Nanna's Avocado Pie

This is a recipe I got out of an old hand-written recipe book that belonged to my Dad's grandmother, Dulcina Peltier. Doesn't she sound divine?!!! I think so. I met her once when I was an itty bitty child but never really knew her. Both of my parents speak very highly of her so for that I know she was something special. I know she lived in Hollywood, wore beautiful jewelry and always dressed fancy. She had her own personal antique dealer, she loved cats and was very proper and tidy. So tidy, infact that she used to vacuum her cat! Ahhh ha ha ha! And when ever she would make fried chicken, she did in the garage so it wouldn't stink up her house. What a gem! 


Pardon the lengthy intro but I wanted to reel you in with her introduction so you wouldn't turn up your nose at the idea of eating a pie made of avacados. Now, do you think she sounds like the type of person would make a nasty tasting pie...? I think not. This pie is sweet, creamy and delicate! Not intriguing enough?... It's a "no bake" pie so its super EASY!


Shopping list: 
1 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker pie crust
2 ripe avacados - peeled pitted and cubed
1/3 cup fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)
14 once can of sweetened condensed milk
8 ounce cream cheese


-Peel, pit and cube 2 ripe avocados

-Juice limes

-Place cubes of avacodo into a food processor and puree until smooth.

-Add 12 ounces of the 14 ounce can of sweetened condensed milk, 6 of the 8 ounces of cream cheese (cubed) and lime juice to the food processor and puree until smooth.


-Pour mixture into pie crust and chill for at least 1 hour before serving. 


-Garnish with lime slices

OR, you can serve it as a mousse like this. 

Mmmm... Its good!

Enjoy!

"Mamma Knows Best Tip": rock hard avocados ripe in 24 hours!

Have rock hard avocados and need to use them tomorrow? Here is a little trick my mom taught me. 

Get a small brown paper bag like this: 

Place the avocados into the bag and roll the top down tightly. Set aside. Check it in 24 hours. 

Its magical... OR its because the paper bag traps the ethylene gas the avocados produce and helps them to ripen. Either way, it works! Try it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y29eTcRFEl8

Meatloaf! No plastic trays or hair nets required.

Que the Brady Bunch theme song cause we're making meatloaf!

I had this at my Mom and Dad's house for the first time in many, many years and it blew me away. I forgot how good it was!
I know, I know,... Meatloaf has gotten a bad rep over the years but I recommend giving it a 2nd chance (if you aren't already a fan). 


I called my Mom for the recipe which she got off our family favorite website allrecipes.com. Here is a link to the original recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/easy-meatloaf/detail.aspx
Mom, of course, put her own spin on the recipe by doing half of the meat mixture with ground pork as well as adding tomato sauce and evaporated milk. She says it makes it taste richer. I will include these steps below, because why would we do it any other way...? 


Shopping list: (serves 8)
3/4 1b. ground pork (not sausage!)
3/4 lb. lean ground beef
1 egg
1 small onion chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
1 8 ounce can tomato sauce
1 5 ounce can evaporated milk
1 cup dried bread crumbs
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
1/3 cup ketchup


-Preheat oven to 350 degrees
-Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add chopped onion.

-Sautee the onions until they are translucent like this. 

-Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
-In a liquid measuring cup, empty the contents of the 5 ounce can of evaporated milk. Add tomato sauce to the evaporated milk until combined liquid measures 1 cup. 
-In a large bowl combine ground pork, egg, onion, parsley, bread crumbs and evaporated milk/ tomato sauce mixture. (Don't be a princess, use your freshly washed hands!) 

-Season with salt and pepper and place in a lightly greased 5x9 inch loaf pan.
-In a small bowl combine brown sugar, mustard and ketchup.

-Mix well and pour over the meatloaf. Or as my mom would say, "Do it like your frosting a cake!"

-Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 1 hour.


It will make your house smell heavenly. The dog will be panting, the cat will be pacing... You'll notice a colorful prism on the wall... And you'll discover it is merely the light catching the thread of drool hanging from your husband's chin... Seriously, it smells that good!

Dinner is served!

4th of July menu preview

The 4th of July is TOMORROW! 

It is truly one of my favorite holidays and this year we're hosting the family for an evening of fun, food and fireworks! Here is a preview of tomorrow's menu:

Hamburgers and hotdogs 

To make the usual burger and hotdog a little more exciting, set out an assortment of toppings your guests can experiment with. Ex:

-along with cheddar, offer swiss and bleu cheese

-side of bacon. always have bacon.

-avocado

-sauerkraut

-along with yellow mustard offer course ground dijon mustard

Indonesian Chicken Satay

In place of chicken and veggie kabobs I opted for this Satay because its so delicious and served with a peanut sauce for dipping that is out of this world. 

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/indonesian-satay/detail.aspx

Potato Salad

I've been dying to try this recipe from the July issue of Cooking Light magazine. Everything about it sounds amazing. Its called Creamy Buttermilk Herb Potato Salad. Potato salads are great because you can make them 1 day ahead and spend more time sipping wine and chatting with your guests on the day of the event.

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/creamy-buttermilk-herb-potato-salad-50400000113753/

Corn on the Cob

I'm keeping it simple. Butter, sea salt and fresh ground pepper.

Watermelon

Set out a platter of big triangle slices of watermelon.

Fresh Basil Lemonade

Traditional summertime beverage with a twist. 

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/drink/views/Basil-Lemonade-238928

Apple pie

What kind of 4th of July celebration would we have without apple pie??? This recipe from allrecipes.com is the only apple pie recipe I make because its the best and I dare you to introduce me to a better one... 

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/apple-pie-by-grandma-ople/detail.aspx

I will post the step by step next week. Until then... Have a great 4th! May you eat alot, drink alot and refrain from starting fires. Please be kind to animals and let freedom ring!!!

Lavender lemonade!!!

-

Looks refreshing, right? It IS! 

Go pull out that juicer you got as a wedding gift... That you never use... And put it to work! 

Oh and while you're in the garden department buying a flats of petunias, pick up one of these. 

You'll be glad you did. 

To make this delicious beverage, here is what you'll need (yields 5, 1 cup servings):

-4 cups of water, divided 

-1/4 cup chopped, fresh lavender leaves

-2/3 cup sugar

-1 cup fresh lemon juice (about 6 lemons)

-lavender stems (for garnish)

-Strip leaves off of lavender stems and set stems aside. (you'll need those for garnish later).

-Coarsely chop lavender leaves

-Bring one cup of water to boil in a small sauce pan.

-Combine boiling water and 1/4 cup of lavender leaves.

-Remove from heat and cover. Steep for 30 minutes.

-While the lavender mixture is steeping, Peel the lemons in preparation for juicing. 

-Juice enough lemons to yield 1 cup fresh lemon juice. (about 6 lemons)

-In a medium sauce pan combine 3 cups water and 2/3 cup sugar.

-Bring to a boil and cook 1 minute or until sugar is dissolved. 

-Remove sugar water mixture from heat and set aside. 

-When lavender mixture is finished steeping, strain through a fine sieve into sauce pan with sugar water mixture.

-Combine lavender syrup and lemon juice in a pitcher. 

-Cover and chill.

-Serve over ice. 

-Garnish with lavender stem.

You're welcome.

Tomato, Watermelon, and Basil Skewers

Okay don't turn your nose up quite yet... It seems when ever I tell people about this recipe I get a skeptical gaze but one thing I vow never to do is post something on devour that isn't good. Trust my dears, trust! 
I recall I was home sick on the couch one day watching the food network and even though this Giada woman irritates me, I can't help but what her show cause the food looks really good! When I saw how pretty these skewers were and how easy they were I had to try them. They were better than I imagined... Amazing even! Now I make them each summer. 
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/everyday-italian/tomato-watermelon-and-basil-skewers-recipe/index.html

Shopping List:
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1 medium size watermelon cut into cubes
1 package of basil (larger leaves torn into smaller pieces)
about 16 cherry tomatoes cut in half
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
6 inch skewers


Combine sugar and balsamic vinegar in a small sauce pan over medium heat.

Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until sugar has disolved and mixture coats spoon.

Remove from heat and set aside to cool.


Starting with a watermelon cube, push the watermelon onto the skewer and down to the end of the skewer. Then skewer a basil leaf, and then a tomato half.... Repeat pattern until skewers are full, then place on serving platter.

Drizzle skewers with balsamic syrup and olive oil. Sprinkle with coarse salt. Serve.

Enjoy!

Best Lasagna!

This is one of allrecipes.com's highest rated recipes, which basically means you CANNOT go wrong with it! See link here:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Worlds-Best-Lasagna/Detail.aspx

I've made this for guests several times and always get rave reviews. Since the sauce is from scratch and takes a while to cook, I often times make the sauce the day before, refrigerate it overnight and assemble the dish the next day. It makes a nice, home-cooked meal completely do-able even on a work night. 


NOTE: you can also do a veggie version of this recipe. Just omit the meat and sautee the onions and garlic in 1 tablespoon of olive oil. 

Here is what you'll need:
1 pound sweet Italian sausage
3/4 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup minced onion
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
2 (6.5 ounce) cans tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil leaves **I use a handful of chopped fresh basil**
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
12 lasagna noodles
16 ounces ricotta cheese
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a large pot cook sausage, beef, onion and garlic over medium heat until well browned.

Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce and water. Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles for 5-7 minutes.

Drain noodles and rinse with cold water.

In a mixing bowl combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. **I add a pinch of nutmeg to the mixture because thats what my Mom does...**

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• 
  
• To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13" baking dish.

Arrange 1 layer of noodles over the meat sauce. 

Spread noodles with 1/2 the ricotta mixture. Top with a third of mozzarella cheese slices. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.

Repeat layers, then top with remaining Parmesan cheese and mozzarella slices.

Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving. 

• 
  
• Enjoy!
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
• 
  
•