Holiday Veggie Appetizer Wreath

Holiday Veggie Appetizer Wreath

recipe courtesy of Pampered Chef

1 pkg. (340g) refrigerated flaky rolls
1 container (250g) chive and onion soft cream cheese
1 garlic clove, pressed
1 tsp. dried dill weed
1 C. broccoli, chopped
1/2 C. cucumber
2 medium plum tomatoes, seeded and choppedPreheat oven to 400°F. Separate rolls horizontally in half to form 20 rolls. In center of a round stone, arrange 6 rolls in a circle and add 1 in center with edges touching, in another circle around ring of rolls.

Using lightly floured pizza roller, flatten and roll rolls together to seal, leaving outside edges scalloped for petal effect. Bake 11-13 minutes or golden brown. Cool 1 minute; carefully loosen and slide onto cooling rack it cool.

In a bowl, combine cream cheese, garlic and dill weed.

Score cucumber lengthwise; remove seeds. Slice cucumber; cut slices into quarters. Chop tomato.

Return crust to crust to cooled stone; spread evenly with cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle with broccoli, cucumber and tomato. Arrange 3 seeded and scored cucumber slices at top to create bow effect, if desired pull rolls apart. Yields 20 servings.

The Other White Meat…er, Kinda.

After indulging in chicken & ribs, rich key lime pie and other foods we normally try to enjoy sparingly, its time to reset our tastebuds for lighter, healthier fare. So tonight I’m enjoying the other white meat, er protein – eggs!

I’ve been meaning to make egg salad for the past week and today was just the day. The recipe isn’t anything special but I’ve found a new spot to take my pics. (My kitchen is east facing and has horrible lighting in the afternoon but hopefully this new spot will do better justice on the things I do make!)Here’s the recipe for the egg salad, which I enjoyed with baby carrots, a slice of Port Salut and crackers. (My feeble attempt in eating lighter… blah!)

6 hard boiled eggs
1/4 cup mayo
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 tablespoon All Purpose Dill Mix
salt & pepper to taste

In a bowl combine all ingredients.

**I’m also submitting this to the Frugal Fridays blogging event! With the rising cost of groceries these days, a frugal meal is always welcome in our house. Check out the other frugal dishes shared for this event!**

Easy Peasy Please

It was a fun day of chocolate, but it did drain me of my energy. So for dinner tonight I wanted something flavorful, healthy and quick. (In fact, we almost resorted to White Castle!) Nonetheless, I baked up some salmon in a foil packet along with broccoli and a baked potato.Here’s my recipe for Lemon Dill Salmon:

1 whole salmon fillet
1/2 lemon, sliced thin
1/2 teaspoon dried or fresh dill
1 clove minced garlic
1/2 tablespoon olive oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Lay a piece of foil on your baking sheet.
Place your salmon on the foil and season with salt & pepper to taste.
Sprinkle the minced garlic and fresh/dried dill over the salmon.
Lay the lemon slices over the salmon.
Take up the sides of the foil to form a packet or pouch for the salmon to bake in.
Bake wrapped salmon for 15-20 minutes or until done (depending on thickness).I served the salmon with steamed broccoli florets and a baked potato topped with butter & sour cream on the side.