Cinco de Mayo Special - Easy & Fresh Guacamole!

 
I never used to be a fan of guacamole but I don't think I had GOOD guacamole for a very long time. It always seemed bland and I was new to avocados (my parents never served them) so I steered clear of it for a while. But then the restaurant Chipotle entered my life and I tried their's. It was GOOD. So I started to make it fresh myself and I really think it's a great snack, appetizer, topping, sandwich spread, etc. And avocados are healthy for you (in moderation of course)! Here is a simple recipe that I turn to time and again and am never disappointed. Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

Easy & Fresh Guacamole

2 avocados, mashed
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves minced garlic
1-2 diced tomatoes
1/2 freshly squeezed lime juice
1 teaspoon cilantro
few dashes salt and pepper

Combine all the ingredients well and serve immediately with tortilla chips or veggies! To store leftovers, press plastic wrap down on top of the guacamole in the bowl to prevent browning and refrigerate.

Honey BBQ Chicken Strips

One of mine and my daughter's favorite appetizers is Boneless Honey BBQ Chicken Strips from Applebee's. The sauce is just perfect for us. My husband loves Parmesan Garlic Wings from Buffalo Wild Wings. So for the Superbowl we decided to attempt at-home versions of both flavors. Unfortunately, my husband's recipe was a flop, but the BBQ strips turned out perfectly. Not exactly like Applebee's, but we were good with that because this sauce was really great. It was tangy and sweet.

The strips we chose were Tyson Crispy Chicken Strips, I'm telling you... they are just right for this sauce. We had leftover sauce and strips so I had this meal for lunch 2 days in a row. Just thinking about them now makes me crave them. These little sweeties will leave your tastebuds yearning for more. You'll be totally set with ranch or bleu cheese dipping sauce and a small side of slaw or these delicious homemade potato chips.

Let's get saucy...

Honey BBQ Sauce

1/4 C brown sugar
1/2 C + 2 tbsp BBQ (I used Sweet Baby Ray's)
1/4 C water
1 tbsp honey

Mix everything together and the sauce is ready to go!

Bake the desired amount of strips. The quantity of sauce was enough for the entire bag. We only made about of the half the bag and baked the rest when we ready to eat more. I like my strips extra crispy so I always bake them longer than the bag recommends.

Once your strips are done, give them a honey BBQ bath. Flip 'em and flop 'em around in the sauce.

 Now you are set to sit down and enjoy some tasty, tasty Honey BBQ Chicken Strips!!

Loaded Tator Tots

Potatoes, cheese, bacon... can you say yum?!?

When I make tots for my kids I usually make a handful of extra ones for me. Sometimes I eat them just as is or I make something a little special with them. These loaded tots are amazing and so easy. It seriously takes less than 3 minutes to put together.

What you'll need:

Pile of tator tots, cooked extra crispy is my preference.
Handful of cheddar cheese
Green onions, chopped
Tomato, diced
Bacon bits
Sour cream

Group the tots together on a microwavable plate. Layer them with cheddar cheese and microwave for about 45 seconds or until cheese is melted. I quick chop the onions and tomatoes while the tots are getting nuked. Top the tots with sour cream, onions, tomatoes and bacon bits. That's it!

Marvelous Olive Tapenade

Tape-what?!?!  Olive tapenade (sounds like tah-pa-nade) is a spread made with olives, garlic, olive oil and Parmesan cheese.  Oh, it is so good.  My pal's husband makes this heavenly concoction and I just had to get the recipe.  Her husband went to culinary school so he doesn't mess around.  He makes GOOD food.  This appetizer never fails to impress and people are shocked that there really aren't that many ingredients and its pretty fool proof.  If you can dump a few things into a food processor and press on, you are good to go!  So if you are stressing about something marvelous to make for the big party tonight or any time, give this a try!

Here's what you need...

Sullivan's Olive Tapenade

Equal parts green and black olives (one jar/can of each)
Olive oil - start with 1/4 cup - I typically add more to keep moist before serving
Approx. 3 cloves garlic
Parmesan cheese - 1/4 cup (its recommended to use a mix of the cheap stuff and good stuff)

Place ingredients into food processor, blend.  Serve on crackers/crisps.

Enjoy!

Super Wife BBQ Chicken Nachos

Want a real crowd pleaser for your next party?  Whether its a late holiday family party or the upcoming Superbowl, these BBQ Chicken Nachos are so delicious and they disappear quite quickly!  The best thing is they are easy to make but look pretty impressive.  I don't really follow a recipe when I make them so the amounts below are just estimates - you should definitely adjust them to your taste.

BBQ Chicken Nachos

1 tub of bbq chicken - heated per instructions
1 package of shredded cheese of your choice - cheddar, colby, pepperjack (I like doing a mix)
1/2 bag of shredded lettuce
1 - 2 tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup frozen corn - heated
1 small can of sliced black olives
1 bag tortilla chips (I like the big restaurant style)

On a cookie tray or oven safe dish. spread desired amount of tortilla chips.  Sprinkle cheese on the chips.  Heat in 375 degree oven for approximately 10 minutes or however long it takes to melt the cheese.  Add the meat, lettuce, and remaining toppings.  Other topping ideas include onions, peppers, and beans.

Go Packers!

Devilish Eggs - a crowd pleaser

Whenever we are invited to a family gathering, my husband is forced to bring his deviled eggs or he may as well not even show his face. The family go nuts over them. I admit they are the best deviled egg I've tried. It's a perfect combination of creamy and kick.

For this post, I am stealing his recipe. Hubs and I are similar chefs ("chefs" used very lightly). We rarely measure anything out. This is very true for this recipe. For creamier eggs, use more mayo or for not so creamy eggs, use less mayo. For an extra kick, use more mustard or for less kick, use less mustard.

Here we go!

What you'll need:

1 dozen eggs
Mayo
Yellow mustard
Pepper
Paprika

Deviled egg tray
Mixer
Cake decorating icing gun (not necessary but makes it much easier)

Boil the eggs for a good 20 minutes and let cool. Once cooled, peel and slice eggs in half. Separate the yolk from the egg white. Put the yolk in a mixing bowl and the egg white in an "egg tray".

Set the whites aside and mash the yolks. Mix in mayo, start with a cup and add more until you've reached the creaminess you desire. Mix in mustard, start with 1/2 tbsp and add more until you are satisfied. Dash with pepper. Blend together until the mixture is nice and creamy. Try to avoid a lumpy mixture.

Spoon mixture into the decorating gun and begin filling the egg whites. Squeeze about 1 tbsp into each egg white. Sprinkle each egg with paprika. Wham bam... you've got yourself a kick butt appetizer.