A Foodie's Fave Recipes

4 links of organic turkey-sundried tomato sausages, meat only-no casing 1 lb. lean ground been 1/2 large red bell pepper, diced 1/2 large purple onion, chopped fine 2 large eggs 24 multigrain crackers, crushed 2 tbsp cayenne pepper 6 tbsps hickory smoked barbecue sauce 4 tbsp organic hemp hearts Salt and pepper to taste 6 large balls of goat cheese (about 1 tbsp) Mix all ingredients except the goat cheese in a large bowl well.  Form large thick round balls(approximately 4 to 5 inches diameter).  Slowly press flat between palms.  Using thumb, make an indentation in the center, leaving still about 1/2 inch of meat, place goat cheese ball here.  Take a piece of the mixture and flatten it and cover the goat cheese, pressing the meat down against the patty, sealing the cheese in the center. Over medium high heat, on a hot griddle, place the patty and cook until the brown starts to creep halfway up the side, you may have to lower the heat to ...

Melting the white chocolate over simmering water Mixing the room temperature cream cheese and adding the chocolate Oreo cookie crumbs mixed with toasted pecans and toasted pumpkin seeds blended then mixed with 1/4 cup of melted butter. Fresh out of the oven the top has several cracks.  The inside wasn't done quite enough so the sides got browner than I like. A white chocolate ganache, garnished with pecans. Thinking that I am going to have to toast those pecans before I go to the party tonight.  But I was too tired last night.

Today, I am getting prepared for the last Christmas dinner that the Fraser Valley Rhododendron Society will be hosting.  It's a potluck dinner we do for the last meeting of the year.  I have been a member of the cluib for about 8 or 9 years when my best friends, Fred and Jill got me involved due to us having a five acre parcel in Whonnock, which I wanted to cover in Rhododendrons of all shapes and sizes and colours.  That of course didn't work out.  However, I stayed involved and over the last three years was the secretary of the club taking and maintaining the minutes and records. Due to an ever aging and decreasing membership and the same members doing a rotating annual duty on the executive, the vote was taken at the last Extraordinary General meeting to dissolve the club, donate their remaining funds to a couple of worthy causes and thus, Monday, November 28th, the last supper shall occur. I am taking a cornbread stuffing in a casserole dish that will have roaste...

My grandmother was Russian.  She was smuggled out in a suitcase when she was three years old, strapped to the bottom of a boxcar along with the rest of her family escaping from the Bolshevik revolution.  She used to make varenaki or what we now call perogies.  The russian perogie is a sweet bun made with yeast.  I had forgotten what she called them until I saw it in a recipe today. I've decided to make some homemade perogies, but with a twist.  Going to put sweet potatoes with bacon and onion inside, instead of regular potatoes.  I'll let you know how they turn out.

1/2 brick of cream cheese 1/2 cup of miracle whip dressing 1/4 cup soft goat cheese 1/2 cup grated parmesan 2 artichoke hearts (chopped fine) 1 tbsp sundried tomatoes (chopped) 1/4 cup grated mozzarella 1/2 tsp cardamon Dash of lemon juice salt and pepper to taste Optional adders: 1/3 cup frozen spinach (thawed, drained and chopped fine) or 1/4 cup small shrimp (chopped) or 4 tbsps smoked salmon (chopped) or 1/4 cup of ricotta cheese or 4 tbsps diced red bell pepper (I like the bell pepper, it adds a hint of sweetness, color and crunch.  I find the spinach makes it too watery.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit.  Melt cream cheese and goat cheese in mircowave for about 45 seconds to one minute.  With a fork or wooden spoon, mix in remaining ingredients.  Choose an optional adder to mix in or leave as is. Place mixture in a small shallow casserole dish or large ramekin style dish and place in oven for 15 to 20 minutes....

I thought I had posted this previously, but looking at the archives, I couldn't find it.  I've been meaning to post this now for about three weeks, but I seldom follow a recipe, so it changes each time I make it.  I wrote this one down as I made it to provide to the Rhododendron Society for their newsletter, then couldn't find it.  FINALLY found this to share. (I double the recipe because they all loved it so much) Salmon Canneloni Filling: 5 - 1/4 artichoke hearts chopped 1/2 medium onion diced 3 garlic cloves, crushed and diced 1 1/2 cup ricotta cheese 1 213 gram can sockeye salmon Sauce: 1 pkg Alfredo Sauce mix 1 cup heavy cream 1 cup 1% milk 1/4 cup margarine 1/2 cup parmesan cheese 1 900 gram box Catelli Express Cannelloni Mix all filling ingredients well. Using a teaspoon, fill the Catelli Express cannelloni tubes and lay side by side inside a shallow glass baking dish. Mix the sauce ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a low boil. Whisk c...

White Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake Crust 1 cup graham cracker crumbs 1 cup oreo cookie crumbs 1/4 cup pecans 4 tbsp walnuts 5 tbsp pumpkin seeds 1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar 1 tsp vanilla 4 tbsp margarine or butter Mix well in a blender all ingredients. Place in bottom of spring form pan. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 8 minutes. Let cool on cooling rack. Keep oven at 350. Filling 3 - 8 ounce pkg of cream cheese 1 cup sugar 1 cup canned pumpkin - unsweetened 3 eggs 4 squares white chocolate, melted 1 tsp vanilla 1 dash of nutmeg 1 tsp cinnamon Cream together first two ingredients. Melt white chocolate squares over a double boiler, if you do not have a double boiler, a glass bowl over water slightly rolling, but not a full boil will suffice. Then add remaining ingredients and blend well until smooth. Pour into spring form pan. Bake in 350 degree oven for 1 hour until top of cake starts to crack. Let cool for five minutes. Run knife around the edge of the s...