Guacamole Salad

Once upon a time there were 2 friends who had a food blog. Then one friend moved away. The other friend who stayed behind missed her and all the cooking adventures they had. Months passed. Then the friend who left, returned! It was only for a short while, but oh how happy the friends were! They ate and cooked and baked and ate some more. (Maybe they ate a little too much.) One night for dinner, this salad was born and the two friends ate in silence. The one friend said, "This is very good." The other friend said, "This is really good." And that was the end of the conversation because they were too busy eating the salad. With bellies full of good food, the 2 friends parted that night thanking the stars above for each other and for the fantastic thing that is guacamole salad. The end.

*inspiration came from this Mel's Kitchen Cafe recipe.
She is a beautiful person for sharing it with the world.

*need a grilled corn tutorial? click here.

Ingredients:
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 cans (15oz each) black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4- 1/2 cup diced red onion (depends on how much raw onion you like)
3 ears grilled sweet corn, with the kernels removed from the cobs
1-2 cups cooked quinoa, cooled
1 tsp freshly grated lime zest
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (about 3 limes)
1/4 cup EVOO
1-2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 medium garlic clove, finely minced OR 1 tsp fresh chopped garlic from a jar
a dash (or two or three or seven) of cayenne pepper
3 ripe avocados, seeded, peeled and diced

* a note about measurements before we start with the directions. This recipe serves 6 as a side dish. Or it could also serve 2 ravenously hungry friends who sat down with a bag of tostitos new pepper jack tortilla chips and that was all they had for dinner. First, decide on how many people you are serving. If its on the "more" side, use the bigger measurement. If its on the "less" side, you could tone it down a little and still have lots of salad. You don't want a lot of leftovers because it doesn't keep very well. You know, the avocados turn brown and ruin the prettiness. Its not a "make the day before" salad. Next, adjust to your taste. Don't love corn? leave it out. (really, you don't love corn, what's your deal?) Like more black beans? Throw in another can. This is a starting point really. You can take it and run wild. And try the chips.
Seriously. They were made for this salad.

Directions:
Throw the tomatoes, yellow pepper, black beans, red onion, corn, quinoa and lime zest in a large bowl. In another bowl, whisk the lime juice with the olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic and cayenne pepper and pour over the veggies in the big bowl. Mix 'em up good. Pop in the fridge until you're ready to serve, they can hang out in there for a few hours.

A few minutes before you bring out your salad and wow your guests, get the avocados seeded, peeled and diced and GENTLY fold them into the mixture. Give it a taste test. Or two. Or three. You are the quality control person. Needs another squeeze of fresh lime? Do it now. Needs another dash of salt and pepper? Get 'er done. Then put it on the table and watch it disappear. Every last corn kernel will have vanished. And your guests will be duly impressed. And you will say, "What? I cook like this all the time!" Well done friend, well done.

Heath Bar Cake

I have had this recipe printed out for a long time, waiting for the perfect time to make it. That window of opportunity nicely presented itself last week. This was a delightful cake, simply delightful. So moist and toffee-esque. Might have made that word up, go with me here. Here's the link to the original recipe over at Mel's Kitchen Cafe. If you don't follow her blog on google reader or facebook, you totally should. Good stuff, people, good stuff.

Ingredients:
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups flour
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, softened
1 cup buttermilk
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
5-6 (1.4 ounces each) chocolate covered toffee bars (like Heath), chopped

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and center a rack in the middle of the oven. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch pan and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the brown sugar, white sugar, flour and butter. Crumble these ingredients together with a pastry blender, whisk or two forks until the mixture is crumbly and coarse. Remove 1/2 cup of the crumbs to a small bowl and set aside. To the large bowl with the remaining crumbs, add the buttermilk, egg, vanilla, baking soda and salt. Mix well.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing it to the edges. Sprinkle the top of the cake with the reserved crumbs and chopped Heath bars. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the center is no longer gooey but a toothpick inserted comes out with moist crumbs. The cake may fall slightly in the center leaving the edges raised. No fear! It will still be delicious.

*a note. I was in a state of frenzy when I was half way through making this cake because I realized that I forget to buy heath bars to crush up! Did I despair? Well, maybe for 5 seconds. Then, I grabbed my bag of skor bits and 1 8oz hershey's chocolate bar and went to town on the crumble. Mmmm, yum.

White chocolate walnut blondies with maple cream sauce

You know that yummy, spectacular dessert that Applebee's has? The one that's served hot with the cookie bar, ice cream and sinfully delicious sauce? You know that one? The one that I would drive all the way to Applebees and not order dinner, just this dessert? Yep, that's the one. Well, thanks to A Hint of Honey, I have found the best knock-off. Ever. Period. The end.
Two things, #1- really splurge and buy the pure maple syrup. suck up the price tag, its worth it. #2- Serve with a really fantastically creamy vanilla ice cream. Make your own or buy a quality brand. It makes or break this. Okay, enough soapboxing from me. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

Blondies:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
10 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
2 cups light brown sugar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1 cup white chocolate chips

Maple Cream Sauce:
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 cup pure maple syrup (keep your Mrs. Butterworth's outta here!)
1 1/2 cups heavy cream


DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a 9x13 baking pan.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk to combine the flour, salt, and baking powder. In a separate large bowl, whisk to combine the melted butter and brown sugar until well-blended. Stir in the eggs and vanilla, mixing well. Slowly add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, until moist throughout (be careful not to overmix). Stir in the walnuts and white chocolate chips. (The batter will be very thick.)

3. Pour batter into the prepared baking dish and baked in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool slightly before serving.

4. To prepare the maple cream sauce, melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the maple syrup and heavy cream and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat slightly and simmer for about 30 minutes, until thickened and reduced by 1/3. Let cool slightly before serving. (Or refrigerate and reheat prior to serving.)

5. Place a scoop of vanilla ice cream over top of a warm blondie. Drizzle with warm maple cream sauce, sprinkle with toasted walnuts and serve.

Serves 12.

Steak Fajitas

Have you checked out Our Best Bites? I have been missing out! So many yummy things, so many fun things, so many cool things like a new cookbook and blog make-over. Anyway, found this fantastic recipe and after making it, my husband said it needs to be moved into the "keeper pile." So there you have it. Its a keeper. Fo' sure. I have posted my photo and copied/pasted their exact words. We used 1 lb of skirt steak and my family (2 adults and 3 kids) devoured it, so I am absolutely doubling this next time. We cooked them on the grill, meat directly on the grill racks, veggies in a metal grill basket. Squeeze some fresh lime juice on the meat before you serve it and that really adds the finishing touch. Make this tonight!

Measurements of meat and vegetables are approximate. Adjust depending on your preference and the number of people you're serving. This will serve about 4-6.

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, chicken thighs, or steak

2-3 bell peppers, stem and membranes removed and peppers quartered

1 large onion (any color/variety) sliced into 1/2" slices

Marinade:

1/4 C fresh lime juice

1/3 C water

2 T vegetable oil

2 cloves garlic, pressed or finely minced

3 t vinegar

2 t soy sauce

1-2 t liquid smoke

1 t salt

1/2 t chili powder, or chipotle chili powder

1/2 t cayenne pepper

1/4 t ground black pepper

1/4 t onion powder

*If you're not familiar with liquid smoke, you can find it near the bbq sauces. Don't make this without it! It's definitely one of the key components. It makes things yummy and smoky and super flavorful. And if you're wondering, it actually is real smoke in liquid form. Interesting, eh?

Place meat in a zip-top bag or shallow dish. Place vegetables in another. In a medium bowl, combine all marinade ingredients and whisk well. Reserve 3-4 Tablespoons of marinade for later use. With remaining marinade, add a splash to the vegetables (enough for a light coating) and the remaining to the meat. Marinate for 4-6 hours and up to overnight.

Preheat bbq grill (my preference), indoor grill pan, or large skillet. If you're using a grill, place everything on at the same time. If using a skillet, slice peppers and onions first. Cook chicken for a few minutes on each side until cooked through and remove from pan. Cover with foil to keep warm. Add vegetables and cook until crisp tender.

Remove vegetables from cooking surface and slice. Slice meat. Toss with reserved marinade and serve.

Pecan Bars

Every time I look at the name of these bars, I have a little voice in my head that says, " Pecan" in the twangest southern drawl ever. I obviously have issues. But moving on, lets talk about these, shall we? Shortbread base- a thousand times yes. Gooey caramel made with real cream- you know it baby. And finally, these bad boys are loaded with nuts, the good kind not the creepy kind. Sooo glad Staci wanted to make these. Good call mi amiga!
Thanks Martha Stewart Cookie Book!

Ingredients:

for the crust-
1 cup plus 2 tbsp unsalted butter (2 1/4 sticks), softened
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups all purpose flour

for the filling-
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp white sugar
2 tbsp heavy cream
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups (8oz) pecan halves
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375. Make crust: Put butter and brown sugar into bowl of electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in salt. Add flour, 1 cup at a time, mixing until fully incorporated after addition. Continue mixing until dough begins to come together in large clumps.

2. Press dough about 1/4 inch thick into a 9x13 pan. Pierce the dough with a fork. Chill until firm, about 20 minutes. Bake until golden brown, 18-20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Reduce oven to 325.

3. Make filling: Place butter, brown sugar, honey, white sugar, and heavy cream in a saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly until mixture coats the back of a spoon, about 1 minute. Remove pan from heat; stir in salt, nuts and vanilla. Pour filling into the cooled crust.

4. Bake until filling bubbles, 15-20 minutes. Carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Run a paring knife around edges of the pan and invert onto cooling rack. Invert again on a cutting board. Use a sharp knife to cut into 1 by 3 inch bars. Bars can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.

* a note. I didn't invert my pan onto a cutting board. I'm low class I guess, we just cut them out of the pan when we served them.

Bran Muffin

Every once in a great while I think, maybe I shouldn't post all desserts.(don't worry, this doesn't happen too often.) Maybe I should post something that semi resembles health food. Cue today's post. Here's a tasty little bran muffin that doesn't weigh 10 lbs or have the density of a boulder. Sure, it has white flour and white sugar, but I'm feeling pretty good about that cup and a half of bran cereal. Aren't the experts always saying we need more fiber? Well, I'm happy to oblige. This comes from my "Just a matter of Thyme" cookbook.

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups all purpose, unbleached flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups bran cereal
1 1/4 cups milk (I used 1%)
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup vegetable oil (I used canola)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400. Prepare a 12 cup muffin tin. Combine cereal and milk in a large bowl and let stand for 2 minutes. Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Add egg and oil to cereal mixture and beat well. Add dry ingredients all at once, stirring only until combined. Spoon into prepared muffin tin and bake for 15-17 minutes or until very lightly browned. Makes 1 dozen. This batter may be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks before baking.

are you out there??

Big news. Staci is coming back!! At the end of summer, she and her little family packed up and moved away from me, clear across the country. Some mumbo jumbo about furthering her husband's education, bettering their family, blah blah blah. Anywho, she is coming back for a visit! We have lots of fun things planned, namely involving food, because hello, that is who we are. Now, this poor blog has not had a lot of attention and we think its high time that changed. Next week we are doing a blog make-over and trying new recipes and taking kick-a photos. So to the loyal followers of this blog (Hi mom) I pose a question: what do you want to see more of? main dishes? desserts? snacks? kid friendly stuff? gourmet stuff? cupcakes, lots more cupcakes? If your answer included the words "low calorie" or "carb free" this might not be the blog for you, just sayin'. But for everyone else, stay tuned because Staci and I are cooking up a storm of good eats!