Spicy Avocado Sauce

Its been too long since I've made this. It originated with a crab cake recipe from Gourmet Magazine. The first time I made this, my hubby and I were living in Palm Springs and I was big o' 8 months pregnant with my first. And it was stinkin' hot!!! It was the beginning of May and already it was 115° out and probably 99° in our apartment (the AC stunk!). So in pregnant terms, thats about 130° out...not fun. Anyway, we found this recipe for crab cakes. Well they weren't that great. Maybe it was the crab we got, or maybe it was the recipe, but nothing special. But this sauce was mighty tasty! You can definitely serve it with crab cakes, but its also good on tacos, fish, chicken, or you probably could even have it over salad. Mmm, I need to make this again real soon!

• 1/2 medium, ripe California avocado, pitted & peeled
• 1 Tbsp low-fat mayonnaise
• 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp sugar
• 1 fresh jalapeño or serrano (including seeds...or not if you don't want it so spicy), stemmed & quartered lengthwise
• 1/4 cup fat-free (skim) milk

Pulse avocado with mayo, lime juice, salt, sugar, and 1/4 of the chili in a food processor until chili is finely chopped. Add milk and purée until smooth. Add more chili if desired, processing until smooth. Transfer sauce to bowl and chill, covered.

Good served with crab cakes, fish, tacos, chicken, salad, or whatever else your heart desires!

Serves 4.

12 Days of Yummies: Lark's Hot Fudge Sauce

Day 2

This is another recipe I got from my mom a while back, so I'm not really sure where it originated from (I know she got it from a friend who got it from a friend...).  I made this one Christmas for my husband's family and they all seemed to love it.  I find that putting Hershey syrup on my ice cream is a big waste of calories, but this stuff...you could tell me I'd gain 5 lbs from eating a spoonful and I'd still have a spoonful...most likely numerous times.  Mmmmm.  This is a great gift idea (just make sure you tell them to refrigerate it)!

(photo courtesy of Kraft Foods)

• 6 ounces chocolate chips
  
• 2 cups powdered sugar
  
• 1 cube margarine
  
• 1 cup canned milk
  
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
  

Melt first four ingredients in medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring often. Lower heat and boil for 4-5 minutes without burning. Stir often. Cool slightly and add vanilla. Reheat by removing lid and heating in microwave for 45 seconds to 1 minute. Store in refrigerator for up to 1 month.

Julie R.

AG, CA

Biscuits & Gravy

My husband (and I too, but mainly him) LOVES Biscuits & Gravy.  Every time we go out for breakfast he orders them.  I remember my mom making them for us when we were kids, but I've never gotten her recipe (I'm sure they're all pretty much the same).  So I've been in search for one for a while.  Usually I just make the McCormick just-add-water kind - its easy and not too shabby, but its just not the same as homemade!  So I've been keeping my eyes peeled for a good recipe and came across this one.  It's from The Pioneer Woman.  I'm not sure if I've mentioned her before, but pretty much everything she posts looks wonderful (and all of the recipes I've tried of hers are awesome!).  This isn't something I'll make very often - it's pretty much a heart attack served on a platter - but it sure was good!  Instead of reposting the recipe, I'll just give you the link...it has step-by-step photo instructions...pretty cool!

(photo courtesy of The Pioneer Woman)

The Pioneer Woman's Biscuits & Gravy

Julie R.

AG, CA

Fresh Salsa

Our garden seems to have tomatoes growing in every direction, so today we decided to make some fresh salsa.  I didn't use a specific recipe and everything is pretty much "to taste," so you can make it to your liking.  Am I the only one who has a problem chopping cilantro?  Every time I do, my eyes tear all up and it kind of hinders my breathing - its worse then when I cut onions...am I just weird or is there someone else out there who has this problem, too?  Anyway, as I was making the salsa my son said "yuck, I hate salsa!"  When I was done, I was tasting it and he came over and said "mmm, that looks good."  He tried it, then took the bowl and bag of chips from me and scarfed it all down.  When he was done he said "that was so good I even drank the juice!"  It WAS good!

• Fresh tomatoes
• Sweet onion 
• Cilantro
• Garlic clove, minced
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste
• Hot Sauce to taste (optional)

Chop tomatoes, onion, and cilantro;  place in a bowl (if you like juicy salsa like me, then include the tomato juice too).  Add minced garlic, salt and pepper.  If you'd like a little kick, add a few drops of hot sauce to taste.  Enjoy!

Julie R.

AG, CA

Plum Jam

We have lots and lots of plums on our property, so today I finally made some jam with them.  I wanted to make sugar-free jam (our plums are really sweet), but didn't have the right stuff, so I opted for the sugar.  Its been a while since I've done any canning of any sort, so my mom came and guided me through it, but it really wasn't hard at all.

• 4 lbs plums
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 tsp butter (optional)
• 1 box Sure-Jell* pectin
• 8 cups sugar
• 9-10 small jars with lids and screw tops

*You can use any pectin of your choice, but instructions may vary according to the package.

Prepare jars and screw bands by washing, then boiling in water (this is just to make them hot and sterilized, so you can use dishwasher if you choose).  Place jar lids in boiling water and let stand until ready to use.  Be sure jars and lids are dry (but hot) before using.

To prepare plums, discard pits (do not peel) and finely chop plums (I used a food processor).  This should make about 6 cups of mashed fruit.  Place plums and 1/2 cup water in saucepan.  Bring to boil.  Reduce heat; cover and simmer 5 minutes.  

While fruit is simmering, measure exact amount of sugar into separate bowl (REDUCING SUGAR OR USING SUGAR SUBSTITUTES WILL RESULT IN SET FAILURES - use Sure-Jell for Less or No Sugar Needed Fruit Pectin for no- or low-sugar jams).

Stir 1 box pectin into fruit in saucepot.  Add 1/2 teaspoon butter or margarine to reduce foaming, if desired (this really does work!).  Bring mixture to full rolling boil (a boil that doesn't stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly.

Stir in sugar quickly.  Return to full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat.  Skim off any foam.

Ladle quickly into prepared jars, filling to within 1/8 inch of tops.  Wipe jar rims and threads.  Cover with two-piece lids.  Screw bands tightly.  (When you get to the end of the jam pot, if you don't have enough for a full jar, put what is left in a jar and refrigerate.)

Place jars on elevated rack in canner.  Lower rack into canner.  water must cover jars by 1-2 inches; add boiling water if needed.  Cover; bring water to gentle boil.  Process jams 10 minutes; jelly 5 minutes.  Remove jars and place upright on a towel to cool completely.  After jars cool, check seals by pressing middle of lid with finger.  (If lids spring back, lid is not sealed and refrigeration is necessary.)

Let stand at room temperature for 24 hours.  Store unopened jams in cool, dry, dark place up to 1 year.  Refrigerate opened jams up to 3 weeks.

Recipe adapted from Sure-Jell package instructions.

Julie R.

AG, CA

Caramel Apple Dip

I go to a girls night weekly and occasionally we will have food. One friend will bring this dip and it is sooo good. With apple picking going on this is a great way to get them eaten. Kids will like it too! Plus it is so easy to make.

1 pkg (8oz) cream cheese
1c. brown sugar
1/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
Heath Chocolate Bar (chopped into tiny pieces)

Mix first four ingredients together. Put in fridge until chilled. When ready to serve, put chocolate bar on top, slice up some apples and go at it!

Jodi S.
Manassas, VA

Good Food Review: Tastefully Simple

I thought that instead of posting a recipe tonight I'd do a Good Food Review.  If you happen upon some food item that you just can't live without (or just think is good), feel free to write your own Good Food Review.

I don't know if any of you have heard of Tastefully Simple.  Its one of those network marketing kind of companies like Avon or Pampered Chef.  About a year or so ago I went to one of those T.S. parties where they let you sample a bunch of their food, they give you their blurb on how great their stuff is and how and why you want to join their team.  I went in with the only intent of supporting my friend...I came out with a tasty order that I just COULDN'T wait to receive!  So here's what I ordered (and it was ALL awesome!):

Bountiful Beer Bread Mix:  This bread is SO easy to make and so sweet and delicious!  You just add 12 oz. of beer, soda, or carbonated juice and 3 Tbsp of butter (which is optional).  We tried Sprite, 7-Up, and Root Beer, but our favorite by FAR was Sprite.  

Cinnamon Muffin Melt Mix:  The title says it all.  These just melt in your mouth.  They're yet another simple recipe (hence the name "Tastefully Simple" I guess)...simply add butter and water.  Last time I made these, every time I'd walk in the kitchen, there was another muffin missing and crumbs leading right to my little preschooler.

Pomegranate Chipotle Sauce:  This sauce is sweet, but has got a kick to it...not too big of one (my 5 year old ate it just fine), but just enough.  I followed their recipe for Pomegranate Chipotle Pork Roast.  You cover the roast in bacon strips and smother it in sauce.  I could have done without the bacon, but the sauce was wonderful.  In fact we added more to our plates and dipped the roast in it.

Creamy Wild Rice Soup:  So I'm not really sure if thats the name or not.  They only have this at certain times of they year, so I couldn't find it online, but it is so creamy and tasteful.  It is the perfect food for a cold evening.  Just wonderful!

And to save the best for last...Creamy Caramel Sauce:  Oh my goodness!  THIS IS SOOOO GOOD!  Many of you already know that I am somewhat of a caramel "cone sure."  I LOVE good caramel, so if I'm going to have some caramel, it had better be good!   This is GOOD caramel.  At the T.S. party a lady was saying that she would hide it in the back of the fridge so her family couldn't find it...she'd even tell them that it was gone so they wouldn't look for it...and she'd reward herself each day with a spoonful (yes, right from the jar).  I have to say I thought she was a little strange and I was very skeptical of trying it seeing that most people just aren't at the same caramel level as I am.  Yeah, I am SO glad I tried it.  I became one of those people who would reward myself with a spoonful.  I even temporarilly took to eating ice cream so that I could have some.  The sad thing was that my husband loved it just as much as I did, so one sad sad morning I woke up, opened the fridge and found an empty jar with a note from my husband saying "I'm SO sorry I ate your caramel, but it was SOO good and I just couldn't stop!  I'll buy you 2 more jars!  Love You!"  I'm still waiting for those jars.  If you don't try anything else, try this (but I hope you try the other stuff too)...it is heavenly!

So if you like what you've seen, you can check out Tastefully Simple's website and either order online or find a consultant near you (most likely there is a party being hosted near you, so you can go try the food before you buy).  

That's all for now, but stay tuned for more Good Food Reviews in the near future.

(photos courtesy of Tastefully Simple)

Julie R.

AG, CA