Beef Olive Spread Canapes

Creamy beef olive spread is delicious on pumpernickel party bread or plain crackers

Snowbird Recipe:

Beef Olive Spread Canapes

Creamy, flavorful, light and ever-popular as an easy, tried and true recipe that has stood the test of time. The crispy onions provide wonderful flavor and texture, olives bring the savory brine, and of course the neufchatel cheese is chilly and creamy. My mom has served "zippy beef olive spread" canapes for parties ever since I can remember, including my high school graduation party back in the 1980's. Over the years, I've developed this adaptation of my handwritten copy of mom's original version and it's just the right blend of everything.

Snowbird meals tend to be much simpler, using fewer ingredients and a very limited selection of appliances and gadgets to prepare them. Choose the freshest, highest quality ingredients and find alternate ways to make your favorite recipes. Forget about what you don't have to cook with, instead focus on what you can accomplish with what you do have. - Midlife Snowbird

Ingredients

8 oz neufchatel cheese, room temperature

1/2 cup green olives with pimentos, quartered

1/2 cup white or red onion, finely diced

2 oz package chipped beef, cut into small pieces

1 T. cooking sherry

1 T. olive juice

1 T. dried minced onion flakes

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Suggested Brands: Carl Buddig® original beef, Holland House® cooking sherry, Pepperidge Farm® Dark Pump party bread, Keebler Club Original® crackers, Ritz® crackers

Preparation

Allow neufchatel (or cream) cheese to soften to room temperature or long enough to blend it easily

Dice the onion, then place in a medium bowl

Add the cooking sherry, olive juice and stir. Allow the flavors to fuse for a few minutes while chopping the remaining ingredients

Quarter the green olives

Slice the beef into similar sized pieces, approximately one half inch squares

Add all remaining ingredients to bowl and gently combine until thoroughly blended

Cover and refrigerate overnight or a few hours until flavors blend together

Serve chilled with pumpernickel party bread or plain butter crackers

Servings:

Approximately 2 cups

Serving Suggestion: