Baked Stuffed Avocados

I've seen a few variations of these avocados floating around, but when I set out to make them yesterday afternoon, I totally winged it.  I thought they turned out really well and were a perfect compliment to Taco Soup (recipe coming soon!).  There was little to no measuring as I tossed this together, but I'll give some ballpark measurements below.

First, I sliced two avocados and removed the pits.  I made little boats out of a large muffin tin and aluminum foil for the avocados to sit in.  I was afraid of the avocados tipping/rollling over as they were coming in and out of the oven -- it worked pretty well.  I chopped up a couple handfuls of grape tomatoes and tossed them in a bowl with a few drizzles of olive oil, lemon juice, sea salt, and dried basil.  Once those were nicely coated, I dropped in a couple handfuls of Panko bread crumbs, as well as about a handful and half of Parmesan cheese.  I mixed these well, to be sure the bread crumbs and cheese were coated also.  I baked these for 5 minutes at 450 degrees and then turned the broiler on for about 2 more minutes.  Watch these closely, as I'm pretty sure they could go from golden to toasted in seconds.

Sunday Supper -- Mini Monte Cristos and Farmhouse Salad

This past Christmas, I tried a new recipe for Mini Monte Cristos and well... they were a hit.  I adapted my recipe from the PET Evaporated Milk website, so I'll detail my adaption below.  Traditionally, Monte Cristos are made with Swiss cheese, but I substitute with Provolone.  They are also commonly sprinkled with powdered sugar and served with raspberry jam.  While they are insanely good this way, my family would prefer them with a Honey Mustard Dip (I've given this recipe before with my Pretzel Bites, but I'll reprint it below).  Tonight, I made up a batch of these little guys and paired them with what I have named a Farmhouse Salad with homemade Ranch Dressing.  Sit tight.  This is going to be a long post with a lot of goodness.  :)


Mini Monte Cristos

Ingredients:
8 slices soft white bread
8 very thin slices, fully cooked ham
8 very thin slices, fully cooked turkey
8 very thin slices, Provolone cheese
2 large eggs
1 (12 ounce) can PET Evaporated Milk
1 cup Hungry Jack Complete Buttermilk Pancake & Waffle Mix (Just Add Water)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
oil for deep frying

Directions:
Trim the crusts off each slice of bread (this is totally optional -- I've done it both with and without crust and either way works just as well) and then flatten the slices with a rolling pin.  Layer each slice of bread with one slice of ham, one slice of turkey, and one slice of cheese.  Roll each "half sandwich" into a tight log and wrap tightly with plastic wrap.  Chill the sandwich logs for at least 30 minutes to an hour.

Heat 1.5 inches oil in a deep skillet.  Whisk egg, evaporated milk, Hungry Jack mix, salt, and cinnamon in a small bowl until smooth.  Unwrap each sandwich log and insert 4 toothpicks in even increments.  Slice the logs into 4 equal pieces with a sharp knife.

Working with a few pieces at a time, soak each piece in the batter for about 15 seconds.  Fry in hot oil for 1 to 1.5 minutes or until golden brown; turn frequently.  Drain on papertowls.

Serve immediately or keep warm in a 200 degree oven.  Suggestions:  Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with Raspberry Jam.  Or serve with Honey Mustard (recipe below).

Honey Mustard

Ingredients:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions:
Whisk together ingredients until smooth.  Store covered in the refrigerator.


Farmhouse Salad

I call this a Farmhouse Salad because it's a bit of everything fresh that you have laying around, plus some other goodness added in for good measure.  Tonight's addition of Farmhouse Salad included:

Romaine lettuce
spinach
kale
avocado
hard bolied eggs
red bell peppers
red onion
grape tomatoes
cucumber
chick peas
sunflower seeds
croutons
topped with homemade Ranch Dressing (recipe below)


Ranch Dressing
yields one quart

Ingredients:
1 cup buttermilk
1 ounce ranch seasoning mix
2 cups mayonaisse
8 ounces sour cream

Directions:
Whisk together until smooth.  Store covered in refrigerator.

Sweet Potato Casserole

What Thanksgiving dinner is complete without a good Sweet Potato Casserole? Thanksgiving 2010 is graced with the presence of the below version. I think it's going to be a winner!

Ingredients:
3 cups coarsely mashed sweet potatoes
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup melted butter

Topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup melted butter
1 cup chopped pecans

Directions:
Combine the first six ingredients and pour into a prepared 2 quart dish. Mix together the topping ingredients and spoon on top of sweet potato mixture. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes; topping should be nicely browned.

Baked Squash Casserole

One of my many waitressing jobs included a year long stint at the Black-eyed Pea.  One my favorite things they serve is their Baked Squash Casserole.  This recipe comes to a pretty darn close resemblance of it!

Ingredients:
5 pounds yellow squash
2 eggs
1 cup breadcrumbs*
4 ounces butter
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
dash of pepper

Directions:
Cut the tops off the squash and cut into about 2 inch chunks.  Place the squash in boiling water and boil just until tender.  Drain and coarsely mash; a potato masher works really well.  Add remaining ingredients and mix well.  Pour in a 3 quart casserole dish and sprinkle a light layer of breadcrumbs over the top.  Bake at 350 for about 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned.

*for the breadcrumbs, I like to use King's Hawaiian Honey Wheat rolls.  These closely resemble the yummy honey wheat rolls that the Black-eyed Pea is famous for and what they use in their own squash casserole.  I let the rolls dry out for a day or night before I make this dish and just crumble them with my hands.

Baked Stuffed Eggs

Yes, another recipe that sounds a bit "different".  I made this for Easter one year when I was on the hunt for a new recipe.  It turned out really well and everyone seemed to like it.  It orginally called for 6 eggs, but I was able to squeeze in 8 eggs with no problem and had plenty of sauce.  This prepares well the night before because it actually needs to be refrigerated the night before baking.

Stuffed Eggs:
8 hard-boiled eggs
3-4 tablespoons sour cream
2 teaspoons prepared mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt

Sauce:
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons butter
1 (10 3/4 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 teaspoon paprika

Directions:
Cut eggs lengthwise, remove yolks, set whites aside. On a plate, mash yolks and add sour cream, mustard, and salt. Mix well. Fill the egg whites with the yolk mixture. In a small pan, saute onion in butter until tender. Add soup and sour cream; mix well. Pour half of the sauce mixture into an 11x7 pan. Place stuffed eggs in sauce and spoon remaining sauce on top of eggs. Sprinkle with cheese and paprika. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Remove from fridge 30 minutes before baking. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 25 - 30 minutes or until heated through. Serve immediately.

Guacamole

I used to be very simplistic with my guacamole.  Mash up the avocadoes, add some sea salt and call it done.  Sometimes I'd add tomatoes.  But, then I discovered this recipe.  And while I still revert to the "basic" guacamole when I'm in a hurry, I like to make this one when I have time and have the ingredients on hand.

Ingredients:
7 ripe medium avocados, peeled and halved
1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 pint grape tomatoes, chopped
2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
juice from 1 large fresh lime
1/2 tablespoon Lawry's Seasoned Salt

Directions:
Sprinkle seasoned salt and crushed garlic over avacado halves.
Coarsely mash the avocados, leaving some chunks.
Add remaining ingredients and mix well.
 
Servings: 6