There will be dessert... but first comes the dinner

Dum de Dummmmmm... the blog begins! and I am writing it, and have approximately 20 minutes to finish it (which is asking a lot in Carmel time). No, I am not an amazingly skilled writer, how could you tell?? but I will do my best to jump start this awesome blog - obviously awesome cause of the delicious subject matter! And because of us. :)

So.... Bob Marley 'I Can See Clearly Now' is playing in the background as I begin. He's talking about the rain going away (which advice this rainy Vancouver area should LISTEN UP TO!). Anyhow, apparently it will be a bright sunny day, which I take to mean that this blog post about delicious types of food will cheer up your day immensely. :) That's a great way to think!

Most recently, my/our food exploits have been in the form of 'mini'. Exploring the world of miniature creations has been so interesting!!! And has caused much joy as we have tested and found the best ways to create the smallest (well, almost smallest!), tastiest delicacies. And the best part is that once you have created something you can ALWAYS improve and do it slightly different and better the next time. At least that is my attitude :)

The following are from a dinner made for my mother's birthday. We had the idea to do a dinner of hors d'oeuvres - finger food - and bite sized desserts. The evening turned out so lovely, and here is a break down of what happened on the food side of things.

First up is the Caprese salad. We had about 15 people to feed, so there are quite a few of these little salads on the plate. Because these would keep well in the fridge we were able to do them

early in the morning. Mozzarella, grape tomato, and basil are all skewered (that sounds horrible!!) onto a toothpick, alternating the basil in between the cheese and grape tomatoes. Just before serving we drizzled olive oil and sprinkled sea salt on top. Very tasty!

The Asparagus Bacon roll up was pretty messy making (!) but with Emmy Lou's help we managed through. This is one that is very tasty, but has a lot of room for improvement in assembly and baking. We used regular store bought white fluff bread, cut off the crusts, flattened it with a rolling pin, then slathered them with cream cheese. Unless you do this part

quickly and keep the bread fresh and moist, it will dry out very quickly and crack once you get to the rolling up part. During this time, have the bacon in the oven, until it's just easy to roll up -

not crispy. Break off the end of the asparagus. Using two at a time, wrap the bacon around, place in the middle of a slice of bread, then roll up, securely, and place seam-side down on a tray lined with foil. Repeat with remaining asparagus. Sprinkle with mozzarella/desired type of cheese. Can leave out on the counter until ready to bake, or prepare and put in fridge ahead of time, covering tightly so bread doesn't dry out. Bake at 375 or 400 degrees F for 10-15 minutes, or until browned. Very delicious!

Let's see... I have time for one more! :) I have the picture here of the mini quiches. Sharp cheddar cheese dough for lining the tart, then the filling is cream, eggs, sauteed minced onions and garlic, S&P, desired seasonings, finely chopped spinach and feta. I made/lined the quiche tarts way ahead of time and froze them, then defrosted them in the morning, baked them till lightly browned, and put them aside. Just before serving I popped them in the oven for 5-10 minutes to heat them up and add a little more colour. They were a total hit all around... so yummy!

And now I shall go! Twenty minutes has definitely been extended into more like forty five, so I should leave the rest for next time :)

Salted Caramel