Guacamole

Ingredients

• 3 avocados- peeled, pitted, and mashed
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 3 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 roma (plum) tomatoes, diced
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic

In a medium bowl, mash together the avocados, lime juice, and salt. Mix in onion, cilantro, tomatoes, and garlic. Refrigerate 1 hour for best flavor, or serve immediately.

Bacon-Wrapped Scallops with Pineapple Quinoa

Ingredients

• 1 can (14.5 oz) vegetable broth
• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. plus 1/4 tsp. pepper, divided
• 10 bacon strips
• 16 sea scallops (about 2 lbs.), side muscles removed
• 1 cup drained canned pineapple tidbit
• Toothpicks

In a small saucepan, bring broth to a boil. Add quinoa, salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, 12-15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.

Meanwhile, place bacon in a large nonstick skillet. Cook over medium heat, removing eight of the strips when partially cooked but not crisp. Continue cooking remaining strips until crisp. Remove to paper towels to drain. Finely chop crisp bacon strips. Cut remaining bacon strips lengthwise in half.

Wrap a halved bacon strip around each scallop; secure with a toothpick. Sprinkle with remaining pepper.

Wipe the pan clean, if necessary; heat over medium-high heat. Add scallops; cook 3-4 minutes on each side or until scallops are firm and opaque.

Remove quinoa from heat; fluff with a fork. Stir in pineapple and chopped bacon. Serve with scallops. Makes 4 servings.

Red Velvet Macadamia Nut Cookies

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup butter, chilled
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon hot water
• 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cup Red Velvet cake mix
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup macadamia nuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Beat the butter, brown sugar, and sugar until smooth, and you can no longer see any butter chunks. Add the egg and vanilla, and mix until smooth. 

Dissolve the baking soda in the hot water. Add the baking soda-water to the mixing bowl. Add the flour and cake mix, and mix just until the dough forms. Stir the chocolate chips and macadamia nuts in with a spoon or spatula. Scoop the dough onto a lined baking sheet.

Bake for 10-13 minutes until the edges are set. Let cool completely on baking sheet. Yields 3 dozen cookies.

*These cookies spread a bit. You can try freezing the dough for about 10 minutes before baking to help prevent spreading :).

Classic Carrot Cake

Ingredients

• 1 can (8 ounces) unsweetened crushed pineapple
• 2 cups shredded carrots
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup canola oil
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Frosting

• 2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

Drain pineapple, reserving 2 tablespoons juice (discard remaining juice or save for another use). In a large bowl, beat the carrots, eggs, sugars, oil, pineapple and reserved juice until well blended. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; gradually beat into pineapple mixture until blended. Stir in walnuts.

Transfer to a greased 13x9 inch baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

For frosting, in a large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Beat in vanilla. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until smooth. Spread over cake.

Yield: 12 servings

Chicken Taco Casserole

Ingredients

• 4 cups shredded cooked chicken
• 2 cans (10.75 oz. each) Campbell's Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup (Regular or 98% fat free)
• 1 cup light sour cream
• 1 can (10 oz.) diced tomatoes and green chilies, undrained
• 1 can (about 15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 envelope (about 1 ounce) reduced-sodium taco seasoning mix
• 5 cups coarsely crushed tortilla chips
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (about 8 oz.)
• Chopped tomato, sliced green onion and chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 13x9x2-inch baking dish. Stir the chicken, soup, sour cream, tomatoes and green chilies, beans, and seasoning mix in a large bowl.

Layer half the chicken mixture, 3 cups tortilla chips and half the cheese in a baking dish. Layer with the remaining chicken mixture. Cover the baking dish. 

Bake for 30 minutes. Uncover the baking dish. Sprinkle with the remaining tortilla chips and cheese.

Bake, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until hot and bubbling and the cheese is melted. Sprinkle with the chopped tomato, green onion and cilantro before serving, if desired.

Cookies 'n Cream Cake

Ingredients

• Cake
• 1 box white cake mix
• Eggs, water, and oil as called for on the box
• 15 Oreos, crushed

• Frosting
• 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 (16 oz) box powered sugar
• 1 (8 oz) container Cool Whip, room temperature
• 15 Oreos, crushed
• 1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Cake: Grease and flour two 8" pans. Prepare cake according to package directions (or recipe directions), stirring in the crushed Oreos to the batter before dividing between prepared pans. Bake as directed on box or in recipe, but start checking 5 (or more) minutes early if you choose to do three layers as they will bake faster. Remove cake layers from oven and allow to cool completely on cooling rack.

Frosting: In mixer, cream the cream cheese and sugar. Add vanilla, mix well, and stir in Cool Whip (do not beat it in or your frosting will turn out runny). Mix well. Fold in crushed Oreos until well blended and frost cool cake. Refrigerate cake until ready to serve. Refrigerate any leftovers.

*Cake may be baked in a 13 x 9 inch pan or you can even make cupcakes; change the baking time according to the package instructions or your recipe. 

Baked Gnocchi with Bacon, Tomato, and Mozzarella

Ingredients

• 1 package (500 g) store-bought gnocchi
• 1 cup (250 g) bacon, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 medium sized tin chopped tomatoes
• 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
• Handful cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2-3 Tablespoons heavy whipping cream
• Large handful fresh parsley, chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup (100 g) mozzarella, sliced

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and prepare gnocchi. 

In the meantime, make the sauce: In a a large hot frying pan, fry the bacon until starting to crisp with the fat rendered. Pour off most of the fat then add the garlic and smoked paprika and fry for 30 seconds. Add all the tomatoes and the sugar and allow to simmer for 5 minutes.Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the heavy whipping cream, parsley, and seasoning. 

Add the cooked gnocchi to the sauce in an oven-proof dish and top with the sliced mozzarella. Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes until the mozzarella is melted and golden. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving. 

*This recipe yeilds 2-3 servings. Double the ingredients to fill a 9x11 inch pan :)