Stuffed Strawberries

Ingredients:

Fresh Strawberries
1 Pkg. Cream Cheese
1 Cup of Powdered Sugar
Vanilla
Piping Bag

Directions:

Rinse off the strawberries.

Cut off the stem of each strawberry and then hollow out a little more of the center.

Prepare all of the strawberries and set aside.

Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla in a mixing bowl until creamy.

Place the cheesecake mixture into a piping bag with a star tip. Pipe into each strawberry and arrange on a serving platter.

Once the strawberries are filled, sprinkle or dip the tops with graham cracker crumbs.

Serve right away or refrigerate before serving.

Cucumbers Stuffed With Spicy Crab

Ingredients:

Servings: 6-8

Units: US | Metric

3 English cucumbers
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup crabmeat, excess water removed
1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce
1 teaspoon brown mustard
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon green onion, minced

Garnish

chili powder (optional) or paprika (optional)

Directions:

1 Removed the peel from the cucumber using a vegetable peeler. Cut the cucumber into 2" slices.
2 Using a small melon baller, scoop out most of the inside. You will want to leave the walls and a thick portion of the bottom intact.
3 In a bowl, combine the sour cream and the cream cheese with a fork until well combined. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until combined.
4 Fill each of the cucumber cups with the crab dip.
5 Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve within 2 hours of making.

Stuffed Zucchinni

Ingredients:



3        zucchinis
1/2     large onion, chopped fine
1        Tbsp butter
5 - 6  slices crispy bacon, chopped
1       Tbsp sour cream
1/4     to 1/2 tsp salt
1/4     tsp curry powder
1        roma tomato, seeded and chopped
1        tsp fresh thyme leaves freshly grated Parmesan cheese
          fresh cracked black pepper

(you can also make these vegetarian and take the bacon out or use a meat sub. or replace with some olives or any other veggie) 

Directions:

Give the zucchini a quick wash for good measure. Slice in half lengthwise. Leave the ends on to keep the filling in. Scoop out the flesh with a melon baller or a spoon. Leave a ledge of zucchini around the edges. For the life of me, I couldn't make straight lines. That's okay. They were still delicious. Arrange the zucchini boats in a baking dish. Chop the zucchini flesh as small as you like.

Finely chop half a sweet onion. Chop up some good smokey bacon. You could leave this out for a vegetarian side dish (maybe add some chopped mushrooms?)... but my family goes through quite a lot bacon, so it's going in! Add the curry powder... cook until desired doneness of onions and remove from heat. To the zucchini flesh, add sour cream. (How can this be bad?). Rough chop some fresh thyme leaves. Mix onion and bacon mixture with other ingredients. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Stir in the tomatoes. Seed them or else there may be too much moisture in the filling. You don't really want the filling to be all runny when you cut into it. Refill the zucchini shells with the filling mixture.

Grate some good aged Parmigiano Reggiano cheese on top and sprinkle with fresh cracked black pepper. Bake uncovered at 375 degrees F for 30 minutes. Of course you know me. I'm gonna grate even more cheese on them again... Smokiness from the bacon. Salty from the Parmesan cheese. Soft and buttery zucchini.

Lighten it up with light sour cream and light Parmesan.