Southwestern Egg Rolls with Avocado Ranch Dip

Ingredients:

 

2 cups frozen corn, thawed
1-15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1-9 oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry with paper towel
2 cups shredded Mexican cheese
4 oz can diced green chiles, drained
2 green onions, finely chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 package of egg roll or wonton wrappers

Dipping Sauce

1/2 cup ranch salad dressing
1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon grated lime peel

1/2 medium rip avocado, peeled and mashed

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400.

In a large bowl mix all the egg roll ingredients together ( except the egg roll wrappers).

There should be instructions in the back of the wrappers about how to roll them.

Once they are all wrapped place egg rolls onto parchment paper on a baking sheet.

Brush a small amount of Olive Oil onto each roll and cook for 15 minutes. You will have to turn them once.

They are ready once they are golden brown.

Mix Dipping Sauce ingredients together.  Serve. 

Beer Can Chicken

Ingredients:

1 4-pound chicken, washed and patted dry
4 sprigs thyme
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 12-ounce can beer of your choice

Directions :

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and preheat oven to 400 degrees.
 

Strip the leaves off 2 sprigs of thyme.
 

Rub the chicken with the olive oil, salt and pepper, then rub with the thyme leaves, making sure they stick. Try to get as much of it under the skin as possible.
 

Drain half the beer, set it on the foil-lined sheet, place the other 2 sprigs of thyme on top of the can and place the chicken squarely on top. It should look awkward.
 

Carefully transfer the chicken to the oven and roast for an hour, then raise the heat to 425 degrees and cook for another 10 minutes to achieve a crispy exterior.

Shrimp Enchiladas with Grilled Salsa Verde

Ingredients:

For the sauce:
4 poblano peppers
1 serrano or jalapeno
2.5 lbs tomatillos, husks removed, rinsed, and sliced in half
3 cloves of garlic
4 green onions, roots sliced off
Vegetable oil
Juice of 1 lime
1 cup (packed) cilantro
Salt
Pepper

For the enchiladas:
1 Tbsp olive or vegetable oil
1 cup chopped red onion
1 1/4 lb medium uncooked shrimp, peeled and de-veined
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ancho chile powder
12-14 small tortillas (flour recommended)
12 oz queso fresco, crumbled

Directions:

Heat your grill to medium-high and preheat the oven to 350.

Rub oil over the tomatillos, whole poblanos, serrano, green onions, and garlic cloves.

Grill 5 minutes per side, flipping once. (Take care when placing the green onions, try to make sure the thin green tops aren't over direct heat.)

Transfer the poblanos and serrano to a bowl and cover tightly to let cool, ~10 minutes.

Transfer tomatillos and green onions to the bowl of your food processor.

Peel garlic cloves and add to the tomatillos.

When the peppers are cool enough to handle, remove the stems and skins, and slice in half to remove the seeds.

Add 2 poblanos to the food processor. Finely chop the remaining poblanos and set aside.

Add lime juice and cilantro to the food processor and processor for 10-15 seconds until you get the consistency of a chunky salsa.

To make the filling, heat oil over medium-high heat.

Saute red onions until softened, 2-3 minutes.

Toss shrimp with a pinch of salt, pepper, cumin, and chile powder.

Add to the pan and cook for another 3 minutes, until mostly cooked through.

Add 3/4 cup green sauce and chopped poblanos to the pan, mixing thoroughly.

Place 3/4 cup green sauce in the bottom of a 13x9 pan.

Wrap tortillas around a scoop of filling, topping with a pinch of queso fresco, and placing seam-down in the pan.

If you're using corn tortillas, you might want to dip the tortillas in the salsa if that's how you normally prepare enchiladas - the original recipe suggests this but I don't use corn tortillas.

Top with remaining green sauce and queso fresco.

Bake for ~20 minutes, until heated through and the cheese begins to brown.

Leftovers will keep 2 days covered in the fridge.

S'more Pops

Ingredients:

3

  chocolate bars, melted

12

  large marshmallows

1/4

 cup crushed Golden Grahams® cereal

12

  paper lollipop sticks or round wooden sticks 

 

Directions:

 

In small microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate on High 1 minute, stirring twice, until chocolate can be stirred smooth.

Dip each marshmallow halfway into melted chocolate. Insert stick into chocolate side of marshmallow; sprinkle with crushed cereal. Place on plate; let stand at room temperature until chocolate hardens, about 1 hour.

Using kitchen torch, toast top of each marshmallow.
 

Crescent Cinnamon Roll

Ingredients

 

1 tube (8 count) Pillsbury Crescent Rolls, unrolled and separated
Filling
6 tablespoons butter,softened
1/4 cup white sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
Glaze
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons powdered Sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

 

Instructions

 

Preheat oven to 375

Place the unrolled and separate crescent rolls on an un greased cookie sheet (one with sides)

 

Filling

In a small bowl, mix together the butter, sugar and cinnamon

 

Assemble

 

Evenly spread the cinnamon butter over the crescent rolls and roll up

Place tip side down on the cookie sheet

Bake for 10-12 minutes

 

Glaze

 

In a small bowl, mix together the butter, powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth

 

Place in a zip lock bag and snip a tiny corner off

 

Drizzle the glaze over the cinnamon rolls

Italian Chopped Salad

Ingredients:

Salad
1 (16 oz) bag prepared salad mix (I used a romaine salad mix)
1/3 cup diced red onion
1/2 cup canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
1/2 cup diced tomatoes
1/2 cup sliced pepperoni
1/4 cup diced jarred roasted red peppers
1/2 cup diced fresh mozzarella
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Dressing
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Directions:

In a large glass or stainless-steel bowl, combine the salad ingredients and toss.

For the dressing, combine the vinegar, oil, salt, oregano, basil pepper, and Parmesan in a small bowl. Drizzle over salad just before serving and toss thoroughly to combine the ingredients.

Chicken and Dumplings Casserole

Ingredients:

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/4 cup butter, cubed

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon pepper

4 cups chicken broth

1 package (10 ounces) frozen green peas

4 cups cubed cooked chicken

Dumplings

2 cups biscuit/baking mix

2 teaspoons dried basil

2/3 cup 2% milk

Directions:

In a large saucepan, saute onion and celery in butter until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the flour, sugar, salt, basil and pepper until blended. Gradually add broth; bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 1 minute or until thickened; reduce heat. Add peas and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in chicken. Pour into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish.

For dumplings, in a small bowl, combine baking mix and basil. Stir in milk with a fork until moistened. Drop by tablespoonfuls into 12 mounds over chicken mixture.

Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 30 minutes. Cover and bake 10 minutes longer or until a toothpick inserted in a dumpling comes out clean.