All posts filed under: Appetizers

Spot Prawn Festival

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The weather did not stop Vancouverites from coming together to celebrate the opening of BC Spot Prawn season at the 11th Annual Spot Prawn Festival. Held annually at False Creek Fisherman’s Wharf on Granville Island, this is a festival that is not to be missed! Not only can you taste the first BC Spot Prawns of the season at the Spot Prawn Boil, you can purchase these sweet and succulent prawns that have just hauled up from the ocean from the fishermen who caught them right off their boats. You can’t get much fresher prawns than that! Now, spot prawns are some creepy little buggers, but they are incredibly delicious and are one of the prized delicacies of the sea in BC. From looking at them, you can tell they are spot prawns from their white spots on their tail and their thin white stripes on their shells. They are also quite large in size- actually the largest from all prawns from the BC coast. In terms of taste, spot prawns are definitely sweeter than …

Jalapeño Canoes

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Jalapeño Canoes are the perfect spicy appetizer for the big game. You can prepare these peppers a day in advance and bake them off at halftime so you won’t miss any of the action. These Jalapeño Canoes will definitely score big points! A note for the chef- the crispy cheese pieces are the best! Sneak some away for yourself before treating your guests 😉 Servings: 12 Difficulty: Easy Prep Time:  20 minutes   |   Cook Time: 15 minutes   |   Total Time: 35 minutes Ingredients: 12 jalapeño peppers, halved lengthwise and seeded 1 cup cheddar cheese, grated 1/3 cup mayonnaise 2 stalks celery, finely chopped 1 scallion, finely chopped 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 1/2 cup unseasoned breadcrumbs Directions: Begin by preparing the jalapeños. Cut each of the peppers in half lengthwise. Use a teaspoon to remove the seeds and membrane. Make sure you wash your hands after completing this step- trust me…if you touch your eyes or nose, they will burn like hell. Set the jalapeños on a parchment lined baking sheet. In a large bowl, mix …

Happy Chinese New Year

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To celebrate the Year of the Rooster, I have curated my tastiest Chinese recipes in this post. Now, my experience cooking Chinese foods has not been that extensive, but I have nailed these recipes. They key to cooking these foods is to have the right ingredients. I go to Asian grocery stores (such as TNT Supermarket) to get the freshest and most authentic ingredients and it definitely pays off. Plus, I often discover new ingredients are am inspired to cook new dishes. These appetizer and main course recipes were inspired from my visits to these grocery stores and are a great way to ring in the new year. Let the celebrations begin! Pork and Chive Potstickers These Pork and Chive Potstickers are the perfect appetizer for the New Year. In Chinese culture, potstickers are traditionally eaten on Chinese New Year as they symbolize wealth. These delicious little bundles are stuffed with pork, chive, and cabbage and are fried and steamed and fried again to create crisp yet juicy bites. Now, these potstickers do take a while …

Endive Spears with Black Olive Tapenade

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We are almost there! We have two days left of 2016 but we have one more final push of holiday parties to go…this time for New Years. With all the holiday parties and dinners this season, I have to admit that I have overindulged. I don’t really mind as Christmas only comes once a year, but I feel like I need to really get myself back in order to start of 2017 off on the right foot. But with the final push of New Year’s parties around the corner, comes the temptation to indulge again. In an effort to avoid this temptation, I’ve created an elegant, refreshing appetizer that is sure to please all your guests and get them on the right start for 2017 as well- Endive Spears with Black Olive Tapenade. Black olive tapenade is a classic Mediterranean spread that is normally eaten with bread, added on top of pizza, or mixed in with warm pasta. All are delicious options, but this tapenade can be elevated to a much lighter and healthier level when …

Crispy Baked Spring Rolls with Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce

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December is halfway over and by now, holiday parties are in full swing. My calendar is getting pretty full with parties with friends and co-workers and I am thinking of hosting a little party of my own. I admit, it’s got me a little stressed- you know with preparing host/hostess gifts, cooking food to bring, and of course, choosing the perfect party outfit (my outfit selection actually stresses me out the most). But hey, that’s the holidays! At least there is plenty of wine and cocktails to help me cope! If you have also been invited to attend or are hosting a holiday party this season, I have got you covered with my #AppyHolidays series. This Thursday I give you, Crispy Baked Spring Rolls with Sweet Chili Sauce. Don’t they look amazing? They taste good too! Now for me, the holidays aren’t complete without some sort of Asian food. I know… it’s weird. I think I may have this embedded in me since I used to work at M&M Meat Shops where we would sell hundreds of …

Stuffed Olives

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It’s Thursday, and you know what that means… it’s time for another #AppyHolidays post! For my second post I present…Stuffed Olives. I know what your’re thinking- yes I did post a Stuffed Mushrooms recipe last week, and this week I am stuffing olives- but truly anything that is stuffed tastes delicious. This recipe is made exclusively by my grandma and I cannot imagine Christmas without them. We always eat these as one of our many appetizers before our big Christmas dinner. Appetizers in the Lynn household on Christmas Day normally consist of: stuffed olives, smoked salmon with dill, a cheese board, and garden salad (the salad is there to keep the food pregame a bit healthy). Now, you can stuff olives with just about anything- pimentos, garlic, blue cheese, mozzarella etc.- and they can even be fried too. But these stuffed olives don’t play around. These olives are stuffed with a simple and straightforward mixture of garlic, parsley, breadcrumbs and olive oil and are served straight out of the fridge or at room temperature. As a …

Stuffed Mushrooms

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December is here! Wow- where did this year though? I’m not complaining though…2016 was a complete disaster and the only thing we should remember is #Harambe. Anyways, I am very excited to announce that I have a fun theme for this month on Season & Serve. Every Thursday I will be posting a holiday appetizer recipe that uses seasonal ingredients that can be served at any festive party. And I have a hashtag for it…ready? #AppyHolidays! So cute and festive, right? Be sure to follow me on WordPress and on social media to keep up with these appy recipes plus other exciting and delicious late fall/ early winter meals. Now, to my first #AppyHolidays! recipe- Stuffed Mushrooms! They are the perfect little appetizer that your guests can pop right into their mouths and savour during a cocktail party or right before the big meal on Christmas Day. They are also very easy to make and can be served straight out of the oven or at room temperature- these stuffed mushrooms are fabulous either way! Servings: 12 …