Chinese BBQ Pork with Asian Noodles

Cucumber Bites with Herb Cream Cheese and Cherry Tomatoes

These little gems are very easy to make and can be used as a appetizer or a side dish for a BBQ. 

Ingredients:

 4 oz. or 125 grams Cream Cheese, Softened to room temperature
1/4 cup Ranch Dressing (any brand)
2 tablespoons dill weed
2- 3 long cucumbers (English), skinned and sliced into 15 1 inch slices
15 cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
Additional sprinkle of fresh chopped parsley
Sprinkle of chili powder

Directions:
In a stand mixer, mix the softened Cream Cheese with the Ranch dressing and herbs. Mix until well combined. Spoon into a piping bag with a star tip.
Prepare the Cucumber, remove peel, Using a fork, score the sides. Slice into 1 inch pieces. Using a melon Baller, remove the center of cucumber, leaving a half moon crater.
Pipe the Herb Cream Cheese into the crater. Enough to stick out of the top about 1/2 inch.
Add a half Cherry Tomato partially buried into the Herb Cream Cheese
Sprinkle additional salt, herbs and spice mix for additional color. Chill in the fridge until ready to serve.
Serve chilled.

Link to Recipe: Cucumber Bites with Cherry Tomatoes

Mix the softened Cream Cheese with the Ranch dressing and herbs

Peel cucumber and using a fork, score the sides.

Slice into 1 inch pieces. 

Using a melon baller, remove the center of cucumber, leaving a half moon crater.

Using a piping bag and a star tip pipe the filling into each cucumber.

Add a half cherry tomato partially buried into the herb  ream cheese

Sprinkle additional salt, herbs and spice mix

Pumpkin Sticky Buns

These gooey sticky buns are a nice change from the traditional cinnamon bun. These may sound or look like they are over the top sweet, but the pumpkin balances all that brown sugar goodness. Yummy anytime but a great Fall or Christmas treat. I got this recipe from a Canadian Living magazine many years ago, it is definitely "Tried and True". I used walnuts but pecans can be used as well. I of course made my dough in my bread machine using the "Dough cycle", but if you don't have a bread machine your hands work very well.

Shannon

Marinated Roasted Beets

This is a very tasty beet salad that is served cold. It is a great make ahead dish. I have made this with a variety of beets from my garden but if you only can find red beets that works well too.

The Best Chocolate Layer Cake

This is the best chocolate cake I have ever made and eaten! It is so moist it is unbelievable!! If you love chocolate you will love this cake.
Shannon

Santorini Chicken Salad

This is a real tasty salad and perfect for those hot summer days! This picture does not do it any justice and I apologize but sometimes I completely forget to take the picture or I have a large group of ravenous teenagers wanting to eat supper and they do not want to watch me take the perfect photo.

This is a Greek inspired salad that I ate at my favourite burger joint in B.C. and thankfully I have the recipe in their recipe book I got for a gift. It is a meal on a plate and a good salad to prep ahead of time and have ready. I like to make the vinaigrette, lemon grilling sauce, grill the chicken breasts and prep my vegetables the night or day before. Then when I get home from work all I have to do is throw it all together.

Anyways, the vinaigrette is so yummy so do not skip the dressing in favour of a store bought version!! You can dress and toss the salad with the chicken added or you can lay the sliced chicken breast over top of the salad. In the above picture I tossed it all together but for presentation purposes slicing the chicken breast and laying it over top looks impressive!

Chicken Burger Sliders

These sliders are made with ground chicken and are very tasty! I have been making them for years and my kids devour them. You can form them into regular sized patties but it is fun to make them small. I use the "Light Brioche Hamburger Bun" recipe on this blog and instead of making twelve buns I make 24 mini ones. The patties are pan fried in a little vegetable oil but you can BBQ them if you want. I simply dress them with a little mayonnaise and lettuce. In the above picture I used Butter leaf lettuce but use any kind you want. I like to put Sriracha mayonnaise on mine to kick up the heat.
Shannon

Mississippi Sin Dip

 Italian bread is filled with a spicy cream cheese-based dip that is baked into a bubbly and decadent appetizer which is known as Mississippi Sin.