Avocado Salad

Winter seems to be hanging on just a little too long this year. We've had a couple nice, 60° days that let us put the top down on the car and enjoy the fresh air. Of course both times we awoke to snow the following day! Crazy, crazy weather. In my quest for springtime and sunshine I have made a few recipes lately that remind me of warmer weather.

Today's Avocado Salad is full of fresh flavors and vivid colors. It's got a little bite to it, but the fresh tomatoes, and lime juice mellow and compliment the spiciness just perfectly. It's really very easy to make with just a little veggie prep. But, even easy things can get complicated when making three recipes at a time, entertaining two 5 year old girls (letting them juice and zest about 8 lemons and limes), and visiting with friends. I accidentally forgot to add the can of black beans that was staring me in the face all night, to the salad. When I realized it the next morning, I added an appropriate amount of beans to the leftovers, and tasted it. Aside from the avocado being a little less pretty than the evening before, the flavor was even better, as the dressing ingredients had married well overnight. With or without the beans, this was a refreshing and delicious salad that would make a nice barbecue side or even a hot weather main dish. If I decide to take this recipe to a picnic or barbecue this summer, I plan to make the dressing ahead of time, or even the day before, to allow the flavors to meld. I'll transport the veggies in the serving bowl and the prepared avocado in a separate container.
This recipe is one I made for the Food.com Pick-A-Chef event. I've "adopted" a chef nicknamed X in Bayside, NY, and all three recipes I chose to make from her remind me of summertime. Feel free to adjust the amount of jalapeno and cayenne to suit your family's taste, and enjoy!

Avocado Salad (with beans)

New Recipe Contest! You Can Try and Rate My Submission!

Simply Potatoes has teamed up with Food.com to use the Ready, Set, Cook! (RSC) contest format to promote recipe creations using their brand of refrigerated potato products.

I'm normally not one to push myself on others and I avoid the activities that require getting pledges to participate, but this time I'm doing something I love to do and have the chance to win $2000. Since this is the first time the contest recipes are not being posted anonymously, we are allowed to promote our creations and hopefully encourage enough friends and family to try and rate our recipes.

I've just posted my first submission and if you'd like to try it out and share your rating during the contest, please make and review it on Food.com by March 21st.

Sun-Dried Tomato and Roasted Garlic Skillet Breakfast

Of course, I wouldn't feel good about myself if I didn't let you know that anyone can submit a recipe creation. Just like the annual Food.com RSC contest, there is an official list of ingredients. We must use 5 of them in our recipe creation, and in this case there are 3 Simply Potatoes products to choose from and then an additional 4 from the required list. You may use more than 5 from the list and any other ingredient from your pantry, fridge or freezer to complete your recipe.

So, if you've got a favorite way to use mashed, shredded or diced potatoes, check out the Ready, Set, Cook: Special Edition Rules and Required Ingredient List and go for it!

Everything Chicken Tenders

I have a new favorite, go-to, busy weeknight chicken recipe! Seriously, you can never have too many of those, right? This one is for the everything bagel lovers. I found Everything Chicken Tenders posted on Food.com by MommyDiva, with it's origin credited to Rachael Ray and her friend, Andrew Kaplan.


The best thing about this recipe is that you can make up the dry ingredients and store in a bag or spice jar until needed. The only other ingredient you need, and probably always have on hand, is a little extra virgin olive oil. The dipping sauce is wonderfully addictive, but the chicken has plenty of flavor on it's own, so if I didn't have the ingredients one night for the sauce, we could still have a satisfying dinner on the table in 25 minutes.

This is also a great recipe for kids to hone their cooking skills. Last night I let my 5 year old and her BFF do everything but the oven. They measured each ingredient, and then oiled and coated the chicken tenders. They wore such proud little faces at having made this chicken all by themselves, and over the years I've discovered that the more involved in the cooking a child is, the more likely they are to eat or at least try the food. For the kids' version we skipped the skewers and just placed the chicken in a baking dish.
*Note to self and sage advice for the rest of you: Next time reduce the mess of seeds everywhere by covering the table with some aluminum foil.

I served the chicken with Mixed Green Salad with Oranges, Dried Cranberries and Pecans, also found on Food.com, but credited to a 1998 issue of Bon Appetit magazine.

I love mixed greens with cranberries and pecans, but I don't usually use fresh oranges. The cranberries plumped nicely after simmering in the orange juice, and the balance of bitter greens, sweet cranberries and tangy oranges was very refreshing. I'll definitely remember this recipe when the holidays roll around again, but I also think it would be an excellent summer weather salad.

Facebook statuses I didn’t post - Parenting.com

Facebook statuses I didn’t post - Parenting.com

For all parents, internet generation or not, this blog post is worth the read. We can all relate to it!

Rapunzel Doll Giveaway at the Cookie & Claire Blog!

Anyone with a little girl in your life needs to run visit the Cookie & Claire Blog to enter to win a Rapunzel Doll!
It's a wonderful blog I found through Pinterest and she had a great tip posted for combing the Rapunzel doll's hair. The post became so popular that the Tollytots company contacted her to sponsor a giveaway for her readers.

I love her story of getting the email from Tollytots, because I can so relate! I just went through a similar range of emotions when I got published in the Taste of Home book back in... October or November. I can't remember, but scroll back through my blog if you missed that post. I thought the package was going to cost me money and/or time to return it, but instead found out they'd published one of my original recipes!

Anyway, with the length of Sophie's hair and how much she loves it and the movie Tangled, I know we'd have a lot of fun with the Rapunzel doll.



So now, go check out her blog and enter yourself in the Rapunzel giveaway also!

Cherry Limeade Cupcakes

I've seen several blog posts and Pinterest pins for the same Cherry Limeade Cupcake recipe, and since the Cherry Limeade drink at Sonic Drive-In is Bryan's favorite, I thought it would be fun to make the cupcakes for his and Nick's birthday dinner. I started out with every intention of following the recipe, but while walking the grocery aisles my brain began to juggle a few variations. There were three basic parts to the recipe; the cake, glaze and frosting, and by the time I arrived home I had made part one easier, deleted part two, and made part three more complicated!

I was also inspired by another technique I found on Pinterest. A way to frost the swirl on the cupcakes using two small piping bags, filled with different colors of frosting, inside one large bag and coupler. The technique mom and I learned many years ago is messy, time consuming and the results will change every time you refill the piping bag, so this new technique really appealed to me.

Since I was making these cupcakes for my husband and our 19 year old son, I was fairly certain pink frosting wouldn't be their first choice. That's okay with me, but since I want my colors to match the drink this was based on, I had to come up with a way to incorporate the flavors and colors without making them look too girly. Ummm.... yeah. That didn't work out. Regardless, I think flavor is definitely going to trump color this time.

Cherry Limeade Cupcakes

For Cake:
1 white cake mix (I used Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe)
1 cup water
1/3 cup canola oil
1/3 cup frozen limeade concentrate, thawed
3 eggs
1 lime, zest and juice of

For Frosting:
1 cup vegetable shortening
1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened
8 cups (2 lbs) sifted powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons frozen limeade concentrate, thawed
2 Tablespoons maraschino cherry juice
1/8 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
green paste or gel icing color (or food coloring)
pink (or red) paste or gel icing color (or food coloring)

For Garnish (optional):
24 maraschino cherries, drained on paper towels
24 slices of lime

Preheat oven to 350° and line muffin tins with 24 cupcake liners. Combine all cake ingredients in a large bowl or bowl of stand mixer. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, scrape sides of bowl, and then beat on medium speed for two minutes. Bake for 19 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow cupcakes to cool in pan for about 5 minutes and then remove to wire rack to cool completely. For the frosting, cream together the shortening and butter in a large bowl or bowl of stand mixer. Begin adding the powdered sugar, one cup at a time. Beat well and scrape the bowl occasionally. When the powdered sugar has been incorporated, remove half of the frosting to another bowl and set aside. To the mixer, add the 2 Tablespoons limeade concentrate and a drop of green icing color. Mix well and add small amounts of coloring until the desired shade is reached. If the frosting gets too soft, beat in additional powdered sugar. Remove the icing to a small bowl, wash the mixer bowl and return the reserved white frosting to it. Add the cherry juice and almond extract (if using) and beat well. If you would like a darker pink than the cherry juice provides, begin adding a drop or two of the pink or red icing color, beating well after each addition, until the desired color is reached.
Fill two small (8-10 inch) disposable piping bags 1/2 full; one color per bag. Cut about 1/2 inch off the tip of each bag and then flatten each bag slightly. Slip both bags into a larger (16-20 inch) bag, fitted with the large coupler and a Wilton brand 1M star tip. Begin swirling the icing onto cupcake at the outer edge, working your way toward the center, overlapping the previous rotation slightly. End the swirl by releasing pressure on the bag, and pulling straight up from the top of the cupcake. Garnish each cupcake with a cherry and slice of lime, if desired.

Cranberry White Chocolate Quick Bread Mix in a Jar

Nothing says I love you better than a gift from the kitchen, especially one that fills the house of your recipient with the aroma of sweet, fresh baked bread. This recipe makes a moist and delicious quick bread, but the dry ingredients can be layered, ahead of time, in a quart-sized jar for gift giving.

The jar can be decorated in any number of ways to reflect the occasion. Be sure to attach a recipe card or an embellished tag with the recipe, additional ingredients needed and baking instructions before presenting your gift.

I created this recipe for the winter 2010 Category Craze-E Contest on Food.com when the category was gifts from the kitchen, which I love! Beautiful red and white layers make this a great Valentine gift for friends, family or your child's teacher. These instructions make one quart jar and one loaf of bread, but feel free to double or triple the recipe to make several gifts at a time.






Cranberry White Chocolate Quick Bread Mix in a Jar

For Gift:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (I use fresh grated, but ground is fine)
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup pecans, chopped

For Making the bread:
2 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tablespoon milk


To make the gift jar: Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt and then spoon into a quart-sized jar with a tight-fitting lid. (I use a wide-mouth funnel to easily get the ingredients into the jar.) Tap the jar gently on the counter top to settle the flour.

Combine the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger and pour over the flour in the jar.

Continue the layers with the dried cranberries, then the white chocolate chips and finally the pecans. Put the lid on the jar and decorate as desired.

To make bread: Preheat oven to 350°F and lightly grease a 9x 5 loaf pan.

Pour all the dry ingredient from the jar into a large mixing bowl and stir to combine.

In a small bowl, use a fork to beat the eggs lightly and then add the sour cream. Continue mixing with the fork until the sour cream is incorporated.

Add the melted butter to the dry ingredients and then add the egg and sour cream mixture. Stir just until combined.

Spread into prepared loaf pan and bake in preheated oven for 50 minutes, or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.

Cool 10 minutes in pan and then turn out onto a cooling rack (with a layer of foil or waxed paper under the rack, to keep your counter clean.).

Stir together powdered sugar and milk until smooth. Drizzle or spread over top of loaf. Serve immediately or cool completely before slicing, to keep the slices looking nice. Yield: 1 loaf