{Better Than Restaurant} Guacamole

Girlfriend approved: blog-worthy!

INGREDIENTS:

3 avocados, pitted and diced

2 roma tomatoes, seeds removed and diced small

2-3 tablespoons red onion, diced small

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped

1 whole lime, juiced

1 clove garlic, minced or pressed through a garlic press

1 teaspoon salt

Cholula hot sauce, to taste

DIRECTIONS:

In a large bowl, slightly mash the avocado pieces. Add the juice of one whole lime and a teaspoon of sea salt and toss. Next add the pressed {or minced} garlic, chopped roma tomatoes, red onion, and cilantro. Toss gently. Add desired amount of Cholula and refrigerate for at least one hour before serving. (I served immediately and it was still delicious!)

*For a spicier guacamole, add some fresh or pickled jalapeño.

*www.simplyscratch.com

Black and White Holiday Bark

INGREDIENTS:
1 pound bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup Rice Krispies cereal
3/4 cup dried cranberries, divided
1 pound white chocolate, chopped (do not substitute white chocolate chips!)

DIRECTIONS:
Line an 8X8-inch or 9X9-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil, allowing the foil to extend over the sides, and set aside. In a medium microwave-safe bowl, microwave all but 2 or 3 tablespoons of the chopped bittersweet or semisweet chocolate at 50% power for 1 minute. Stir, scraping down the sides. Continue microwaving at 30 second intervals (don't be alarmed...it will take about ten rounds), still at 50% power, until small lumps remain. Stir until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Spread the chocolate into the prepared pan and allow chocolate to begin to firm.

During that time, melt the white chocolate using the same method as the dark chocolate, keeping in mind that white chocolate melts at a lower temperature than dark chocolate so take care not to scorch it. When the white chocolate is completely melted, stir in the rice krispies and 1/2 cup of the cranberries until everything is evenly mixed. Spread this mixture over the chocolate mixture in an even layer. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup cranberries over the top. Chill for 30 minutes, until the white chocolate layer is set.

Melt the 2 or 3 reserved tablespoons of dark chocolate in the microwave and transfer to a small ziploc bag, making sure to pour it all into one corner of the bag. With the pan of bark right in front of you, snip a tiny corner off the bag where the chocolate is and drizzle it over the top of the bark. Let the bark sit for 10 minutes until the drizzle is set. Remove the bark from the pan by lifting up on the foil. Carefully peel the foil away. Cut the bark into squares with a sharp knife. The bark will keep, well-covered, in the refrigerator for up to a week.

*On the website's blog, people have commented that when they chill the dark chocolate prior to adding the white chocolate on top, the chocolates separate when time to cut.  My advice is not to chill the dark chocolate and to just simply allow chocolate to barely harden at room temperature before adding the white chocolate layer.

*www.melskitchencafe.com

{Crockpot} Beef and Broccoli

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. boneless, beef chuck roast, sliced into thin strips

1 cup beef consumme or beef broth

1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce

1/3 cup dark brown sugar

1 tbsp. sesame oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbsp. cornstarch

4 tbsp. sauce (from the crockpot after dish is cooked)

2 cups broccoli florets 

White rice, cooked

Directions:

1. In the insert of the crockpot, whisk together beef consume (or beef broth), soy sauce, dark brown sugar, sesame oil, and garlic.
2. Gently place your slices of beef in the liquid and toss to coat.
3. Turn crockpot on low and cook for 4-5 hours.
4. When done, in a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and 4 tablespoons cooking liquid to create a slurry.  Pour back into crockpot and stir to mix well.  At the same time, add the broccoli florets and toss to coat.  
5. Cook on low for an additional 30 minutes to thicken up the sauce.

*www.tablefortwoblog.com

Chicken Tequila Burgers

Ingredients:
2 cloves garlic, chopped
½-1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
1 lb. ground chicken
3-4 tbsp. cilantro
Zest of ½ a lime
1 oz. tequila
Dash of soy sauce
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
½ cup panko bread crumbs

For serving:
Burger buns
Sautéed bell pepper and onion

Cheese
Lettuce

Directions:
Slice peppers into strips and slice onions into "half moons."  Begin to sauté onions and pepper in a skillet.

Preheat the broiler (to about 500 degrees).  Line a baking sheet with foil and brush lightly with olive oil.  Combine the garlic, jalapeno, ground chicken, cilantro, and lime zest in a bowl and stir until well mixed.   Mix in the tequila, soy sauce, salt and pepper to taste, and panko.  Combine until all the ingredients are well blended.

Form the mixture into 4-5 patties and place them on the prepared baking sheet.  Broil the burgers for about 12-15 minutes, flipping halfway through cooking to brown both sides.  Check for doneness before serving.  The last minute before removing from heat, top with a slice of cheese and allow broiler to melt.  Serve on buns with sautéed bell pepper and onion, and lettuce as desired.

*Adapted from www.annieseats.com

Egg Puff (Breakfast Casserole)

Ingredients:
10 eggs
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pint small curd cottage cheese
1 lb. Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded
1 stick margarine or butter
2 cups broccoli florets, chopped
1 small bunch green onions, thinly sliced

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.   Beat eggs with hand mixer until light.  Add remaining ingredients and mix well.  Pour into a lightly greased 9 x 13 pan.  Bake for 35 minutes or until browned and puffed.  Serve immediately.  

*Recipe from Chris Sheffield

Overnight Baked French Toast

omg good.

French Toast Ingredients:
8 eggs
2 cups half and half (one pint)
1 cup milk (whatever kind you have on hand)
6 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (a little less if using table salt)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 lb. loaf of french bread
softened butter for greasing baking dish (2-3 tablespoons)
Topping Ingredients:
4 tablespoons packed brown sugar
4 tablespoons white sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons cold butter
Serving Ingredients:
melted butter
maple syrup
powdered sugar
berries
whipped cream

Directions:
Crack eggs into large mixing bowl and whisk to combine.  Whisk in half and half and milk.  Add brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and vanilla.  Set aside.

Use softened butter to butter bottom and sides of a 9×13 baking dish.  Cut bread into 1 inch chunks and place in dish.  Whisk egg mixture one more time and then pour evenly over bread.  Use a rubber spatula to very gently toss bread, moving bread on bottom to top, and making sure all of the piece on top get dipped in egg mixture.  Spread out evenly, cover dish, and place in fridge overnight.

To make topping, place brown sugar, white sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in a bowl and stir to combine.  Cut cold butter into very small pieces and add to bowl. Use clean hands to break up butter and combine mixture until crumbly.  Cover bowl and place in fridge until morning.  

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Remove plastic from dish and sprinkle topping evenly over top.  Bake for 40-50 minutes or until top is golden brown.  You can stick a knife or skewer in the casserole to make sure the egg mixture is set on the bottom.    

Let cool for 5-10 minutes before cutting into squares.  Drizzle with melted butter and syrup, top with berries, whipped cream, and a sprinkle of powdered sugar if desired.

*www.ourbestbites.com

Grilled Honey Mustard Chicken

So stinkin' good.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup any whole grain mustard

1/2 cup honey

juice of 1/2 a lemon

1 garlic clove, smashed and minced

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

DIRECTIONS:

Whisk all ingredients in a small bowl.

WAIT!  Don't pour onto chicken yet!!  Reserve 4 tablespoons of sauce and THENNN pour the rest over the chicken, toss and cover with plastic wrap, and let it sit for about 30-45 minutes at room temp.

Preheat the grill on medium/medium high heat (about 400 degrees), and grill chicken for about 6 to 7 minutes per side or until chicken is done.

Pour the reserved 4 tablespoons of honey-mustard sauce over chicken and let rest under foil for about 5 minutes.  Serve.

*www.simplyscratch.com

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake

Ingredients:
- 2 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup prepared or refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough, divided 
- 1 graham cracker pie crust (6 oz.) 

Directions:
PREHEAT oven to 350 degrees. Beat cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add eggs; mix just until blended.  Using 1/2 cup of the dough, drop by teaspoonfuls into batter. Stir gently with spatula.

POUR into crust. Top with level teaspoonfuls of the remaining 1/4 cup cookie dough.

BAKE 40 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool. Refrigerate 3 hours or over night. Garnish as desired. Store leftover cheesecake in refrigerator.

*www.funwiththefullwoods.blogspot.com

Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

Ingredients:

4-6 frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I used thawed.)
1 (12 ounce) bottle Frank's Wings Buffalo Sauce
1 packet Ranch Dip Mix
2 tablespoons butter

Directions: 
Put frozen (or thawed) chicken breasts in the bottom of your slow cooker.  Pour the whole bottle of buffalo sauce over chicken breasts and sprinkle ranch packet on top.  Cook on low 6-7 hours.  Using two forks, shred the chicken and return it to the crock pot.  Add butter, stir, and cook on low for an additional hour.  Serve on buns with a side of ranch dressing. *I must say, the bread for the sandwich definitely overpowered the taste of the chicken, so next time, I would eat with flour tortillas and make tacos (shredded lettuce, tomatoes, etc.), or use chicken as a topping for nachos!  (Serves 4-6)

*www.sixsistersstuff.com

Veggie Lasagna

This is absolutely so delicious.

Forewarn:  It's a lot of dicing, but well-worth it.  

I made some adaptations to the original recipe, but I'm sure the original is just as yummy.

Ingredients:

• 6 cups fresh sturdy vegetables, chopped (red or yellow peppers, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, etc.) (I used one red and yellow pepper, carrots, and broccoli.)
• 1½ tablespoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons salt (more to taste)
• 1 onion, minced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 10 ounces whole wheat lasagna noodles (My grocery store did not have these, so I used precooked lasagna noodles.)
• 1 jar spaghetti or marinara sauce (or homemade, of course)
• 1⅔ cups ricotta cheese (I used part-skim.  Whole milk tends to get runny when cooked.)
• 1 egg, beaten
• ¾ cup shredded mozzarella cheese (I used more...just saying.)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss the chopped vegetables with 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 teaspoon of the salt and arrange on a foil-lined baking sheet. Roast for 30 minutes or longer, until soft and lightly browned. (Mine took 30 minutes.) Remove from oven and allow to cool.
2. While veggies roast, saute the onion and garlic in ½ tablespoon olive oil until translucent.  (I added the garlic with about one minute of cook time left on the onions.)  Following, add onions and garlic to the roasted vegetable mixture. Stir the beaten egg in with the ricotta cheese and remaining 1 teaspoon salt.
3. In a glass 9×9 baking dish, pour a few spoonfuls of sauce into the pan and spread it around to prevent the noodles from sticking.  To give you a heads up, you'll only need two layers, so...Layer ingredients in the following order: noodles, ricotta (1/2 of the mixture for each layer), vegetables (1/2 of mixture for each layer), sauce. End with a layer of noodles and cover them with another few tablespoons of sauce. Sprinkle the shredded cheese over the top.
4. Cover with well-oiled aluminum foil so the cheese doesn’t stick to the foil. Bake at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until the entire pan is bubbling and the cheese is melted. If you want, remove the foil during the last 10 minutes of baking to help the cheese melt or brown. (You could even use the broiler for a few minutes, but be sure to regularly monitor.)  Let stand for at least 15 minutes so that the individual pieces hold together. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT!  Cut into 9 slices and serve.

*www.pinchofyum.com

Easy Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons good olive oil
• 2 cups yellow onions, chopped (one large onion)
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
• 4 cups chicken stock (or veggie stock)
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
• Large pinch of saffron threads
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup orzo
• 1/2 cup heavy cream (I substituted with half and half.)
• Grilled Cheese Croutons (see below)

Directions:

In a large pot or Dutch oven such as Le Creuset, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Stir in the chicken stock, tomatoes, saffron, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. *At this point, I turned the burner off to let my soup briefly cool.  I transferred half of the soup into a blender for a creamier texture, and added back into the original pot.

Meanwhile, fill a medium pot with water, add 2 teaspoons salt and bring to a boil. Add the orzo and cook for 7 minutes. (It will finish cooking in the soup.) Drain the orzo and add it to the soup. Stir in the cream, then return the soup to a simmer and cook for 10 more minutes, stirring frequently.

Serve hot with Grilled Cheese Croutons scattered on top.

Grilled Cheese Croutons:

4 (1/2-inch-thick) slices country white bread
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
4 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated

Heat a panini grill. Place the four slices of bread on a cutting board and brush lightly with the melted butter, being sure to butter the corners. Turn the slices over and pile Gruyere on two of the slices. Place the remaining two slices of bread on top of the Gruyere, buttered sides up.

Grill the sandwiches on the panini grill for about 5 minutes, until nicely browned. Place on a cutting board, allow to rest for 1 minute and cut into 1-inch cubes.

*Ina Garten's cookbook, Foolproof

"Sweet Dreams" Cookies

I caved in and finally made them.  
Wow.

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter
1 ½ cups firmly packed light brown sugar
1 egg room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon salt
1 12 oz. package semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

Cream butter using an electric mixer. Beat in brown sugar, egg, and vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and salt. Blend into butter mixture. Fold in chocolate chips and walnuts. Refrigerate until firm (can be prepared 1 day ahead). Preheat oven to 375. Lightly grease baking sheets. Break off small pieces of dough; roll between palms into 1 inch rounds. Dredge rounds in powdered sugar. Arrange rounds on prepared sheets spacing 2 inches apart. Bake 10 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes on sheets. Transfer to racks and cool. Store in airtight container. Makes about 6 dozen.

*www.outoftheorchard.blogspot.com

Santa Fe Stuffed Peppers (with Turkey)

Ingredients:

For the filling:

• 1/2 lb.  lean ground turkey
• 3/4 cups canned black beans, rinsed and drained
• 3/4 cups frozen corn
• 1 hot pickled serrano pepper or jalepeño, chopped 
• 1 large tomato, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3 tbsp. chopped onion
• 2 tbsp. chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish
• 1 tsp. cumin
• kosher salt to taste

For the peppers:

• 3 red bell peppers, cut in half lengthwise
• 1/3 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
• Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
• chopped scallions, for garnish
• sour cream (optional)

Directions:

In a large skillet, brown the turkey and season with salt. When the turkey is browned, add onion, garlic, black beans, cilantro, serrano pepper (optional), diced tomatoes, and cumin.  Mix well and simmer on low, covered for 20 minutes. Remove lid, add corn, and simmer an additional 5 minutes or until all the liquid reduces.

Preheat oven to 350°. Cut peppers in half lengthwise, removing seeds and stem.

Place peppers, cut side up in an oven-proof 9 x 13 baking dish. Fill each pepper with 1/2 cup turkey mixture. Pour about 1/3 cup water or chicken broth on the bottom of the dish. Cover tight with foil. Bake 45-50 minutes, or until the peppers become soft.

Remove foil, top each with cheese, and bake uncovered an additional 5 minutes.  Top with scallions and serve with sour cream if desired (optional).

*www.skinnytaste.com

Mini Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 sticks + 2 tablespoons of butter, softened
• ¾ cup sugar
• ⅓ cup cocoa powder
• 2 cups flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1 heaping cup powdered sugar
• 3-4 tablespoons hot water (Test your frosting's consistency before adding the fourth tablespoon.) 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• holiday sprinkles

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Cream the butter and the sugar until smooth. Add the cocoa powder and mix until incorporated.
2. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Add to the butter mixture and mix until just combined. Roll into small balls (about 1 tablespoon) and make an indent with your thumb in the center of the ball. Bake for seven minutes.  You can bake for up to nine minutes, but they taste better if they are soft and fudge-y, almost like a brownie.
3. Immediately after coming out of the oven, press the centers down again to make a more defined well for the frosting. Allow to cool.
4. Whisk the cocoa powder, powdered sugar, hot water, and vanilla. Spoon the frosting into the centers of the cookies and add sprinkles. Allow frosting to set before storing in tins.

Notes:

Store at room temperature, in the refrigerator, or in the freezer after the frosting has set. The recipe makes about 3 dozen cookies.   

*www.pinchofyum.com