What would you make?

[pollypurebred39]

Tomorrow I have to go to a family reunion. Each family must bring a dessert and an appetizer. I have the dessert covered, I'm making a wacky cake with peanut butter icing. I just don't know what to do for an appetizer. I can not spend any money, but my pantry is full of staples.

I have your basic staples and

-hot dogs
-boneless chicken breast
-a little bit of celery
-some baby carrots
-a can of chickpeas
-spaghetti sauce
-pancake syrup
-a bag of frozen broccoli
-a few onions
-a box of frozen spinach
-1 pound of Munster cheese
-2 bars of cream cheese
-a can of corn
-2 cans of beets
-some frozen deli ham
-some frozen American cheese

[AmyBoz]

I have no idea, but I'd love to see that cake recipe!

[McD]

Do you have soft shell tortillas?

[pollypurebred39]

No, but I have hard shell.

[pollypurebred39]

Amy,

"This cake is make without milk or eggs and is moist, dark and delicious. A brain child of the depression era when ingenious cooks developed a cake that could be made without expensive and scarce ingredients."
INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa ( I use more)
powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup water
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Sift flour, sugar, salt, soda, and cocoa together into an 8x8 inch ungreased cake pan. Make three depressions. Pour oil into one well, vinegar into second, and vanilla into third well. Pour water over all, and stir well with fork.
3. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 to 40 minutes, or until tooth pick inserted comes out clean. Frost with your favorite icing.

"If you like peanut butter you'll love this frosting, great on chocolate cakes but for a real peanut butter experience try it on a peanut butter cake. If you don't have cream, you may substitute milk."
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup creamy peanut butter
4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/3 cup cream
DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large bowl, beat butter and peanut butter until light and fluffy. Slowly beat in 1/2 of the confectioner's sugar. Mix in 1/4 cup of the cream. Beat in the remaining confectioners' sugar. If necessary, add a little more cream or milk until the frosting reaches a good spreading consistency. Makes enough to frost one 2 layer 9 inch cake or one 9x13 inch cake.

[TigerGirl1226]

Cream Cheese Spinach Recipe
1 8oz package cream cheese, softened
1 package frozen spinach leaves, thawed and drained
2 TBSP Parmesean cheese
1 1/2 cups crushed ritz crackers

Mix cream cheese and spinach together (I usually melt the cc in the microwave a little first so it mixes better) put in an 8x8" baking dish. Cook on 350°F for 25 minutes covered, then top with crushed crackers and parmesean cheese bake another 5-10 minutes uncovered til bubbly.

Serve with tortilla chips or crackers.


from cookingcache.com

[Libby]

Can you use one of the cream cheese blocks, corn, onion and ham to make a cheesey type hot dip? Serve with crackers, bread sticks or make some sort of bread if you have the ingredients so the dip can be spread onto it?

[pollypurebred39]

TigerGirl, no crackers, but it sure sounds good!

Libby, it's an outdoor thing. There's no way to keep things hot.

[Libby]

Are you able to keep things cold - at least til served? What about whipping the cream cheese with the maple syrup and making a sweet dip for fruit? Is someone else bringing fruit?

What about finely dicing & sautee'ing onions, corn, carrots, celery and ham then mixing it into the cream cheese and then spread it inside the chicken breast and bake til chickens cooked through. Let cool then slice like a pinwheel sammy but its chicken breast. Would something like that work - would be tasty served cold.

Tiny bite sizes pigs in a blanket - do you have pancake mix? Make mini pancakes according to size of hotdogs and use syrup as dipping sauce.

[pollypurebred39]

I can use my chillzane platter to keep things cold. The chicken breast idea is promising. I do have toothpicks, I could chunk up the hot dogs and roll them in biscuit dough.

[ladykemma2]

hummus dip
homemade wheat rolls to spread it on? french bread?

[pollypurebred39]

hummus dip? I could make bread....Hmmmm

[ladytoysdream]

When you get yours figured out....
you can work on mine
Ours is sunday, and I am still thinking about what to take.
I usually take a 3 bean salad home made but I end up with as many different kinds of beans I can find to put in it. Then I usually add a red pepper and sometimes onions, but I have a sister in law who can't do onions. I may make a side dish of those. We have plenty in the garden. My other brainstorm is deviled eggs being our chickens are still laying good. I took that to the last family get together and they were a big hit.
Desert I am still pondering but thinking peanut butter balls.
I told hubby I wanted to take some meat already cooked being this year, there is only 2 outdoor grills at this pavillion. We do however have electric there. I am taking some extension type cords to plug in. Also a coffee pot and a big cafe already filled ready to go.

[pollypurebred39]

Hmmm...Deviled eggs!

[mauimagic]

I always make devilled eggs for every occasion, even if I am bringing something else also. People act as if they've just discovered gold!!