BABY SHOWER RECIPES

Party trays with finger foods are the easiest way to go when planning for your menu:
- vegetables and dip
- chips and dip
- different types of fruit
- bread rolls and cheese

Here are a few more ideas of appetizers that your guests will love:

Sandwiches & Finger Foods

1. Appetizer Puffs

1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup margarine
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped green onions
2 tablespoons chopped mushrooms
2 tablespoons chopped ripe olives

Mix flour and salt; cut margarine in until mixture begins to form a ball. Blend in sour cream. Divide dough into 4 parts. Wrap each part and chill several hours. Heat oven to 350 degrees. On floured board, roll each section into a 12 x 6-inch rectangle. Sprinkle one-half each rectangle with either cheese, onion, mushrooms or olives. Fold dough over to make a 6-inch sqare. Cut the 6-inch square into 2-inch squares, pressing edges. Continue until all dough is prepared. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. May be prepared in advance and refrigerated, then baked for 30 minutes. Makes 36 appetizers.

2. Asparagus Roll-Ups

1 can (15oz) small green asparagus spears, drained
18 slices white bread, crusts removed
2 tablespoons French dressing
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup highly seasoned mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon anchovy paste (optional), mixed into mayonnaise
1 stick (4oz) butter, melted (for hot sandwiches only)

Spread each slice of bread with mayonnaise. Place one asparagus spear on bread; sprinkle each with salt and pepper and a few drops of French dressing. Roll up the bread from corner to corner or jelly roll style. Secure with a toothpick (when ready to serve, remove toothpick). To serve as hot appetizer, brush each roll-up with melted butter and broil until lightly browned.

3. Spinach Beggars Purses

2 tablespoons chopped onion
/2 cup melted butter
1 (10oz) pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1/4 teaspoon red pepper salt, to taste
1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
1 package phyllo dough, thawed

Saute onion in 1 tablespoon melted butter. Add spinach, red pepper, and salt. Remove from heat. Add cream cheese and feta cheese. Unroll phyllo dough. Stack 3 sheets of dough on work surface. Cover remaining sheets with a damp cloth. Cut dough into 15 squares. Working quickly, place a heaping 1/2 teaspoon spinach mixture on each square. Fold up edges around spinach mixture and pinch to make a purse. Place on a greased cookie sheet. Continue until all of filling has been used . Purses can be refrigerated overnight or baked immediately. Before baking, drizzle melted butter over purses. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes until lightly browned. Yield: Approximately 3 dozen appetizers.

4. Hot Crabmeat Canapes

1 part crabmeat
1 part mayonnaise
1 part Parmesan cheese

Mix all ingredients together; spread on toast rounds or triangles. Place under broiler until hot and bubbly. (May also use mixture for stuffed mushrooms.)

5. Onion Rounds

12 rounds white bread, cut in 2" diameter
12 slices onion, 2" rounds, thinly sliced
12 tablespoons mayonnaise paprika
Toast bread rounds.

Place slice of onion on toast, then spoon mayonnaise on top. Broil until mayonnaise begins to bubble. Sprinkle with paprika. Makes 12 appetizers.

6. Summer Tomato Sandwiches

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon each, salt and pepper
1 (1lb) loaf French or sourdough bread
3 large tomatoes, sliced thickly

In a small bowl, combine lemon peel and juice, mayonnaise, salt, and pepper. Stir well. Cut eight slices (about 1/2-inch thick) from center of bread loaf. Toast if desired. Spread mayonnaise mixture on each slice of bread. Arrange tomato slices on 4 bread slices; top with remaining bread slices, mayonnaise side down. Cut each in half

7. Tortilla Rolls

5 large Flour tortillas
1 Bunch green onions Chopped--stems and all
4 ounces chopped green chiles Drained
8 ounces cream cheese -- softened
8 ounces Container sour cream
1/2 pound Cheddar cheese -- shredded
Salt and pepper to taste

Have tortillas at room temperature. Place the remaining ingredients in a bowl and, with an electric mixer, combine all until well distributed. Spread mixture fairly thinly and evenly on tortillas to within 1/8 inch of edge. Roll up jelly-roll fashion and wrap each tortilla in plastic film. Refrigerate overnight. When ready to serve, slice in 3/4 inch rounds and arrange on serving plate. Serve plain or with salsa. Note: tortillas will tend to dry out if rolls are unwrapped and sliced too early. Makes about 60. NOTES : These are good with crab meat, too

Snacks & Dips

1. Benedictine

This spread can be used as a dip or a sandwich & canape ingredient. It was made popular at Louisville's Benedict's restaurant earlier in this century.

1 lg Cucumber
8 oz Cream cheese, softened
2 Tbl Onion, grated
1/4 tsp Salt
1 Tbl Mayonnaise dash Green food colororing (optional)

Pare, grate & drain cucumber. Combine all ingredients in food processor. Serve as is as sandwich or canape spread. Thin with sour cream to make a dip for vegetables.

2. Cheese Straws

8 tablespoons butter
1/2 pound sharp cheddar cheese, or blue cheese
1 3/4 cups flour salt, to taste
1/2 cayenne pepper, more or less
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Put the butter and cheese in the container of a food processor. Add the flour, salt, cayenne, and Worcestershire. Cover and blend thoroughly. If a food processor is not used, put the flour, salt and cayenne in a bowl. Add the butter, cheese, and Worcestershire, and using two knives or a pastry blender, blend thoroughly.

Use a cookie press outfitted with a houndstooth or star dispenser. Push the dough out onto an ungreased baking sheet to make individual straws. Or, if desired, roll the dough out to a 1/8-inch thickness and cut it into individual strips, which can be twisted if desired, or other shapes. Arrange the pieces on 1 or 2 ungreased baking sheets.

Place the baking sheet or sheets in the oven and bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until the straws are crisp and lightly browned. If you wish a darker color let them cook longer. Remove and let cool. Makes about 6 dozen.

3. Cottage Cheese-Herb Dip

1 Cup Cottage cheese, creamed
2 Tablespoons Lemon juice
2 Tablespoons Milk
2 Tablespoons Low Fat Salad dressing or mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons Green onions, chopped
1/4 Cup Parsley, coarsely chopped
1/2 Teaspoon Tarragon leaves
1 Dash Pepper

Mix ingredients in a blender, scraping sides of blender jar with a rubber scraper and reblending as required until mixture is smooth and creamy. Serve with fresh vegetable sticks. Makes 1-1/3 cups dip Calories per 1 tablespoon serving: About 20

4. Tasty Fruit

1 8 oz pkg cream cheese -- softened
1 7 oz jar Kraft marshmallow cream

Mix ingredients together until smooth and creamy. Chill and serve with fresh fruit. Vary this by adding your favorite extract or juice concentrate to taste.

5. Cheese & Artichoke Dip

8 ounces process American cheese
1 can (10oz) 98% fat-free cream of mushroom soup
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/3 to 1/2 cup chopped roasted red pepper
1 can artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped

Combine all ingredients in a crock pot. Cover and cook on low for 2 to 3 hours, until melted. Stir well and serve with assorted crackers, bread cubes, or chips.

6. Mexi-Dip

1 pk cream cheese
1 (4oz) can chopped green chiles or jalepenos if you like it hot
1 can hormel chili
1 (8oz) pk shredded chedder or taco cheese

Spread softened cream cheese in bottom of 9x13 glass dish, spread green chiles on top of that, spread can of hormel chili on top of that, sprinkle package of shredded cheese over the top and bake in 350 oven for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted & bubbly. Serve with Nacho style chips for dipping.

7. Yogurt And Cinnamon Fruit Dip

1 cup vanilla yogurt
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon In small bowl, combine all ingredients; mix well.

Cover; refrigerate 1 to 2 hours to blend flavors. Serve with fresh fruit.

8. Honey Fruit Dip

1 8 oz pkg cream cheese
1 teaspoon lemon or lime juice
4 tablespoons honey -- or to taste Whip cream cheese with juice.

Sweeten to taste with honey. Chill.

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