Karina's Guacamole

I could seriously forgo a meal for just a sit down of "guac" and chips.  My brother made the best decision of his entire life when he married my now sister - Karina.  Karina comes from a Hispanic family that can throw down on some major delicious food!  At their Wedding her family made Fajitas for the entire lot of us, and her mother, Dora made "the best" tamale I have ever put in my mouth.  I've had tamales everywhere including Mexico - I mean come on - I live in Texas, they are bountiful here - But none have compared to Dora's.  All of that to tell you Karina taught my sweet man Joshua how to make Guacamole! And Yesterday I ate Guac for lunch! It was delicious as always.  Here's the problem.  There isn't a recipe.  Its a "O taste and see that the guac is good" sort of thing... It's simple like most things that are delicious.
 Here's is what you need:
3 ripe avocado's
3 limes start with the juice of one and go from there.
onion
garlic
tomato
salt

 Karina spoon's her avocado's out! Make sure that you save the seeds! Keep them in your finished guacamole to keep it from turning brown!

 My avocado skins never look this good after Im done - Im so excited to get to the guac part that I end up just squeezing the skins together and diving in!

 Also a very fine chop on everything makes every bite super good.  She's got mad chopping skills! :)

 Teeny tiny onions, maybe it ended up being like 3-4 tablespoons - again do it to taste.

Here you can take a look at her proportions and see about how much of everything goes in.  The minced garlic is on the top.  I always think a little more garlic is way better than not enough.  We did at least two cloves in this batch. 

 Yesterday Joshua made it.  They both make it delicious!  Here's his batch. Using the same ingredients - we just taste as we go - EVERY SINGLE TIME!

 Once you have all of the ingredients together, use whatever tool necessary to get it combined and in your mouth!

You can substitute garlic powder - if you HAVE to!

Corn Bean Salsa

Our very first Neighbors in Iowa became very dear friends of ours. We started a tradition of getting together for dinner and all the recipes we made had to be ones we had never tried before.  They had taken a trip to Santa Fe and while there went to a cooking class.  They brought back this recipe and we have been loving it for many years since!
(I always double this recipe since we usually have a house full!)
This is better the day after you make it!

Saute:
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 t. minced garlic
2T olive oil

In a bowl combine:
3 T chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 t cumin powder
1 jalapeno minced ( I remove seeds)
2 T Cider Vinegar
1 T Honey
1 T chili powder
1 t salt
3/4 cup of drained can corn
3 large roma tomatoes or (i use one can of petite diced can tomatoes drained)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

Lightly Saute Onion and Garlic in oil. Combine all ingredients. Stir well. Let stand one hour to blend flavors!

Barbie Lake's Dip

Submitted by Lorraine Branham

1/4 tsp Cumin
1 T Chili powder
3/4 cup Sour cream
1 cup Cheddar cheese
1 cup Monterrey jack
1/2 pkg Cream cheese
1 cup Picant'e salsa


Bake @ 350 for 30-40 mintues.

Connie's Grandma Nix's Dip

submitted by Lorraine Branham

1 lb. Extra sharp cheddar cheese - shredded
1 Small grated onion - food processor
1 Green jalapeno - food processor
2 T Real mayonnaise (or more)
2 T Apple Cider vinegar
Dash garlic salt
Dash season salt
Dash Worcestershire

Mix all together, let set in the refrigerator one hour - Eat with frito scoops !

Maple - Balsamic Dressing

Submitted by Dara Singleton
found in Cooking Light Magazine

Maple-Balsamic Dressing

The sweet, tangy dressing is ideal for peppery greens, such as arugula, or bitter greens like radicchio or endive. It also compliments rich meats, such as pork or dark-meat chicken.

1/2 cup tomato jucie
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 T minced fresh rosemary
2 tsp. Dijon Mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 1/2 T extra virgin olive oil

1. Combine all ingredients except oil, stirring well. Gradually add oil, stirring constantly with a whisk until well combined. Yield: about 1 cup (serving size: 1 Tablespoon)

Bella Pepper Dressing

submitted by Dara Singleton

given to me by Sherry Jackson - This is her take on one of my favorite restaurant salad dressings. Unlike the Tipton Ford Recipe - we do not have the exact recipe, but this is pretty close to Bella Pepper.

Bring to a Boil:
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup vinegar

After boiling add very tiny slices of red bell peppers, and 1/2 cup of sugar. After the sugar is all melted and the peppers have become translucent - remove and store in the refrigerator.

Creamy Parmesean Dressing

submitted by Dara Singleton
received from Gil Meier


1 qt mayonnaise
2/3 - 3/4 cup orange french dressing
3/4 oz. minced garlic
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 T sugar
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. white pepper

Mix and let stand in refrigerator for 3 days to mix flavors!

Awesome Chocolate Sauce

submitted by Dara Singleton

1/3 cup cocoa
1/4 cup butter
2/3 cup sugar
1 5 ounce can (2/3 cup) evaporated milk

In a small heavy sauce pan melt the chocolate and butter. Add the sugar; gradually stir in the evaporated milk. Bring mixture to boil; reduce heat.
Boil gently over low heat for 8 minutes, stirring frequently.
Remove pan from heat. Cool slightly.
Serve warm over ice cream. Cover and chill any leftovers. Makes 1 1/2 cups!

To reheat this rich sauce in your microwave oven, allow 15 - 30 seconds on high.

Tipton Ford Cafe's Salad Dressing

Submitted by Dara Singleton

(This recipe comes from a restaurant that we visited many times as a kid. They were famous for their fried chicken that was AMAZING, and their house dressing was a SECRET for FOREVER - We got ahold of it from a new owner, after the business was no longer around. Juanita would turn over in her grave if she knew that it was out! It is especially good when you dip your fried chicken in it! My mouth is currently watering...)

1 26 oz. Can of Campbells Tomatoe Soup
1 1/3 c. Sugar
1 T., plus 1 t. Pepper
3 T. granulated garlic
1 T. Worcestershire Sauce
6 oz. water
6 oz. vinegar
1 T. Salt
1 T. Finely (and we do mean very finely) chopped onion with juice.


This is my all time favorite dressing. I give this 5 stars.

Garden Salsa

submitted by Amy Rodgers Ailabouni

Ingredients:

• 6 medium tomatoes, finely chopped
• 2 tomatillos, finely chopped
  
• 3/4 cup finely chopped green pepper
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 to 2 teaspoons minced jalapeno pepper
• 1 to 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Tortilla chips

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, green pepper, onions, garlic, vinegar, lemon juice, oil, jalapeno and seasonings. Cover and refrigerate until serving. Serve with chips. Yield: 5 cups.

White Bean Dip

Submitted by Dara Singleton
(this is a Giada De Laurentiis Recipe)

1 15 ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 cloves of garlic
2 T fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup loose leaf parsley leaves
Salt

Place all of the ingredients in a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is coarsely chopped- season with salt and pepper, to taste!

Serve with Pita chips!

My Big Fat Greek Dip

submitted by Angela Sustala

1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened

4-6 Tablespoons minced fresh chives

1 Tablespoon dried oregano

1 (8 oz.) container any flavor hummus

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded & chopped

3-4 plum tomatoes, seeded & chopped

1 (4 oz.) container crumbled feta cheese

1 can sliced black olives

1/2 cup chopped green onions

Baked pita chips

Mix cream cheese with chives & oregano. Spoon onto bottom of pie plate. Drop hummus by small spoonfuls evenly over cream cheese; spread evenly. Top with remaining ingredients in order listed. Refrigerate. Serve with baked pita chips. Serves 10.