Oreo Marshmallow White Chocolate Popcorn

My 14 year old daughter calls this, "diabetes in a cup".  I call it Oreo Crack.  You can call it whatever you want, it is delicious no matter what it is named!

Oreo Marshmallow White Chocolate Popcorn
1 Box (2 bags) JollyTime Mallow Magic Popcorn, with the marshmallow topping packets
20 white chocolate melting drops
30 regular Oreos
        In the microwave pop the popcorn, one bag at a time.  Pour the popped corn into a big bowl and separate out the unpopped kernels and throw them away.  Place the oreos in a ziploc bag and gently crush them to small pieces, not dust, just small pieces.  Mix the oreos with the popcorn.  In a double boiler, or a small glass bowl placed over a small sauce pan with simmering water, melt the white chocolate drops.  Add the marshmallow liquid from the packets with the popcorn to the melted white chocolate.  Stir to combine and then pour over the popcorn and oreos and gently fold it in to coat everything.  You can eat it right away, (I like it warm!) but it will be a little greasy, sticky feeling.  If you refrigerate it for about 15 minutes it will help set up the white chocolate, or you can just cover the bowl and let it sit on the counter for an hour or so. 

Mandarin Orange Chicken Salad with Farfalle and Crispy Wonton Strips

As soon as I finished taking these pictures I sat down and started eating this salad.  It was about the third bite that I looked over and sitting on the counter was the bowl of freshly toasted and lightly sugared almond slices meant for the salad.  Oops!  Of course I spooned some over the salad I was eating, but they are not in the pictures.  The next time I make it, maybe I'll re-do the photos.  For now, just know that the almonds really do add to the flavor and texture of this salad.  My sister introduced me to the first version of this salad I have ever eaten and I called her for the dressing recipe.  I added the farfalle (bowtie pasta) and the crispy wonton strips to her recipe and created the above variation.

Mandarin Orange Chicken Salad with Farfalle and Crispy Wonton Strips:
1 head Romaine lettuce, chopped
1 lg. can mandarin oranges, drained
2 cups diced, grilled, chicken breast
2 cups of cooked farfalle (bowtie pasta) I used the mini pasta
4 green onions, sliced
1/2 cup sliced almonds toasted with 3 Tbsp. sugar
1 stalk celery, sliced thinly
15 wonton wrappers, cut into 8 rectangles and fried

Dressing:
5 Tbsp. Rice Wine Vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. dried parsley
2 tsp. sugar
1/4 cup EVOO
          Combine the vinegar, salt, pepper, parsley and sugar in a small bowl. With a wisk stir the ingredients together quickly while slowly pouring in the olive oil to help blend it together.

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Everyone was so hungry on Sunday after church that they wouldn't let me take pictures of the whole crockpot filled with pulled pork so this one photo of my sandwich is all you get!  I'll share the recipe anyway.  We like to spoon Apple Bacon Coleslaw over the pork and then top it with some hot French Fried Onions, either homemade, or from the bag.  (These ones above are not the homemade kind.)

Pulled Pork
3-5 lb. pork loin roast, boneless
8 pepperoncini peppers
1 cup pepperoncini juice (from the jar the peppers came in)
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 can chicken broth
2 bottles of your favorite bbq sauce
1/2 cup honey
    In a large crockpot place the pork roast and the peppers.  Pour the pepperoncini juice and the chicken broth over the roast and add the salt and pepper.  Cook on high heat until the roast is fork tender and falling apart, approximately 10 hours in my crockpot.  Turn off the crockpot and take the roast out.  Discard the peppers and liquid.  Rinse the crockpot and add the roast back into it.  Using 2 forks, shred the pork.  Mix the bbq sauce and honey together and pour over the shredded pork.  Stir to combine.  Return the heat to high and cook until pork and sauce are heated through before serving.

     

Apple Bacon Coleslaw

This is a "must have" when we make our pulled pork sandwiches.  It is so creamy and yet light tasting.  It makes an ordinary pulled pork sandwich extraordinary!
I altered the recipe from here to fit my tastes:http://www.ghettofoodie.com/fromCocktailDeeva/2012/08/19/apple-bacon-coleslaw/

Apple Bacon Coleslaw
1/4 head of green cabbage, thinly sliced
2 medium Granny Smith apples, cored and cut into matchsticks
6 green onions, sliced
8 slices of bacon, cooked and diced

Coleslaw dressing:
1 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper

    In a small bowl combine the ingredients for the dressing.  In a large bowl combine the cabbage, apples, onions and bacon. Pour the dressing over and stir together.

Fish Tacos with Cilantro Lime Coleslaw and homemade Tartar Sauce

I love watching the cooking channel!  One of my favorite shows is, "Eat St."  with all of the food trucks across the nation and the different kinds of food they serve.  This taco reminds me of that show!  It is totally something you would find on a gourmet food truck.  I have already shared my homemade Tartar Sauce recipe which you can find here.

Fish Tacos
   I used nice filets of cod.  I cut each filet lengthwise into 2-3 pieces.  I dipped each piece of fish in flour, then in 1 egg mixed with 1/2 cup buttermilk, and finally into a bowl of Panko breadcrumbs before I placed them in a frying pan with 1 inch of hot oil.  Cook each side for about 3-4 minutes and then drain on a paper towel.  For the corn torillas I brushed each side with a little EVOO and grilled them on my cast iron grill pan (the side with ridges) on top of my gas stove, just until they had warmed up and had nice grill marks.  I didn't want them crispy.  Place a piece of the cooked fish on a grilled tortilla, top with Tartar Sauce and then pile on some Cilantro Lime Coleslaw and a few sliced red onions and chow down on the best fish taco ever made!

Cilantro Lime Coleslaw
1/2 head green cabbage, sliced very thinly
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
juice of 1 lime
juice of 1/2 orange
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
6 Tbsp. EVOO
     Mix the cabbage and cilantro together in a medium bowl.  In a small bowl combine the lime juice, orange juice, salt, and pepper.  Slowly pour the EVOO in while wisking quickly to blend it all together.  Do not mix the dressing into the cabbage and cilantro until just before serving.  The salt in the dressing will pull the water from the cabbage and it will wilt fairly quickly.  I prefer my cabbage to retain it's texture and not soften too much for this coleslaw.

7 Layer Dip in cups

I usually make this in a 9x13 or 9x8 pan.  I thought it might be fun to try making the individual servings in cups.  They look so colorful!  You could make these very easily by using premade mixes for the all of the layers.  I love my homemade guacamole and pico de gallo too much to use any others, so I will give you those recipes too.  For my cheese layer I usually use grated cheddar, but I have been wanting to try the Rotel and Velveeta queso recipe for a while and I thought this would be a good time.  It was!

7 Layer Dip in cups  (makes 8 servings)
1 small can refried beans
1 can black beans, drained
1 recipe queso (see below)
1 lb. hamburger, cooked and drained with 1 packet taco seasoning mixed in according to directions
1 1/2 cups guacamole (see my recipe here:guacamole)
2 cups sour cream
1 can olives, sliced
1 cup pico de gallo (see my recipe here:pico de gallo)
hot sauce to drizzle on top, if desired.  I use Taco Bell Mild Sauce
           Layer the ingredients in the cups.  I microwave my refried beans and black beans first because we like this dip hot!  Serve with tortilla chips.

 

Guacamole

You will never get the fresh taste of real guacamole from any packet or premade tub like you do from homemade!  I make it in very large batches, as you can see, and then I freeze it in ziploc freezer bags, quart sized.  Make sure you remove all of the air before sealing the bags.  This will help keep the guacamole nice a bright green.  I lay the bags down flat and stack them.  When the guacamole is frozen the bags can then be stored upright or left flat.  To that I take them out of the freezer and place them in the refrigerator for a few hours.  If I am using it on tacos or fajiatas instead of as a dip, I will just cut a  bottom corner of the bag off and then I can pipe it onto the individual dishes as needed.  I have even fried and baked my own chips from fresh, thin corn tortillas to eat with my fresh, homemade guacamole.

Guacamole, single recipe (I quadruple this recipe for freezing)
2 large, ripe avocados - (ripe means firm, but yielding to pressure, NOT squishy and soft.)
1/2 small Roma tomato, seeded and finely minced
1 tsp. garlic, finely minced
2 Tbsp. white onion, finely minced
1 tsp. jalepeno pepper, finely minced
2 tsp. cilantro, finely  minced
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
juice of 1/2 lime
    Mash the avocado well. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir together until well combined.  Freeze or serve immediately to keep color vibrant.