Avocado Succotash

This is the best thing I ever put in my face! I would have taken a picture of it (cause it's gorgeous and colorful) but it was devoured way too fast. We use this as a dip and eat it with tortilla chips. However I think it would be perfectly acceptable to eat it as a salad.

2 avocados diced
2 medium tomatoes diced
1 can black beans well drained
1 jalapeno diced (remove seeds and ribs for a more mild flavor)
1 cup corn (frozen, thawed or canned, drained)
Drizzle of Italian dressing
Salt to taste

Mix everything in a bowl, toss to combine and eat it up!!!

I also think a great addition would be some fresh chopped cilantro, yummm!

Cornbread

I am usually not a big fan of cornbread (hush puppies, gag) but I really like this recipe, it's more of a corn cake then the really dense, grainy cornbread. A little story though:

I made this to go with my white chili on a Sunday. My sister and her boyfriend were over so it was a nice big family Sunday supper. When my sister got there we got to talking and giggling. The timer beeped for the cornbread and I noticed it didn't look like it usually did. I cut into it and something was definitely not right. The top half was cooked but the bottom half was ookey. Before anyone else tasted it I looked at the recipe again and realized I forgot to add the flour! Not a good idea, make sure to add all the ingredients, it really is good if you'll do that!

1 3/4 c flour
3/4 c cornmeal
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 c sugar
1 1/2 evaporated milk (1 can)
2 eggs
1/2 c oil

In mixing bowl combine flour, cornmeal, salt, baking powder, and sugar. In separate bowl beat together evaporated milk, eggs, and oil. Add wet mixture to dry mixture, stirring only enough to blend. Pour into a greased 8x8 banking dish and bake at 350 for 30 mins or until edges are just brown. Serve with butter and/or honey.

White Chili

I love chili, but in the summer it's just too heavy and hearty for me. This white chili is just perfect. It's light but filling. I modified the recipe that I got from a friend, thanks Pam! This has to be one of my new favorites!

2 chicken breasts cooked and shredded
2 c chicken broth
2 cans white beans
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 medium onion chopped
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 c sour cream or plain yogurt
1 handful fresh cilantro chopped fine
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine everything except the  sour cream and the cilantro. Let simmer for 30 mins to an hour. Add cilantro and sour cream right before serving.

*Play with the seasonings until it's to your liking. I always like a little more in mine but start off with less, it's hard to take them out once they're in there!

Caramel Dip by: McKay Peisley

I tried this dip at a friend's party and it was to die for! Her daughter made it and passed on the recipe to me, thanks McKay! I will copy the recipe exactly the way she gave it to me :)

1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
whole thing cream cheese stick
1 tsp. vanilla

Cover and put in fridge for 30 minutes.
Dip fruit in there.

Hummus

Don't be scared, it's not as weird as you think it is. I love hummus! So good and super healthy too!

2 cans garbanzo beans a.k.a chick peas drain and rinse one can and not the other
1/2 bulb of garlic (about 5 cloves)
1/4 c plain Greek yogurt (regular also works great)
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Blend beans, garlic, and yogurt in a food processor or blender until smooth and drizzle in the olive oil, add your salt and pepper (use about 1 Tbs. salt). Enjoy with pita chips or tortilla chips, even raw veggies are great!

*To add variety you can add things like roasted red peppers, feta cheese, and sun dried tomatoes to change up the flavors a bit. For ideas just stake a stroll around the special cheese case where they sell the hummus and you'll see a bunch of different kinds.

Dutch Oven Chicken

We just got back from a great camping trip and this is what we had for dinner one night. Soooo good! If you want to make this at home just throw everything in your dutch oven or a covered casserole dish and bake at 350 for an hour or until chicken is tender and cooked though.

4 chicken breasts
1 bottle of French salad dressing
1 envelope of onion soup mix
salt and pepper to taste

Throw everything in together and cook over hot coals for an hour. Make sure to put coals on top (12 of them if possible) to keep it hot enough.

Root Beer Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Sounds weird right? It's so good! When it first starts to cook you think you're going to have root beer flavored meat. By the end it's very subtle and yummy!

1 pork tenderloin roast about 3 lbs
1-2 cans of root beer, no diet please
1-2 onions cut kind of chunky
3 cloves garlic minced
1 jar chili sauce (I didn't have any so I used taco sauce, still good)
salt and pepper to taste
Buns

Place all ingredients in a crockpot and cook on high for 6 hours. Shred the pork with two forks. Put shredded pork back in the crock pot with all the juices and root beer, cook on low for another 3 hours. Toast the buns under the broiler and load it up with the meat. I'm tellin' you it's good!