Guacamole

I LOVE guacamole!  Until about a year ago, we used to make it with the store-bought seasoning packets when I finally realized it wouldn't be that hard to make it from scratch.  After experimenting for a while, this has become our winner recipe.

• 3 avocados
• 2 tsp lime juice
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp garlic
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp dried cilantro
• 1 small tomato, diced (optional)

Peel and remove pits from the avocados, saving one of the pits.  Mash avocados in a bowl until there are no large chunks left.  I usually use a potato masher or a fork.  Add remaining ingredients and mix well.  Place the pit in the bowl with the guacamole and refrigerate until you are ready to serve.  The pit will help keep the guacamole from browning as quickly.

Baked Apple Chips

These are such a great snack!  They disappeared so fast that I'll be making a double recipe from now on! They are easy to make but require a lot of baking time. Baking them in the oven doesn't quite compare to using a dehydrator if you have one, but this was a decent substitute to satisfy me.  Mine turned out a bit chewy in the flesh and crispy on the edges, and that is fine with me.  If you really want them crispy I'd suggest turning them over after the 2 hours and putting them back in for additional baking time.

2 apples
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp gr. cinnamon
parchment paper

Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Core apples and slice paper thin (use a mandolin to slice the apples if you have one--it will make the job go quickly). You do not need to peel the apples. Technically, you don't even have to core the apples if you don't have an apple corer, but I prefer not to be eating the seed bits. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and lay out apple slices in a single layer. You may need two baking sheets depending on the size of your apples and your baking sheet. Combine sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and sprinkle over apple slices. Bake for 2 hours or until golden and edges are crispy. Let cool and enjoy! You can store any leftovers, but be warned they will lose some of their crispiness in a Tupperware.

Caramel Corn

This caramel corn is such a tasty treat!  The coating has great flavor and the baking method makes it deliciously crunchy.  A large bowl of this disappears quickly whenever I make it!

10-12 cups popped popcorn
1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda


Put the popped popcorn in a roasting pan, removing any kernels that didn't pop so that you don't crack your teeth on them later. Put the roasting pan in the oven and preheat to 250 degrees (this step is not essential, but it helps to get the popcorn warm while you make the caramel so that you can coat the popcorn without the caramel cooling off too quickly).  In a medium size sauce pan, heat the butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup on medium heat.  Bring to a boil for 1 minute.  Add salt and baking soda, then stir until mixture becomes foamy.  Remove the roasting pan from the oven and carefully pour the caramel sauce over the popcorn.  Stir to coat the popcorn with the caramel sauce as evenly as possible, but don't worry if it doesn't look even because it will spread more thoroughly as you continue to bake and mix it.  Return the roasting pan to the oven and bake for 2 hours at 250 degrees, removing the pan to stir every 30 minutes.  Lay out a long sheet of wax paper on a flat surface. When popcorn has finished baking, spread it out evenly to cool on the wax paper, breaking up any large clumps. Store in an airtight container once cooled.

Tortellini Soup

I got this recipe from my mother in law and I love it because it is so simple yet so delicious!  It is also extremely forgiving if you want to use more or less of a particular ingredient to fit your needs or tastes.  For instance, I have added more tomatoes and tortellini to make it stretch farther when we have company.  I also don't worry about it if the bunch of spinach or bag of tortellini I buy differs in size from the recipe.

2 Tbsp olive oil
6 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups chicken broth
6-8 oz tortellini
14 oz can of diced tomatoes, with juice
10 oz fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
8-10 fresh basil leaves, chopped
grated Parmesan cheese

In a large pot, saute minced garlic in oil for 1-2 minutes (careful it can burn fast).   Add chicken broth and bring to a boil.  Add the tomatoes and bring to a simmer.   Add tortellini for recommended cooking time.  Add spinach and basil, cook until wilted.  Serve with Parmesan cheese on top. Serves 4.

Bruschetta

Bruschetta is one of my favorite appetizers to order and I'm amazed I've never tried making it at home until now.  I read a variety of recipes before deciding how I wanted to make it and let me tell you there are some opinions on making Bruschetta! Apparently, some feel strongly about everything from how you pronounce it (Brushetta or Brusketta) to the bread you use to whether you mix the garlic in with the tomatoes or rub it onto the bread.  I say do whatever fits your taste!  I really enjoy the flavor of garlic so I mixed my garlic into the tomato mixture but if you want a lighter touch of garlic you can simply rub a clove or two on the toast while it is still hot so it melts into the bread.

Normally, I would have made this with Roma tomatoes but I was enticed by the beautiful color of the Kumatos at the grocery store and decided to try those this time.  I toasted some fresh homemade bread that my husband made.  It was wider than most baguettes or French loaves and we used 10 slices so if you use a skinny loaf you'll probably need closer to 15 slices. I also like to really load on the tomatoes so if you like less topping then you'll need more toast slices.

• 5 small tomatoes
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• pinch of salt
• pinch of black pepper
• 10-15 slices of baguette, French or Italian bread

Chop tomatoes and place in a mixing bowl.  Combine tomatoes with minced garlic, basil, olive oil, red wine vinegar, onion powder, salt and pepper.  Slice 10-15 pieces of bread (15 if your loaf is narrow, 10 if your loaf is wide).  If desired, brush lightly with olive oil or melted butter. Toast for a few minutes in the oven. Remove toast from oven and top with tomato mixture.

Spinach & Mushroom Quiche

I made this quiche for breakfast with some lovely friends this morning and it turned out great!  The texture was nice and light. It was so flavorful--the perfect savory dish to go with a tall glass of orange juice. I started with this recipe as a guideline but made changes to fit my own tastes: Spinach Quiche.  I love that you can be flexible with this recipe--you could use whatever types of veggies and cheese you prefer.  I combined some muenster with Kraft's triple cheddar shredded cheese.

9-inch pie crust
2 Tbsp butter
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp minced onion
6 oz spinach, chopped
4 oz mushrooms, chopped
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
4 eggs
1 cup milk
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Lay unbaked pie crust out in a 9-inch pie dish. Melt butter in a frying pan over medium heat.  Add garlic and minced onion and cook for 1 minute.  Add chopped mushroom and spinach and saute 3-5 minutes until spinach is wilted and mushrooms start to brown.  Add most of the cheese, reserving 1/4 cup for later, and mix well.  Pour vegetable and cheese mixture into the pie crust. In a mixing bowl, whisk eggs and milk. Add salt and pepper to taste and pour over the vegetable mixture in the pie crust. Bake for 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup cheese over the top.  Return to oven and bake another 30-40 minutes until the top is golden and the eggs are set.  Let rest 10 minutes before serving.  Makes 6 servings at 241 calories per serving.

Roasted Chicken II

Laugh if you must...but the roasted chicken was so delicious and the sale price on whole chickens was so good that we made it twice!  I wanted to try using less butter so I thought I'd let you know how it turned out.  The second time I only used 1/4 cup butter (instead of 1/2 cup), putting 1 Tbsp inside the chicken cavity and cutting the rest into 1/8 inch thick pads to spread over the outside of the chicken.  It was still juicy and moist but the skin did not get as golden.  If you are going to avoid eating most of the skin anyway, then it probably won't make much difference for you to use less than the 1/2 cup.

This time I added some small potatoes to the dutch oven and they turned out wonderful!  I'm sure it helped that they were fresh from the farmers market, but they were also cooked to perfection and literally melted in your mouth.  My husband even went crazy for them and he is not much of a baked potato person.