Tag: garlic

Guacamole

Guacamole

Mexican food has always been one of my favorite cuisines to prepare and eat. When I was a young, not-so-good cook, I got my hands on a Mexican cookbook that helped fuel my love for cooking. As a result, I had several favorite Mexican dishes that were part of my regular line-up.

Homemade guacamole is about as good as it gets when you want an appetizer that everyone will love. Of course, the fresh taste is always a plus, but the health benefits are also impressive. They are heart-healthy, and they may even help prevent cancer.

Homemade guacamole is super simple, and fresh is always best! You can customize the recipe by adding additional onions or tomatoes, cayenne pepper, or Tabasco for a bit of heat. Serve as a side with all your favorite Mexican dishes, add to avocado toast, or, even better, top a toasted hashbrown patty with this fresh guacamole! Top that off with a sprinkle of everything but the bagel seasoning, fried bacon, and an overlight egg for the perfect breakfast!

4.0 from 1 reviews
Guacamole
 
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Ingredients
  • 3 Haas avocados, halved, seeded and peeled
  • ¼ c. chopped onions
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 to 3 tbsp. cilantro leaves, chopped
  • 1 jalapeno, seeds removed and chopped
  • 2 to 3 Roma tomatoes, diced
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
Instructions
  1. Place avocado in a medium bowl and mash a little. When you mix all of the ingredients together it will break up even more, so if you like chunky guacamole don't mash it up too much to begin with.
  2. Add onion, garlic, cilantro, jalapeno, tomatoes, lime, salt and pepper and stir. Taste for seasoning.
  3. Let stand in the refrigerator, or at room temperature, for 1 hour.

 

Dill Pickle Dip

Dill-Pickle-Dip

 

I love dill pickles. When I think of going to a movie, I think of pickles. I know, it sounds strange, but when I was a kid the local movie theater had a big jar of those huge pickles right by the popcorn. I went for the pickles every time! Wes eats pickles the way I do. We keep a gallon of them in the refrigerator at all times.

If you love dill pickles as much as I do, you will want to make this dill pickle dip immediately. I found this recipe over at noblepig.com. I was a little skeptical AND captivated all at the same time. I took a screenshot of the recipes on my iPad months ago. I scrolled by the screenshot daily, and would stop to look at it all of the time. When I finally decided to try the dip I could have made it in my sleep because I had studied it SO many times.

Why did I wait so long? Oh my, it was delish! Love at first bite as a matter of fact. Dill pickle dip would be great at your next cookout. The pretzel chips were perfect with this dip!

Dill Pickle Dip
 
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Ingredients
  • 1 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
  • ⅓ c. diced red onion
  • ¼ c. pickle juice
  • 2 tsp. finely chopped garlic
  • 1 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
  • 1 tsp. coarse ground black pepper
  • 2 c. diced pickles
Instructions
  1. With an electric mixer, combine cream cheese, red onion, pickle juice, garlic, Old Bay seasoning, and pepper. When mixed well, stir in the pickles and mix to combine. Refrigerate at least 3 hours before serving.

 

Ultimate Tomato Soup and Over-the-Top Grilled Cheese Sandwich

ultimate tomato soup with a grilled cheese sandwich

Sometimes the only thing that will satisfy the stomach and the soul is comfort food. There’s just something about creamy mac and cheese, delicious chicken and dumplings, melty chocolate chip cookies, or this ultimate homemade tomato soup with over-the-top grilled cheese sandwiches. This combination has always been a favorite of mine. It’s like a warm hug and especially good when the weather turns chilly.
I start my tomato soup as I do marinara sauce, with onions, garlic, carrots, and celery. After adding tomatoes and simmering for a while, I then blend it until smooth and add a can of diced tomatoes for a few small chunks of tomato scattered throughout the soup.

The name of this grilled cheese could not be more fitting. It is over-the-top good! However, you can change it up to your liking. I usually start with good, fresh bread. Then I add a creamy cheese, like Monterey Jack or Brie, and a sharp cheese, like Cheddar, topped off with goat cheese crumbles. As if that wasn’t enough, I add sliced onion and tomato, with some arugula, basil, or spinach. Grilled to perfection in a skillet or Panini press its divine when dipped into a delicious bowl of tomato soup!

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Ultimate Tomato Soup
 
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Ingredients
  • 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 celery stalk, chopped
  • 1 carrot, chopped
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 (28-oz.) can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 (28-oz.) can diced tomatoes
  • 1 (14.5-oz.) can diced tomatoes
  • 1 (14.5-oz.) can chicken broth
Instructions
  1. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven. Add onions and garlic and cook about 10 minutes over medium heat, until onions are translucent. Add celery, carrot, salt, and pepper and cook until soft. Add bay leaf, crushed tomatoes, 28-oz. can diced tomatoes and bring to a boil, uncovered. Lower temperature and simmer, uncovered, for about 1 hour.
  2. Remove bay leaf and puree in a blender, in batches. Pour the pureed tomato soup into the Dutch oven and add the 14.5-oz. can diced tomatoes and chicken broth. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper, if desired. Simmer until heated through.

Over-the-Top Grilled Cheese Sandwich
 
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Ingredients
  • Good bread
  • Monterey Jack cheese, sliced
  • Sharp Cheddar cheese, sliced
  • Goat cheese, crumbled
  • Arugula leaves
  • Onion, thinly sliced
  • Roma Tomato, thinly sliced
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
  1. Place the Monterey Jack cheese on one side of the bread. Add arugula leaves, onion, tomato, salt and pepper. Crumble goat cheese over top and then add Cheddar cheese. Top with second slice of bread and grill in a buttered skillet or a Panini press until the cheese has melted and the bread is lightly browned.

 

Summer Garden Pasta

summer garden pasta 2

Do you ever have those weekends that are jam-packed? You have that list that you’ve been making for months, and you decide that you are finally going to check things off that list. You work all day, and you accomplish more than you thought you would. Now the day is over, and you are hot, sweaty, and hungry. The thought of cooking is exhausting, but the thought of going out to dinner is even more exhausting.

With a little bit of planning, you will have this delicious summer pasta on the table in no time. This recipe is an Ina Garten recipe that is super simple. The tomatoes and a few of the other ingredients need to be mixed and left to stand at room temperature for 4 hours. With a mid-day break, this is easy to do. Other than the wait time, this dish can be ready in 15 minutes or less. It is a light and fresh meatless meal and a great end to a productive day of work!

 

5.0 from 1 reviews
Summer Garden Pasta
 
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Serves: 6
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Ingredients
  • 4 pints cherry tomatoes, halved
  • Good olive oil
  • 2 tbsp. minced garlic (6 cloves)
  • 18 large basil leaves, julienned, plus extra for serving
  • ½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
  • Kosher salt
  • ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 pound dried angel hair pasta
  • 1½ cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
Instructions
  1. Combine the cherry tomatoes, ½ cup olive oil, garlic, basil leaves, red pepper flakes, 1 tsp. salt, and the pepper in a large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, and set aside at room temperature for about 4 hours.
  2. Just before you're ready to serve, bring a large pot of water with a splash of olive oil and 2 tablespoons salt to a boil and add the pasta. Cook al dente according to the directions on the package (be careful - it only takes 2 to 3 minutes!). Drain the pasta well and add to the bowl with the cherry tomatoes. Add the cheese and some extra fresh basil leaves and toss well. Serve in big bowls with extra cheese on each serving.

 

 

 

Garlic Mashed Cauliflower

garlic mashed cauliflower

 

With Greg on his low-carb diet again I am scrambling to find recipes that the whole family will enjoy. He doesn’t care for cauliflower, and neither do the kids, but I decided I would try this recipe regardless. Had I known how well liked this dish was going to be I would have doubled the recipe.

I found the recipe at foodnetwork.com but decided to do roasted garlic instead of minced garlic, and I used Knorr Chicken Homestyle Concentrated Stock rather than chicken bouillon. The garlic mashed cauliflower was incredible. In fact, it was so good that we scraped the bowl clean!

If you need directions for roasting garlic you can find a recipe here.

 

Garlic Mashed Cauliflower
 
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Serves: 6
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Ingredients
  • 1 medium head cauliflower
  • 1 tbsp. cream cheese, softened
  • 3 tbsp. unsalted butter
  • ¼ c. grated Parmesan
  • 1 head garlic, roasted (see recipe)
  • ½ to 1 container Knorr Chicken flavored Homestyle Concentrated Stock, to taste
  • pinch freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
  1. Set a stockpot of water to boil over high heat.
  2. Clean and cut cauliflower into small pieces. Cook in boiling water until well done. Drain well; do not let cool and pat the cauliflower very dry between several layers of paper towels.
  3. In a bowl with an immersion blender, or in a food processor, puree the hot cauliflower with the cream cheese, butter, Parmesan, garlic, chicken stock concentrate, and pepper, until almost smooth.
  4. Serve hot.
  5. Nutritional Information:
  6. g Net Carbs; 9g Fat; 4g Protein; 111 Calories