Garlic and Rosemary Roasted Salmon and Asparagus

I saw this recipe on the fabulous Meredith Steele's In Sock Monkey Slippers blog and just had to try it. This dish is delicious and incredibly healthy.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb salmon fillet
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 sprigs of rosemary leaves
• salt (I used kosher)
• pepper
• olive oil

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Chop garlic and rosemary. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and season salmon then gently press garlic and rosemary into the fillet. Bake for ~11 minutes.

Asparagus:

Chop off the last half inch of the asparagus stalks. Toss with olive oil and minced garlic spread on a baking sheet and place in the oven under broiler on high. Keep an eye on it I like mine on the crispier side so I leave it in there for ~9 minutes and flip it half way through. Cooking time can vary with the thickness of the stalk as well so when in doubt remove a stalk and take a bite.

The $250 "Neiman" Cookie Recipe

So urban legend says that this amazing chocolate chip oat cookie recipe was sold by "Neiman Marcus" to a customer for a whopping $250. Obviously when the customer realized her misinterpretation of "two fifty" she tried to have the charge removed and the department store refused so as a woman scorned she  gave the recipe away! 

In reality I have no idea where this recipe came from but word on the Internet is "Neiman Marcus" and what source is more reliable than the web?

**Please note the sarcasm dripping from my text**

Yes, I may have bit the cookie before I snapped a shot. 

Don't judge me. I have no self control.

Ingredients:

• 2 C butter
• 2 C sugar
• 2 C brown sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2 t vanilla
• 4 C flour
• 5 C blended oatmeal (quaker oats work great)
• 1 t salt
• 2 t baking powder
• 2 t baking soda
• 24 oz bag of chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream the butter and both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla. Combine with the rest of the dry ingredients. Roll into balls on cookie sheet and bake ~8 minutes until the edges are golden brown.

****The story regarding Neiman Marcus was an urban legend I found on the internet= NOT true****

Guacamole

Growing up in Texas guacamole was a staple in our household. I may no longer live in the greatest state ever formed but I can still make a mean bowl of guacamole.

Ha and he said he didn't like guacamole when we were dating.

Ingredients:

• 6 ripe avocados
• 1 small/medium purple onion
• 1 jalapeño 
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 yellow pepper
• 1-2 limes
• cilantro
• kosher salt

Instructions:
**Check out this Easy Trick to Cutting Bell Peppers**

Cut avocados in half and remove pit. take a knife and carefully score the avocado diagonally without piercing the outer skin. Rotate the avocado 90 degrees and carefully score diagonally until you have diamond shaped cuts in the avocado. Scoop the avocado meat out with spoon into a bowl and mash with a fork. Go slowly with this part as everyone prefers the guac a little different I like mine on the chunky side while my hubby like it a little creamier. You can always mash more but you cannot go back. 

Dice the onion, bell peppers, and jalapeño and mix in. Again I caution you to do this slowly as I love lots of veggies in mine but you may prefer less. Roll the lime on a hard surface to soften the membranes and release the juice. Cut in half and and squeeze one half at a time and taste as you go. add a pinch of salt. A little goes a long way.**Remember you will be eating this with SALTY tortilla chips** 

Chop as much or little cilantro as you'd like. I love it and have been known to put in the whole bunch!

Easy Trick to Cutting a Bell Pepper

Anyone watch Chuck Hughes' show Chuck's Day Off?! It is amazeballz! I recently watched an episode where he diced up a bell pepper. Big whoop right? Well it turns out I have been doing it all wrong! 

Lop off the top and bottom

Cut down a side

Slice through all the membranes and completely remove all the guts of the bell pepper in one whole chunk. Pretty slick, huh?!

Slice and dice as you see fit

For those of you smarty pants that already figured this method out...quit laughing!

For the rest of you, try this ASAP soooo much easier than cleaning up all those pesky seeds.

Hot Apple Cinnamon Cider

My Brother-in-Law made this cider at a family get together at my Aunt's cabin in Ruidoso, NM. The hubby immediately fell in love with it as it contained a powerful kick of his favorite spice CINNAMON! I swear he is obsessed check out a list of his favorite goodies on this post if you don't believe me. As every good wifey knows when your honey expresses interests in someone else's dish you better get that recipe!

Ingredients:

• 1 gallon of your favorite apple juice
• 1 lb bag of Brach's cinnamon hard candy (you can use another cinnamon hard candy like red hots)
• ~3 cinnamon sticks
• pinch of cloves

Instructions:

Add all of your ingredients to a large pot over medium-med high heat. Make sure to stir frequently to keep the candies from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Once the candy has dissolved you are ready to serve. Be aware the cinnamon flavor deepens as it sits so if you love cinnamon leave it in if not remove the sticks and cloves.

Lemon Bundt Cake

"There is a hole in this cake". Every time I see a bundt cake I think of the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding. My latest bundt sighting occurred at the in-laws. I then proceeded to recite the scene from MBFGW to my Mother-in-Law. Chick flicks didn't really make it to movie night with raising a boy so I have taken it upon myself to catch her up. Real selfless of me to veg on the couch watching girly feel good movies dontchya think?!

This lemon bundt cake was such a delightful treat and the citrus glaze has such a bright amazing tang to it. 

Cake Ingredients:

• 1 pkg yellow cake mix
• 2/3 C vegetable oil
• zest of 1/4 of a lemon
• 2/3 C hot water
• 4 eggs

Cake Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bundt pan and then lightly dust with flour. Mix all of the ingredients until well blended. Place in center of oven and bake for ~ 40 minutes until lightly browned.

Let cool 10 minutes.

Glaze Ingredients:

• 1 C sifted confectioners' sugar 
• 4 T fresh lemon juice 
• 3 t lemon zest

Glaze Instructions:

Combine ingredients until smooth. Remove cake from pan and drizzle glaze on top. Slice and enjoy! 

**This recipe is adapted from the “The Cake Mix Doctor” by Anne Byrn.**

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies

Matt has graduated! Woo Hoo!! My hubby officially has Bachelor degrees in Political Science and Psychology. He is currently applying to Clinical Psychology Doctoral Programs (PsyD) all over the U.S., it will be a fun adventure. In the meantime my new semester has started and Hubby has gone a little stir crazy. The other night I came home to these magnificent chocolate chip pumpkin cookies.

He used his Momma's recipe and man oh man are they good!

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 C vegetable oil
• 1 (16 oz) can pumpkin
• 2 tsp milk
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 C sugar
• 4 C flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 4 tsp cinnamon
• 1 (12 oz) pkg chocolate chips (we prefer the larger chips)

Instructions:

Combine sugar and oil. Stir in pumpkin, milk, vanilla, and eggs. Blend well. Sift flour with dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture. Fold in chocolate chips. Drop by teaspoon or small ice cream scoop onto cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 375 degrees for ten minutes or until done. Makes ~ 6 dozen cookies.

Game Day Chili

My dad came in town from AZ to give my baby brother ("baby" meaning gigantic younger brother that towers over me) a new car!

Whenever he is in UT we have family bonding time over good food at his buddy Yaz's house. They became friends flying F-16s in the Air Force and have remained so ever since. 

Usually my dad is the cook but Yaz whipped out the big guns for this visit and hit a home run with Cooks Illustrated's Our Favorite Chili.

Doesn't that look AMAZING?! 

You remember a fore mentioned "baby" brother?

 

Yeah he thought it was pretty dang good too.

This was his fourth bowl...

I only had one.

Next time I vote he gets his own pot.