Something You Can Do

In the story “Annie’s Plan,” Annie helped make special suppers for her family. One way to help make a meal special is to make appetizers. Here are some easy vegetable treats you can fix by yourself. It can be your way of being a helping “ant” in the home when you make

Ant Appetizers

You will need:

• fresh vegetables (celery, cucumbers, asparagus, carrots, tomatoes, or sweet bell peppers)
• raisins or sliced olives
• peanut butter or cream cheese
• wooden toothpicks
• a knife (be sure you have permission), chopping board, vegetable peeler, and plate or platter

1. First wash the vegetables. Snap the asparagus spears and keep the pointy end. They should be boiled for about five minutes, so get someone to help you.
2. Next pick an appetizer to make. It is fun to make them look like insects, or you can just make pretty patterns.
3. Lay out the appetizers on a plate or platter. Keep it in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve!

Appetizer Ideas:

Ants on a Log—Cut the celery into 2- or 3-inch pieces. Spread peanut butter or cream cheese in the hollow of the celery. Now line up a row of raisins on top for the ants!

Vegetable Dragonflies—Peel the cucumber leaving long stripes of green (if the skin is still good). Now carefully cut round slices, 4 for each “dragonfly.” These will be the wings. Use asparagus or carrot sticks (peeled and cut in 4-inch strips) for the body. Toothpicks will work to hold them together.

Ladybug Tomatoes—Cut a round tomato in half. Lay the flat side on a plate. Put sliced olives on for spots, using toothpicks to hold them on. Carefully cut a long strip of bell pepper with a slit at the end for the body and antennae (or use a leafy end of celery, or a long curl from peeling a carrot). Put it under the tomato.