Creamy avocado dip….a twist on guacamole

Posted on February 14, 2010 by Denise

I don’t have an interesting tale to tell about this avocado dip. It’s creation came about due to one of many possible reasons or all of them. I’m new to guacamole, and boy is it green. Wow…this one avocado didn’t go very far, we need more dip than this. I want it to be creamier. I sure do love sour cream….what if I just add some to this guacamole?

Whatever the reason….my family loves this dip; it’s our favorite way to eat avocados!  It’s easy to make, there aren’t too many ingredients, it’s very versatile and great to take to gatherings and parties.  It can be as spicy or as mild as you want it.  Actually, I never make it the same way twice. 

 

Denise’s Spicy Avocado Dip

2 ripe avocados, mashed with fork
1 can mexican rotel (cilantro/lime), with liquid
1 to 1 1/2 cups sour cream (I prefer Daisy, full fat)
1/4 medium sweet onion, diced small
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt/pepper to taste

  1. In medium sized bowl, add rotel to avocado.  This mexican rotel is quite spicy.  I use it to top tacos, tostadas and what not.  If you aren’t into spicy, you can use mild or original rotel.  If you don’t have rotel, you can dice tomatoes and add 1-2 Tbsp lime juice (it just won’t have any kick to it). 

  2. Add in sour cream, diced onion, garlic.  Mix well.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Refrigerate. It tastes great right away, but even better if it’s refrigerated an hour or so.  I place the avocado pits into the dip to keep the avocados from turning brown.  Stores well for several days. 

          *Serve with tortilla chips or Food Should Taste Good chips. 

This avocado dip is a great way to introduce avocado to children.  Mine love it despite the fact that it’s green.  Let me know what yours think!!

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My irrational fear of tomatoes…..

Posted on February 8, 2010 by Denise

Just back from Publix (our grocery store), picking up the few items I needed.  I get most of my food from Costco and Whole Foods, but there are still certain things I need to pick up at Publix.  I love Publix!  It truly is a pleasure shopping there (their motto).  It’s clean, well organized, everyone is helpful, and they take your groceries out to your car.  I do feel blessed to have Publix and Whole Foods just about 5 minutes away from my house.  It’s great!

Back to the point of this post.  Hubby and I are very finicky tomato eaters.  It is something we have in common.  Funny, actually.  He and I both like tomatoes in things…..ketchup, spaghetti sauce, chili, salsa, soups and various other things.  Our main thing…we don’t like the mushiness and seeds of tomatoes.  Therefore you will never catch us eating raw tomato slices on a sandwich or hamburger.  No chunks of tomato in soups and stews and sauces.  Interestingly we do like bruschetta and pico di gallo. 

Over the years…especially the past 5 yrs for me…I’ve gotten less picky about the chunks.  Especially since discovering Rotel mexican style.  I’ve also gotten good at making my own from scratch pizza sauce, and I don’t mind chunks of tomato in soups, stews and such.  Hubby…..not so much.

So as I’ve been getting more and more into fresh, organic, local…..I’ve started really wanting to overcome my fear of tomatoes.  Though I don’t like the seed taste, or really even the “fresh” taste of pure tomato…well there just has to be a type of tomato in which I’d like the flavor.  There are so many….roma, plum, vine, beefsteak…and my mom has me pick up these lovely Campari tomatoes at costco.  If I buy the right tomato and dice it and flavor it appropriately, I should be able to start cooking with them, don’t you think?

And though I swear I don’t like the “fresh” taste of tomato…they have to be tastier than the canned organic diced tomatoes I buy now, right?  If I add enough garlic and olive oil they do take on another flavor, right? 

I’ve been wanting to try making bruschetta lately.  They have wonderful bruschetta at the restaurant where I work….only red tomato, yellow tomato, red onion, olive oil & garlic.  It is delicious!  So tonight I almost bought fresh tomatoes for the first time…ever!?  $4.09 a pound!  I was only getting 4 small tomatoes for that.  I put them back.  The Campari tomatoes are a much better deal at Coscto…the ones I pick up for my mom.  They are $5.49 for about 12.  And they actually look and smell like they taste good. 

I know it’s winter and all, but here in South Florida this is when our farmer’s markets are in full swing!!!  Yes….that’s right.  We are on an opposite gardening schedule than most of the country.  Our farmer’s markets are open Oct through April/May.  It’s just too hot for a lot of produce in the summer. 

So a few questions for you tomato lovers…..or at least those of you not scared of them:

* What type of tomato do you like the best for Italian dishes (pasta, bruschetta, etc).

* What is your favorite type of tomato & why?  How does it taste?

* Where do you get the best deal on your tomatoes?  How much do you pay?

* Any tips for fresh tomato newbies like me???  Especially since I don’t like seeds and mush. 

* How do I store them properly?

Thanks so much for your help!!  I really have no idea what I’m doing, and I do want to demystify the tomato!  I’m actually hoping to not only overcome my fear….but hey, maybe I’ll actually start to like them a little.

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Bacon wrapped dates….savory, sweet perfection!

Posted on February 6, 2010 by Denise

One of my first introductions to the savory/sweet combination…..is these bacon wrapped dates. I don’t even remember where I stumbled upon this recipe, but from the moment I made them they became a family favorite. My husband and children demand that we eat them every year for our Christmas festivities, and whenever we bring these as an appetizer to share anywhere…..they are devoured quickly! Of course it’s hard to go wrong when there’s bacon involved. 

I find it best to not always mention or volunteer that the bacon is stuffed with dates. For some odd reason…especially with men and children….they either don’t think they like dates, or have some terrible childhood memory associated with dried fruit…prunes maybe….fruitcake….? 

Regardless….when someone plucks one from the dish and asks what’s this….I tell them that they have to try it….they’ll love it. They are always very surprised later when I tell them they are dates. Since the dates become all warm and gooey, they really don’t resemble a dried date or fruit anyway. So you have the sweet goodness of the dates paired with the saltiness of the bacon. It’s the perfect match!

So from my home to yours…..just in time for the Super Bowl. Enjoy!!

Bacon wrapped dates

Soak toothpicks in water for about 15 minutes before assembly so they do not burn in the oven. 

  1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
  2. Cut any packages of bacon you are using in half.
  3. Wrap each date with one half slice of bacon and spear with toothpick.
  4. Line up dates on a cookie sheet. 
  5. Bake until tops are well browned, about 6-7 minutes, and then turn over and cook another 2-4 minutes. 
  6. Drain on paper towels and place on serving platter. 

The more you make, the better…..so I usually buy the big bag of pitted dates and 4 lbs of bacon at Costco.  I certainly don’t want to run out of these…..it wouldn’t be a pretty sight.  The ratio is 1/2 slice bacon to 1 date…so make as many as you think you need.  I find that one package of bacon is not enough.  You need at least 2 lbs, so that would make somewhere in the neighborhood of 48 bacon wrapped dates. 

Also….I’ve always speared the end result with a toothpick to keep the bacon on the date and for easy grabbing. I will probably still do this, but this last Christmas I ran out of toothpicks and the ones I just rolled and cooked turned out just as well. And the preparation went much faster. Though I do get my kids and hubby to help with the rolling and spearing of dates.  They love to do it…well my kids do anyway. Hubby likes the end product….so anything that speeds up the process is okay with him. And we just spread out on the big kitchen island and all work together. I’ve even made these without the toothpicks when I was out, and they turned out fine. Fun times!!

If there are leftovers, they store well in zip loc bags in the fridge. They can warmed later or eaten cold (like hubby frequently does…even for breakfast).

These savory bites of perfection will melt in your mouth.  They are absolutely addicting, and will definitely stand out as a favorite at any Super Bowl gathering you attend. 

For a few other great additions to your super bowl party try:

If you enjoyed this post, won’t you consider sharing it with others? Handy share and “Facebook recommend” buttons are below. It really makes my day when you pass things along! To make sure you don’t miss a post or recipe you can either follow Creative Kitchen on Facebook or subscribe by Email in the sidebar. Thanks for reading….I love having company in the kitchen!

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Jazzing up whole milk, plain yogurt!!

Posted on January 31, 2010 by Denise

I find that more and more these days I’m eating yogurt as a snack.  I buy big containers of whole milk, plain yogurt from Whole Foods.  The brand I buy is Cascade Fresh…which always makes me think of Cascade dish detergent.  Which makes me think of my oldest daughter’s dishwasher mishap this week; she added “liquid” dish detergent when I wasn’t home….the results reminded me of an old Brady Bunch episode with Bobby and a washing machine.  It wasn’t funny at the time though…especially since I have wood floors in my kitchen! 

Back to the point of this post…..Cascade Fresh is a great product and a bargain at only $2.49 for a 32 oz. container.  It is packed with 8 live active cultures, and also is made without the rBGH hormone.  So fairly close to organic!  It is very creamy, with just the right amount of tartness & no added sugar or artificial flavorings which is important to me. 

I know a lot of people have trouble with the thought of plain yogurt at first.  I was one of those people.  I always had to buy my Yoplait custard style in differing flavors.  When we first started becoming aware of all the artificial sweeteners and additives that are in food these days (high fructose corn syrup and food dyes to name a few…not to mention splenda), I switched over to plain yogurt.  At first I added a smidge of pure maple syrup to to sweeten it.  But now I find that I don’t even need the maple syrup….that the fruit I mix in it adds just the right amount of sweetness. I even find that I like to lick it right off the spoon when done serving….and that “tang” is just right! My girls eat it with a scoop of frozen organic blueberries (from Costco) and some honey drizzled on top.  Sometimes we add our homemade granola and call it a parfait!

Over the past six months I’ve done different things with the yogurt, but today I’ll share with you what I’ve been doing the past couple weeks for my snack or lunch.  I haven’t come up with a name for it, but here goes…..

1 organic apple, diced small
2 T unsweetened shredded coconut
2-3 T Newman’s Own organic raisins
2 T pecans, diced small
1 squirt lemon juice
1/2 cup plain yogurt

Mix altogether and enjoy!!  Of course there are so many things to do with it.  In the past I’ve used my homemade granola, berries and raisins and made a parfait.  I’ve also been eating it with frozen blueberries, raisins, coconut and mini-chocolate chips (semi-sweet).  That I consider a dessert.  Can’t go wrong with chocolate!  What do you put in your yogurt?  I’m always looking for new ideas!

Another option that some may find strange is that I mix in short grain cooked organic brown rice, then add fruit and raisins and coconut.  Think rice pudding before that really freaks you out.  It’s one of my favorite ways to eat yogurt.  And it’s really great for the toddler!!  The brown rice which is soo good for her is mixed in with the yogurt, which makes the yogurt thicker and sticks to her spoon better.  The result – less mess when she feeds herself.  And there’s no getting around her feeding herself these days.  That’s the only way she’ll have it. 

*There has been on compensation to endorse the above products.  These are just products I love and want to spread the word to others.

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Join Creative Kitchen on Facebook

Posted on January 30, 2010 by Denise

I’m excited to have an new avenue to meet and get to know Creative Kitchen followers and new “foodie” friends.  Hope it becomes a way to interact in a more meaningful way with each other.  If you’re already a follower of the blog, just click the facebook badge in the right hand margin and become a facebook fan!  Or click here.

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