounces artichokes (quartered, marinated)

2.25 ounces sliced olives

Mix cream cheese, tuna, worcestershire sauce, onions and garlic salt. Cut French bread in half (so you have two open-faced pieces). Spread mixture on bread. Slice up artichoke pieces smaller if desired. Place artichokes and olives on top of ‘pizza’. Place on baking sheet and broil until edges of bread and mixture are browning – approximately 7 to 9 minutes.

**measurements are mostly all guesses here, it’s not a recipe we’ve put in writing, so tweak it to your own liking**