Ducks 'n a Row

Handmade treasures on Amazon #Ad

entertaining

This Cheese Ball Appetizer Recipe Will Make Your Tastebuds Soar!

Leave a Comment

Do you enjoy finding a recipe that is “all that?” Well, now you have found one. This recipe is my most recent achievement destined for the “Great Snack Hall Of Fame”  – a nut covered curry cream cheese ball topped with  Strawberry Jalapeno Fruit Jam – guaranteed to disappear before the party is through. The tangy sweet n spicy flavor of this new spread is the secret to my recipe’s success. I teamed it up with a multigrain crispbread. The perfect combination!

curry cheese ball appetizers

Not only is the taste amazing but the fruit spread and crispbread are a “better for you” choice. The crispbread crackers are all natural, high-fiber crunchy “wholesomeness.”

appetizers, recipes, party food, snack ideas, family fun

This recipe can be an appetizer but, mom, don’t stop there. Make it for snacks, too. It refrigerates beautifully. Just pull it out anytime the family needs a little something to munch on. So easy. So delicious!

ceramic dinner plates

appetizers, snacks

Curry Cream Cheese Ball Recipe

[with strawberry jalapeno jam topping]
Ingredients

16 oz. cream cheese / softened to room temperature
2 T mayonnaise
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/16 tsp (a smidge) of coarse sea salt
recipes
Directions
Blend cream cheese, using a hand held mixer.
Add curry powder, mayonnaise, garlic powder and salt.
Blend well.
Form the cream cheese mixture into a ball, using a rubber spatula.
Pour chopped walnuts onto a clean plate.
Lay the ball of cream cheese mixture on the nuts.
Gently turn it over and pat the walnuts onto all sides.
Cover the top with plastic wrap.
Using one hand holding onto the top, slowly turn the plate over and wrap the plastic all around.
Refrigerate overnight.

appetizers, recipes

Unwrap its deliciousness when you are ready to serve.
Press a depression into the top of the ball.
Spoon in the
Serve with multi grain crispbread or the crackers of your choice.
Enjoy!

magnetic measuring spoon set
Do you love making great recipes for your family? You have got to try this one!

 

Enjoy!

 

blogging
soup and cracker mug

DIY Bridal Shower Invitations

1 Comment

Yes, we had a shower. A bridal shower, to be exact. My dear granddaughter, Sara, was getting married. What fun it was to celebrate with her!

 *This post may contain affiliate links.

This was the first really big event we held in our home since we renovated. The new dining-room and widened kitchen easily accommodates more guests and, since I was currently not employed, I had lots of time to put into hosting a nice party. The wedding was scheduled for March so we picked a February date for the shower and made it a Valentine’s Day theme.

First on the agenda: invite guests. Sara and her mother gave me a list and I took it from there. Though plenty of bridal shower invitations are available in stores or online, I decided that I would rather make them myself. That way I could apply the money I saved by making the invitations on other parts of the event.
Front of the Invitation
The backside of the invitation included date, time, location, etc.
It would have been nice to have super-software like Photoshop to design it, but that was not the case. So, I designed the invitation using Microsoft Word and adjusted, adjusted, adjusted.
The greatest challenge I ran into was getting everything centered so that we could get four, two-sided invitations on a sheet of card stock  Plus, I was using text blocks to hold the heart-shaped images. Getting them to stay in place was interesting …a battle that I won, I am happy to report.

Bridal Shower Invitation DIY To-Do List

Design the invites
Create address labels
Postage Stamps (red heart stamps!)
We asked the guests to bring their favorite recipe for Sara. I inserted blank cards in with the invitation for them to use.  I bought pink and orange index cards for them to write on and decorated them with a glittery red heart sticker to make them look festive. Now, this is something you can purchase to make them even nicer. Amazon has a number of awesome recipe cards you will love.
 .
Front of invitation with recipe card inserts.
Printing the invitations with a really crisp print was very important to me. Inkjet printers just don’t do that. So, I took the design on my flash-drive to Staples and had them print and cut them for me.  They looked great!
Have you ever hosted a bridal shower?
Love to get your wisdom on it.
What worked? What not-so-much?
Tell us in the comments!
Wondering what food to serve at your party?  Our guests loved the Pretty Party Punch, Italian Tossed Salad wth field greens, two kinds of quiche and cake for dessert.

Enjoy!

 

 


Elegant Jam Thumbprint Cookies Look So Pretty On The Dessert Table

Leave a Comment

 Jam thumbprint cookies are simple to make and look so lovely on a dessert table! What special occasions can you think of to serve these scrumptious delights? The holidays? Yes! A cookie swap? Naturally! How about baking a gift for someone you love? So simple to make, these cookies are extra special.
 
cookies, thumbprint cookies, easy cookie recipe, foodie
Here is the wonderfully simple recipe for you …

Jam Thumbprint Cookie Recipe

You will need:

Electric mixer
Cookie sheets
Parchment paper

INGREDIENTS

2 sticks salted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup of sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
2 cups of flour
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
3/4 cup jam – any flavor
This blog includes affiliate links♥
Pioneer valley gourment assortment jams and jellies #ad

DIRECTIONS

  • Cream the butter and sugar together using electric mixer for 3 minutes on high.
  • Separate the eggs. Add yolks and vanilla  Save the egg whites in a shallow dish on the side to be used to dip the cookies in before baking.
  • Add the flour and salt. Mix until just combined.
  • Place the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes and preheat the oven to 350°.
  • Now, whisk the egg whites till frothy.
  • Roll the dough into balls* about 1 inch in diameter and dip them in egg whites. If using chopped nuts, then roll them in the nuts until covered.
  • Place the balls on parchment lined cookie sheets.
  • Press down in the center with your thumb to make a small indent in the center of the cookie. Do not press too hard or the cookie will fall apart.
  • Fill with 1/2 teaspoon of jam.
  • Bake for 12-15 minutes or until slightly firm. Allow to cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet to firm up before moving them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Adapted from Thumbprint Cookies recipe by Garrett McCord  

Photos by Sinea Pies

cookies, easy cookie recipes, thumbprint cookies, holiday cookies, cookie swap

TIP: the dough will stick to your hands  Leave your water faucet running slightly so that you can get your hands damp before forming each ball. The ball will smooth nicely and the stickiness will be greatly reduced.

Makes 2 dozen cookies.


Enjoy!

Note: this author is an Amazon affiliate. What does that mean? Well, anything that you buy from Amazon‘s website by first clicking on an Amazon ad or a link on Ducks ‘n a Row will, at no additional cost to you, result in a small commission for me. In advance I want to say “Thank you for shopping Amazon through me!” … Sinea


Three tier dessert stand from Wilton #ad

Pretty Party Sherbet Punch Recipe

Leave a Comment

Everyone loves this pretty party punch made with sherbet. Simple as it is, people will ask you for the recipe. No one can believe that it is this easy to make but wait till your guests arrive and SEE it. You will get “Ooohs and ahhs” as they make a beeline for the punchbowl!

gingerale and sherbet punch; party punch recipe; orange sherbet punch
This punch makes a love focal point on a serving table for any kind of party ⇒ baby showers, bridal showers, birthday parties, graduation, holiday celebrations, ANYTHING. I especially loved serving it at my grandgirl’s bridal shower. The featured photo above is actually step number 2 in the punch making process.

Wish you could have it now? Make up a celebration and surprise your family! It is a good excuse for having “dessert before dinner.”

Pretty Party Punch

Ingredients

Sherbet
Cherries
Gingerale (cold)

Everyone loves it. Simple as it is, people will ask you for the recipe. No one can believe that it is this easy to make.
bridal shower recipes; baby shower recipes; punch recipe

Directions

  • Soften a carton of your favorite flavor of sherbet.
  • I used orange. Many people like rainbow.
  • Place maraschino cherries in the bottom of a bundt cake pan.
  • Dollop the sherbet on top of the cherries.
  • Smooth the top of the sherbet using the back of a large serving spoon.
  • Put another ring of cherries on top, slightly pressing them into the sherbet.
  • Cover it with plastic wrap and freeze.
party punch; sherbert punch; bridal shower; baby shower
  • On the day of the party, remove the pan from the freezer and place it in warm water in the sink (careful to not get water on the sherbet).  
  • Turn the pan over into a punch bowl. It should easily release into the bowl. 
  • Pour cold ginger-ale over the ring and it’s done.
Note: this author is an Amazon affiliate. Anything purchased from Amazon through Ducks ‘n a Row may result in a small commission for me. In advance, “thank you!” …Sinea

How To Decorate Ice Cream Cones With A Colorful Ring of Sprinkles

2 Comments

Decorate ice cream cones with a ring of colorful sprinkles #tips
Do you love ice cream cones as much as I do? They are my favorite summertime treat. I have to say I am not very imaginative when it comes to flavor selections, though. I usually get plain vanilla. Occasionally I add a little excitement and go with chocolate. Are you impressed? LOL!
Fun with ice cream does not necessarily lie in the flavor. You can get adventurous with the CONE, instead. Kids love sprinkles! They love them a lot. Many adults do, too. They are kind of like balloons for food! All the pretty colors light up our lives.

So, we were getting ready to make some ice cream cones and I wanted to decorate their tops with a ring of sprinkles. But how? Sprinkles need something to stick to. The perfect condiment for that job is melting chocolate. It is delicious, designed to go from melted to solid quickly, and perfect edible “glue” for sprinkles to stick to. Take a look ⇓ …pretty!

Decorate ice cream cones with a ring of colorful sprinkles!
So, here’s how you do it⇒

This blog contains affiliate links. ♥


How To Decorate Ice Cream Cones With Sprinkles

Supplies

2 bowls (one microwavable)
 
 

Instructions

Place the empty cones in an ice cream cone holder or a cupcake pan with liners.*
Bowl #1: Add many sprinkles to this bowl.
Bowl # 2 (microwavable bowl): put a handful of melting chocolate wafers into the microwavable bowl.
Microwave the wafers according to package directions till melted.
One at a time, take a cone from the holder, dip it in the chocolate and then dip it in the sprinkles turning it a little bit so that sprinkles cling all around the edge.
Place that cone back into the holder to cool.
Move on to the next cone till done.
Finally, scoop ice cream into each decorated cone, hand them out to your guests and enjoy!
*Tip: though the silicone liners are pretty, they are a little bit wobbly to use for an ice cream cone holder. The next time I do this, I will use a real ice cream cone holder. These pretty silcone liners are great for baking muffins or cupcakes or even for storage. 
 

Enjoy!

 

 
 

Cheese Salsa Dip Recipe – So Easy To Make!

Leave a Comment

Don’t you just love easy quick appetizer recipes that are so good you would be making it even if you had lots of time? That is the way with this cheese salsa dip. It is so popular that kids and parents alike request it for a party! Potluck suppers, sports get togethers, cookouts, holiday celebrations … any occasion is a good excuse for making this delicious 10 minute recipe!
appetizers, party food, microwave recipes, cheese dip, salsa, corn chips

This blog contains affiliate links. ♥

Ceramic 26 ounce bowls

Ceramic 26 ounce microwavable bowls #Ad

Cheese Salsa Dip Recipe

Ingredients 
16 oz. processed cheese
1 cup medium to hot salsa
dipping tortilla chips

appetizers, party food, microwave recipes, cheese dip, salsa, corn chips

Directions
Cut the processed cheese into chunks.
Put them into a microwave safe bowl.
Add salsa.
Mix them together.
Microwave on high for 5 minutes.
Using a spoon, blend the melted dip.
Scoop the hot dip into a clean bowl.*
Serve with tortilla chips.

 
*Use a microwavable serving bowl in case you want to rewarm it.
appetizers, party food, microwave recipes, cheese dip, salsa, corn chips
Blending the heated dip mixture.
appetizers, party food, microwave recipes, cheese dip, salsa, corn chips
Serve with tortilla chips.
Wooden chip and dip bowl - gorgeous! #ad

 

Cheese salsa microwave dip #recipes

Enjoy!