Appetizer party

One of my friends had a fabulous idea- throw an appetizer party. She invited over girls from the neighborhood and we all brought fun appetizers to share. Don't we all love appetizers? Try these at your next party, they are sure to be a hit!

Thai Chicken Satay

2 Chicken breasts cut into long strips

1/2 tsp .ground cumin

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

2 T. rice vinegar

1.Mix the spices together and set aside.

2. Place the chicken strips into a shallow bowl, or pie pan. Drizzle with rice vinegar (you can add a little more if you need), then stir in the spices.

3. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes or overnight.

4. Thread onto skewers.

5. Place skewers 3-4 at a time onto a George Foreman grill that has been sprayed with cooking spray. (You can also use a regular grill, or a grill pan if you have one.)

6.Cook until juices run clear, about 5 minutes in the George Foreman.

- Serve warm with dipping sauces.

Peanut Dipping Sauce

3 T. creamy peanut butter

2 T. soy sauce

2 T. rice vinegar

1 T. Sugar

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp chili powder (more or less depending on your spice level)

1/4 C water

1. In a small sauce pan mix together the ingredients. Bring to a simmer and cook 2 minutes to thicken.

Serve at room temperature.

Sweet Cucumber Sauce

1/2 cucumber, seeded and chopped into small cubes

1 T fresh chopped cilantro

6 T rice vinegar

2 T water

1 T sugar (sometimes I make this a little sweeter with 2 T.)

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp cornstarch

1.Mix vinegar, water, sugar and salt together in a microwave safe bowl.

2. In a separate bowl mix cornstarch with a small amount of water until the consistency is a bit thicker than whole milk. Add to vinegar mixture.

3. Heat sauce in microwave for 1 minute, stirring after 30 seconds. This should thicken the sauce up a bit.

4. Stir in cucumbers and cilantro. Serve also at room temperature.

Red Velvet Cake Bites

The original recipe for this came from http://www.bakeralla.com/ (check out the beautiful creations she has come up with)

1 Red Velvet Cake mix (I like Duncan Hines)

1 container cream cheese frosting

6 squares white almond bark (a melting chocolate)

1 cup chocolate chips

1. Bake cake according to directions on the box in any pan size you want

2. Remove cake from pan and place in a large bowl. Using a spoon, or fork break up the cake until it is all crumbs.

3. Melt your frosting in the microwave for about 30 sec. so it is nice and soft. Then mix it into the cake crumbs using the spoon or your hands.

4. Using the spoon, fill each spot in a mini muffin tin, full of the cake mixture. Pat the mixture down with the back of the spoon so it is well packed. You will have some extra, so do two batches, or make some larger sized ones with a regular muffin tin.

5. Cover muffin tin with plastic wrap and place in freezer for a few hours.

6. Meanwhile melt the white almond bark in a microwave safe bowl.

7. Remove the frozen cake bites from the freezer and one at time, dip them into the chocolate. And easy way to do this is by sticking a fork in the the bite and then dipping it into the chocolate. I don't usually dip the bottom, just the top and sides. Place on a plate or silpat baking mat to cool.

8. Melt chocolate chips in the microwave. Pour melted chocolate into a plastic Ziploc bag. Make a very small cut off one corner of the bag. Squeeze bag and drizzle chocolate over the cake bites.

Serve! If there are any leftovers (not likely) store them in the fridge to keep them from falling

apart.