Tag Archives: lime juice

Guacamole Genua Style (revisited)

This post is from many years ago but since it is Cinco de Mayo I thought I’d repost it! Guacamole isn’t just for Cinco de Mayo either! Enjoy it every day if you want! Avocados are good for you! An update on the avocado “tree” I had all those years ago…It didn’t last. We don’t have the proper surroundings for it. Living with an extremely strict HOA we can’t have ANY kind of fruit trees outside our screen enclosure. So my little tree is no more. Very sad.

I love guacamole! (I think I’ll marry it!- inside joke) I always thought it was so hard to make until my cousins Linda and Kim showed me how when they were visiting me. Ever since then I was hooked on making it myself. I am always looking for the sale on the Hass avocados. They are the best to use. There are other larger avocados out there but they just don’t do it for me. The color is wrong too and the taste is bland. So stick to the Hass. They are usually from California but lately the ones I’ve bought have been from Mexico. Still really good. I make guacamole at least once a week! It goes great on so many things other than chips. Sandwiches, burgers, hot dogs, chicken, steak, you name it. I also bought one of those avocado slicers to make the slicing easier, but it’s just as easy to score and then scoop out the avocado with a large spoon. Though it is actually good for getting the pit out without cutting open your hand and getting blood all over the guac.  But you can just cut open an avocado by slicing all the way around the long way and twist the two halves apart. Then take a sharp knife and whack the seed with it till it sticks in and twist. Just don’t whack your hand in the process! The seed should come right out. And I planted one recently, I had to see if I could actually grow it. It works! Just waiting for fruit! (See picture below) Though that might not happen but we will see! As soon as I finish writing this I am going to make another batch as well! And when you buy avocados pick ones that are a nice color and firm. If they are already soft you will have to use them right away. They take a day or so to soften on the counter, once they do put them in the fridge and use in few days. They should not be mushy! Mushy is bad. I also make mine half mashed and half chunky. But if you don’t like chunks mash away!

 

INGREDIENTS:

2 large Hass avocados

1 large plum tomato (halved, seeded and chopped)

¼ cup chopped red onion

1 tablespoon cilantro (or ½ cup fresh chopped)

juice of 1 lime or lemon

¼ cup jalapeños, chopped (I use the pickled ones in the jar but fresh is good too!) If this is too hot for you lessen or leave out.

2 cloves garlic, minced or chopped

1 teaspoon kosher salt (regular will be fine if you don’t have the Kosher)


DIRECTIONS:

1. Cut open the avocado and slice and chop one of them and place in a large bowl. Do the same with the second one but set aside.

2. Mash the avocado in the large bowl with a fork till all mashed up. Add the rest of the ingredients as well as the unmashed avocado and mix gently so you don’t mash all the chunks. (Unless you want it all mashed!)

3. Chill and serve in a few hours. If you will be waiting longer to serve place a piece of wax paper over the top of the guacamole in a container and cover tightly. It will start to turn brown from oxidation if you don’t do this. Also adding a little more lime juice will help. If it does start to turn just mix it up, there’s nothing wrong with it, just won’t look as pretty.

Regular Avocado

Non-Hass Avocado

Shrimp Salsa

Okay, I need to make another resolution. ALWAYS TAKE PICTURES OF THE FOOD AT MY PARTIES!!! This recipe I have made before but of course it was PB (Pre-Blog). Of course I never took pictures of the food because for the most part, why would I? Well now I will. Even if it’s with my cell phone. But until I make this again I do not have an actual picture of it. Use your imagination.

This week also marks my venture back into the workforce outside my house. I worked at home for 6 years and going back into an office is going to be a bit shocking to my system. So I am trying to get the week’s blogs done earlier so that if I am too tired I will still have the blog. If anything earth-shattering happens that I need to post I will add it to the next day’s blog. And since I may not be near a computer during the day as I am now, I will approve comments when I get home. Please bear with me. I normally don’t like to have to approve all comments but there has been a ton of spam lately and I don’t want anything slipping by. Thanks! So without further ado here is today’s post.

This salsa is a great side dish for the upcoming Super Bowl weekend. It’s easy, fast and very healthy for you! I know, healthy and Super Bowl usually don’t go together but why not? Who says it can’t? It can be served with tortilla chips so it won’t be a shock to the Super Bowl system. I would also suggest using endive leaves as a “chip” to eat this. Very tasty and still crunchy. It’s a very colorful salsa and will be a huge hit.

Photo is for illustrative purposes only. This is not the exact photo for recipe but it's close.

INGREDIENTS:

½ pound peeled, cooked shrimp, coarsely chopped

1½  cups salsa (your choice)

4 scallions, green and white parts, thinly sliced

¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

¼ cup minced cilantro

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1 garlic clove, minced

½ teaspoon dried oregano

DIRECTIONS:

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Refrigerate, covered, until flavors are blended, at least an hour.

Serve with tortilla chips, endive, or whatever you choose.

Tropical Pudding Shots

Yes pudding shots! I know you’ve all heard of jello shots. I also think it’s time for me to serve them at my next party. But pudding shots are almost the same but with pudding! This recipe calls for sugar-free fat-free pudding but if you’re not watching calories just use the regular pudding. I actually have not made them yet but I plan to soon! They sound delicious! This recipe also only makes 8 servings so if you have a huge crowd  adjust the amounts accordingly. And since I am allergic to the aspartame in the sugar-free jello puddings (and jello) I will have to find one with Splenda or just use the regular kind. Have fun and enjoy the weekend!

INGREDIENTS:

4 ounces fat-free milk (I will probably use fat-free half-and-half)

1 small (4 serving) package Jell-O Sugar Free Fat Free Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix (or any other kind you want)

3 ounces coconut rum

1 ounce lime juice

½ cup canned crushed pineapple in juice, not drained

1 cup Cool Whip Free, thawed (or regular if you wish)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine milk and pudding in a bowl and whisk or mix until smooth. Add the rum, lime juice and pineapple. Stir well.

2. Fold in the Cool Whip. Once mixture is smooth throughout, divide it among 8 small cups.

3. Place in fridge until ready to serve, at least 30 minutes. Use a spoon to eat!

Makes 8 servings

Firecracker Coconut Dip

Ever have one of those “hump” days that make the “hump” seem like it’s Mt. Everest? Well today was that day for me. I also think I should have made my New Year resolution something other than exercising more. I think it should have been for me to do my blog in the MORNING!! Well today’s mess started yesterday morning. Took my half-and-half out of the fridge for my coffee and thought the container seemed a little on the warm side. Hmmm…Started checking other items. Same thing. Freezer check. Most still frozen but a few items were soft. Not a good sign. So I put thermometers in both places and my fridge was reading 60 degrees! Um that’s not right! And the freezer was almost 50! Also not a good thing. So I cranked the temperature to the highest it would go and by that night the fridge only dropped maybe 5 degrees. Same in the freezer. So I called the service dudes. They told me they’d be here sometime today between 8 and 5! As usual! And they’d call 30 minutes before they arrived! OMG! I was now trapped in the house all day. Afraid to go in the shower for fear the guy would of course show up without calling or something. Couldn’t do anything! Then later in the afternoon I get my delivery from Apple computers with my new iLife 11 software for my iMac. A third of the way through the installation it froze!!! OMG again! Now I’m on hold for tech support and of course the service guy beeps in! He’ll be there in 30 minutes! Yikes! Go back to Apple and they guy on the other end is saying Hello?? Ok so we shut down my iMac (Fiona, I name all my computers) and we try again. He stayed on the phone with me the entire time. All went well! Just a brain fart! It happens. I was scared to do anything for fear I’d erase my entire computer! (that is how you get when you have PCs for most of your computer using life and they always have issues) And for anyone who knows me I am totally attached at the hip to my computer. So as I am saying thank you and hanging up with Apple the repair guy shows up! 5:00! 40 minutes later my fridge is working. For now. Some defroster/heater or something. I needed a drink! So here I am, at 7:15pm finally doing the blog! And now that I’ve put you all to sleep with my ramblings…Here is today’s recipe.

This is a low-calorie dip and so refreshing and different from your usual ranch veggie dips or whatever else is out there. I love making my own dips, I know what is in them and I know what isn’t! You can even serve this dip with grilled shrimp or pork or put it on a burger! Versatility is a wonderful thing! And the “firecracker” is the explosion of flavor you will get from the wasabi or horseradish. If you don’t like it too “hot” put less in. But its sooo good!!

INGREDIENTS:

1 package (8oz.) light cream cheese, softened

1 carton (8oz.) light sour cream

½ cup unsweetened coconut milk or light cream of coconut

1-2 tablespoons wasabi paste (you can also use 2 tablespoons prepared horseradish)

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

1 teaspoon finely shredded lime peel

3 tablespoons lime juice

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a medium mixing bowl beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium speed for about 30 seconds. Beat in the sour cream, coconut milk or cream of coconut, wasabi paste, ginger, lime peel and lime juice until smooth. Chill for at least an hour. Always better to let dips sit and mellow out.

2. Serve with carrots, sugar snap peas, celery, peppers or any other vegetables you like!

Makes about 2½ cups

Guacamole Kicked Up a Notch

Yes I know I’ve already done guacamole. But I had three very ripe avocados in the fridge that I thought were history. I figured I’d better check them out before I tossed them. I cut them open and surprise! They were still ok! A few little blemishes here and there but otherwise fine and dandy! So I made guacamole. But as I was making it I had the idea to make it a little different. I looked around in the fridge and came across two ingredients I would never have thought to put in guacamole. Fat-free plain Greek yogurt and gorgonzola cheese! Weird? Not so much! I had about ½ cup of yogurt so I put it in my little food chopper and added a large handful of crumbled gorgonzola cheese. It was about 1/3 cup or so. I processed it till it was pretty creamy and added it to the guacamole. The color of the guacamole got a little lighter but I tasted it and it was good! I let it sit for a few more hours and it was even better! Who would have thought! We will be eating it for the next few days on everything! There is quite a lot of it. The guacamole recipe is from my recipe that I posted back in June. Just click on the link to get the recipe and just add the yogurt and gorgonzola cheese and you are set! I am sure it would probably be good with blue cheese as well!

So as you can see today’s post does not have an exact recipe. Just click on over to my other one for the rest.

Cucumber Margarita

The first time I saw this recipe was in a copy of Coastal Living. I came across it again and decided it definitely needed to be revisited. It sounded delicious the first time and even more now! Cucumber and margarita definitely sound odd. When I look for a new cocktail to try odd sometimes turns out to be incredible! It’s healthy, it has a vegetable in it! The recipe states 12 slices of cucumber. It doesn’t state if it should be peeled or not or how thick the slices should be. The photo does show the garnish of cucumber with skin and it does have green specs in it, so I would guess you don’t have to peel it, unless you want to. I would use the English style cucumbers as they have a less waxy film on them. If anyone tries one, let me know! Leave a comment! I love to hear what everyone has to say! Fall can start on Monday, enjoy a last bit of summer this weekend!

INGREDIENTS:

12  slices fresh cucumber

½ cup fresh lime juice

4  ounces  (½ cup) Cointreau

6  ounces  (¾ cup) tequila reposado

6  cups  ice

¼ cup  Grand Marnier

Lime slices

DIRECTIONS:

Combine cucumber and next 4 ingredients in a blender; process until smooth.

Pour into glasses. Top each serving with a tablespoon of Grand Marnier, and garnish with lime or cucumber.

Makes 4 servings

Hurricane Cocktails

Yes I am doing a Hurricane cocktail today. In honor of all the crazy storms out there right now, especially “My Name Is Earl”. As of right now Earl is down to a Category 1 storm with winds only at 85mph. ONLY! Coming from NY we never really knew what hurricanes where for the most part. Sure I remember Gloria. But by the time it got to NY it was nothing like the ones I experienced living here in Florida. I was here 4 years before our first one in 2004. Hurricane Frances. Then 3 weeks later Hurricane Jeanne. Hurricane Wilma in 2005 was another one we got to know up close and personal. Let me just say I am glad I experienced it but don’t need to repeat again, ever. We got hit dead on for these, not just a brushing past us. It was not fun. So now when they talk about these storms and some people just don’t realize how severe they can be. Just ask Louisiana or any other Gulf state. So for all of you up north in the path, even though it’s a Cat.1 please take it seriously and prepare. You never know! If I had a dollar for all the times our weather people said, “Oh this has never happened before! Or This is highly unusual for a storm!” I would be rich. Honestly, you don’t know! So be safe everyone and have a cocktail. Stock up on ice and water! You don’t realize how much you need them both until you can’t get them!

So enjoy the cocktails. This recipe makes enough for 8! It is courtesy of  Rachael Ray. It will NOT be that bright red color that you usually have from a bar hurricane. That is pretty much all sugar and fruit punch. Yuck!! This will be a pretty orange/yellow color.

INGREDIENTS:

½ cup simple syrup

2 cups golden rum

2 cups passion fruit juice

2 cups orange juice (no pulp is better)

2 cups pineapple juice

½ cup orange liqueur, such as Grand Mariner

juice of 4 limes (about ½ cup)

Myers Rum

ice cubes

Bitters, such as Angostura (You can leave this out if you want)

8 fresh pineapple wedges for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

1. Fill a large pitcher or large punch bowl with ice cubes. Add the rum, passionfruit juice, orange juice, lime juice, pineapple juice and simple syrup and stir until chilled.

2. Strain the cocktail into glasses, top with a dash of bitters and garnish with a pineapple wedge. Put a little Myers Rum on top as a floater! Enjoy!

Side Car Martini

It’s Friday! Woo hoo! And it is after  5 o’clock so let’s get the weekend started! I just found this recipe on the Cooking Channel site. It is courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis so you know it’ll be a good one! And it has one of my favorite liqueurs in it, Limoncello. Love it! (maybe I should marry it!) Anyway, here it is and enjoy your weekend everyone! This recipe makes 4 martinis so invite a few friends over to get the party started! Just be careful as these martinis will definitely pack quite a punch! So nosh on some snacks with them and be careful!

INGREDIENTS:

½ cup sugar

1 lime, zested

1 lime wedge

10 ounces cognac (Hennessy is recommended)

4 ounces Cointreau (or Triple Sec)

4 ounces sweet and sour mix

4 ounces Limoncello

2 ounces lime juice

ice

DIRECTIONS:

1. Chill 4 martini glasses. In a small shallow dish combine the sugar and the lime zest. Run the lime wedge around the rim of each glass. Dip in the sugar and zest mixture.

2. In a cocktail shaker mix the cognac, Cointreau, sweet and sour mix, Limoncello, and lime juice over ice. Shake to chill.

3. Pour the Side Car Martinis into the glasses and serve immediately.

Ranch Dressing

Ranch dressing is my all time favorite go to dressing. Ever since I tasted Hidden Valley Ranch years ago I was hooked (still think they make the best bottled Ranch ever!). I have tried over the years to make my own and finally found a recipe that is pretty darn good! I have made my own dressings for a while now. I know exactly what is in them and I can watch the fat, sugar and so on. Granted they don’t last as long as bottled dressings but then again they aren’t full of preservatives either. Ranch dressing is one of the best-selling dressings out there! It is used on everything from chicken wings (though I still prefer blue cheese for this) to pizza! This is a super easy recipe and your body will thank you for it! It’s also a low-calorie version so it’s even better for you! In one tablespoon there is only 25 calories and 2 grams of fat! That is great! So give it a try! Let me know on here if you do try this and how you liked it!

INGREDIENTS:

½ cup reduced-fat buttermilk

½ cup light or fat-free sour cream

½ cup light mayonnaise

2 tablespoons chopped chives (1 tablespoon dried)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (1 tablespoon dried)

1 garlic clove, crushed/minced

2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

Coarsely ground black pepper


DIRECTIONS:

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Whisk well! That’s it you are done!

Makes about 1½ cups.

Per (1 tablespoon) serving: 25 calories, 2 grams fat, 5 mg cholesterol, 1 gram protein, 1 gram carbs, 0 grams fiber, 50 mg sodium, 1 point for Weight Watchers


French Margarita

Well we had an Italian margarita and now there is a French margarita. We tried these last weekend and they were quite tasty! Anyone who makes them please leave a comment on the blog letting me know how you liked them! And of course we were enjoying them so much I forgot to take a picture! If you want to see what it looks like go to www.food2.com/recipes/french-margarita and check it out. The picture shown is from that site.  They use raspberries and blackberries for garnish. We didn’t, because we did not have any. Guess we’ll have to make them again so I can take my own pictures this time! The ingredients call for sweet and sour mix. We used our regular margarita mix. Enjoy!

Photo for illustrative purposes only

INGREDIENTS:

2 oz. tequila (any kind, we use Milagro Silver)

1 oz. Grand Mariner

½ oz. each lime juice, orange juice, sweet and sour mix (Margarita mix)

1 oz. Chambord

Garnish: Skewer (toothpick) of raspberries and blackberries


DIRECTIONS:

Pour everything but the Chambord into a cocktail shaker with ice and shake to mix.

Fill margarita glass with ice and pour mixture into glass. Top with Chambord. Garnish with a skewer of blackberries and raspberries.

Makes 1 drink

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