Avocado salsa

Avocado Salsa
4 plum tomatoes, chopped
2 ripe Hass avocados, peeled, pitted and diced
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
1 serrano chile, finely diced
1 to 2 limes, juiced
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 to 2 teaspoons honey
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Shrimp Tacos with Pickled-Red-Onion Salad

Ingredients

Red Onion Salad
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
Salt
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1 small white onion, finely diced
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons malt vinegar
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 large ripe mango, cut into thin sticks
1/2 cup thinly sliced green cabbage
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves

Shrimp Tacos
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 small white onion, finely chopped
1/2 pound medium shrimp, shelled and deveined
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons salted roasted pumpkin seeds, 1 thinly sliced seeded serrano chile and 2 tablespoons cilantro leaves, for garnish
1/2 cup barbecue sauce
1/2 cup shredded jalapeño Jack cheese
Four 6-inch flour tortillas, warmed

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Instructions

1.PREPARE THE RED ONION SALAD: In a small saucepan, bring the vinegar, sugar and a pinch of salt to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Pour the hot pickling liquid over the red onion in a small, heatproof bowl and let cool, then refrigerate overnight. (NOTE: If you did these first thing in the morning, the onions would be pickled enough for dinner that night)

2.In another saucepan, combine the orange juice, white onion, maple syrup, malt vinegar and cumin seeds. Boil over moderately high heat until the liquid has reduced to 2 tablespoons, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a blender, add the oil and lime juice and puree until smooth; season with salt.

3.Drain the red onion and transfer to a bowl. Add the mango, cabbage, cilantro and half of the vinaigrette and season with salt.

4.PREPARE THE SHRIMP TACOS: In a skillet, heat the oil. Add the onion and cook over moderate heat until softened, 5 minutes. Add the shrimp, season with salt and pepper and cook, turning, until white throughout, 3 minutes. Add the barbecue sauce and bring to a simmer. Off the heat, stir in the cheese.

5.Spoon the shrimp and red onion salad onto the tortillas and roll them up. Garnish with the pumpkin seeds, chile and cilantro, and serve with the remaining vinaigrette.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Buttercream Icing

This recipe is from the Wilton Decorating Basics Lesson Plan Book

1 cup solid white vegetable shortening
1 teaspoon wilton falvor (vanilla, almond, or butter)
7-8 teaspoons milk or water
1 tablespoon wilton meringue powder
pinch of salt (optional)

cream shortening, flavoring and water.  add dry ingredients and mix on medium speed until all ingredients have been thoroughly mixed together.  blend an additional minute or so, until creamy.  makes 2 1/2 cups.

chocolate buttercream
add 3/4 cup cocoa or three 1 oz. unsweetened chocolate squares, melted, and an additional 1 to 2 tablespoons water to recipe.  mix until well blended.

Icing consistency

stiff--use for decorations such as flowers with upright petals, like the rose.
use this test to check consistency:

• place 1 cup of icing in a 9 oz. cup, 3 3/4 in. tall and about 2 3/4 in. diameter.
• insert a straight spatula all the way into the center of the icing and jiggle the cup.
• when the icing is stiff consistency, the spatula will not move.

medium--used to create stars, dimensional decorating, borders and flowers with petals that lie flat.

to convert stiff consistency icing to medium consistency add 1 teaspoon of water for each cup of stiff icing (2 1/2 tsp for the full recipe.) nux until well blended.

• use the same test as for stiff consistency
• when the icing is medium consistency the spatula will move slightly and start to lean when you jiggle the cup.

thin--use for writing and printing, leves, icing a cake.

to conver stiff icing to thin, add 2 tsp of water for each cup of stiff (5 tsp for the full recipe) mix well until blended.

• use the same test as for stiff consistency
• when the icing is thin, the spatula will fall over when you jiggle the cup
• when making thin consistency for writitng and printing add 1/2 tsp of piping gel per cup of thin consistency icing.  it will add stretch to the icing to make writing and printing easier

Caffe Mingo Sugo di Carne or Penne with Chianti Braised Beef

This is a signature dish of Caffe Mingo, a favorite Italian eatery that has locations in NW Portland and the Beaverton Round.  Surprisingly it is one of the easiest things to make!  My mother-in-law got the recipe from the chef himself.  You will have more than enough sauce for leftovers.  In fact it's probably better the second day!

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 1/2 pound beef bottom round, cut in manageable cubes
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 1 cup espresso coffee
• 1- 28 oz can of san marzano canned tomatoes (trust me, these tomatoes are worth it)
• 1/2 bottle of your favorite chianti
• 1 cup chicken or beef broth
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup of finely grated parmigiano regiano cheese
• 16 oz penne pasta

Directions:

• In a large pot on medium heat, brown meat with a little salt and pepper in the butter
• add onions and saute until onions are soft
• add espresso, crushed tomatoes, and the wine
• once the sauce is bubbling, turn down to simmer and leave uncovered for 2 to 3 hours
• Be sure to periodically check on the sauce to make sure that it doesn't get reduced too much or burn.  If it gets too thick, put a lid on the pot to prevent further reduction.
• the sauce should be nicely thick and reduced and the meat should be very shreddable. 
• take the meat out of the sauce and shred.
• once shredded return meat to sauce, add chicken broth and 1 tablespoon of butter.
• turn heat to medium high until sauce is bubbling.  let simmer for five minutes
• serve with penne and sprinkle parmesan on top

Creamy Pasta with Asparagus, Walnuts, Mushrooms, and Marscopone Cheese

 This is another favorite recipe from Giada de Laurentis.  It's a very quick pasta, and served with grilled chicken, makes for a very satisfying meal.  Or you can just keep it vegetarian.  I've also used ordinary mushroom in place of the cremini.  You can substitute the asparagus with another vegetable as well.

Ingredients

• 1 pound farfalle pasta
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 pound cremini mushrooms, thickly sliced
• 1 pound thin asparagus, trimmed, cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces
• 1 cup mascarpone cheese
• Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
• 3/4 cup walnuts, toasted
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• salt to taste

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the farfalle and cook until al dente, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of pasta water.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and saute until tender and most of the juices have evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add the asparagus and saute until the asparagus is crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Add the farfalle. Stir in the mascarpone and nutmeg and toss until the cheese coats the pasta, adding the reserved cooking liquid 1/4 cup at a time to moisten. Stir in 1/2 cup of walnuts. Season the pasta, to taste, with salt and pepper. Mound the pasta in a large bowl. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and remaining 1/4 cup of walnuts. Serve

Easy chicken noodle soup

Ingredients

4 cups chicken broth

generous dash ground black pepper

1 medium carrot, sliced (but I usually add more)

1 stalk celery, sliced (again, I add more)

1/2 cup uncooked extra wide egg noodles

1 cup shredded cooked chicken or turkey

Heat broth, black pepper, carrot and celery in saucepan over medium-high heat to a boil. Stir noodles and chicken into saucepan. Reduce heat to medium. cook 10 minutes or until noodles are tender, stirring often.

Spaghetti Pie

Ingredients

6 oz spaghetti

2 tbsp butter

1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

2 well-beaten eggs

1/2 to 3/4 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup diced green pepper (optional)

1 tsp oil

1 lb ground beef

1.5 cups spaghetti sauce

1 cup cottage cheese (or ricotta)

1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

Break up and cook spaghetti according to pkg directions. Drain. Stir butter, parmesan and egg into hot spaghetti. Form spaghetti into a crust in a greased 10-inch pie plate. Brown onions and green pepper in the oil until soft. Add meat and brown. Drain. Add spaghetti sauce and simmer 25-30 minutes (I usu. do less). Spread cottage cheese over spaghetti crust. Top with meat sauce. Bake about 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

During the last 5 minutes of baking, top the pie with mozzarella. Remove from oven when the cheese has melted. Let stand about 5 minutes before cutting.