Avocado Salsa

This is a fabulous salsa!  We had it as a side dish with Salsa Verde Pork Tacos and it was wonderful.  It made quite a bit for my small family, but I enjoyed it for lunch for the next two days and it was still good.

Avocado Salsa

·         3 avocados, diced chunky

·         1/4 cup chopped red onion

·         3 Roma Tomatoes, diced

·         1/8 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped

·         1 Tbsp. lime juice

·         1/4 tsp. garlic salt

·         1/8 tsp. pepper
 

Instructions

1. After you have diced and chopped the avocados, red onion, Roma tomatoes and cilantro, combine in a medium bowl. Add lime juice, pepper and garlic salt.
2. Toss and lightly stir to combine flavors.

Recipe from Chef in Training

Candied Coconut Sweet Potatoes

I made these back at Thanksgiving and they were so good that I'm still thinking about them and it's July.  :)  They will definitely be a Thanksgiving tradition for years to come. 

Candied Coconut Sweet Potatoes

Recipe by Our Best Bites

 

4 C mashed Sweet potatoes (4 med sweet potatoes or about 2 large sized cans)

6 Tbs Sugar

6 Tbs butter (no margarine), softened or melted

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 can Sweetened Condensed Milk (eyeball it)

1 t vanilla

 

Topping:

If you’re feeling naughty you can double this part :)

1 C brown sugar

1 1/2 C sweetened coconut flakes

6 Tbs melted butter

 

Note: You can make these up to a day or two ahead of time, just keep them well covered in the fridge and don’t put the topping on until just before baking.If using fresh sweet potatoes, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prick each sweet potato with a fork and place on foil in the oven. Cook for 40-60 minutes or until tender.

Once they’ve cooled enough to handle, slice in half and scoop out the insides into a mixing bowl.

To the mixing bowl add in sugar, butter, eggs, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla. Your butter should be soft enough to blend up easily so nuke it in the microwave before you add it to the bowl if you need to.

You could mash it all up by hand, but an electric mixer works great. I don’t like it completely pureed, so I mix it just until everything is incorporated but there are still some sweet potatoes in larger chunks.

Spread this mixture evenly into a 9 x 13 pan.

For the topping, combine brown sugar and coconut and then pour melted butter over and combine. Mmm…

Take a pinch of the buttery-sugary mixture and put it in your mouth. Chew. Swallow. Then sprinkle the rest evenly over the sweet potatoes in the pan.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 40-50 minutes. It will be more or less depending on the size of dish you use, whether you double the topping, etc. But the top should be nice and browned and bubbly so just keep an eye on it.

Mom's Cornbread

My mom has been making this cornbread since I was a kid. It's a sweet cornbread, more like a cake. Delicious with chili!

Cornbread

1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup melted butter

Grease 9x9 baking pan. Combine cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in medium bowl; mix. Add milk and melted butter and mix well. Bake for 20-25 min at 400 degrees. Serve warm with butter and honey.

Elote: Mexican Corn on the Cob

This recipe sounds totally weird, but it is seriously amazing! Tyler used to eat this when he was on his mission and he's always talked about it, so I finally decided to give it a try. I think I will always want my corn on the cob this way now!

Elote: Mexican Style Corn on the Cob
Recipe by Our Best Bites

4 ears corn
3 T mayo
2 T sour cream
1/4-1/2 t lime zest
1/2 t fresh lime juice
1/8- 1/4 t cayenne pepper (optional)
1/4 t chili powder
tiny pinch kosher salt
1 C crumbled Cotija Cheese* (use fresh parmesan or queso fresco if you can’t find Cotija)

Cook corn by method of choice . While it’s cooking, combine mayo, sour cream, lime zest, lime juice, chili powder, and pinch of salt. Store in the fridge until ready to use. (For even better results make the sauce ahead of time).

Grate Cotija cheese with a fine-hole cheese grater and place on a plate.

When corn is finished cooking, immediately spread sauce all over it and then roll corn cob in grated cheese. Serve with lime wedges for squeezing and extra chili powder or cayenne sprinkled on top if desired.

Sweet Baby Carrots

This recipe came from my friend Erika years ago. It has been years since I made them and then I remembered them over the weekend and had to make them again. They are delicious!

Sweet Baby Carrots

32 oz bag baby carrots
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar

Boil the carrots for 5-10 minutes, depending on how soft you like them. Drain water and add butter and brown sugar. Mix well. You can easily half this recipe if you aren't cooking for a large amount of people.

Cheesy Potatoes

We all have our own version of Cheesy Potatoes or Funeral Potatoes, but here is my favorite recipe for them.

Cheesy Potatoes

1 1/2 cup sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
32 oz pkg Southern-style hash browns (thawed)
2 cups Sharp cheddar cheese (shredded)
20 Ritz crackers, crushed (about 1 cup)
2 Tbsp. butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix soup and sour cream in large bowl. Add potatoes and cheese; stir until well blended.

Spoon mixture into 9x13 in baking dish. Combine crackers and melted butter. Sprinkle on top of potato mixture.

Bake 50 minutes or until heated through.

Makes 12 servings.

The BEST Dutch Oven Potatoes

We've been having fun experimenting with our dutch oven cooking skills this summer. I think we found the BEST potato recipe out there! They were delicious!!!

Dutch Oven Potatoes

1 pkg. bacon, cut into fourths
10-12 large potatoes (scrubbed, rinsed, and sliced into circles)
Seasoning Salt
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 can cream of chicken
3-4 c. shredded cheddar cheese

When the dutch oven is good and hot add the bacon and heat until fully cooked. Drain about half of the bacon grease then add the potatoes. stir in about 3 Tbsp. of the seasoning salt (or to taste) and all of the garlic powder. Cover and cook about 30 minutes stirring occasionally (or until potatoes are no longer crunchy, but do NOT overcook). Add cream of chicken. When the cream of chicken is evenly distributed and hot, add cheese. When cheese is melted, remove from heat and serve. Delicious with Ranch dressing!

Best Baked Beans

I got this recipe from a ward cookbook. The lady who submitted it is a fabulous cook so I knew they would be good and they were! Perfect for your next BBQ.

Best Baked Beans

1 large can pork and beans or 2 small cans
1 cup crushed pineapple
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 lb. bacon, cooked and chopped

Combine and bake at 350 degrees for 2 hours. I cooked them in my crockpot on medium for about 3 hours. Delicious!

(I would double the recipe for a large crowd)

Green Beans and Mushrooms

This is the yummiest side dish!

3 (9 oz.) packages frozen cut green beans
3 green onions, finely chopped
1/4 cup butter
1 lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 teaspoon salt

Cook green beans according to package directions. Drain. In a separate saucepan saute onions in butter until transparent. Add mushrooms and continue cooking until tender. Combine with green beans. Salt to taste. Serves 8.

**Recipe from Dad