Avocado Salsa

Avocado Salsa

Dice:
1/2 cup green onions
1/4 cup fresh cilantro

3 Roma Tomatoes
2 Avocados
1 each small red, yellow & green bell peppers

1 clove garlic (use garlic press from Pampered Chef)

1 tsp chili powder

zest 2 limes

juice 1 limes

 I dice all the peppers, avocados, Tomatoes, cilantro & green onions. I use the garlic press to rice a large clove of garlic. Top with the lime zest, lime juice and chili powder and mix all together gently but thoroughly. If not using right away, cover with plastic wrap in the bowl then put the lid on it. The wrap helps to prevent the avocado from browning.

This is great for a dip. I also use it to top burgers, top Tilapia or Swai before baking. How about a yummy southwest style chicken? And of course Tacos are always better with a nice avocado topping.

 

I try to keep this on hand as it is my favorite topping for so many dishes. Oh, and it's fabulous on Omelets.

Wonderful Summer Picnic Blog, I had to share!

http://www.chindeep.com/2013/05/25/50-picnic-foods-a-movable-feast-recipe-collection/

This fabulous site "ChinDeep" Had some terrific recipes for Summertime Picnic fare and I had to share it. I definitely will try a few of these, though of course with my modifications for my diet. But they all sound wonderful, so I am sharing the site as is. When I revise for allergies, I will link the original recipe on the individual blog I create with my revised version.

Enjoy! And have a wonderful and safe summer with lots of happiness and summertime fun!

Wabi-Sabi Restaurant, in Old Town Petersburg, Four Stars!

My friend and I decided to try something new and I got on Restaurant.com to see what certificates I had that we could try. Well, Wabi-Sabi stood out to us so we checked directions and headed for Petersburg. First, coming from North of Petersburg, take 95 south to the exit just south of South Park Mall (Exit 52) and bear to the right on Washington. Make a second right on (301-1 South) and then a left on Bollingbrook. Wabi-sabi is on the right, they have parking right across the street.

The restaurant is very eclectic with lovely paintings, cool asian art and some old cogs and gears on the walls from the iron works. They have 2 rooms upstairs with a bar on one side and the kitchen/sushi bar on the other. Downstairs they have another bar where they have live bands, comedy shows, open mike on Thursdays and they even said they have a Drag Show .. It happens on the Third Sunday of every Month at 1pm. Call for reservations. They do sell out every month.

The bar upstairs has these two very cool, tall column style fish tanks on either end of the bar. So when seated we got both the regular menus and the sushi menu. We decided to split a seaweed salad with a large salmon filet which they put on the side since it was so big. That salad was delightful, very cool, lightly spicy with a sesame seed dressing and had cuccumbers and mandarine orange slices on the side. The salmon we got Teriyaki style. It was cooked rare, tender as could be and very sweet and lightly flaky. Really wanted more.

Then we each ordered 2 types of Sushi to try. My friend ordered the Tempura Sweet Potato Rolls and I think Salmon Rolls. I had the Eel Rolls and California Rolls. There were eight pieces of each style and they had the best ginger on the side. Of course there was Wasabi, though I never use that. And a little mini pitcher of soy sauce that is at every table. The taste was beyond compare. Very fresh, clean flavor. The vegetables were very crispy and fresh. The presentation was beautiful. (The picture is one I took at the sushi counter, not my own plate. I wanted a good shot with great lighting. The Sushi Chefs hooked me up. LOL)

I can not wait to go back. I highly recommend trying Wabi-sabi in Petersburg, it is worth the drive.
Price, well, get the Restaurant.com deal to help with the price. This isn't cheep, but well worth every penny. I would say $$ 1/2 on a scale of $ to $$$$.

Stuffed Chicken Recipe (And a cautionary Tale!)

Sorry I haven’t posted for a bit. I did the stupid move of rushing a meal and undercooked a hamburger a few weeks ago. I got Food Poisoning. Let me tell you, Food Poisoning is nothing to fool around with. I got lucky, I was only sick as a dog. I did not end up in the hospital, but it was a close call. Always, I repeat always, make sure you cook hamburgers completely. Raw centers are not a good thing. It’s not like steak, which hasn’t been broken down and processed. Ground beef has been run through a grinder and this breaks down the meat and allows bacteria to grow. It could have been much worse. I could have had botulism and had serious organ failure. I did get so dehydrated that my kidneys didn’t work right for 3 days. But, thanks to my brother knowing what to do, “Thank you Dr Jim” and a whole lot of Gatorade, I got through it. Uno was hysterical the last 2 days of my recovery, it seems my stomach was making so much noise it annoyed him. He wouldn’t sleep in the bedroom; he slept out in the hall or the living room to get away from the noise. The Poor baby.

During my recovery time, I of course wasn’t making any money, so that is when my cable bill came due and couldn’t pay, so I lost Cable and Internet last week. I have to log on from some local places that have free wifi. The best is Martin’s Grocery. But I have even logged on thanks to Starbucks and McDonald’s. I hope to fix the situation soon, but pardon my spotty posts for a while. Other bills are more important to me.

In the mean time, I am going to start selling “Pampered Chef” as a Consultant. I am hoping to make a real go of this and get myself on a more solid financial footing. I should have a Consultants page with them soon. I will use my aroseross@outlook.com email when I sign up with them. So you can go to that page to order items once it is set up.

Pampered Chef has some of the best cooking products, bake ware, preparation tools and more. It’s a company I can firmly stand behind since I can use and Love their products. I hope to be having tasting parties and getting many of you as hooked on their awesome kitchen tools as I am.

Yesterday I cooked a nice dinner for a friend of mine and her Mom. It was the first big meal I have prepared in ages. I stuffed chicken breasts with Prosciutto and Manchego Cheese. I coated them outside with a delicious crumb mixture of bread, Ritz Crackers and just enough butter to hold it together. I will post the recipe below. Along with this version of “Chicken Cordon Blu” I made asparagus and Mashed Golden Potatoes. Everything was delicious. My only problem, the deli person who cut the Prosciutto for me, did so wearing gloves that he had handled Turkey with. I am very allergic. And it seems I have gotten more so. I felt like a second round of food poisoning. Thankfully, it didn’t last half as long and I felt tired but okay today. Believe me, I will be having a word with the manager at that grocery about their deli workers changing gloves and cleaning the slicers more thoroughly. I do not want an instant replay ever again.

So here is the recipe for the everyman’s simple “Chicken Cordon Blu” or Stuffed Chicken Breasts.

Stuffed Chicken Breasts

3 large boneless chicken breasts

24 Ritz Crackers

2-4 slices of sourdough or hearty white bread (depending on size of slices)

2 Tablespoons of butter melted.

6 slices of Prosciutto (or ham if you prefer)

Shredded Cheese (I used Manchego, but Provolone or Mozzarella would be great too.)

Flour

3 eggs

2 Tblsp Dijon Mustard

 

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Clean the chicken well and pat dry.

Using a sharp paring knife, slice the chicken breast from the thicker meaty side and carefully form a pocket inside leaving the edges intact. (About a ¼ inch all around is good)

You will lay out the prosciutto and put a pile of the shredded cheese on one end and carefully roll it up.

Take each roll and carefully stuff it into the chicken breasts. Two to a breast. Then pinch the opening closed and put on a plate. Take the 3 now stuffed breasts and put them in the fridge for 20 minutes or more to rest and it will seal itself closed.

While the chicken is in the fridge put the Crackers and Bread that you have shredded up a bit into a food processor and pulse until well crumbled and mixed together. Add the butter and pulse a few more times to coat the crumbs. Set aside in one large dredging dish.

In a second Dredging dish beat the 3 eggs with the mustard, blending well.

In the final put enough flour to coat the outside of the chicken breasts. (About ¾ cup)

Take the chicken and carefully dredge to coat with the flour and tap off the excess.

Next dredge it in the egg and mustard mixture. (Using tongs makes this easier and keeps your hands from getting too messy.

Finally dredge in the crumb mixture and really pat the crumbs on so it is well coated.

Place each breast in a 9 x 13 pan (I used my Pampered Chef Baking Dish)

Place the pan in the oven on the bottom rack and cook for 10 minutes.

Then lower the heat to 400 degrees and finish cooking the chicken on the middle rack for 20 more minutes or until cooked through. (You should test to make sure it is done with a meat thermometer inserted carefully into the chicken breast at an angle so you are in the breast and not the stuffed center. The internal temperature should be 180degrees)

 

Remove the pan from the oven when cooked and lightly cover with foil to allow it to set and finish cooking. Though don’t cover tightly or the crust will become soggy.

Serve with steamed asparagus and mashed potatoes. Enjoy!

Bacon Egg Wrap

This is so yummy, but it does take a little prep time. But it's so worth it. Before you start, consider, are you making just for yourself, or are you making for a group/party. For myself alone I just used a ramekin. For a party, I would use large Muffin Tins as you can make 4-6 in each tin, depending on the size.
Preheat oven to 350
What you need:
Ramekins or Muffin Tins
Bacon (I like thick sliced, but you can use thin.)
Toast that you will cut to fit in bottom of Ramekin or Muffin Tin.
Grated Cheese (Many like Cheddar or a Colby Jack. Due to my food allergies, I went with Goat Gouda and Goat Cheddar. Manchego is good too.)
Egg
You can add: Hash brown potatoes, Spinach, Tomatoes, Peppers it is up to your preference. I used spinach and sliced grape tomatoes.
butter

I precook the bacon to half done, still soft but has some of the fat already rendered.
Lightly butter the inside of the ramekin or muffin tin.
Put toast in the bottom. I use a round biscuit or cookie cutter to make the toast fit.
Put the bacon in so it is a circle around the toast and going up the sides of the tin/ramekin.
fill the bacon cup with the veggies of choice (I used the spinach and tomato here)
Top with the grated cheese
Crack one egg over the top
Add just a touch more cheese and a dot of butter on top of the egg.

You will cook this in the oven for 20 minutes or until the white of the egg is fully cooked. (I like a firm yolk, so I cook it about 25 minutes.)

Remove from oven and carefully remove your bacon egg cup using a spatula to lift it out of its bakeware. Serve.
If you have the time and inclination, this would be awesome topped with some Hollandaise. I like using Marzetti Dressing in place of the Hollandaise. Though this time I went plain.

Enjoy!

Just thought I would put this out here too! Please share, please help me go viral. I really would like to find my Birthdaughter!