Avocado and Feta Dip

This dip is INCREDIBLE!!!  Make it...over and over!  I halved it because avocados brown so quickly.

1 lb tomatoes, about 4 medium, coarsely chopped
3 medium avocados, cubed
1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, chopped
1 package crumbled feta cheese
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

Toss together first 4 ingredients in a large bowl.  Whisk together oil and vinegar in a small bowl; pour over tomato mixture and toss gently to coat tomatoes, avocados, and feta with dressing.  Sprinkle with desired amount of salt and pepper.  Serve with tortillas chips.

We LOVE Mexican!

I know I've posted enchiladas before, but I took some of my favorite elements from the different recipes and made these.  
3/4 pound Pepper jack cheese, shredded
2 4-ounce cans diced green chilies, drained1 cup sour cream, I used light1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
cooked chicken
1 can white beans, drained and rinsed
10inch flour tortillas2 cloves garlic, minced1 tsp ground cumin
salt
pepper
vegetable oil, for warming tortillas
Thinly sliced jalapeño peppers for topping
Preheat the oven to 425°F.  In a medium bowl, combine the cheese, canned chilies, sour cream, yellow onion, garlic, cumin, chicken, beans, salt and pepper.  Heat 1/4 inch oil in a skillet over medium heat until hot. Using tongs, add 1 tortilla at a time, turning in the oil to soften for a few seconds. Drain on paper towels.  Dollop a few tablespoons of the cheese mixture onto each tortilla and roll up like a cigar.  Arrange the enchiladas in a single layer in a casserole dish. Cover with the more shredded cheese and bake until golden, about 15 minutes. Top with the jalapeños.
Preheat the oven to 425°F.  In a medium bowl, combine the cheese, canned chilies, sour cream, yellow onion, garlic, cumin, chicken, beans, salt and pepper.  Heat 1/4 inch oil in a skillet over medium heat until hot. Using tongs, add 1 tortilla at a time, turning in the oil to soften for a few seconds. Drain on paper towels.  Dollop a few tablespoons of the cheese mixture onto each tortilla and roll up like a cigar.  Arrange the enchiladas in a single layer in a casserole dish. Cover with the more shredded cheese and bake until golden, about 15 minutes. Top with the jalapeños.

Lemon Rosemary Garlic Roasted Chicken

Dear Southern Living magazine,

It's recipes like this that will make this girl a life-long subscriber!!  Amazing!  This roasted chicken is packed full of flavor!  We loved it and it will be a keeper recipe!

1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 (3.5 oz) jar capers, drained
2 lemons, sliced
10 garlic cloves, smashed
3 Tbsp fresh rosemary leaves
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
3 Tbsp olive oil
6 chicken legs
4 skin-on, bone in chicken thoughts (I bought skinless and they were fine)
2 lb small red potatoes

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Stir together first 8 ingredients in a medium bowl.  Place a roasting pan on stove top over two burners.  Add 3 Tbsp olive oil, and heat over medium-high heat.  Sprinkle chicken with desired amount of salt and pepper; place skin sides down in pan.  Add potatoes.  Cook 9-10 minutes or until chicken is browned.  Turn chicken and pour lemon mixture over chicken.  Bake at 450 for 45-50 minutes or until chicken is done.  Serve with sauce from the pan and crusty french bread.

Buttermilk Pie

I was skeptical, but tempted by this recipe in Southern Living.  I decided to make it for Mother's Day dessert and was glad I did.  It was really good, with a good hint of lemon in the flavor.  The crust was definitely my favorite part!

For the crust:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp table salt
6 Tbsp cold butter, cubed
3 Tbsp cold shortening, cubed
4-5 Tbsp ice water

Pulse first 3 ingredients in food processor 3-4 times or until combined.  Add butter and shortening and pulse 8-10 times or until mixture resembles coarse meal.  Drizzle 4 Tbsp ice water over mixture; pulse 4-5 times or until dough clumps together, adding up to 1 tsp ice water at a time (don't exceed 1 Tbsp), if necessary.  Gently shape dough into a flat disk.  Wrap in plastic wrap and chill 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 4oo degrees.  Roll dough into a 12 inch circle on a floured surface.  Fit into a 9 inch pie plate; crimp edges.  Prick bottom and sides with a fork  Line pastry with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans.  Bake at 400 for 10 minutes.  Remove weights and parchment paper and bake 8-10 more minutes, until lightly browned.  Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.

For the filling:
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 Tbsp all purpose flour
3 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 Tbsp loosely packed lemon zet
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees  Whisk together the first 2 ingredients in a large bowl.  Whisk eggs and next 5 ingredients into flour mixture.  Pour into crust.  Bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes or until almost set, shielding edge with aluminum foil after 15 minutes.  Transfer to wire rack and cool 1 hour.

Serve with fresh berries!

Oatmeal Heath Chocolate Chippers

I posted these awhile back but didn't take a photo.  I made them the other week and remembered to snap one, finally!  They are so good!

1 1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1 c. margarine or butter, softened
1 1/4 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
2 1/2 c. quick cooking oats
1 c. all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup (or more) chocolate chips
Heath chips (just eyeball it)
Mix brown sugar, butter, vanilla and egg. Stir in dry ingredients. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto a cookie sheet (ungreased). Bake at 350 until golden brown...may take 8-10-12 minutes. Cool slightly (they will set up as they cool).

Easy side dish

My mom always made these potatoes and my sister and I would gobble them up.  They are so tasty, yet so ridiculously easy!! Just chop up little red potatoes-you can use any potatoes, but the red ones are my preference.  Combine dry onion soup mix and some vegetable oil in a measuring cup and then drizzle over the potatoes on a baking sheet.  Cook at 400 for about 20 minutes until potatoes are soft.

YUM YUM YUM!

Lunch at Home

It's not very often I get to have lunch at home.  I feel like I can be more creative than my typical peanut butter sandwich and apple that I bring to work.  I took advantage of having yesterday off and made this sandwich for lunch.  Leftover bacon, some chiptole cheddar, bread, and arugula = a fun lunch at home.  Loading up the arugula makes it feel like more of a sandwich and keeps it healthy.  Popped it in the toaster oven to toast the bread and melt the cheese, reheat the bacon....and then added the arugula once it was out.  Only had two tiny slices of cheese and 1 1/2 pieces of bacon and it was so satisfying!!