LadyBug Crackers

We all agree that lady bugs are far too cute to even think about what they would taste like. That would just be a crime. But....if you could make an appetizer look like one, that included seasoned cream cheese, olives, tomatoes etc, well than maybe you might think it would taste great! That's what my mom and I did for one of our Christmas appetizers. They tasted great and everyone thought they looked super cute!

2 oz cream cheese, softened

2 Tbsp sour cream

Black Paste food coloring ( I didn't have this, so I used equal parts of yellow, blue and red food coloring until I got it dark enough)

1/2 tsp chives, minced

1/8 tsp garlic salt 

1/8 tsp fresh parsley, minced

Ritz crackers
Cherry tomatoes, cut into quarters or grape tomatoes, cut into halves (width wise)
Large, ripe pitted olives
Chive pieces, cut into 1-1 /2 inch long pieces for antennas


In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and sour cream until smooth. Remove 1 tablespoon to a small bowl and tint black. Place tinted cream cheese mixture in a small plastic bag and set aside. 

 Add the chives, garlic salt and parsley to the remaining, non tinted, cream cheese mixture. Spread over crackers. Arrange two tomato pieces on each cracker, for the ladybug wings. 

For heads, halve the olives width wise and  place one half on each cracker with the larger hole end facing up. Insert two chives into the olive head for antennae. 

Use tinted cream cheese mixture to pipe spots onto wings.