Happy Guacamole Day!

I'd like to say that this was in honor of Cinco de Mayo yesterday but it was actually in honor of the many 25 cent avocados that I purchased from Aldis because they were so cheap. Simple guacamole is the best in my opinion. Mainly avocados but with a little chopped tomato, chopped onion, and lime juice. And a pinch of salt if needed. Too bad all pictures of guacamole look weird -  like green goop, so here's the before picture!

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies

Ok here's a recipe I made a few weeks ago. I wanted to bring snacks for my discussion/seminar class on the last day of classes. Unfortunately I forgot about my plan until half an hour before I had to leave that day! To make things worse, one of my students has celiac disease and can't eat gluten. Yikes, talk about asking for trouble. Luckily I found this recipe which I whipped up in 15 minutes and which baked in 10. I was out the door with 5 minutes to spare! They are delicious even for people that can eat gluten and they are fast and easy!

Recipe adapted from:
http://simplygluten-free.blogspot.com/2009/07/gluten-free-peanut-butter-cookies.html

1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg – lightly beaten with a fork
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix together and bake at 350 for about 10 minutes. I used chunky peanut butter because that's all I had. I also mixed in chocolate chips - highly recommended! And I didn't use quite as much baking powder which is why these are a little flatter/less puffier than normal peanut butter cookies. (I like them that way). Everyone loved them and so I later I made a batch for my friend who also has celiac. This time I used mostly brown sugar instead of white and they were even tastier in my opinion!

Bacon, Brie, and Caramelized Onion Quesadilla

A creation of mine, spawned from all the things I've been craving
lately. Pretty self explanatory but extremely delicious!

Getting ready to spread this soft rindless brie on a tortilla. I went to go get some more of this last week but I couldn't find it anymore!

Frying up some bacon! Yum! I find it easier to cut it up with scissors before frying it, rather than cooking it in strips and then crumbling. I pour off the fat into a little bowl and use it occasionally in my extremely bad for you but extremely good homemade salad dressing.

Close up, you can see the caramlized onions just glistening like little tasty jewels.

The finished product, as delicious as it looks!

My Pathetic Attempt at Cutlets

Like I said before, the texture just wasn't right. But the taste was good - mashed potatoes with ground beef with ginger, garlic, and green chilis. I'll try again with hotter oil. Also I used a mini deep fryer and it has a lid which Mom said might have steamed it a bit. We will see, we will see.

Mini Cinammon Bagel with Brown Sugar Cream Cheese, Nutella, and Banana Sandwich

I get in these food ruts quite often where I'll eat the same thing over and over again. Recently it was french toast and then it was bread pudding. While I am currently having a minor obsession with mashed potatoes, what I'm really fixated on these days is this little breakfast sandwich that I created. I get these mini cinnamon bagels which are then toasted. I have a little container of cream cheese that has been mixed with brown sugar in my fridge at all times. And then there's the Nutella. Obviously if you had it, then there's no need or explanation on it's virtues. And then one day I was about to chomp down when, out if the corner of my eye, I saw some bananas that were almost on the cusp of spoilage. And the perfect breakfast was born! At least until I move on to something else!

Pecan Chewy Muffins

I made these just because I came across a recipe for them on the internet and it looked so simple. It's just 5 ingrediants, mix, bake, and enjoy! Perfect for a rainy day like it was. I haven't been posting exact recipes here before because I usually just add random stuff until the food looks edible but for baking, no recipe usually equals disaster. This one is a great recipe which results in very soft an sweet muffins with a delightful brown sugar crunchy chewiness at the edges. If anything I thought it was a bit sweet, but Ruchir said they were great as they were...evidenced by the fact that he gulped 3 down so fast that it would make your head spin!

Mini Pecan Pie Muffins
(recipe courtesy of Jane Doiron, Make-Ahead Meals)

1 c light brown sugar
1 c pecans, chopped
1/2 c flour
2/3 c butter, melted
2 eggs, beaten


Mix, bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes. Easy and delicious! I sent some of these to Priya in her birthday package; I hope they were still delicious when they reached her!