Guacamole

My aunt and uncle live in Fallbrook, which is known for growing avocados, and they have several avocado trees on their property. We used to drive down to visit them on Saturdays when I was a kid, and if avocados were in season, they'd send us home with a big bag of 'em. My mom would then make a batch of guacamole for us to snack on.

I don't see my aunt and uncle as often anymore and it's been a long time since they've given my parents avocados, but I still love guacamole. One of the many benefits of living in southern California is the ability to get avocados for a decent price. They were recently on sale in my grocery store, so I scooped a bunch up, and whipped up a batch of guacamole for our dinner party. At the end of the night, there was only one big bite left, so my friend grabbed a chip and finished off the dip, before washing the bowl for me!

Guacamole
Source: Cooking in Cucamonga original
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
4 avocados, cut in half
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 tomato, diced
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Juice of 1 lime
1 jalapeno, diced (optional)- remove the white membrane and seeds it you don't like a lot of heat
a lot of pepper

Directions
Scoop the avocado flesh into a medium bowl, including the large seeds. (The seeds help prevent the avocado from browning quickly.) Squeeze the lime juice over the avocado.

Add the tomato, garlic salt, cayenne pepper, and jalepeno. Mash into the avocado, leaving it slightly chunky.

Serve with your favorite chips and enjoy!

Spinach and Artichoke Dip

My mom made this restaurant style dip as an appetizer for Christmas dinner and everyone quickly gobbled it up. When I began planning the menu for my recent dinner party, I immediately emailed my mom, asking for this recipe.

The recipe calls for 10 ounces of Alfredo sauce, but I could only find 15 ounce jars. I didn't feel like measuring it out, so I just dumped the entire 15 ounces into the mix. The dip came out creamy and wonderful, and not overly Alfredo-y.

I baked this about an hour before my guests arrived, and then turned the oven down to 225 degrees and left the dip in to keep it warm. Once my friends showed up, they quickly scooped it onto their plates, and devoured it with pita chips and tortilla chips. Even the toddler loved it!


Spinach and Artichoke Dip
Source: my mom
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
4 cloves garlic
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 (10 ounce) container Alfredo- style pasta sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place garlic in a small baking dish. Bake in the preheated oven 20 to 30 minutes, until soft. Remove from heat. When cool enough to touch, squeeze softened garlic from skins.

In an 8x8 inch baking dish (I used my deep dish pie pan), spread the roasted garlic, spinach, artichoke hearts, Alfredo-style pasta sauce, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese and cream cheese.

Cover and bake in the preheated oven 30 minutes, or until cheeses are melted and bubbly. Serve warm with pita chips.

Serves 12.

Learn-to-Cook Dinner Party Menu

The husband and I recently hosted our first dinner party; well, other than having family over for Thanksgiving, that is. When we bought out condo over a year ago, we chose our floorplan for the reason that it is a great home to entertain in. When we were renting a home, the husband and I used to tour model homes for fun, and we'd often stop by the condo community we now own in and visit "our" model. I'd sit on the couch, wistfully looking at the huge entertaining kitchen and cute patio, and tell the husband to buy the condo for me. He'd sigh and agree that it was nice, but that we probably couldn't afford to buy since we live in the sky high real estate market that is Southern California. But then the market tanked, real estate dove off a cliff, and we needed to move; fate smiled upon us and we became home owners.

Well, it's been over a year, and like I said, other than hosting Thanksgiving for both of our families this year (which went so well!), we haven't entertained the way we planned when we bought our home. So when a friend from work asked if I'd teach her to cook, and wanted to do it at my place, I jumped at the chance. The one-to-one cooking lesson quickly turned into an 8 person dinner party, with the invitation of 2 more co-worker friends and all of our husbands. I was nervous planning the event, but the whole thing worked out really well and everyone raved about the food. I also got to play with my friend's adorable two-year-old daughter, which was a highlight of the evening for me. :)

Anyway, being that I was trying to teach people to cook, while also get dinner on the table at a reasonable hour, and be a good hostess, I forget to take any pictures of the event itself. Don't worry I did get some shots of the food, but none of my friends and I workin it in the kitchen. :( I did however create a packet of the evening's recipes for each girl to take home and re-create in her own kitchen; it's the teacher in me.

The following is the evening's menu; I will be posting each of the recipes throughout the week:

Apps
Hot spinach and artichoke dip
Hummus with pita chips (Store bought)
Sliced veggies
Guacamole
Chips and salsa (store bought)

Dinner
Oven-roasted cauliflower & broccoli with mushrooms
Red, white and bleu mashed potatoes
Cous Cous
Parmesean stuffed chicken breasts

Dessert
Chocolate cupcakes

Crispy Sesame Maple Ginger Tofu and Broccoli

The husband loves tofu and is always up for trying new tofu recipes, but I have a fear of cooking tofu. I feel like it never comes out right, no matter how much I squeeze out the water or how I cut it up. I usually just crumble it up a bit and throw it in stir frys, but even then, I still am less than thrilled.

Where is that crispy on the outside, soft, almost creamy, on the inside texture I find in Thai restaurants? Why can't I recreate that at home? Do I really have to fry tofu to get that texture I crave?

Well, apparently not. I saw this recipe on Cara's Cravings recently and decided to give it a try. She mentioned some of my same frustrations, but then went on to describe her success at achieving crispy, yet creamy tofu. Well, let me tell you, she was right! This tofu came out wonderfully well! It had a nice crispy exterior and a soft interior, with a ton of flavor.

I made some modifications to Cara's recipe, including adding broccoli to make this a more filling meal. If you'd like to see her original recipe, check out Cara's Cravings. Don't be afraid of the maple syrup here; I thought it might be cloying and overly-sweet, but it just added a subtle hint of sweetness to round out the flavor profile.

Crispy Sesame Maple Ginger Tofu and Broccoli
Source: Adapted from Cara's Cravings
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
1 14-ounce block extra-firm water-packed tofu
2 small heads of broccoli, stems removed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground pepper
3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
3 teaspoons sesame oil
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
3 teaspoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 475°F.

Squeeze the water out of the tofu and cut into 1" cubes.

Spray a 9 X 13" baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and add the tofu cubes; lightly spray the tofu with more nonstick cooking spray and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 10-12 minutes, or until the pieces of tofu are lightly browned. Turn the pieces over, and roast for another 10 minutes.

Whisk together the soy sauce, sesame oil, maple syrup and vinegar in a small bowl.

Cut the broccoli into small chunks.

Remove the tofu from the oven, and add the broccoli to the dish. Toss with the maple mixture, sesame seeds, ginger, and crushed red pepper.

Return to the oven and roast for another 5-10 minutes, turning once, until desired crispiness is reached.

Serve over brown rice.

Lemon Sorbet

My parents have a small Meyer lemon tree in their backyard and whenever it is in season, the branches are laden down with the tangy fruit. They've offered me lemons in the past, but I've never really taken any...I didn't feel like I had much use for them. But then I found this recipe for lemon sorbet and immediately called, asking for some lemons.

Meyer lemons are difficult to find in the grocery store because their thin skin means they don't ship well. I did recently see them in my neighborhood Henry's (part of the Whole Foods family) for $3.00 a pound! Rather than pay that exorbitant price, I called up good ole mom and dad and asked for a bagful of lemons the next time they came over. My dad warned me that their lemons are small this year, but I said it was fine, just give me some lemons. He wasn't lying; they are tiny, about the size of a golf ball! This isn't Meyer lemons in general, just their particular crop. Even with about 10 lemons, I barely got a 1/2 cup of juice, so I had to halve the recipe below.



I've given you the full amounts, but if you don't have a lot of lemons, or don't want much sorbet, this halves easily. Also, this sorbet is really tart. If you prefer a sweeter lemon treat, I'd add another 1/4 cup of sugar. You need to do this in the beginning, with the water though, or the end result will be grainy. One last note, you don't have to use Meyer lemons for this recipe, but they are less tart than their regular counterparts. If you don't use Meyers, I would definitely up the sugar content.



Lemon Sorbet
Source: The Perfect Scoop
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups water
1 cup sugar
2 lemons
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from about 6 regular sized lemons)

Directions
In a medium, nonreactive saucepan, combine the sugar and 1/2 cup water. Zest the two lemons directly into the mixture, being careful not to add the pith. Heat, stirring frequently, until the sugar has completely dissolved.

Remove the pan from the heat and add the rest of the water. Refrigerate until completely chilled (several hours or overnight is best). Stir in the lemon juice and freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker, following your manufacturer's directions.

Chile Chicken with Rice and Black Beans

Do you ever click on any of those blogs on the right over there? I love browsing through the new entries every day and seeing what other bloggers are coming up with, and those are some of my favorite blogs. You all know I love Annie's Eats, but another big fav of mine is Pink Parsley. I made her tomato-mozarella tart with basil crust this summer, which we loved, so I had a good feeling about this recipe.
One of the best things about this meal, besides the fact that is is pretty healthy, is that it is made in just one skillet! I love one pot meals because it means less clean up, lessening the chance that my kitchen will look like a tornado swept through. This also makes the husband happy, as he's usually the one who cleans up after dinner. (Yeah, I'm an advocate of "I cook, you clean!")
Despite the jalapeno and chili powder this was not spicy at all-just really flavorful. The husband even gave it his ringing endorsement: "Add it to the rotation."

Chile Chicken with Rice and Black Beans
Source: Pink Parsley
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
2 Tablespoon canola oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (I used boneless, skinless thighs)
2 1/2 Tablespoons chili powder, divided
1 medium onion, large dice
1-2 jalapenos, diced
1 cup rice
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups chicken broth (I used homemade turkey stock)
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/2 to 1 cup salsa, for serving
lime wedges and sour cream, for serving (optional)

Directions
Season chicken with salt, pepper, and 1 Tablespoon of chile powder. Preheat a large skillet with oil until shimmering. Brown chicken on both sides, about 2-3 minutes per side (the chicken will not be completely cooked through at this point. That is ok.).

Remove chicken from the skillet and place on a plate, leaving behind as much oil as possible.

Sautee onion, rice, and jalapeno in the same skillet until the rice is toasted and is no longer translucent. Add the remaining chili powder, the garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Cook 1 minute, then stir in the broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and cover.

Simmer 10 minutes.

While the rice simmers, cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Add the chicken and the black beans to the pot, stir, cover, and cook for another 10-12 minutes.

Taste a grain of rice. It should only have a slightly chalky texture in the middle. If it is at this point, remove the pot from heat, stir in the green onion and cilantro, and let sit, covered, 5 additional minutes. If the rice is not cooked through (more than slightly chalky), re-cover the pot, and cook for an additional 5 minutes, or until done.

Fluff rice with a fork, and serve with salsa, sour cream, and lime wedges.

Ginger-Mango Chicken in Parchment

I've been cooking my way through Martha Stewart's Everyday Food-The Light Issue lately, and have really enjoyed the recipes I've tried. I was particularly intrigued by her tip on cooking in parchment, and fueled by the success with salmon cooked in parchment, I decided to give this recipe a try.

While the final results were delicious--slightly sweet, almost tropical--the recipe had one major annoyance for me. It calls for the chicken to be cooked at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes. Well, after 20 minutes my chicken was still raw! Now, I did use boneless chicken thighs, instead of the chicken cutlets Martha calls for (I don't even know what a cutlet is!), but thighs are small, and without bones, don't usually take long to cook. I kept checking the chicken for doneness every few minutes, until it was finally cooked all the way through after 35 minutes.

Either my oven temp is off (always a possibility) or Martha just got the cooking time wrong here. Despite that annoyance, I still enjoyed this recipe and highly recommend it. The mango flavor is absorbed into the chicken and the parchment makes for easy clean up. Don't be scared by the jalapeno...it added depth of flavor without being spicy. It also helps that I removed the seeds and white membrane, where most of the jalapeno's heat resides.

Ginger-Mango Chicken in Parchment
Source: Martha Stewart's Everyday Food
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
1 large mango
8 chicken cutlets (I used 6 small, boneless, skinless thighs)
1 piece fresh ginger (about 1"), peeled and cut into matchsticks
1/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1 medium jalapeno, thinly sliced (remove the seeds and membrane if you don't like a lot of heat)
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil, divided (Martha actually calls for 2 Tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons, but I found 1 teaspoon to be enough)
lime wedges, for serving

Directions
Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.

Peel the mango and slice into bite-sized chunks. Divide the mango chunks in half, and place them in the center of 2 large sheets of parchment paper.

Top the mangoes with chicken, ginger, jalapenos, and cilantro. Drizzle 1/2 a teaspoon oil over each packet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Bring the edges of the parchment up to meet in the middle, and then fold them over, creating a seam. Twist the open edges, sealing the packets shut. Place each packet on a cookie sheet
and bake for 18-20 minutes (mine actually took 35 minutes to cook).



Plate the chicken, including the cooked mango, and serve with lime wedges.