Back To School Cocktail Party

I've always loved the fall, pulling sweaters out of the closet and hearing leaves crunch under your feet. I also always loved going back to school. It was a time when you got to catch up with friends, and there was always a ton of parties. In high school it was dances and football games, in university it was keg parties and drinks after new classes. Why should that end the older we get? It doesn't have to. Every once in awhile Brent and I will host what I like to call a 'Back to School Party'. It's a great chance to catch up with people you've lost touch with over the summer and really, who needs an excuse to have a cocktail party?



You can keep things simple, or spend weeks prepping. I like to use parties like this as an opportunity to try out new recipes on my friends. To keep things safe, I usually serve a couple of staples, some dips and a great cheese platter. Here's a great recipe for a great veggie dip.

Roasted Red Pepper Dip
- 2 roasted red peppers ( on tinfoil lined sheet, broil peppers until charred, wrap tinfoil around peppers for 5-10 minutes, remove tin foil, peppers should peel easily)
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 1/2 cup cream cheese
- salt and pepper
- 1 clove garlic, minced

In food processor pulse together sour cream, cream cheese and mayonnaise until combined. Add rest of the ingredients, pulse to combine.

Orange Beef with Cilantro Rice

This recipe was really easy to make and great for last minute entertaining.

Orange Beef
- finely grated peel of 1 orange
- juice of 2 oranges
- 1 tbsp tamari (or soy sauce)
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 pound stir fry steak ( or skirt steak, thinly sliced on the diagonal)
- 1 bunch scallions, white parts finely chopped, green parts cut into inch long pieces
- 1 tbsp brown sugar

Cilantro Rice
- long grain white rice
- fresh cilantro

Stir together orange peel, juice, olive oil, tamari and vinegar. Add steak and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook rice according to directions, on stove top or in rice cooker.

Heat 1 tbsp oil over high in large skillet. Using tongs, transfer beef to skillet. Cook, lightly tossing, for 5-7 minutes. Transfer meat to a plate.

Add scallions and cook over medium heat until wilted. Transfer to beef. Pour remaining marinade into skillet and bring to a boil, lower heat and reduce sauce. Whisk in sugar, return steak to skillet. Stir in cornstarch 1 tsp at a time if you're sauce isn't thickening.

Stir cilantro into rice and serve beef and rice together.

Prosciutto Wrapped Salmon

A great way to cook with two of my favourite ingredients, prosciutto and salmon. While on Granville Island last weekend Dussa's Ham and Cheese had an Italian Cheese and Meat festival, and they had samples of 12 month aged Prosciutto. It was so good I had to buy some. While snacking on it, and trying to think of what to do with the salmon I had in the freezer I remembered seeing a recipe somewhere with salmon wrapped in prosciutto. And that sounded absolutely delicious.

Prosciutto Wrapped Salmon
- Salmon fillet , cut into 2 pieces
- 2 tbsp dijon mustard
- 3-4 green onions, finely chopped
- pepper
- 2-4 slices prosciutto

I used 4 slices of prosicutto because it was so finely sliced, just the way I like it!


In a small bowl mix mustard, green onions and pepper. Spread over both sides of the salmon. Lay salmon skin side down onto 1-2 pieces of prosciutto. Fold prosciutto up over top. Bake on parchment lined bakign sheet in 400F oven for 10-15 minutes, until salmon flakes easily.