My Cooking Adventures

I had this craving for guacamole dip when I was home visiting my family in Alabama. I guess I've been living in California long enough to have found a love for avocados!



source: Alton Brown on FoodNetwork.com

Ingredients:

3 Haas avocados, halved, seeded and peeled
1 lime, juiced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 tomato, diced
1 clove garlic, minced

Directions:

In a large bowl place the scooped avocado pulp and lime juice, toss to coat. Drain, and reserve the lime juice, after all of the avocados have been coated. Using a potato masher add the salt, cumin, and cayenne and mash. Then, fold in the onions, tomatoes, cilantro, and garlic. Add 1 tablespoon of the reserved lime juice. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour and then serve.

Ok, I didn't actually make this, but a friend did, and it is so addictive!! I can't stop eating it! I did help a little...I added the avocados to the dip. :)


Source: FoodNetwork.com


Sweet Potato Fries

Ingredients:
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled or unpeeled, cut into 4-inch long and 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick fries
2 tablespoons olive oil, or more as needed
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
Coarse ground rock salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Avocado Dip, recipe follows

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and set aside.
Place the sweet potatoes in a large bowl and toss with olive oil until the sweet potatoes are coated. Add the paprika, chili powder, coriander, salt, and pepper; toss to distribute evenly.
Arrange the coated fries in a single layer on the prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes on the lower rack until the sweet potatoes soften. Transfer the pan to the upper rack of the oven and bake 10 minutes longer, until fries are crispy. Serve with Avocado Dip.


Avocado Dip

Ingredients:
1 avocado, see Cook's Note*
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup cream cheese
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped.
2 scallions, white and light green part only, chopped
1 lime, juiced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper


Directions
Place the avocado, mayonnaise, cream cheese, jalapeno, scallions, and lime juice into a blender or small food processor. Blend for 1 minute or until you have a smooth paste. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve as a dip for the Sweet Potato Oven Fries.

* Cook's Note: We find that Hass avocados make the smoothest and best tasting Avocado dip.

I got this recipe from an old coworker about 2 years ago. I never had a chance to make it, and so for my friend's New Year's Eve party I thought this would be good. It was gone in less than an hour! I didn't get a picture because it went so fast, so sorry about that! But it was delicious and a definite crowd-pleaser!

Garlic & Artichoke Dip

1 Envelope Lipton Recipe Secrets “Savory herb with garlic” soup mix
1 can / jar (14 oz.) Artichoke hearts
1 cup mayo
8 oz. Sour cream
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2-4 Tbsp. finely chopped garlic

Preheat oven to 350°.
Drain artichoke hearts and dice into very fine pieces.
Combine all ingredients in one quart casserole dish and mix well.
Bake until top is brown (approx. 15 min.)

Serve with crusty bread, or Ritz crackers for dipping.

Super Skins
Source: Kraft Foods



6 medium baking potatoes, baked
2 Tbsp. oil
1 jar (15 oz.) CHEEZ WHIZ Cheese Dip, heated
1/4 cup Bacon Bits
1/2 cup Sour Cream
1/4 cup green onion slices

PREHEAT oven to 375°F. Cut potatoes in half lengthwise; scoop out centers, leaving 1/4-inch-thick shells. (Reserve centers for another use.) Cut shells in half crosswise.
PLACE shells, skin sides down, on baking sheet; brush insides of shells lightly with oil.
BAKE 15 min. or until golden brown. Top evenly with CHEEZ WHIZ, bacon bits, sour cream and onions

I wasn't sure about this at first. I wanted to make some sort of chicken salad, but not the traditional, all-womens-club chicken salad. I wanted to make something that everyone would look at and say, you know, that looks enticing. So when I saw this recipe it looked perfect. I tweaked it just a tiny bit to fit my friends' tastes, and voila! I made a chicken salad that--no lie--everyone could not stop eating!!! It was AWESOME!!

Chicken Spread

1 tablespoon mayonnaise
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 small onion, chopped
3 large chicken breasts, boneless & skinless
1 8-oz. cream cheese, softened

Preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat and coat with non-stick cooking spray. Season the chicken breasts with salt and black pepper to taste. Grill over medium-high heat until cooked throughout. Dice the chicken into small pieces, and place into a large mixing bowl. (You want the pieces to be small enough to fit onto crackers.)

Mix chicken with remaining ingredients, using a large spoon, or an electric beater. Serve with Ritz crackers. Refrigerate any leftovers for sandwiches.

One weekend all three of my sisters (all younger) decided on a whim to come and stay with me, before they had to go back to school. I wanted to have something for us to snack on while we were all hanging out, watching TV and movies, but I didn't want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen preparing anything. I went to Kraft Foods' website for help, and found this awesome dip recipe. There's many variations, depending on what you have available in your fridge/pantry. The recipe is located here. I used the following ingredients:

Last Minute Hot Dip



8 oz Cream Cheese, soft
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
4 slices of turkey bacon, chopped
2 Tbsp chopped pecans



Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix shredded cheddar cheese, cream cheese, mayo, and bacon pieces together in a 9-inch pie plate or ovenproof 3-cup serving dish until well blended.

Bake 15 minutes, stirring after 8 minutes.

Top with toasted nuts. Serve warm with crackers, bread slices, or veggies.