Guacamole!

It's never a bad time to have guacamole (esp Superbowl Sunday)- there are so many different ways to make it but this is a classic version. I'm a bit PW obsessed lately, but her recipes are so great I haven't picked up my other cook books in a month of so! I've just had so much fun cooking from her cook books - they are colorful and the recipes are just so down to earth and comforting.

Anyway - I made the Pico earlier in the day so the flavors could meld, then threw the guacamole together right before we were going to chow down on it. Here's how I made it...

Guacamole 
Makes 3 cups

Guacamole

 

ingredients

• 3 avocados

• Juice of 1/2 lime

• 1/4 tsp each salt & pepper

• 1/2 cup pico de gallo

directions

Use a fork to mash the avocado until smooth (I like it a bit chunkier). Add in the lime juice, salt & pepper and pico de gallo. Using a fork stir together until well combined. Taste and add more seasoning if needed. Keep the pit from one of the avocados and place in the center of the guac to keep it from browning.

Enjoy!

This recipe was adapted from Pioneer Woman.

Chipotle Salsa

I've been making PW's salsa for awhile now - but adding the chipotle to this salsa really takes up like 3 notches. Chipotle is a warm spicy heat and we love it! I also picked up a bag of the Cantina tostito  chips and they are so good as well - the thin and crispy is also great too! It's best to make this salsa in the morning or several hours before you plan to eat it so the flavors have a chance to dance! Here's how you make it...

Chipotle Salsa

Makes 5 cups

Chipotle Salsa

ingredients

• 2 (15 oz) cans diced tomatoes

• 10 oz can Rotel

• 1 medium onion, diced

• 2 Tbsp Chipotle in adobo, minced

• 1 tsp ground cumin

• 1 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp ground pepper

• 1 tsp sugar

• 1 bunch cilantro leaves torn from stems

• 1/4 cup lime juice

directions

Add the ingredients to a large blender or food processor and blend until all the ingredients are well mixed. Note: I had to do this in 2 batches otherwise my blender would've overflowed.

The salsa will keep in the fridge for 2 weeks covered tightly with a lid.

Enjoy!

This recipe was adapted from Pioneer Woman.

Breakfast Bowls

This is not a quick breakfast to put together but the hard work paid off - they are just so yummy. I had some issues with the cook book and the original cook times as the eggs just wouldn't set so I just put them back in the oven until they were ready. In the end they turned out delicious!

Breakfast Bowls 

Serves 4 

Breakfast Bowls

ingredients

• 1/2 onion, diced

• 2 russet potato, baked and cut into 1/2" cubes

• 8 eggs, beaten

• 1/2 - 3/4 cup half/half

• 3 finely diced  tomatoes

• 4 green onions, sliced thinly

• 8 basil leaves, chopped

• 1lb hot breakfast sausage, browned and crumbled

• 4 strips thick cut bacon, fried and crumbled
• 1 cup grated Monterrey jack cheese
• 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

• Kosher Salt & Freshly Cracked Black Pepper

directions

1. Butter oven proof bowls or ramekins. Preheat oven to 325º. Brown the sausage in  large cast iron skillet, remove and set aside. Fry the bacon in the same skillet, drain on paper towel lined plate and chop. Set aside.

2. In the same skillet over medium high heat, add the onion and potatoes. Season with S&P and cook stirring occasionally for 5-10 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

3. In a bowl lightly beat the eggs with half/half. Season with S&P and set aside. In another bowl, combine tomatoes, green onions and basil. Stir together and set aside.

4. Assemble the bowls by dividing all the ingredients evenly in the following order: Potato-onion mixture, sausage, bacon, Monterrey jack, egg mixture, tomato mixture and top with cheddar. Place bowls on a baking sheet and bake for 15-25 minutes until egg mixture is set.

Enjoy!

I made enough for 8 servings and will throw the leftovers together during the week for breakfast. I stored each level of ingredients in separate containers. You can omit the eggs altogether they are just as tasty without. We really enjoyed these - they are hearty and full of delicious flavor! 

This recipe was adapted from Pioneer Woman.

Creamy Tomato Pasta with Shrimp

This pasta dish is all that it even sounds to be - it's creamy, rich and hard to resist for seconds. Chopping up the shrimp really adds a different texture versus keeping them whole. I think I will do that every time with a cream based sauce that calls for shrimp. Especially because Q doesn't love shrimp, he will eat it because I like it so much but it's not his favorite. Some changes from the original PW recipe "Penne alla Betsy" recipe were that I used Marsala wine, whole wheat penne and doubled the garlic and onion. Here's how I made it...

Creamy Tomato Pasta with Shrimp

Serves 6-8

Creamy Tomato Pasta with Shrimp

ingredients

• 13 oz whole wheat penne (this is how much 1 box at my store weighed)

• 1 lb large shrimp, peeled deveined with tail on

• 2 tbsp butter, 2 tbsp EVOO

• 1 onion, minced

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 1/4 cup Marsala wine

• 14.5 oz can tomato sauce

• 1 cup heavy cream (at room temp)

• 1/4 cup chopped parsley

• 6 basil leaves, cut in chiffonade (roll the leaves tightly and slice horizontally)

• Kosher Salt & Freshly Cracked Black Pepper

directions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and keep warm.

2. In a cast iron skillet over medium high heat, heat 1 tbsp each butter & EVOO. When pan is hot add the shrimp and cook until opaque, remove and set aside on a plate to cool. When cooled, take tails off and chop into bite size pieces.

3. Wipe out the skillet carefully with a paper towel and add 1 tbsp each butter & EVOO. Saute the onion and garlic for 2 minutes over medium heat. Pour the Marsala into the pan, stir and cook until it all evaporates - 45 seconds. Pour in tomato sauce and stir. Reduce the heat to low and pour in the cream. Stir to combine and let simmer for a few minutes. Add the shrimp, herbs, salt & pepper to taste.

Serve with warmed french bread and a simple salad.

Enjoy!

This recipe was adapted from Pioneer Woman.

Pot Roast, Veggies & Creamy Mashed Potatoes

It was a Friday night and while yes we could have gone out for dinner, I decided to make a comforting, stick to your ribs kinda meal for us. Pot Roast is one of those meals that really doesn't take too much time or dishes to throw together. This version was so tasty, rich & flavorful and the mashed potatoes are to die for. Here's how I made it...

Pot Roast, Veggies & Creamy Mashed Potatoes

Pot Roast

Serves 6 

Pot Roast & Veggies

ingredients

• 3 lb chuck roast

• 2 Tbsp EVOO

• 2 onions, peeled and halved

• 8 carrots, cut into 2" slices (unpeeled)

• 2 1/2 cups beef stock

• 3 fresh rosemary sprigs

• 1 Tbsp dried thyme

• Kosher Salt & Freshly Cracked Black Pepper

directions

1. Preheat the oven to 275º. Generously salt the roast on both sides. Heat a large dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the EVOO and let is get really hot. Add the onions to the pot and brown on both sides, about a minute or two. Remove, set aside. Add the carrots and brown them, remove and set aside. Add another TBSP EVOO to the pot and add pepper to the roast. Sear the roast about 1 minute per side (it's important your dutch oven is super hot). Remove the roast and set aside on a plate.

2.  Deglaze the pan by adding 1 cup of beef stock, using a metal spatula loosen up the brown bits on the bottom. Place the meat back in the pot, following by the veggies. Place herbs in juices under the meat.

3. Cover the pot and roast in the oven for 3-3 1/2 hours until nice and tender. You can either carve the meat of use two forks to shred it. Place the meat back in the dutch oven to soak up more broth until you are ready to serve. Serve the meat & veggies on a bed of these creamy mashed potatoes...

Creamy Mashed Potatoes

Serves 4 

Creamy Mashed Potatoes

ingredients

• 5 lbs potatoes, peeled and cut into halves and/or fourths

• 12 Tbsp Butter, softened plus 4 tbsp

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened

• 1/2 cup half + half (at room temp)

• 1/2 tsp Lawry's seasoned salt

• Kosher Salt & Freshly Cracked Black Pepper

directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a slow boil over medium high heat. Add the potatoes to the pot and increase the heat to high and bring to a full boil. Cook for 20-30 minutes until they are fork tender. Drain and return to the hot pot. With a masher, mash them over low heat to allow steam to escape. Mash until all lumps are gone and turn off the heat. Add the butter, cream cheese and half and half. Stir until well combines. Add the seasonings and taste, adjusting if necessary. 

2. Spread the potatoes in a buttered 2 quart baking dish. Dot the top with the remaining 4 Tbsp butter. Bake at 350º for 25 minutes covered tightly with foil. 

Enjoy!

This recipe was adapted from Pioneer Woman.

Fancy Tomato Soup & Grilled Cheese

Here's a super fast way to make homemade tomato soup. The recipe called for Sherry, which I didn't have but I did have Marsala so I just used that up. I reduced the amount by half so it wasn't overpowering. I'm guessing you can just omit the alcohol altogether because it tasted quite good before I added it as well. It does add an extra something in the flavor department though.

I had some leftover bread and Cabot horseradish cheddar cheese so I threw some grilled cheese sammies together to go with the soup.

A little tip for leftover soups/stews... put the soup in gallon sized ziplocs, make sure to get all the air out and lay flat on baking sheets in your freezer. Once they are frozen, you can simply stack them up and they barely take up any room.

Here's how I made the Fancy Schmancy Tomato Soup...

Fancy Tomato Soup 

Serves 8 

Fancy Tomato Soup & Horseradish Cheddar Grilled Cheese

ingredients

• 1 onion, minced

• 6 Tbsp butter

• (2) 14.5 oz cans organic diced tomatoes

• 46 oz bottle tomato juice

• 5 Tbsp sugar

• 2 chicken bouillon cubes

• 1/2 cup sherry or Marsala

• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream (or you can use half/half)

• 1/4 cup each chopped parsley & basil

• Freshly Cracked Black Pepper

directions

Melt butter in large soup pot over medium heat, then saute the onions until translucent. Add the diced tomatoes, sugar, chicken bouillon and tomato juice. Stir and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Add black pepper to taste, the cream, Marsala and herbs. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.

Serve with grilled cheese to dunk in the soup.

Enjoy!

This recipe was adapted from Pioneer Woman.

Tomato & Basil Pizza

This is a super simple pizza pie, but loaded with yummy ingredients. Sometimes the most simple recipes make the best meals! It's a week night and we didn't really feel much like making much of anything. With the weather being as bad as it was last night, ordering in or going out wasn't an option, so we made this....

Tomato & Basil Pizza

Serves 4-6

Tomato & Basil Pizza

ingredients

• 1 lb pizza dough

• flour & cornmeal

• Salt, pepper & red pepper flakes

• Romano cheese, grated

• Mozzarella cheese, grated

• 5 slices of Mozzarella cheese

• 1/4 cup of prepared pesto

• 1 large tomato, thinly sliced

directions

1.  Preheat oven to 500º. Lightly dust a clean surface with a mixture of flour & corn meal. Roll the dough out and place on a cornmeal dusted baking sheet.

2. Spread the pesto all over the dough out to the edges, then top with seasonings, cheese & tomatoes.

3. Bake for 8-10 minutes until crust is done and golden brown. Let pizza rest before slicing.

Enjoy!

This recipe was adapted from Pioneer Woman.