1956 Vauxhall

Mullet Dress

Today's Kitchen Install

Todd Inlet B.C.

Snoopy Tree

Kitchen Install of the day

This kitchen is getting Vancouver Island Marble tops! Can't wait to see it finished!!

Old Ladder Shelf

Cotton candy pro.

Incredible SKILLZ Watch this video

http://wimp.com/cottoncandy/


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Patio Flowers

New Hoodie

American Apparel Dog Hoodie Model Neon Orange $18 !!!!

Table Piece Du Jour

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Pesto Gnocchi

Easy Creamy Cucumber Salad

> Now this is easy. And fresh. And invigorating. And mouth watering. Just make it ok?
>
> 1 cup sour cream
> 2 tbsp fresh chopped dill weed
> 2 tbsp lemon juice
> 2 tbsp sugar
> 2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
> 1.5 tbsp salt
> Mix together in a bowl
>
> 2 long English cucumbers, score length ways with a fork ( this makes them look pretty) and thinly slice. Stir into sour cream mixture. Refrigerate and eat!!!
>

Dot West says..

Wow Dot, you always speak such truth!! I too have fun when I try international recipes! Such an inspiring gal from Winnipeg.


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Easy Creamy Cucumber Salad

Now this is easy. And fresh. And invigorating. And mouth watering. Just make it ok?

Isn't this the truth.  I am so lucky to have found the perfect guy.  Being the "foody" that I am this statement coult not be more true! 

Aha!  This evenings line up.  Pesto Bow Tie Pasta with Basil Chicken Sausage and roasted veggy along side mouth watering Bruschetta! We ate so much Bruschetta the bow tie pasta ended up being the side!                                                               

To start peel and mince approx 4 cloves of garlic.  Toast them in 2 TBSP of Olive Oil.

You want them to get golden brown like this.  These are very easy to burn so watch carefully!  It is better to take them out just before they are golden if you are worried about over cooking them. 

Once you have them nicely toasted put them in the bowl you intend on using for your Bruschetta.  They will need to cool for a bit before mixing with everything else.

While you are waiting for the garlic to cool,  you can chop your Cherry Tomatoes.  If it is the right time of year and they are available, I like to use 1 basket of Red Cherry Tomatoes and 1 basket of Yellow Cherry tomatoes to add colour and drama!  You will need 2 baskets total. Today I was stuck with 2 baskets of Red.

Next take 8-10 FRESH Basil leaves and roll together like so!

Then finely chop them, this is what they will look like:)  If you're like me,  after everything was made I added another bunch of basil, I just couldn't get enough of the sweetness.

Now, in your big bruschetta bowl which has your cooled garlic,  add your chopped tomatoes and basil.

Add some fresh ground pepper and salt to taste.  Usually LOTS  is best.  :)

Once that is mixed together you will want to add a dash + pour of balsamic vinegar.  I used approx 3/4 cup total,  but this could be less or more. Can you tell I don't like to follow recipes and prefer being creative in my cooking?  I always believe as with anything, you should follow your gut instincts while cooking.  :)  Mix together, there will be a pool of vinegar at the bottom of the bowl.  This is ok:)  Continue to stir and marinate in the balsamic until you are ready to serve.  The longer it can marinate the better;) 

Now in the same pan your browned the garlic, add a dollup of butter and grill some thinly sliced baguette.  Make sure to grill both sides until lightly brown and toasty.

Now pile on the Bruschetta!  This is so fresh and delicious.

I served this Bruschetta with a Bow Tie pasta.  If you're interested in that recipe, email me carriemills@me.com  I'd be happy to share it with you! 

Sun Dried Tomato Pasta Salad

Wow it has been awhile since my last post. I really can't tell you where the time goes!! I will try to make it up with this yummy pasta salad recipe!

Tonight Kyle and I collaborated on this pasta salad to make for dinner at my parents.  Very easy to make and tastes delicious (of course)

We used a rice pasta, but you could use a Rotini, Bow tie or macaroni, we just used what we had. :). Make sure not to over cook the pasta I like to under cook it by a couple of minutes to what they call El Dante!!

We cut up ( well i actually volunteered  Kyle to cut up) whatever veggies we had in the fridge in to tiny pieces. We used 1 orange pepper, 2 stalks celery, 1 carrot and some broccoli.  If we would have had them, cherry tomatoes would have been a fabulous addition!
I also emptied the jar of olives we had, there were about eight of them.  I chopped them up nice and tiny as the perfect salty punch to the salad!
Then came the fresh basil! A small handful of about 10 leaves rolled and finely chopped.
Then we added a handful of pine nuts and a large scoop of hemp seeds. If you don't have these things on hand, that's ok, we used them as a little extra bonus to the salad.
We mixed all the veggies and extras together before adding them to the well drained pasta.

Now comes the sauce!!!!!!

-1 small jar drained or half a bag of sun dried tomatoes
-3 garlic gloves lightly roasted in olive oil
-1 cup extra virgin olive oil
-4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
-1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
-freshly ground pepper  -lots
-salt - three pinches or to taste

Put all of these ingredients in your magic bullet or your handy dandy blender, mulch them until they look nearly completely puréed. If you do this a day before you make the salad the flavours will open up together over night in the fridge and taste even better!

Now pour the sauce slowly over the pasta and veggie mixture while stirring it in, nice and evenly!!

Chill for at least an hour in the fridge and serve as a side to your favorite BBQ chicken recipe! Oh and try not to eat half of it while you're waiting!

Hope you enjoy!!

Bon Appetit!

Fresh picked Lilac's

Today it reached 18 whopping degrees!!! Although it was hazy Kyle and I felt obligated to spend most of the day outdoors enjoying it.
On the way home we stumbled upon a large Lilac bush on "the side of the road" totally not on someone else's property and picked a few.

Best Furry Friends

In case you were wondering what super cute and adorable looked like.

Washing Blinds

This is how we do in my family. Nothing is done mediocrely and everything needs some kind of apparatus made to aid in the process;)

If it wasn't like that it wouldn't be fun!

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