Best . Guacamole . Ever .

I've eaten a lot of guacamole in my 30-something years.  


Granted, most of it has been in the last ten years or so because for the longest time I was very anti-guacamole *gasp!*  Most of what I had eaten tasted like bland, mushy, goop.  That was before I started making my own and was able to tweak a basic recipe into bowls of chunky, spicy, yummy-ness.  


This recipe has been known to convert even the most adamant guacamole haters and impress our friends who are guacamole connoisseurs.  It makes appearances at nearly every football party and social gathering.  I hope you like it, too!     


The ingredients (I forgot to add the salt shaker to the photo.  Just imagine it there, right beside the cumin):  

If you're making this recipe for a larger group, you'll want to double (or triple) the recipe.  Keep in mind that guacamole is best right after it's made, as it tends to turn brown quickly.  One tip, that my brother-in-law told me about, is to place the pit of the avocado into the guacamole after it's made to prolong the freshness.  It really does help! 

If you're new to avocados, here's a great tutorial on how to open them.  

Best. Guacamole. Ever.

Recipe by Mary

1 large avocado
1/2 of a lime
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/2 of a Roma Tomato, finely diced
1/4 cup Red Onion, finely diced
1 tsp. Cumin
1/4 tsp. Ground Chipotle Chile Pepper, more if you like it spicy


Place your pitted avocado halves in a large bowl.  Sprinkle on the salt and squeeze the lime juice over both halves.  With a fork, mash/muddle the avocado till you reach the desired consistency.  I prefer my guacamole chunky, but some like it thinner.  Combine the avocado mixture, tomatoes and red onion with a spoon.  Sprinkle the cumin and desired amount of chipotle pepper and combine.  Grab your tortilla chips and dig in!

An Ode to Football...

Chad Ohcocinco playing for Bill Belichick. 


A prominent college football coach fired from a team which will remain unnamed (but it rhymes with "car deals").  


Jerry Richardson spending money to get quality players in Charlotte.  


All of this crazy football talk made me think... since I love football season, and more importantly, football food, I should start working on a couple of new dishes for the Fall.


I'd like to think of it as training camp in my kitchen!

BBQ chicken wings, ribs, and chili are go-to entrees at my house starting in September.  Why not a football-ish pasta?  


Here we go...   Preheat your oven to 375.  Cook the pasta according to the directions.  While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a large saucepan.  Add the flour and stir until it starts to brown.  Add the milk.  Whisk until the milk starts to thicken.  Add the cheeses and stir until smooth.  

Add the buffalo sauce and stir to combine.  It smells like football already!

Drain the pasta and return it to the pot.  Add the chicken and sauce mixture.  Stir to combine.  Add the pasta mixture to a greased 9x13 baking dish and sprinkle with panko bread crumbs. Don't substitute regular bread crumbs for the panko.  Trust me, they add a great texture.  Bake for approximately 25 min or until bubbly. 

 Serve with crumbled gorgonzola, green onions, and cilantro.  Heaven on a plate. 

Buffalo Chicken Pasta

(adapted from HowSweetEats)

1 lb cooked pasta (I used orecchiette)

1 Tablespoon Butter

1 Tablespoon Flour

1 3/4 cups milk

3/4 cup Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded

1/2 cup Sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded plus more for topping

1/3 cup Buffalo Wing Sauce (I used Frank's Red Hot)

3 Chicken Breasts, cooked and cubed

1/3 cup Panko Bread Crumbs

Garnishes:

Gorgonzola Cheese Crumbles

Green Onions, chopped

Cilantro, chopped

Ranch Dressing, optional

Preheat oven to 375.  Cook pasta according to directions.  While pasta is cooking, melt butter in a large saucepan.  Add flour and stir until it starts to brown.  Add milk.  Whisk until milk starts to thicken.  Add cheeses and stir until smooth.  Add buffalo sauce and stir to combine.

Drain pasta and return it to the pot.  Add chicken and sauce mixture.  Stir to combine.  Add pasta mixture to a greased 9x13 baking dish and sprinkle with panko bread crumbs.  Bake for approximately 25 min or until bubbly.  Serve with crumbled gorgonzola, green onions, and cilantro.  

Fancy Hawaiian Pizza

It's a fancy schmancy version of a Hawaiian Pizza!  I could have eaten this entire pizza by myself -- it was that good.    


I am a regular follower of A Cozy Kitchen blog.  One day last week there was a post about this yummy version of the Hawaiian Pizza they like to order from Domino's.  The girls had been asking to have pizza for dinner so I figured we'd try this one out.  I made a regular cheese version for them and this one for the grown-ups. After they saw me putting the pineapple on this one they decided they wanted it, too.   Needless to say, there weren't any leftovers!  


I used a prepared pizza crust from Trader Joes, but most grocery stores sell them in the deli section for around a dollar!  They are SO much better than the pre-baked ones!  If you are particularly interested in making your own crust, then the link below will provide a recipe. There are just times when you need convenience, right?  I also substituted spinach for the arugula that is listed in the original recipe.  I just like spinach better.  

Fancy Hawaiian Pizza

(adapted slightly from A Cozy Kitchen)

1 medium red onion, thinly sliced

1 – 8 ounce pizza dough

1-4 ounce ball of fresh mozzarella, sliced

1/2 cup diced pineapple (I used canned because it's what I had in my pantry)

5-6 slices of prosciutto, halved lengthwise

1 handful of spinach

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

In a medium pan add a tablespoon of olive oil and sliced onions.  At the five minute mark, add a 1/4 teaspoon of salt and keep cooking until completely caramelized.  If they dry out, simply add a little water one tablespoon at a time. Should take about 20-30 minutes to completely caramelize.

Gently pull pizza dough apart into a circle  Place on the pizza stone. Drizzle with 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Add mozzarella and diced pineapple and place on the stone in the oven.  Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and crust is golden brown.

Remove from oven and add the prosciutto, warm caramelized onions and arugula. 

Lemon Blueberry Bread

I don't bake much.  I like to eat baked-goods, don't get me wrong.  In my experience, baking is an exact science and when you start talking about baking powder and sifting ingredients together I start to get nervous.  So when I tell you that this is an easy bread recipe, believe me, it is.

In a mixing bowl, beat together butter, sugar, lemon juice, and eggs (with a mixer).  In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt.  Stir the flour mixture into the egg mixture, alternating it with the milk, and stir as you go.  Fold in the blueberries, lemon zest, and nuts.  

Pour the mixture into a greased 8x4 inch loaf pan and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 60-70 minutes.  

While the bread is baking, you'll want to make the glaze, which is so easy.  Just combine lemon juice and sugar!  See, I told you it was easy.

You'll know your bread is done when you can insert a toothpick into the center of the loaf and it comes out clean.  Remove the bread from the pan and drizzle it with the glaze.  

Lemon Blueberry Bread

(adapted slightly from Allrecipies.com)

1/3 cup Butter, melted

1 cup White Sugar

3 Tablespoons Lemon Juice

2 Eggs

1 1/2 cups All-purpose Flour

1 teaspoon Baking Powder

1 teaspoon Salt

1/2 cup Milk

2 Tablespoons grated Lemon Zest

1/2 cup chopped Pecans

1 cup Fresh Blueberries

2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice

1/4 cup White Sugar

Preheat oven to 350 and lightly grease an 8x4 inch loaf pan.  

In a mixing bowl, beat together butter, sugar, lemon juice, and eggs (with a mixer).  In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt.  Stir the flour mixture into the egg mixture, alternating it with the milk, and stir as you go.  Fold in the blueberries, lemon zest, and nuts.

Pour the mixture into a greased 8x4 inch loaf pan and bake in a preheated oven for 60-70 minutes.  Remove from pan.   

To make the glaze, combine the lemon juice and sugar.   Pour the glaze over the warm bread and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.  

Sweet Corn Salad

I was planning to make pulled pork tacos for dinner one night last week (I will post that one later) and I needed a side dish.  Normally, we have Mexican Rice or something equally "blah."  I wanted something different, gosh darn-it!  So while I was at the grocery store I noticed all the fabulous looking fresh corn.  Bingo!  But plain old corn sounded like it belonged in the aforementioned "blah" category, so I decided to jazz it up a bit.  

You'll notice in the recipe below that I used a jalapeno pepper.  Sounds spicy, right?  Not really!  If you remove the seeds, the pepper is not nearly as spicy as you'd think and the corn was SO naturally sweet that I actually think the next time I make it I will add more japapeno.

   

Sweet Corn Salad

(recipe by Mary, Quite Culinary)

8 ears, Fresh Corn

1/4 cup Red Onion, finely diced

1 Jalapeno Pepper, seeded and finely diced

12 Grape Tomatoes, quartered

1 Lime, juiced

2 Tablespoons White Wine Vinegar

2 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar

3 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1 teaspoon Cumin

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Add corn and cook for 3 minutes.  Drain and cut the kernels off the cob with a sharp knife.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the lime juice, white wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and cumin.  

While the kernels of corn are still hot, add it to the dressing.  Add jalapenos, red onion and tomatoes to the corn and stir. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or so for the corn to absorb some of the liquid.    Serve hot or cold.  

Veggie Bacon Pasta Salad

I'm really loving pasta salads right now. And see the goat cheese?  It's one of my weaknesses.  I can eat an entire container (or log, in this case) in one sitting.  No kidding.  I like it on crackers, in pasta salads, on hamburgers... I could go on.  


This recipe was inspired by the Lemon Thyme Vinaigrette I used a couple of weeks ago in the Summer Pasta Salad. We ate this as a side dish with Jalapeno Bacon Burgers but you could add some grilled chicken or shrimp and make it a main dish.  

Veggie Bacon Pasta Salad with Lemon Thyme Vinaigrette

(recipe by Mary, Quite Culinary)

2 Tablespoons Fresh Thyme, chopped

1 Lemon, zested

2 Tablespoons White Wine Vinegar

3 Garlic Cloves, crushed

5 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1 lb Bow-Tie Pasta

1 Cup Frozen Sweet Peas

1 1/2 cups Fresh Snow Peas

1/2 cup Carrots, sliced

3 Green Onions, thinly sliced

6 slices Cooked Bacon, chopped

Goat Cheese, crumbled (optional)

Cook pasta according to package directions, adding sweet peas and snow peas during the last minute of cooking.  Drain.

In a small bowl, whisk together thyme, lemon zest, vinegar and garlic.  Drizzle in the olive oil while continuing to whisk.

Toss the pasta mixture with the carrots, onions, bacon, and vinaigrette.  Top each serving with goat cheese crumbles.  Serve warm or chilled.  

Jalapeno Cilantro Spread

There's nothing extra special about this burger, per se, it's the topping ON the burger that's so special.  If you are fan of All-Things-Spicy, like me, then you'll love this.    It's the perfect condiment for a well-grilled, juicy burger with bacon.  It's a quick and easy recipe that can be made in advance and kept in the refrigerator until you're ready to use it.  It's also great on turkey sandwiches, as my hubby will attest to!  

On a side note, I bought the world's biggest hamburger buns this week.  My burger patties were a good 1/3 lb each if that gives you an idea of just how big these buns were.  I got so tired of eating my yummy burgers with the standard, tiny buns that I went a little overboard in the bread aisle.  

Jalapeno Cilantro Spread

(recipe by Mary, Quite Culinary)

1 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup finely chopped pickled jalapenos

1 Tablespoons pickled jalapeno juice

1/3 cup chopped cilantro

1/4 cup sour cream

1/2 of a lemon, juiced

In a blender or food processor blend all ingredients until smooth.  Store in the refrigerator.  

Grilled Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus

Oh my goodness, this was simply fantastic!  We almost ate all of it directly off the grill!  The girls smelled it cooking and came running, too.  I intended this to be a side dish along-side some grilled chicken, but obviously it would be a great appetizer as well.   

Asparagus is at its best in Springtime and these spears were incredibly fresh.  The prosciutto was sliced a tad too thick at the deli so it didn't wrap quite as tightly around the asparagus as I would've liked, but the taste wasn't affected one bit! 

I made a balsamic vinaigrette to drizzle on top, but you could use a bottled dressing, as well.   Yummy!

Grilled Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus

with Balsamic Vinaigrette
(recipe by ThreeManyCooks)

8 thin slices Prosciutto, cut lengthwise into thirds

24 spears Asparagus, ends trimmed
Olive Oil, for drizzling

2 cloves Garlic, finely chopped

1/3 cup Balsamic Vinegar

2 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard

1/4 tsp. Salt

1/4 tsp. Pepper

1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Drizzle asparagus with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Wrap each spear tightly with one slice of prosciutto.

For the dressing whisk garlic, balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, salt and pepper together in a bowl.  Slowly whisk in oil.

Grill asparagus over direct heat until prosciutto is crisp.  Be careful not to over cook the asparagus, as it tends to get mushy!

Place spears on a plate and drizzle with vinaigrette.  Serve hot!

Mojito Monday

Once again, the herbs on my deck are dictating my meals (and in this case, my beverages).   The Rosemary is quickly getting taken over by its aggressive neighbor, Mint.  It's out of control.  So what to do with all of it?  Mojito's, of course!  

But not just ordinary Mojito's... Watermelon Mojito's!  

Watermelons are plentiful right now, so RUN to the grocery store and grab one, along with some limes, club soda, light rum, and (if you don't have an herb garden with mint) some fresh mint.  

I saw this recipe by Cookin' Canuck by way of Aggie's Kitchen, a cooking blog I regularly follow.  I followed the recipe exactly, except I like a little fizz in my Mojito's so I topped mine off with some club soda.  

This recipe makes enough for 2 large drinks, so if you're planning to drink a lot of these (which you will after you taste them) you'll want to double or triple this recipe.  I made the drink base and put it in one of my grandmother's vintage ball pitchers (isn't it pretty?) and kept it in the fridge until we were ready to combine it with the club soda.  

I hope you enjoy them as much as we did!

Watermelon Mojito's

(adapted slightly from Cookin' Canuck)

3 cups 1/2 inch cubes Watermelon

12 medium to large fresh Mint Leaves

6 Tablespoons Fresh Lime Juice

2 Tablespoons Sugar

6 oz. Light Rum

Club Soda

Place watermelon cubes in a blender.  Blend until smooth

In a small pitcher, combine fresh mint leaves, sugar, and lime juice.  Using the handle of a wooden spoon, muddle the ingredients to release the oils from the mint.  Take care not to muddle to the point where the leaves fall apart. Pour rum and watermelon puree into the pitcher and stir gently.

Fill a tall glass filled with ice about 2/3 full of the drink base and top with club soda.  Stir and enjoy!

Southwest Pasta Salad

Pasta salads are one of my favorite things to make.  They combine two of my favorite things -- pasta and dressing!  The pasta salads I tend to like have tons of flavor and simple ingredients.  As an added bonus, sometimes I can sneak in veggies that my girls otherwise wouldn't eat (tomatoes in this case).  If they're chopped small enough and coated with dressing, somehow they don't notice them and gobble them up.

We have 'taco night' a couple of times a month at our house and this dish has been a perfect accompaniment several times.  I made the dressing a day in advance, so when it was time for dinner all I had to do was cook the pasta, chop the tomatoes and green onions, and take the corn out of the freezer!  So easy!  

Southwest Pasta Salad

(adapted from Cooking Light)

1/4 cup Low-Fat Buttermilk

4 Tablespoons Fresh Cilantro, Chopped

3 Tablespoons Lime Juice

3 Tablespoons Sour Cream

3 Tablespoons Mayonnaise

1 1/2 teaspoons Chili Powder

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1/2 teaspoon Pepper

1/4 teaspoon Ground Red Pepper (if you'd like to spice it up)

3 Cloves Garlic, Crushed

1 cup Orzo Pasta, Cooked

1 cup frozen corn, thawed and drained

2 plum tomatoes, chopped

4 green onions, chopped

In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk, cilantro, lime juice, sour cream, mayonnaise, chili powder, salt, pepper, garlic, and ground red pepper.  Set aside (or make ahead and store in the refrigerator).

Cook pasta according to package directions.  In a large bowl place corn, tomatoes and green onions.  Drain the pasta and add it to the large bowl.  Stir to combine.  

Drizzle the dressing over the pasta mixture and stir to combine.  

Pecan Pesto

Last summer there was a shortage of pine nuts at my local grocery store.  The store manager told me there had been a recall (something about Salmonella) and they wouldn't have any in stock for a while.


Ugh!  I had no idea what I going to do with ALL the basil I had grown!  My plan was to make and freeze a ton of it.  


I racked my brain about what I could substitute for the pine nuts.  


Pecans?  I certainly had a lot of them in my pantry.   


It turned out to be fabulous!  This has turned into my go-to pesto recipe.  As an added bonus, pecans are more budget-friendly than pine nuts.


And since I am a Southern girl, I feel the need to give everyone out there a lesson in the proper way to pronounce the word 'Pecan.'  Because you know, there is only one proper way to say it!  


It's 'Pee-can', not 'Puh-kahn'. 


Ok, I'm glad I got that out.  I feel better now.  Let's get on with the recipe...

Last weekend I noticed that my basil plants were starting to flower.  It was time to make pesto again!  I like to make a lot at once and freeze it.  


There are many, many different ideas about the best way to freeze pesto, but using ice cube trays is my favorite.  Just fill up the trays, cover with plastic wrap and freeze.  Once frozen, pop out the cubes of pesto and store in freezer bags until you're ready to use them.  They defrost very quickly and you can take out just as many as you need!

Pecan Pesto

3 cups Fresh Basil Leaves

1 1/2 cups Pecans

4 cloves garlic, peeled

1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated

3/4 cup Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

In a food processor or blender, blend together basil leaves, garlic, pecans, parmesan cheese.  Slowly pour in the olive oil while still mixing.  Add salt and pepper to taste and mix again.  

Chicken Stuffed Crescent Rolls

When was the last time you ate a Hot Pocket?  

The last time I ate one was probably in college, but every time I walk by them in the freezer section of the grocery store I glance over and *think* about buying some.  There's something about those hot, cheesy little pockets that bring back good memories.  

My "healthy" side won't let me buy them anymore, so I decided to make them at home.  This recipe is not necessarily "healthy" but it sure does beat the microwaveable version and my girls think they're fun to eat!  

To make the filling, finely dice some cooked chicken.  I use rotisserie chicken for this recipe, but some baked chicken breasts would work well, too.  In a large bowl combine cream cheese, onion, milk, shredded cheese, seasoned salt and chicken.  Mix it all together and set aside.

Unroll refrigerated crescent rolls on a cutting board.  Use your fingers to press the perforations together.  Using a large knife, cut the crescent rolls into 3x3 squares.  You should have 3 small squares from each can of crescent rolls.

Place the square on a greased baking sheet.  Put about 2 Tablespoons of the chicken mixture on each square.  

Fold the corners of the square into the center.   

Use your fingers to seal all the edges so none of the cheese leaks out.

Brush each pocket with butter and sprinkle lightly with paprika.

Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Chicken Stuffed Crescent Rolls

3 cups diced cooked chicken

2 cans refrigerated Crescent Rolls

6 oz Cream Cheese, softened

1/2 cup finely diced onion

1 cup Shredded Monterrey Jack Cheese

2 Tablespoons Milk

1/2 teaspoon Seasoned Salt

Pepper, to taste

4 Tablespoons Melted Butter

Paprika

Preheat oven to 350.  In a large bowl combine the diced chicken, softened cream cheese, onion, cheese, milk, shredded cheese, seasoned salt and pepper.  Set aside.

Unroll the refrigerated crescent rolls.  Use your fingers to press the perforations together.  Using a large knife, cut the crescent rolls into approximately 3x3 inch squares.  You should have 6 small squares from each can of crescent rolls.

Place the square on a greased baking sheet.  Put about 2 Tablespoons of the chicken mixture on each square.  Fold the corners of the square into the center.   Use your fingers to seal all the edges so none of the cheese leaks out.  Brush each pocket with butter and sprinkle lightly with paprika.  Bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.  

Crispy Seasoned Chips

Who's ready for a yummy, easy, low calorie snack?  My neighbor made some chips similar to these last weekend and brought them to the pool to share.  Her version was crispy and light, made with cheddar cheese.  I knew I had to make them! 

I made two different versions -- Dill Parmesan, and Chipotle Cheddar.  The possibilities for different flavor combinations is endless, though.  

You can find wonton wrappers at most grocery stores in the fruit & vegetable section near the tofu.  One package will make a ton of chips.  Each regular sized wrapper has just 20 calories and I cut mine into quarters -- so just 5 calories a piece for this part of the chip!

For the Dill Parmesan Chips:  

Spray a baking sheet lightly with vegetable spray.  After you cut your wrappers into fourths, place them as close together as you can without overlapping.  Give them another light spray of the vegetable oil.  

Sprinkle them with Dill, and then Parmesan Cheese.  Make sure you get a little of both on each chip, but don't try to be too exact.  I used fresh parmesan here.  I think it melts faster than the powdered stuff.  The chips cook so quickly that I was afraid the chip would start to brown before the powdered cheese melted.

Bake at 350 for 5-6 minutes, or until cheese is melted slightly and wrappers just start to brown on the edges.  Remove the chips from the baking sheet promptly and allow them to cool on a paper towel.    

For the Chipotle Cheddar Chips:

Prepare your baking sheet and wonton wrappers as described above. Sprinkle with Chipotle Seasoning and Cheddar Cheese.  Bake at 350 until cheese melts and wrappers just start to brown.  Cool on paper towels.  

Store in an airtight container or plastic bag.  

Parmesan Dill Chips 

8 Wonton wrappers, cut into fourths

2-3 Tablespoons Fresh Dill (if you use dried you will need less)

3-4 Tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan Cheese

Vegetable Spray

Preheat oven to 350.  Lightly spray a baking sheet with vegetable oil.  Place the quartered wonton wrappers on the baking sheet without overlapping.  Lightly spray the wonton wrappers with the vegetable oil.  Sprinkle the wrappers first with the dill and then with the parmesan.  Bake for 5-6 minutes until cheese is melted and chips are lightly browned on the edges.  Remove from the pan immediately and allow to cool on a paper towel.

Chipotle Cheddar Chips

8 wonton wrappers, cut into fourths

1/2-1 teaspoon Chipotle Pepper Seasoning (depending on how

 spicy you like them)

3-4 Tablespoons Cheddar Cheese

Vegetable Spray

Preheat oven to 350.  Lightly spray a baking sheet with vegetable oil.  Place the quartered wonton wrappers on the baking sheet without overlapping.  Lightly spray the wonton wrappers with the vegetable oil.  Sprinkle the wrappers first with the chipotle seasoning and then with the cheddar.  Bake for 5-6 minutes until cheese is melted and chips are lightly browned on the edges.  Remove from the pan immediately and allow to cool on a paper towel.