Vanilla Wafers

Found this recipe on Serious Eats

- makes about 8 cups of cookies (it makes a lot, but I’ve never counted!)

Ingredients

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (1 stick or 112g)

1/4teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar (210g)

1 vanilla bean, seeds only

1 large egg white (~33g)

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

1 tablespoon milk

1 1/3 cups AP flour (160g)

3/4 teaspoon baking powder (~3g)

Procedure

1. With an electric mixer, cream butter, salt, sugar and vanilla seeds until light.

2. Beat in egg white until well incorporated, scraping sides and bottom of mixing bowl to insure that all white has been incorporated.

3. Beat in extract and milk until well incorporated.

4. Whisk together flour and baking powder and add to butter mixture. Mix just to incorporate, scraping down sides and bottom of mixing bowl to insure that all flour has been incorporated.

5. Fit a piping bag with a large, plain pastry tip (I use Ateco #806, but slightly larger or smaller sizes will also work). Fill bag with about 1/3 of the batter. Holding the filled bag perpendicular to a parchment-lined baking sheet, pipe batter into nickel-sized mounds, about 1 inch apart. To make neat, well-shapedcookies, as you finish piping each round, sweep the pastry tip horizontally off to the side with a slight curving motion. (The cookies should cover 2 to 3 standard baking sheets. Batter will hold for a while after it is piped, so trays can be baked one or two at a time, as your oven allows.)

6. Bake at 350°F for about 15-20 minutes, until cookies are lightly browned, rotating trays every 5 minutes or so for even coloring. Cool completely before storing. Cookies will keep in an airtight container for at least a week.

Party Pinwheels

1 (8 oz.) sour cream
1 (4 oz.) can diced green chilies, well drained
1 c. grated Cheddar cheese
5 (10 inch) flour tortillas
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
Garlic powder to taste
Seasoned salt to taste

Mix all of the filling ingredients together thoroughly. Divide the filling and spread evenly over the tortillas; roll up tortillas like a jelly roll. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, twisting ends; refrigerate several hours. Unwrap; cut in slices 1/2 to 3/4 inches thick. Serve with salsa or picante sauce.

Pickle Things (A sort of pinwheel)

Got this off of yahoo answers - may give it a try tonight for Princess Academy!

These are so cheap & easy. They seem weird, but they are delicious & always the first to go. My family calls them 'pickle things' but you can call them pinwheels:

package of sliced ham (not deli sliced -- too thin) the stuff you find near the Oscar Mayer packaged bologna
jar of your favorite whole pickles (garlic dills work great)
package of cream cheese, softened (lite works fine)

Take a slice of ham & pat it dry with a paper towel. Spread with some cream cheese, not quite to the edge. Dry a pickle with the paper towel & place on one edge of the ham slice. Roll up the pickle and ham. Slice and serve.

They look cool and taste so good!! Very, very simple. I usually roll these up the night before & cut them the day of the party. If you cover the slices with plastic wrap, they won't dry out.

Guacamole

This is SUPER cheap and easy to make because chances are, you'll have most of the items onhand (takes me about 10 minutes). It also includes the secret restaurants hold dear to their hearts: vinegar.

INGREDIENTS

* 2 avocados
* 1 small onion, finely chopped (or 1-2 stalks of green onions, also finely chopped)
* 1 clove garlic, minced
* 1 handful of cilantro, chopped
* Splash of olive oil
* 1 capful white vinegar
* 1 tablespoon chunky salsa like Pace
* 1/2 lime, juiced
* 1 tablespoon sour cream
* salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Peel and mash avocados in a medium serving bowl. Stir in the rest of the ingredients. Adjust and add more of the listed ingredients to attain desired taste and/or texture (sometimes I add more salsa for extra chunkiness). Chill for half an hour to blend flavors.
2. Serve with chips :)

Source(s):

Got this from yahoo answers when searching for cheap and easy appetizers! :)

Fabric Softener

From the Dollar Stretcher newsletter.

2 cups of fabric softener
2 cups of white vinegar
2 cups of water

Put mixture into a smaller container. I shake well and use just as you would the full strength softener.

Baked Potato Soup

From Kaboose.com - I haven't tried it yet, but I think the kids and Redbeard will like it!

Ingredients

• 12 slices bacon
• 2/3 cup margarine
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 7 cups milk
• 4 large baked potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 1-1/4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Cooking Instructions

1. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium heat until browned. Drain, crumble, and set aside.
2. In a stock pot or Dutch oven, melt the margarine over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Gradually stir in milk, whisking constantly until thickened. Stir in potatoes and onions. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently.
3. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Mix in bacon, cheese, sour cream, salt, and pepper. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until cheese is melted.

Hush Puppies

Going no milk made me look these up - I miss Long John Silvers! To make your own self-rising cornmeal use this helpful little ditty: Combine one cup cornmeal, one cup flour, one tablespoon baking powder, one teaspoon salt, and 1/4 cup butter or other fat.

2 cups white, self-rising corn meal mix
1 cup milk
2 tbsp. sugar
2 eggs
1 small finely chopped onion

Slightly beat eggs, add milk. Stir in corn meal and sugar. Add chopped onion. Drop by small spoonfuls into hot oil. Cook until they become golden brown and float to top. Great with fish and tarter sauce.

Party Punch

Need a quick punch for those dances or parties we're always kicking into gear? This is a great one - super easy and dynamite! Sprite makes the concoction sweeter, so my family prefers Ginger Ale (Canada Dry. Can't stand the off brands - I'm a brand snob when it comes to Ginger Ale!)

The Combination Ratio (How many cans of each depends on how big your crowd is):

1 can Hawaiian punch
1 can Pineapple Juice
1 bottle Ginger Ale or Sprite

Chill all ingredients. Mix together in the punch bowl. Add ice rings for effect.