Utilizing bread or flour tortillas to create delicious, bite-sized appetizer snacks is an art limited only by the individual cook's creativity. Choose fillings that are complimentary to each other and easy to carry from tray to mouth in a small, neat portion.

Citrus Shrimp Pinwheels

1/2 lb. medium shrimp, peeled & deveined
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tbl. fresh lemon juice
1 tbl. fresh orange juice
1 tbl. dry sherry
2 tbl. parsley, chopped
14 slices white bread, thinly sliced & crusts removed
2 tbl. butter, softened
salt & pepper to taste

Heat a medium saucepan of water to boiling. Add the shrimp, a pinch of bay spice and cook about 2 minutes or until pink and opaque. Drain well.

Place shrimp, mayonnaise, lemon juice, sherry, salt, and pepper in a food processor and process just until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl and stir in the parsley.

Place 2 slices of prepared bread end to end, overlapping by 1/2 inch. With a rolling pin, roll bread into a very thin 7x4-inch rectangle. Spread lightly with butter, then spread with 2 tablespoons of the shrimp mixture. Roll bread up tightly from the short side, jelly-roll fashion. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 to 4 hours. Repeat process with remaining bread.

To serve, unwrap the rolls and slice thin. Arrange pinwheels on serving trays. Makes about 72 pinwheels.


Spicy Crab Pinwheels

11 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup minced green onions
3 tablespoons chopped green chilies
3 tablespoons chopped ripe olives
3 tablespoons diced pimientos, drained
3 tablespoons finely chopped pecans or walnuts
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
8 (8 inch) flour tortillas
8 ounces crabmeat, chopped

In a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese. Stir in green onions, green chilies, olives, pimientos, pecans, garlic powder, and crabmeat.

Spread over tortillas. Roll up tightly.

Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Cut into 1/2-in. pieces.

Substitute olives and pimentos with 3 tablespoons of cocktail sauce for a lovely tomato flair to this recipe.

Great pinwheels can be made with your favorite sandwich spread - like pimento cheese. Make them stellar by adding chopped seafood like shrimp, lobster, crab or chopped crawfish. Serve with cocktail sauce and tartar sauce for dipping.