Award Winning Black Bean Salsa

Here is the award winning salsa recipe.  Yes, I won a contest for best recipe at a church party.  

I know, I am amazing...ha...ha - don't be jealous....

It is actually quite delicious & one of my favorite things to put on tacos, tostadas, taco salads, enchiladas, etc.  or just with some good ole tortilla chips. 

Black Bean Salsa

1 - 15 oz can Black Beans                         

3 Roma tomatoes                                               

½ cup chopped green onions                 

1 jalapeno, minced                                   

2 large cloves garlic, minced                  

1-2 avocados – chopped

Handful of cilantro – finely chopped

1/8 tsp cumin

½ tsp salt

1 lime for juice

2 tsp. olive oil

black pepper – to taste

Rinse & drain the black beans.  Mix all ingredients together.  This is what I call a “dump” recipe.  You can modify any of the ingredients up or down to account for your own taste buds.  Serve with tortilla chips.

My Favorite Rolls

 I got this recipe from my sister years ago and they are by far my FAVORITE roll.  I make them all the time not only due to my own bread addiction, but my whole family gobbles these rolls up.

2 Tbsp yeast
2 cups warm water (105-115 degrees F)
1/3 cup softened butter
2 tsp salt
1/3 c. + half of 1/3 c. of sugar
1 egg
2/3 cup dry milk
5-6 cups of flour
*** extra butter needed later in the recipe

Mix all ingredients (only 2 cups of flour) with a fork.  Let sit for 5 minutes.  Add the rest of the flour one cup at a time.  Knead with hands. Let rise until doubled (usually 1 hour).  Punch, cut in half, roll out in a circle, coat with softened butter, cut like a pie until you have 16 pieces.  Roll like croissants.  Put on cookie sheet and let them rise again for 1 hour - 1 hour 20 minutes.  Cook at 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes or golden brown.  Brush rolls with melted butter.  Recipe makes 32 rolls.

WARNING:  Do not make these if you are on a diet. 

 You can't eat only one :)

White Corn Guacamole...YUMMY!!

My amazing sister shared this recipe with me and let me tell you it ROCKS my world.  It is the perfect summer appetizer.  Seriously, you should run to the store right now and make this you will not regret it :)

WHITE CORN GUACAMOLE

2 whole avocados - diced

1 can of sweet white corn

1 red bell pepper - diced

1 can black bean - drained & rinsed

1/2 cup jicama - diced

1/2 cup green or red onion - diced

1/2 tsp salt

1 or 2 whole serrano peppers - diced

handful of cilantro - diced

juice of 1 lime

Mix together and ENJOY with some tortilla chips. 

This is what my me, my mom, & sister call a dump recipe.  That means dump all the ingredients together and be sure to adjust the amounts of the seperate ingredients to your own liking.  This recipe is how I make it.  If I am making it for my family I use two peppers, if I am making it for the general public or wimps I use one pepper.

Tostada Pizza...so Yummy!

Have you ever had the tostada pizza at California Pizza Kitchen???  It is my very favorite thing to get at CPK.  I dream about it sometimes....seriously!  Anyways, I came across this recipe on Pinterest I had to try it.  It is not exactly a copycat recipe, but it is very similar.  I am soooo in love with it.  I have made it a few times already and I am making it again this week.  So follow the link below for the recipe.

http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/main-courses/taco-pizza-7/

this is her picture....much prettier than mine, BUT still crazy yummy

Homemade Bread & Jam Face Little Man

I have NEVER had luck making homemade bread in my life.  Granted I had only tried 5 or 6 times, but FINALLY I was successful - I made DELICIOUS multi-grain bread.  I used this recipe from my FAVORITE cooking blog.

http://www.ourbestbites.com/2012/01/multigrain-bread/

The directions are EXCELLENT and even have step by step pictures AND great helpful hints.

The bread was LOVED especially by Berkeley.  

He pretty much turned into "Jam Face Little Man" for a few days!!

Peppermint Marshmallows

Oooooh HOORAY!!!!  I finally after searching for a week at the various stores in my town, being on hold for WAY too long at WAY too many stores, and even being hung up on by a super smart Walmart employee I found some peppermint marshmallows.

  I love you Walmart in Woodland (thank you for not being busy and having them displayed in an obscure manner so you did not sell out of them!)  After reading the Best Bites website last Monday I came across this super YUMMY looking recipe and wanted to try it out immediately.  

 So I will make a batch tomorrow to test them out!  Hopefully they are as yummy as they look since I bought EIGHT bags!!!!!

Here is the link if you would like to make some, but I am warning you - you might have to cry because you can't find the marshmallows OR I guess make homemade marshmallows OR be really nice to me and hope you are on my Christmas treat list :)
http://www.ourbestbites.com/2011/12/peppermint-bark-rice-krispie-treats/http://www.ourbestbites.com/2011/12/peppermint-bark-rice-krispie-treats/

Bruchetta

I made this recipe for a Christmas party last night and was reminded how much I LOVE bruchetta!!!!!!!!! Some of the ladies at the party might of noticed I added extra garlic (I am a garlic freak) and it was probably too strong for people who are not garlic freaks. But, if you stick to the above recipe you will be super happy and might eat the whole batch by yourself!

Potato Cheese Broccoli Soup

First of all, I LOVE soup!!! I desperately miss the Wildflower Bread Company in Arizona and all their amazing veggie soups. I now live in a town with no amazing places to get soup so I am forced to try to make it myself. But, I always have a hard time finding vegeterian soups that I want and that my family will also like (they are NOT soup people...I know they are dumb). I tried a new recipe tonight and I declare it a success. I found a recipe called Potato Cheese Soup on allrecipes.com and made some modifications. My husband does not care for soup at ALL and he said several times that he really liked this soup. I asked him if he was trying to be nice and not hurt my feelings, but he assured me that it was a very tasty soup and that I was allowed to make it again!! I have tried MANY potato soups and have always found them to be bland or too thin, but this one is thick and flavorful. I was even able to get my kiddos to eat it...miracles happen!! Please excuse the picture with the shadow of my phone and my long bony witch hands trying to take a picture of my soup. I was having problems.

S'mores Bars and German Chocolate Ooey-Gooey Butter Cake Bars.........insanely yummy!!!

I made two new desserts last night and they were AMAZING!! On the left is the S'mores Bar and on the right is the German Chocolate Ooey-Gooey Butter Cake Bars. They are both from Paula Deen's Best Desserts,
The link for the S'mores Bars
http://www.pauladeenmagazine.com/recipe_results.php?id=382

GERMAN CHOCOLATE OOEY-GOOEY BUTTER CAKE

1 box German chocolate cake mix
1 cup butter, melted and divided (you know if it has a cup of butter -it's good!)
1 large egg
1 8 oz pkg cream cheese softened
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 16oz box confectioners' sugar
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a 13x9x2 inch baking pan.
In a large bowl, combine cake mix, 1/2 cup melted butter, and egg. Beat at low speed with an electric mixer until combined. Press evenly into bottom of prepared pan. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Gradually beat in sugar until smooth. Add remaining melted butter , beating at slow speed until combined. Stir in coconut and pecans. Pour over cake mix layer, spreading evenly. Bake for 45 minutes (the center should remain slightly gooey). Remove from oven. Let cool completely before cutting into squares.


ENJOY!!! I liked the S'mores Bars the best, but my hubby like the German Chocolate Bars the best. What do you think?

Pesto Pasta & Bread Sticks....oh YUMMY

Tonight I made some CRAZY, yummy stuff. My husband couldn't quit telling me how wonderful it was AND my kids ate it and LIKED it!!!

I made Pesto Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes and Bread Sticks and the pesto was even homemade. I usually buy the pesto pre-made, but I made it for the first time today and I will never buy store bought again. It is incredibly easy and delicious.

Pesto Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes

1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes

12 ounces sliced mushrooms

3-4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

8 ounces bowtie pasta

1/4 cup pine nuts

1/2 cup pesto (see recipe below)

1/3 cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese

1. Pre-heat oven to 425 F. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

2. Place tomatoes and mushrooms on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Toss with your fingers, making sure everything is coated with olive oil. Sprinkly lightly with kosher salt and pepper. Cook for 12-15 minutes or until tomatoes look plump and some of the skins just start to split.

3. When the water comes to a boil, add 2 teaspoons kosher salt and pasta to the water and cook according to package instructions.

4. While the pasta is cooking, place the pine nuts in a small skillet over medium heat. Stir frequently until the nuts turn golden brown, about 7-9 minutes.

5. To assemble, toss the hot drained pasta with pesto and parmesan cheese. Top with tomatoes and mushrooms and sprinkle with toasted pine nuts.

*** This recipe is from Our Best Bites


Incredible Bread Sticks
I will be making these ALL the time. I also made her Garlic Bread Seasoning.....oh man they are so YUMMY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Click on the link below for great step-by-step pictures and instructions.
http://www.ourbestbites.com/2008/04/breadsticks-and-pizza-dough/

http://www.ourbestbites.com/2008/04/garlic-bread-seasoning/

Incredible Fresh Basil Pesto
Click on the link below for great step-by-step pictures and instructions.
http://www.ourbestbites.com/2009/09/fresh-basil-pesto/

As you can see I am kind obsessed with my Cookbook Our Best Bites by Wells and Jones. Alot of the recipes are on their blog....BUT some are not and it is so much more handy to have the cookbook in front of you.

Oh Cocomotion, how I love you!

Everyone should have one of these. My sister bought me one a few years ago and I have been in love ever since. Just add some milk and hot cocoa mix and push a button. A few minutes later you have perfectly blended hot cocoa at just the right temperature. If you are super awesome like me you will add a teaspoon or two of your favorite Torani flavoring. My favorite is hazelnut.

This is the best thing to get you through the cold winter months.......seriously.

Cream Puff Pie...a little of heaven on earth

Pie Crust & Filling Ingredients:

1 cup water

4 cups milk

1/2 cup butter

3 (3.5 ounce) packages instant vanila pudding mix

1 cup flour

1 (12 ounce) container of Cool Whip

4 eggs

1/4 cup Hershey's Chocolate Syrup

Frosting (for bottom of pie) Ingredients:

2 (1 ounce) squares semi-sweet chocolate

2 Tbsp butter

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

3 Tbsp hot water

DIRECTIONS:

CRUST:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

2. In a large, heavy saucepan, heat butter and water to boiling over medium-high heat. Add flour and reduce heat to low. Cook and stir until it forms a ball and pulls away from the pan. Remove from heat and transfer to a large bowl. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each egg.

3. Spread in bottom & up the sides of two 9 inch glass pie dishes. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Cool completely.

Frosting:

1. While the crusts are cooling make the frosting. First, melt semi-sweet chocolate squares & butter in saucepan over low heat.

2. Stir in confectioners sugar & vanilla.

3. Stir in 3 Tbsp of hot water (I add one Tbsp at a time until I get the right consistency - sometimes that is only 2 Tbsp.)

4. Spread/pour the frosting on the bottom of each of the pie crusts.

Pie Filling & Topping:

1. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Then add a small amount of milk and beat the cream cheese and milk. Keep adding small amounts of milk and beat in between until you have added all four cups.

2. Add pudding mixes and beat until thickened. Spread over both cooled pie crusts.

3. Top both pies with Cool Whip & then drizzle chocolate syrup over the top.

4. Keep refrigerated until you serve. You can make it the day before and it does not get soggy!

OK people this dessert is my new favorite. It is absolutely divine. It is easier than making cream puffs, but you get the satisfaction of having a homemade cream puff. I cound sit and eat a whole pie. Good news is you can do that and you still have another whole pie for "other" people.

Super Duper Chocolate Cake

SUPER DUPER CHOCOLATE BUNDT CAKE

1 package of devil's food cake
1 (5.9 oz) package of instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs - beaten
1/2 cup warm water
2 cups mini semisweet chocolate chips
small amount of powered sugar (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. In a large bowl, mix together the cake and pudding mixes, sour cream, oil, beaten eggs, & water. Stir in the chocolate chips and pour batter into a well greased bundt pan.
3. Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until top is springy to the touch and a wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool cake thoroughly in pan at least an hour & half before inverting onto a plate.
4. Dust cake with powedered sugar. (optional)

I know many people make this cake or a very similiar version, BUT oh my it is the perfect cure for a chocolate craving. Problem is I have a chocolate craving about 17.5 times a day. Maybe that is why I am not the skinny girl I used to be :)

Capellini Pomodoro

Here is one of my favorite, simple pastas. Oh so fresh and light and YUMMY!

Capellini Pomodoro
2 cloves garlic – minced
2 pounds Roma tomatoes – diced
1 ounce fresh basil leaves – minced
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
3-oz Parmesan cheese

12-oz angel hair pasta
¼ tsp red pepper flakes

¼ tsp pepper

Chop vegetables. Cook pasta in lightly salted boiling water. Set aside when it is done (follow package instructions). Heat olive oil and add garlic in a large skillet over medium high heat. Cook it until it turns white. Add tomatoes, red pepper flakes, and pepper and heat through, stirring constantly for about 2-3 minutes. Tomatoes should not lose their shape. Remove from heat. Transfer hot cooked pasta to a large bowl. Toss pasta gently with tomato mixture, basil, and half of the Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately and top individual portions with remaining Parmesan.