Food, Glorious Food!

We had an Amazing Christmas this year!  There was so much good food, laughter, family times, relaxation, giving, visiting, singing, and in general, enjoying God's blessings! 

We spent Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day with Stephen's family, and had a total hoot!

I got to help make a lot of the food over the weekend, which was so much fun for me!  I really love cooking for "big" groups, especially appreciate, hungry ones!  I love really making food look beautiful, as well as tasting good!

My mother-in-law and I put together this feast for Christmas Eve!   

Chocolate Fondue!

Spinach Dip! (A Christmas tradition for me!)

Deviled Eggs

Veggies! 

 Cheese Fondue!

Yes, good food was enjoyed by all.  I love how a meal like this brings people together in a way that "normal food" doesn't.  There's so much more interaction and fun, it seems!  

This is one of my favorite types of meals.  I love appetizers and finger foods during the holidays!  It's so much fun planning it out, making sure you have a beautiful variety of each type of food.

Spinach Dip

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup sour cream

1 package Knorr vegetable soup mix

1 (8 oz) package chopped, frozen spinach

***

1 (round) loaf sourdough bread

Mix mayo and sour cream together.  Add the soup mix.  Add the spinach (thawed and drained) and mix thoroughly.

Cut out the centre of the sourdough loaf and place the dip inside.  Cut the centre of the loaf into bite sized pieces to eat with the dip.

You can also serve this with crackers, and with vegetables.

Enjoy!

Mediterranean Salad....and Other Things

I've spent a nice chunk of my day so far doing something I really enjoy, reading about healthy food, delicious recipes, in between doing dishes, working out, washing diapers, holding Ian (as I speak, I am balancing Mr. Personality on my lap as I type :P), and even taking a wee bit of a nap! :)

Food, and good, healthy, gourmet cooking is so much more important to me now than it ever was growing up! My philosophy before was, if everybody likes it, why come up with something new!? In fact, I really hated trying new recipes for fear of them not being good, and everyone just sort of grimacing their way through the meal.

But I have changed. A lot. I love finding new, amazing recipes now, discovering new ways to put food together, and really please the palates I am cooking for! There is Nothing like cooking for people that Enjoy eating! :)

One of my goals is to gradually replace all (okay, most of) the unhealthy food in my kitchen with healthy alternatives. Sometimes it means paying a little more money. Sometimes it means going to a few different stores. But I know it will be worth it in the end!

I admit, I'm not as diehard as some people are. I still enjoy eating foods made with sugar, especially if they come in liquid form and are served in a Starbucks mug. :)

Yes, I think balance is important in just about everything, especially in food! I mean, seriously, if it tastes horrible, no one is going to want to eat it, no matter how good the health benefits are! :)

All that being said, I want to quickly share with you a salad recipe I just made up the other day that was Delicious!!

Mediterranean Salad :)

Start with a bed of lettuce

Add chopped peppers

Cucumber

Avocados

Chopped, cooked chicken (if it's still warm, it's really nice!)

Sprinkle some roasted sunflower seeds

(you could add some cheese if you're extra hungry)

Dressing:

Pour a little olive oil over the salad (about 2 T)

Sprinkle some balsamic vinegar (about 1 T)

Add about 1 teaspoon of maple syrup

sprinkle some rosemary and salt on top

Stir it all together and taste!

Of course, you can use different vegetables, or slightly different amounts of the dressing ingredients, but this is pretty close to what I did and I loved the result!