Thursday, February 9, 2012

Feature!

Hey y'all!

I want to direct you all to the lovely feature over at Envirocraftiness today. Jill is featuring my crocheted headbands for "February is Yarntastic". Check it out here

Have a great Thursday!

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Super Bowl Snacks

Do I care about American football and all the hooplah which is the Super Bowl? No not really.  Do I love any excuse to make food.? Especially finger food, appetizers. Yes I do! 
Of course it's easier to load up on puff pastry frozen goodies from Costco- but I like to be adventurous. 

This is one of the more healthy snacks I made for Super Bowl weekend.  The original recipe can be found here at Closet Cooking.  If you like to cook you NEED to follow this blog (and mine, of course!)

Cucumber Roll Ups
English Cucumber
Greek yoghurt
Feta cheese
Sun dried tomatoes
Kalamata olives
Lemon Juice
Dill
S & P
toothpicks

I think the measurements are up to you for this one.  But I will list what I used.  In a bowl mix 1/4 cup Greek yoghurt with 1/2 cup crumbled feta.  I had hard feta but I just chopped it up and crumbled it in.


Next chop up your olives and sun dried tomatoes.  I used 2 tablespoons of both olives and sun dried tomatoes.  My tomatoes are in oil and were a bit overpowering in the final combination.  So I would recommend going easy on the sun dried tomatoes.


Then add your seasonings; fresh squeezed lemon juice, salt and pepper and some dill.  I put in about 2 teaspoons of dill- I should have added more!  Stir until well mixed.

Then you have to slice your cucumber.  If you have a mandoline, take it out and dust it off now!  I thought I'd be so pro and slice the cucumber myself.  When in reality I wasted more than I used. You'll see what I resorted to.  The thinner the cucumber the better.


Spoon about a tablespoon of mix onto the cucumber and roll it up!  Secure with a toothpick (or whatever is on hand....I can't believe I don't have toothpicks! 

As you can see, I gave up on the pretty presentation and just put it on slices of cucumber.  Actually, that's kind of a great idea.  Slice your cucumber into rounds and put a dollop of mix on top.  A lot less fuss!


 They were very good.  Very chic; a deconstructed tzatziki almost.  So refreshing.  These would be a good replacement for cucumber sandwiches at a shower or BBQ.  Let me know how yours turn out, should you ever give them a try!

And Super Bowl wouldn't be Super Bowl without Nachos! *drool*


Monday, February 6, 2012

Happy Birthday to Moi!

Happy Monday!  But maybe more exciting (well at least to me)..Happy Birthday ME!  Yes, today is my birthday and I'm proud to say I'm 28 years old. 
Here are my reasons why I think "28 is Great!"
 
1).  28 is great because, I finally feel comfortable in my own skin, zits and all! (for the most part)
 
 
 
2).  28 is great because, I'm the perfect age-old enough to be respected (by most people) but young enough to still enjoy life!
 
 
3).  28 is great because, I have been been teaching dance for 10 years and can proudly say that today it is my career
 
 
4).  28 is great because, I have have lifelong friends, who have been with me through thick and thin. 
 
 
5).  28 is great because, with everyday I gain more courage to stand up for what I believe is right and I'm not afraid to voice those beliefs (even if it means getting fired - true story!)
 
 
 
 
6).  28 is great because, I am grateful for my parents and my family.  I need them more than ever now.
 
 
 
7).   28 is great because, I'm going to be a God Mother this year! Beyond thrilled! 
 
 
8). 28 is great because, I'm at an age where my sister is my best friend
 
 
 
9). 28 is great because, you have the stregnth to deal with loss -  even the most difficult. Not every day, but when you need it, it's there.
 
 
And finally 28 is great....
 
 
10). Because at 28 I get to marry the love of my life; the man who has helped me become a better woman, a better sister, a better daughter, a better cook, a better person.  Most importantly I get to marry my best friend in the entire world who loves me like no one else can (or ever will for that matter) and who encourages me to be the best in my career, in my relationship, and in life!
 
 
Yup, I'm pretty happy to be 28!  Tonight I'm getting together with some friends to celebrate!  Don't worry, you wont miss out on any of the fun.  Check back this week to see pics from my party and how you can win a birthday present from me!
 
 
 

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Spinach Dip


Is it just me, or does everyone's Mum have that one appetizer or dip recipe that just knocks it out of the park?  My mum in law, Leona, makes a killer "Surprise Spread" with cream cheese, shrimp meat, green peppers, tomaotes and mozzarella. 



Barbara Nadon
Momma Barb

My Mum's specialty was always Spinach Dip.  She used to make it for baby showers, bridal showers, get together with neighbours - you name the occassion she made it.  In fact she even made it for us this past Christmas Eve during our Game Night!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
A couple of weeks ago friends of ours were visiting from Vancouver Island and we got together with them and a few other couples and their little ones (Ty & I definitely laughed about being 'out of the club'.  Don't get me wrong, I am SO NOT ready for a little Leslie -eek!).  Anywho, we were all getting together for treats in the evening so I decided to whip up my Mum's famous Spinach Dip recipe.
 
Momma Barb's Scrumptious Spinach Dip
 
What You'll Need
1 Cup sour cream
1 Cup REAL mayonaise
1/2 red onion
1 can water chestnuts
1 package of low sodium Knorr veggie soup mix
1 pacakge frozen spinach
pepper
1 sourdough or pumpernickle "breadbowl"
 
First mince up your waterchestnuts.  I bet you're wondering "Do I have to put water chestnuts in?" The answer is yes.  Why?  Well becuase they're awesome, but more imprtantly they give a great cripsness and crunch to the dip!
 
 
Next mince your red onion into similar size pieces as the water chesnuts and toss in a bowl together.
 

Next add in your sour cream and mayonaise.  In the ingredients list you'll notice I wrote "real" mayonaise.  That's because for some crazy reason, we Canadians use Miracle Whip more often thatn mayo for sandwhiches, etc etc.  So I buy a small jar of low fat Hellmann's just for this dip!  You can totally use low fat sour cream too.


Then add in your soup mix and fresh ground black pepper.  Allow your spinach to thaw (duh) before attempting to add it in.  You'll also want to drain it, or squeeze out as much water as possible.  I squeeze it in paper towels, but inevitably some of the spinach sticks to the paper towel.  Argh!


Gently stir in the spinach and you're done.  Make sure to let this sit over night before serving.  The flavours really meld and you will end up with an infinitely better dip!


To serve, hollow out your bread bowl and scoop the dip into the centre.  Cut up the bread you removed from the centre into bite sized pieces and arrange around the bowl on a platter.  Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of this final stage.....that's how fast this stuff get's eaten.

Be sure to try this for your next games night.  You'll be the hostess with the most-est.  Everybody loves a good spinach dip - and this one's great!