Costco

I found two gluten-free items at Costco that allowed me to feed a lot of people without actually cooking!

I put out tortilla chips for the dip and lettuce to make wraps with the chicken salad.

chicken wings

We made these at my house growing up. No restaurant can compare.

It's best to set up your stations like this:

1) raw, uncooked chicken wings next to the stove

2) Fry pan with crisco (melted about 1/2 inch deep) and a mesh cover to shield the grease (got mine at Target)

3) Large pot with hot sauce mix*

4) Crock pot on low for finished product

I had the grease on medium heat, filled it with wings and cooked them until they were golden brown. Gave them a dunk in the hot sauce mixture and then they are ready to eat. Don't forget to have fresh trimmed carrot and celery sticks with ranch for dipping and cooling off your mouth. It's an easy process, but takes a bit of time if you want to make a lot. Start well before meal time and store them in the crock pot until everyone is ready to eat.

* You can use all sorts of hot sauce mixes. I used Durkee growing up, but was only able to find a random hot wing sauce bottle from Louisianna as a nice replacement. I added about 1/4 cup of Red Hot, 1/2 stick of butter, and 10 dashes of tobasco. Keep it on low.

Baby Shower Food Week!

Fruit Dip

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 (6 oz) container strawberry yogurt

1/2 tub Cool Whip

Beat cream cheese and sugar. Add vanilla. Stir in yogurt, and then add approximately half the container of whipped topping. Chill. Serve with apples, strawberries, pineapples, cantaloupe, grapes, or other yummy fruit.

This is just one of a thousand ways to make fruit dip. This recipe is light, and tastes really good. I've used different yogurts for different flavors, and it always comes out delicious. My sister Beka skewered the fruit, which was an awesome presentation. And we all know it's all about the presentation.

Baby Shower Food Week!

Chocolate Dipped Pretzels

1 package gluten free pretzels

1 (12 oz) package semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup white chocolate chips

In a ceramic or glass bowl, pour chocolate chips. Place over double boiler to melt, or melt in the microwave at 30 second intervals. Dip pretzels and place on wax paper. Place white chocolate chips in a quart-sized freezer Ziploc bag. Melt in microwave in 30 second intervals, squishing to melt. Snip tiny corner of freezer bag and drizzle over the still warm pretzels. Let cool in refrigerator.

These pretzels are the bomb. Seriously. I'm pretty sure I ate more than I served at the shower. Pick a good chocolate for better results. And this brand of pretzels is fantastic. I could not tell the difference, and neither could anyone else. I'm going to have to try making pretzel jello with them. The only down side is that they are not super big, so it took a while to make these. But worth the effort for a chocolate-covered pretzel deprived pregnant girl and her chocolate-covered pretzel deprived sister. BTW, I found these at Sprouts. They were a little pricey, $5 for a bag. So savor them. And for heavens sakes, dip them in chocolate.

Baby Shower Food Week!

Knorr Spinach Vegetable Dip

1 package Knorr Vegetable Soup Mix

2 cups sour cream

1 cup mayonnaise

1 (10 oz) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained well

Mix all ingredients and let chill for a few hours to blend flavors. Serve with veggies or gluten free bread cubes.

I know I already posted this, but now I have a picture. And I can't get over how easy and good this recipe is. I'm sure probably all of you already make this, but if you don't, try it. It's an awesome shower food. I mean, who doesn't love a good veggie tray? It makes you feel like all the other junk you're eating is balanced out.

Deviled Eggs

This is my mother's recipe. It's just not summer without deviled eggs.

Gluten-Free Deviled Eggs

6 hard boiled eggs

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/8 teaspoon salt

dash pepper

2 teaspoons prepared mustard

1 tablespoon finely chopped onion

green olives with pimento, sliced

paprika (optional)

Mix egg yolks (discard one) with next 5 ingredients. Refill egg halves. Top with olives and paprika.

Knorr Vegetable Dip

Knorr Vegetable Dip is Gluten Free!

1 package Knorr vegetable soup mix

16 oz sour cream

1 cup mayo

10 oz frozen spinach, thawed and drained well

3 green onions, chopped (optional)

1 can water chestnuts, drained and chopped (optional)

Mix all ingredients and refrigerate for 2 hours to blend flavors.

Okay, so I totally cheated on this one. Obviously it's not my picture. I borrowed this from the Knorr website. But I actually did make it this dip this weekend, I was just too busy entertaining to take a picture. It was delicious with snow peas, cherry tomatoes, red and green peppers, and baby carrots. So delicious that before I knew it, it was all gone. But all the other people at the party thought it was fabulous as well. This is so easy even my children could make it. But I bet they wouldn't forget to take a picture.

Rotel Cheese Dip

Rotel Cheese Dip

1 lb velveeta cheese, cut into cubes

1 (10 oz) can Rotel diced tomatoes and chiles

Tortilla chips

Place cheese cubes and Rotel in a covered dish. Microwave on High until cheese is melted, stirring every few minutes.

Yes, once again we have an appetizer that involves tortilla chips. I love tortilla chips. We keep lots of bags on hand. You should too. They make a fantastic snack.

This is a classic recipe, one I'm sure many of you have used. You can find it here. Check out the other Rotel recipes.

Is velveeta really that good for you? Probably not. But this dip is. Yum.

Shrimp Cocktail

Shrimp with Gluten Free Cocktail Sauce

Cooked, peeled, deveined shrimp

Kraft cocktail sauce

Dip and enjoy!

I am on an appetizer kick recently! Love shrimp with cocktail sauce, just make sure the one you use is gluten free, or make your own. My mother-in-law does and it's super simple. Ketchup, horseradish, lemon juice, maybe some worchestershire and chili powder. Add each to taste. That's it. If you've added too much of one ingredient, just put in more ketchup. It's very forgiving.

Cowboy Caviar

Gluten Free Cowboy Caviar

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can black eyed peas, drained and rinsed

1 can white corn, drained

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1 bunch green onions, chopped

2 Roma tomatoes, chopped

1 avocado, chopped

2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp cumin

1/2 jalapeno, chopped (optional)

In a large bowl, put beans, peas, corn, cilantro, green onions, tomatoes, and avocados. In a separate container mix together the vinegar, oil, garlic, cumin, and optional jalapeno(the jalapeno will make it pretty spicy, so add at your own risk). Pour over the bean mixture, and very carefully stir. Let stand for at least 1 hour. Serve with tortilla chips.

I tried this at a New Years party a few years ago and was amazed! This is such a tasty alternative to the standard salsa and guacamole. Plus, it's pretty healthy, chockful of veggies and beans. You could even use it in place of meat for tacos and burritos, or atop a salad. The recipe is found all over the internet, with subtle changes here and there. You can make more dressing, or add more veggies, or do whatever your heart desires. I took this to my family dinner last night, and they loved it. A double batch was gone. I was so sad for no leftovers. I'll just have to make more. Enjoy!

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers

Gluten Free Jalapeno Poppers

10 strips bacon, cut in half

10 jalapenos

8 oz package light cream cheese, you'll use more or less depending on the size of your jalapenos

Prepare jalapenos by slicing them in half and removing the tops, seeds, and membranes (the membranes are the spicy parts, so if you are daring, leave some in). Spread the cream cheese into the middle of the jalapeno. Wrap with a half slice of bacon. Place on a foil lined broiler sheet and broil for 5-7 minutes, checking frequently for doneness of bacon.

I just tried this recipe and it got rave reviews. While they're not exactly like the kind you find in restaurants, they are still very good. Be careful to wash your hands after handling jalapenos, especially before touching skin. I used light cream cheese because it's easier to spread and I'm hoping it offsets the bacon calories ;) I googled "jalapeno poppers bacon" and found many recipes that were quite similar, adding cheese and spices, but this was good and simple just the way it is.

Fruit Salad

Naked fruit is always gluten free!

grapes

kiwi

mango

pineapple

watermelon

cantaloupe

Cheesy Chili Dip

Not my recipe, I saw it on the back of a package of Philadelphia cream cheese. At first I was not impressed with the sound of it. But, I tried it, simply because I had all of the ingredients. All I can say is, YUM. Click here to see a better picture of it. Serve it with tortilla chips or gluten free crackers.

Stagg chili is gluten free and it's the best kind of canned chili I have found. Click here to get a list of Hormel products that are gluten free.

Cheesy Chili Dip

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese

1 (15 oz) can Stagg chili, Dynamite hot style

1/4 cup cheddar cheese

Place block of cream cheese on a microwave safe plate. Pour chili over top. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Microwave until cheese is melted, about 2-3 minutes.

7 Layer Bean Dip

In honor of Cinco de Mayo weekend, here is a family favorite. Of course, there are tons of variations of layers, feel free to tell me what you put in yours!

Typical layers, from bottom to top:

refried beans

sour cream (I mixed salsa with mine)

guacamole

shredded cheddar cheese

chopped tomatoes

chopped black olives

chopped green onions (didn't have any for this photo)