appetizer Archives - Page 2 of 3 - Spindles Designs by Mary and Mags

Baked Chicken Fingers

February 17, 2015 by Mary Ellen Stringham 4 Comments

Chicken is a mainstay in our diet. The continual question is “What shall we do with it tonight?”. Baked Chicken Fingers is one of those that can be tweaked a little and be different every time you make it.

We don’t like to fry food, but liked the baked crispiness of this recipe. We have made and changed this recipe so many times that when I looked it up to write this post, the only consistency was the chicken and olive oil. The spices are constantly being changed.

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Crunch Top Salad

October 11, 2014 by Margaret 6 Comments

For years my husband and I made fun of jello salads, basically banning them from any dinner party. Growing up in Utah at the time we did it was at every dinner family or church.

Then we found this recipe.

“Crunch Top Salad”

It is more like dessert than a salad. It is now a family favorite and has become a favorite

everywhere we take it.

Salad

2 3 oz packages raspberry gelatin

2 cups boiling water

1 10 oz package frozen raspberries

1 10 oz can crushed pineapple with juice

3 bananas sliced or diced

1 cup cold water

Topping

1 cup flour

1 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 8 oz package cream cheese, room temperature

1/4 to 1/2 cup milk

Dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Add frozen raspberries, crushed pineapple with juice and cold water. Refrigerate until partially set in a 9″ X 13″ X 2″dish. Stir in bananas and chill until firm. Cream together cream cheese and milk to spreading consistency. Spread over set salad and return to refrigerator. In a mixing bowl combine and mix thoroughly, flour, pecans, butter and brown sugar. Bake in a 9″ X 9″ baking pan. at 400 degrees for 10 -12 minutes. Stir at least twice during baking. Cool, crumble and sprinkle over top of cream cheese mixture. NOTE: This is an older recipe and can and package sizes have changed. Purchase the size closest and weigh, measure or just add it all.

Enjoy! It could become a favorite at your family dinner too.

Mary Ellen

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If you like this. You might also like:

Soft Snickerdoodles

Dad’s Wheat Rolls

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Fry Sauce

September 19, 2014 by Mary Ellen Stringham 12 Comments

A while ago we asked the question on our Facebook page

” What do you like with you fries, Ketchup, Fry Sauce or Ranch? “

More than one comment was, “what is fry sauce?

We were raised in Utah and thought that everyone ate Fry Sauce. I seemed to always know what the ingredients were and would just stir it together at home. I went on line to see if there were recipes that could help me with proportions.

You would not believe some of the ingredients that others put in my beloved fry sauce.

Pickle juice?

The true official recipe is the secret of Arctic Circle. They get the credit for creating it. The ingredients in our version are simply mayonnaise, ketchup and mustard. We just started adding the ingredients until Margaret and I thought it tasted right.

1 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup ketchup

2 tsp yellow mustard

Stir together until well blended. Serve with your favorite whatever.

It is great with chicken nuggets too.

If you have never tasted it, give it a try.

Mary Ellen

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Gluten free Cinnamon Rolls

July 7, 2014 by Margaret 4 Comments

I asked my husband what kind of treat he wanted for Father’s day. This was of course on Father’s Day and I had not prepared anything for him, having a newborn really takes all my brain power. His response was cookies or cinnamon rolls. I chose the more difficult of the two tasks, cinnamon rolls.

I had been wanting to make him cinnamon rolls since we discovered his gluten intolerance. We have many family traditions that involve eating cinnamon rolls and he can no longer eat those gluten filled rolls. I began my search of gluten free cinnamon roll recipes, there are actually quite a few out there, each with its own unique touch and what different people say make it better than others. After careful consideration of the many recipes I found, the gluten filled recipe I know, the ingredients I had readily on hand and the basic process, I came up with this recipe.

They turned out great! Both Daddy and Savannah approved, as they lasted less than two days. This will definitely be a keeper at our house for when we need a treat.

Mary Catherine

Ingredients

Rolls:

2 cups ATK Flour Blend

1/4 tsp baking soda

2 tsp xanthan gum

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbls active dry yeast

1/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup dry milk

2 tbls melted butter

2/3 cup warm water

1/4 cup oil

1 egg

Insides:
Softened butter
brown sugar
cinnamon

Directions:

1. Mix all dry ingredients (ATK Flour, baking soda, xanthan gum, baking powder, salt, yeast, sugar, and dry milk).

2. Pour in warm water, melted butter, oil, and egg. Mix until combined. Let sit and rise for 1 hour.

3. Roll out between two sheets of parchment paper, spread softened butter then brown sugar then sprinkle with cinnamon.

4. Using the parchment paper to help start at one edge and roll the dough. Make sure to seal the far edge, the dough is soft enough just a little pressure will seal it. You will have what looks like a loaf.

5. Using a serrated knife slice the “loaf” into 12 equal sized slices, place them on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 12 min

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Grandma’s Coleslaw-with a twist

July 5, 2014 by Mary Ellen Stringham 2 Comments

My Grandmother had a great recipe for coleslaw, I thought. It had shrimp and boiled eggs in it and I loved it. She would make it for family dinners and she was so funny she would make a very small bowl full. I don’t know if she didn’t think anyone liked or what.

As I passed the small salad shrimp in the fish case in the grocery store I thought of her salad.

I was already purchasing a package of coleslaw for another recipe that wouldn’t use

the entire bag so I bought some shrimp.

I didn’t taste the same as I remembered. I thought tasted a little boring.

coleslaw recipe with shrimp and boiled eggs, delicious

Like other coleslaw recipes the milk separated out and looked like a very unappetizing dish. I put on my thinking cap and decided I needed to make a change or two.

What would it taste like on a Ritz Cracker?

I drained the milk and scooped some on a Ritz Cracker. That was good it still need something more.

I added scallions and some celery seed. So much better.

My new appetizer and go figure, yummy and healthy.

Ingredients

3 cups coleslaw with carrots, chopped fine
2 boiled eggs, diced fine
1/3 – 1/2 lb small salad shrimp
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1-2 tbsp milk (optional)
1 tsp celery salt
4 scallions chopped fine
Salt to taste
Ritz Crackers

In a medium mixing bowl stir together cabbage, eggs, shrimp, mayonnaise, salt, scallions and celery salt. If it seems thick stir in milk, only if needed. Chill until ready to serve. Serve on Crackers. Sprinkle each cracker with just a pinch of celery seed.

When Margaret was a teenager she would help her grandmother, the crazy one, make coleslaw. The running joke was that every time Margaret thought she was through chopping cabbage grandma would say

“it isn’t small enough, keep chopping”.

Give it a try!

Mary Ellen

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