New Year's Eve Appy Night

It's New Year's Eve and at my house that means a night filled with sparkling drinks and appys. I like to think that I eat less when I'm eating finger food, but I know that I'm kidding myself. I know I fill my little plate up with way more food than I would with just a main course. But it's the holidays right?

Today I'm sharing my New Year's Eve menu with you instead of some new dishes. I love making new  recipes, but I love some of my tried and true favourites a little but more.

First up, I'm going to make my Curried Peanut Butter Sauce. It's great with meatballs like I first showed you, but this time I'm going to serve it with some Grilled Bay Scallop Skewers and also with some Summer Rolls. Tonight's Summer Rolls will be a little different than last time, so look for them in a new post coming up next month!

I'm also going to make one of my favourite dishes, Stuffed Mushrooms! I'll be skipping the bacon in my original recipe, so I might need a little extra cheese to make them sing. But the crescent roll wrapper will stay. I'll never say no to them!

Finally I have one new recipe to try, something I'm going to call Fingerling Potato Jackets. My sweetie wants some guacamole and I know that it would be perfect to serve with baby potato skins stuffed with cheese and salsa. Come back for this recipe too!

Have fun tonight and stay safe! And don't forget to enter my giveaway for some great Team Canada Olympic gear!

An Olympic Sized Giveaway

I love Christmas but now that it's over I'm ready to start thinking about the 2014 Olympic Games. I cannot wait to wear our Canadian colours proudly, watch the opening ceremony, and start cheering on our amazingly talented athletes.

Every year I like to celebrate the Olympics with themed snacks. I just love making things that will make my friends and family smile and get into the Olympic mood. The food must taste good, be easy to make (so that I don't miss a minute of the excitement), and of course resemble an Olympic sport. 

This year I decided to make a fun layered dip topped with a curling end zone. I like to think that it might help the Canadian teams become victorious, but if not, I know it made my family smile. And since Yoplait is a proud supporter of Team Canada at this year's Olympics, I incorporated Yoplait into my recipe. 

Read on for my recipe and also for a great giveaway to help you get decked out in style for this year's Olympic Games!

Merry Christmas from Delish in a Dish

My family is opening up stockings, enjoying freshly baked breakfast pastries, and drinks mimosas right now. It is a fabulous day and thank you for spending a moment of your time to join us. 

Today I am sharing a cookie recipe from a cookie exchange I went to this year, because if you're anything like me - you always have room for another cookie, especially on Christmas! 

I love these cookies because they're easy to make and delicious, perfect for a Christmas afternoon treat. I used preserves I received as a gift from the Preservation Society, a small Montreal preservation company that makes wonderful little jars of goodness, to fill my Sacher Torte Cookies. 

I used a mix of the traditional apricot jam (Preservation Society's Apricot Jam with honey and chamomile) and some of their special batch wild strawberries soaked in elderflower liquor. I think I need another taste to figure out which one I liked best! 

La Belle Patate

Does anyone out there make their own rolls for the holidays anymore? I used to think it was too much work, but then I discovered this incredible potato roll recipe that you make in a muffin tin.  It uses up leftover mashed potatoes and creates moist little rolls that are the perfect size for mopping up gravy or snacking on before dinner. 

I don't know about you, but I think making your own rolls and freezing them a few days before Christmas would be the perfect way to impress a mother in law at the big day's dinner. Plus, you can also half the recipe to get 12 rolls and a loaf of delicious raisin bread for breakfast. Who could say no to that now?

The Ultimate Grilled Cheese

Sometimes I get a craving for a grilled cheese sandwich made on white bread with a Kraft singles or two. I don't know what it is about those sandwiches, but they remind me of being a kid! 

However, the majority of times I want a grilled cheese sandwich, I want the ultimate grilled cheese sandwich. This means no skinny pieces of white bread, I want something crusty and full of flavour. And instead of Kraft singles, I want a cheese that I'm not embarrassed to love. And rather just serving my meal with bottled ketchup, I want something a little more special. 

Reading this, I think I probably sound like a food snob. But if a girl can't dream big about a sandwich,  what can she dream big about? 

Read on for my Ultimate Grilled Cheese Sandwich, the one I wish all grilled cheeses were made of. 

Double the Fun

When I have friends over for a wine and appy party, I know I'd like to create a menu of entirely handmade little delicacies - but I also know that would only make me frazzled. I know I need to use my time wisely and make a few homemade appetizers and a few from the frozen or deli sections of my grocery store. 

The two appys I am sharing today start might come in handy for those of you that want to make things even easier. These appys start out as the same basic recipe and then ever off into two different directions so you can have even more choices besides the wheel of Brie. 

Get ready to run out to grocery store for wonton wrappers because these recipes need them. :) 

White Christmas Lasagna

Have you ever seen a heirloom pumpkin? They're huge, beautifully unique, and edible. I wouldn't suggest getting one for carving a jack o lantern next year because they're much too thick, but I would suggest getting one of you want to make to a truly delicious lasagna this winter.

I think that this lasagna is the perfect pre-holiday meal because with all of the extra house guests that come over, you'll need a big casserole of something to serve for dinner. Plus, you'll probably have leftovers for all those late night cravings when you're wrapping gifts.

And this lasagna is extra special because not only does it feed a lot of people, but there is an unexpected twist to it too. It's got a spicy curry kick to warm you up on a cold night and there is no tomato sauce for a white Christmas.

Curious yet? Read on for the recipe!

Christmas Sliders

'Tis the season to be jolly and also to look for time saving ideas! December seems to fly by in my house every year and while I wish for an extra hour every day in December, Santa never gets me the gift I really need so I have to find the extra time I wish for another way.

One of the ways I save time is by visiting the Pillsbury area of my grocery store. I like to say I'll be serving homemade cinnamon buns in Christmas morning, but it hasn't happened yet so I always buy a big roll of Grands Cinnamon buns. And I like to think I'll be making my own buns to serve with Christmas dinner, but I always buy a package or two of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls, "just incase".

This year I am little more organized than other years because I'm not pretending that I'm going to be making everything from scratch. I know what's going to end up happening. This year I'm stocking up on Pillsbury goodies, but planning on making them a little extra special by adding a few little twists. 

On Christmas morning, I am planning on making Life Made Delicious' Easy Crescent Danish Rolls and I think I might make Life Made Delicious' crescent rolled covered Raspberry Baked Brie at least once between now and the big day - because when I have I ever turned down Brie?

But first I made some incredibly yummy and surprising simple Shrimp Sliders on Pillsbury Crescents for a happy appy at a potluck I recently went to. I know you're going to want to make a batch up yourself. Read on for the recipe!

A Canadian Christmas Tradition

I don't know about the majority of people in Canada, but baking cookies is one of the biggest traditions we have during the holiday season. My mom and Nana used to bake tins of all sorts of types of cookies and froze them for the holidays. Then they would pull out little platters of them for dessert and tea throughout December. Now I do the same. 

The only thing that's different about my cookie baking is that I cannot decide on the list of cookies I should be baking. Any of my family could tell you Nana's list of holiday baking, but my list is ever changing. 

This year my cookie platters will have some of Canadian Living's new Cranberry Pistachio Tree Cookies, and as much extra effort as they are, I am very glad I made them. Just be sure to follow then recipe when it says to blanch and peel your nuts because it helps them stay a beautiful bright green. And learn from my mistake, you can actually buy shelled pistachios!

Melt My Heart

I might live in one of the warmest areas of Canada, but it's still cold here in December. In fact, I don't even like going outside this time of year, unless I have to. And when I have to, I always like to warm up when I'm back inside with a cup of tea and a delicious treat. 

Today's post is a holiday cookie I made from Canadian Living's November magazine that brings the taste of winter indoors so you don't even have to get outside in order to enjoy a cookie. Instead, just eat one of these Minty Meltaways to feel like you're outside and then eat another cookie to warm yourself up.