This rich and colorful salsa comes together quickly. It is important to seed the tomatoes, otherwise the salsa will be watery. To seed, simply cut each tomato in half and squeeze out the seeds and juices, then dice.

I served this salsa, along with Cheddar Cheese Button Crackers, Mini Crab Cake BLT’s, Crudités Garden Bowl with hummus, and Elote’s De Lujo Margaritas on Friday night for a Stella & Dot jewelry party I hosted for my friend and neighbor, Amy (Amy of the famous Amy’s Taco Soup).

Avocado-Shrimp Salsa

1 pound cooked cocktail-size shrimp (41-50 ct) thawed, drained, and patted completely dry
2 cups seeded and diced tomato
2 ripe avocados, pitted and diced
1/3 cup minced red onion
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
1/4 cup lime juice
2 tablespoons minced pickled jalapeno
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, stemmed and chopped
1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Tortilla chips

Thoroughly mix the shrimp with the remaining ingredients (except tortilla chips) in a medium glass bowl. Taste for seasoning and adjust with more lime juice, salt, and/or pepper.

Salsa may be made up to 2 hours ahead. Place plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the salsa to prevent air from darkening the avocado.

When ready to serve, transfer salsa into a decorative bowl. Place bowl in the center of a platter or tray and surround with tortilla chips.

Makes about 5 cups

I am just getting around to using up the remaining radicchio and Napa cabbage from this post. And I’ll be using a favorite dressing that I’ve already told you about as well, so use the link in the ingredient list for the dressing recipe. I used a portion of the greens already for fish tacos and I’ll share that recipe in a few days. Not much more to say, time is short, so I am just happy to get dinner on the table and have time to post the recipe and keep the streak alive… 71 and counting.

Summer Garden Salad with Smoked Paprika Shrimp

4 thick center-cut bacon slices
1 pound jumbo shrimp (21-25 ct), peeled and deveined
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large shallot, peeled and diced
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
Sweet Basil Dressing
1 Napa cabbage, cored and thinly sliced
1 head radicchio, cored and thinly sliced
2 cups teardrop or cherry tomatoes
2 cups mini mozzarella balls (brocconcini) halved
2 ripe avocados, peeled and cubed

Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan and drain on paper towels; cut in quarters crosswise. Discard all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon drippings from the skillet.  Increase heat to medium-high. Sprinkle shrimp with paprika, salt, and pepper.  Add shrimp to pan; cook 2 minutes on each side or until done. Remove to a plate, spreading out to cool.

Add the shallot and corn to the skillet and saute until the shallots are soft and translucent. Stir in the thyme. Remove from heat and add the corn mixture to the plate with the shrimp to cool. While the shrimp and corn cool, make the dressing.

Place the Napa cabbage and radicchio in a large bowl and toss with 1/2 cup of the dressing.  Divide the greens between 4 large dinner plates. Top each plate with 5 to 6 shrimp, 1/4 cup corn mixture, 1/2 cup tomatoes, 1/4 cup mozzarella halves, 1/2 avocado, and 4 bacon pieces.  Drizzle each salad with additional dressing and serve.

Serves 4

Last night’s “Blog 2-Year Celebration Cookbook Happy Hour” was a great success and so much fun. Thank you to all the lovely ladies who attended, a few of them are shown here.

One of the many people missing in the photos is Chef Gwen Walters. Unfortunately, in the one photo she was in, she was nearly unrecognizable… looking very incognito in a baseball cap and with a fan in front of her face. Kind of like a restaurant critic or something…. well that makes sense, she is a restaurant critic, so maybe it was intentional… hmmm? I’ve mentioned here before that Gwen is the queen of smoothies; she is also the queen of Tweets. So generous with her promotion of others. Last night she tweeted out a picture of the party. Even pictures from her iPhone are better than the ones I take with an actual camera… check this out.

When the guests arrived, this is what greeted them at the front door.

From there, guests could roam throughout the house and find cookbooks for sale on just about every flat surface available. Ranging in price from $5…

to $3…

$1 and $2…

all the way down to .50 and .25 cents.

And, of course, we had food and drink! Today’s Italian Guacamole recipe is just one of many; the rest will be posted each day for the rest of the week.  Once again, thanks to everyone who came, now go enjoy those cookbooks!

I found a version of this recipe in Bon Appétit more than a year ago and have been meaning to post it here ever since. I love the Italian twist on this Mexican classic. 

Italian Guacamole with Cibatta Chips

6 medium avocados, halved and pitted
Zest and juice from 1 large lemon
 3/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup peeled and finely minced shallots
Salt, to taste
Ciabatta bread thinly sliced and toasted crisp in a 400 degree oven
Assorted crudités (such as blanched and salted fingerlings, cherry tomatoes, celery, fennel, sugar snap peas, and carrots)

Use a large spoon to scoop avocado flesh from peel and place into a large bowl; add lemon zest and  juice. Using fork, mash avocados coarsely. Mix in  basil and shallots. Season to taste with salt. (May be made 1 hour ahead. Place plastic wrap directly onto guacamole to cover and chill.)

Transfer guacamole to serving bowl. Place on platter. Arrange toasts and crudités around bowl.

The cobb salad was created nearly 80 years ago at the famous Hollywood Brown Derby restaurant and has been an American favorite ever since. I prefer to serve it as individual salads as opposed to presenting on a large platter.  That way it looks lovely for each guest. If served on a platter, it looks great for the first guest or two, but by the end of the line, all the “goodies” on top are either gone or mashed into a nasty looking mess.

Classic Cobb Salad

Dressing
3/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Salad
1 head iceberg lettuce, cored and thinly sliced
1 head romaine lettuce, thinly sliced
1 bunch watercress, leaves only
4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
10 strips cooked bacon, roughly chopped
6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and cut into wedges or slices
4 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 boneless chicken breasts, cooked and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 avocados, peeled, pitted, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons chives, minced

Dressing:  Combine the canola oil, olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, Worcestershire, sugar, and garlic in a food processor or blender.  Puree the ingredients to make a smooth dressing and season with salt and pepper.  Set aside.

Salad:  In a large bowl, combine the iceberg and romaine lettuces along with the watercress. Toss with 1/4 cup of the dressing.  Divide the greens between 8 salad plates.

Arrange the blue cheese, bacon, eggs, tomatoes, chicken, and avocado on top of the greens in wedges or neat rows.

To serve, drizzle salad with dressing, season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with chives.

Serves 8

Hello everyone. Linda’s daughter, Marissa, here – reporting with your recipe for today.  As part of my Mother’s Day gift to my mom, I told her I would photograph and write blog posts for the two recipes my dad and I (but mostly me) made her last night for dinner.  My dad was in charge of keeping the cucumber martinis coming, which was also a very important job.  The first recipe is a delicious, fruity summer salad that my mom saw on the menu at Cave Creek Coffee Company, where she and my dad went the morning after their anniversary last week.

I admit, while I have been cooking since I was six, thanks to a mom who teaches children how to cook, my mom was still sitting at the counter giving me tips as I worked.  She can’t help herself.  But since I know everyone is not so lucky as to have personal instruction while they cook, I will tell you this recipe is delicious and easy!  To make the dressing for this salad a little more spicy, you can replace the serrano pepper with a habanero.  My mom just didn’t want me cutting up a habanero for the first time last night (you can never turn that mom protectiveness off).

Thank you mom for being the best mom ever, always being there for us when we need help (in the kitchen and out), being supportive of all of our dreams and ideas, and being a wonderful friend.  You deserve a couple days rest.

Mango, Raspberry, Avocado Salad with Pulled Chicken

Serrano-Raspberry-Mango Dressing
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 ripe mango, peeled and cut up (go to here to see how to cut up a mango)
1 small serrano pepper, seeded
1/2 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons raspberry or red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon fresh mint leaves
1 green onion, green and white portions, thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Salad
5- 6-ounces fresh mixed salad greens
1 fresh mango, cubed
Shredded breast meat from 1 rotisserie chicken
1/4 red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
6-ounce package fresh raspberries
1 ripe avocado, thinly sliced
Cilantro leaves, for garnish

Dressing: Put all, except green onion and salt and pepper, into a blender or food processor and puree. Strain and then stir in green onion. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Salad: Place the mixed greens in a large bowl and toss with half of the dressing. Mound onto 4 dinner plates.

Place the mango cubes, chicken meat, red onion, raspberries, and avocado in the same large bowl and toss with the remaining dressing.

Divide the “goodies” between the four plates.  Garnish with cilantro leaves and serve.

Serves 4

Enjoy a cucumber martini. :)

Before I get into the recipes for soup shooters and grilled cheese bites, I want to say Happy Anniversary to David, my husband of 26 years. xoxo  And I want to tell you the story of the cute shooter glasses I found.

I was in Pier 1 Imports about a month ago and saw a great display they have up with an wide and wonderful assortment of mini glasses for a “Tasting Party”. They have mini cordials, mini parfait, mini trifle, mini wine, and mini martini glasses. I was immediately in love with the whole concept and had to hold myself back from buying at least one set of each. Part of what prevented that happening, was the price. Most of the sets were $29.95 each. That would not have been a “mini” amount to spend! So I resisted and just purchased one 24-piece set of the mini parfaits to use as soup shooters.

Once I got home, I looked more closely and saw that the 24-piece set was actually only 12 glasses and included 12 mini spoons. Darn it! That meant I’d just spent $2.50 per glass. But this mistake lead me on the hunt for comparable mini shooters at a reasonable price.

Off to Target I went, and sure enough, there they were, the exact same shooter glasses made by Libby with the same pictures on the boxes. So Libby had made these for Pier 1 and had privately labeled the boxes for them.  The Target variety was a 16-piece set with 8 glasses and 8 spoons for $15.29. That came out to $1.99 per glass. Still a bit high, especially since I didn’t want or need the spoons at all. But I purchased a few sets anyhow, thinking I couldn’t do better than that.  But low and behold, while doing the last minute perishable food shopping at Fry’s (the “big fancy Fry’s on Tatum and Shea) just the day before the party, there they were…. 6-piece sets of shooter glasses, different packaging but also made by Libby, and without any spoons for only $7.99 a box… or $1.33 each!  Hallelujah… I bought all they had and was proud of my determination and tenacity at finding the best retail buy!

These soup and sandwiches, the last of the recipes from my dad’s 80th birthday party menu, pay homage to the 1930’s soup kitchens and bread lines. This is generally how it went;  First, the “customers” might be “asked” to listen to a sermon for 10-20 minutes before being served any food. Once the speech was over, they got back in a shorter line and, cafeteria style, were served a cup or bowl of soup or stew. They then sat down at community tables where hunks of stale bread awaited them on large plates. Sometimes coffee was served. Most described the soup as tasteless, thin, watery, lukewarm, and rarely with any vegetables. Some recall cheese sandwiches or oatmeal being served as well.

Tomato “Soup Kitchen” Shooters

4 tablespoons of olive oil, divided
1 medium onion, peeled and diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 small carrot,  peeled and diced
3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
Two 14.5-ounce or one 28-ounce can diced tomatoes packed in juice
1 tablespoon of brown sugar
3 slices of large sandwich bread (crusts removed and cut into 1-inch pieces)
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons brandy

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in large pot over medium-high heat.

Add onion, celery, and carrot and sauté for 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the garlic. Continue to sauté, stirring frequently, until the onion is translucent, about 3 more minutes.

Stir in the tomatoes and their juices, bring to a simmer.  Stir in brown sugar and bread; bring soup to a boil, stirring occasionally, until the bread is completely saturated and starts to break down, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the basil and cream then transfer half of the soup to a blender.  Add one tablespoon oil and process until soup is smooth and creamy. Transfer to large bowl and repeat with remaining soup and oil.

Return both batches of the soup to the pot and stir in the brandy. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve at room temperature, or reheat and serve hot, or chill and serve cold.

Makes about 4 1/2 cups = about 25 shooters

Unfortunately, in the rush of getting the food onto the buffet, I wasn’t able to get any pictures of these cute little bites being made, just a shot of them on the table with the shooters.  I didn’t create these two tasty combinations on my own. Instead, while watching Oprah back in October, I wrote down these two combos one afternoon when she had Martha Stewart on. You can go to this link to check out all of the ideas they featured that day.

“Bread Line” Grilled Cheese Bites

Thin rye bread slices, crusts trimmed off
Thin sourdough bread slices, crusts trimmed off
Salted butter, at room temperature
Gruyere cheese, thinly sliced
Granny Smith apple, cored and thinly sliced
Fresh sage leaves
Whole-grain Dijon mustard
Sharp cheddar cheese, thinly sliced
Thinly sliced ripe tomatoes
Thinly sliced ripe avocado
Freshly ground black pepper
Lay the rye and sourdough bread slices out on a work surface.  Spread half of each type of bread with softened butter.

On the slices of rye bread that are left unbuttered, layer with Gruyere cheese, apple slices, sage leaves, and a second slice of Gruyere. Top each with the buttered rye slices, butter side up.

On the slices of sourdough bread that are left unbuttered, spread first with a thinly layer of mustard and then layer with cheddar cheese, tomato, and avocado and sprinkle each with pepper, finish with and a second slice of cheddar. Top each with the buttered sourdough slices, butter side up.

Place a couple of large skillets over medium heat.  Place the sandwiches in the skillets, buttered side down. Spread all the sandwich tops, while in the skillet, with the softened butter. Cook until bread is golden and cheese is melted, about 5 minutes per side.

Serve hot or at room temperature.

It’s the Girl Scout cooking badge.  I’ll be working with 10 young ladies, helping them earn their badges today. A recipe will follow from the class, once I’ve cleaned up the kitchen, that is…

OK, class of over. The girls have their badges. The kitchen is clean and I’ve had my enchilada for dinner. Life if good! One reason I like to use this particular recipe for Girl Scout cooking classes is because it is a real family-pleaser. The enchiladas are creamy, mild, and cheesy, what’s not to like?

Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas

Pam
1  1/2 cups sour cream
7-ounce can diced green chilies
2 green onions, thinly sliced, green and white parts included
1/3 cup minced fresh cilantro
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 1/2 cups grated cheddar and/or Jack cheese (about 6 ounces), divided
Six 8-inch-diameter flour tortillas
8-ounce package cream cheese, cut lengthwise into 6 equal strips
1  1/2 cups salsa

Garnish
1 avocado, diced
1 tomato, chopped

Spray an 8×8-inch baking pan with Pam.  Mix sour cream, chilies, green onions, cilantro, and cumin in large bowl.  Mix in chicken and 3/4 cup of the cheddar cheese.

Divided the filling between the 6 tortillas, spreading down center of each tortilla.  Top filling with a cream cheese strip.  Roll up each tortilla, enclosing filling.  Arrange enchiladas, seam side down, in the prepared pan.  Pour the salsa over enchiladas in the pan. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cover with foil and bake until sauce bubbles and enchiladas are heated through, about 45 minutes.  Uncover, sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup cheddar cheese over enchiladas in each pan and bake until cheese melts, about 5 minutes.

Garnish with avocado and tomatoes.

Makes 6 enchiladas

Today we come to the end of our “Cook Once – Eat All Week” use of the Prime Rib.  I call this salad “bicicleta” because the way you arrange it on a platter is made to resemble the spokes of a bicycle wheel.  It’s a pretty salad when it’s laid out that way and even after it’s tossed, so bright and colorful.

Bicicleta Salad

Beef
1/2 pound leftover beef, thinly sliced, then julienned
1/4 small white onion, peeled and thinly sliced
Juice of 1 lime
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 garlic clove, peeled and mined
1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Dressing
1/4 cup prepared salsa
2 tablespoons ranch dressing
1 chipotle pepper, finely minced

Salad
1/4 head iceberg lettuce, thinly sliced, washed and spun dry
1/4 head romaine, washed, spun dry and torn into bite-size pieces
1 avocado, peeled and diced
1 small mangoes, peeled, pitted, thinly sliced
1 large tomato, seeded and chopped
1/2 can black beans, drained and rinsed

Toppings
1 cup grated extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
1 cup roughly broken corn tortilla chips

Beef: Place the julienned beef, onion, lime juice, olive oil, vinegar, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper in a gallon-size zip-lock bag.  Seal the bag and toss to coat the beef completely.  Refrigerate for up to 2 hours.  Drain before adding to salad.

Dressing: In a medium bowl, whisk together the salsa, ranch dressing and chipotle until well blended. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Salad: On a large round platter; arrange the salad ingredients and the beef-onion mixture in a bicycle spoke pattern, alternating the iceberg and romaine in between the other ingredients, so that there is a spoke of lettuce every other spoke.

Sprinkle salad with cheese and tortilla chips, drizzle with dressing.

Serves 2

I’ve made these sliders so many times in the past couple of weeks, that I’m afraid they’ve worn out their welcome. When I first made them, all family members were clamoring for more. So I made them again and everyone raved. After FINALLY freeing the house of all things “Christmas” yesterday, I served them again, and this time… the response was barely lukewarm. Oh well, onward and upward.

Give them at try, at least once, I’m sure your family will be delighted. BTW, the reason for the odd amount  (1 1/4 pounds) of ground turkey – that is what our grocery stores sell as a package size, but if you find a 1 pound package, that is fine too. And the buns that I find most readily available are of the King’s Hawaiian Bread variety. I kinda like the sweetness of the bread against the spiciness of the chipotle. Perfect yin-yang.

Chipotle Turkey Sliders with Chipotle Mayo

Chipotle Mayo
1/2 cup prepared mayonnaise
1 canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
2 extra teaspoons adobo sauce
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Sliders
1. 25 pounds ground turkey
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 chipotle peppers
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 mini burger buns or small soft dinner rolls, warmed in oven
1 avocado, peeled and sliced
Lettuce and tomato, as toppings

Mayo: Place mayonnaise, chipotle, and adobo sauce in a food processor and puree until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl; cover and refrigerate. (There is no need to wash out the processor bowl before the next step.)

Sliders: Place ground turkey with cumin, Worcestershire sauce, and chipotle peppers in the bowl of a food processor. Process until well combined. Divide the turkey into 8 equal portions and, using your hands, shape into 8 small burgers. Season burgers with salt freshly ground black pepper.

Heat a grill pan over high heat. When hot, place the burgers in the pan and cook until turkey is done and a thermometer inserted into the center registers 165 degrees, about 3 to 4 minutes per side.

Place the sliders on mini burger buns that have been spread with chipotle mayonnaise. Top with avocado slices, lettuce, tomato, and any other desired toppings.

Makes 8

I call these A++ BLT Biscuits because we have both avocado and arugula. No actual lettuce to be seen. Although we need the “T”, because if I was to call them BAT, no one would know what I was talking about… but say BLT, and it brings a smile to most every face! My plan was to serve these as an appetizer at a party I had last Friday. As the time approached and I still hadn’t cleaned the house, or even taken a shower… this was the recipe that was sacrificed. I replaced it with something I had in my freezer but I still have all the purchased ingredients in my fridge.  What to do? Make the biscuits sandwich size instead of appetizer size and serve them for dinner to Dave and Marissa. Perfect, and both of them had smiling faces and tummies! Click on the chipotle mayonnaise below and it will take you to a previous post with the directions to make it. Lastly, I don’t know if my gorgeous niece, Raina, reads this blog… but even if not, I send out a huge Happy 25th Birthday to you, Raina! xoxo

A++ BLT Biscuits

2  3/4 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
1  1/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold and cut into small pieces
1 cup buttermilk
1 tabelspoon milk
Freshly ground pepper
2  yellow tomatoes, diced for appetizer-size or sliced for sandwich-size
3/4 cup chipotle mayonnaise
16 slices bacon, cooked crisp and then broken into pieces to fit biscuits
3 ripe avocado, peeled and thinly sliced
1 small bunch arugula

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times, to combine. Add in the butter pieces and using the pulse button, cut in butter until the flour mixture looks like it has flour covered small peas throughout. Pour in the buttermilk and pulse just to combine, do not overmix. The dough should NOT form a ball.

Dump out crumbly mixture onto a floured surface.

Use floured hands to bring the dough together and then pad into a round that is 1/2-inch thick.

Using a 1-inch-round cutter for appetizer size, or a 3-inch for sandwich size; cut out biscuits; place on a baking sheet.

Brush tops with milk and sprinkle with pepper; bake in preheated oven until golden, about 15 minutes.

Split biscuits. Spread each with chipotle mayo, a tomato slice, a couple slices of bacon, avocado slices, and arugula.

Makes 34 appetizer-size or 12 sandwich-size

I want you to know that I am here for you!  Here to make mistakes and tell you about them, so that you don’t make the same mistakes, kinda like a parent tries to do for their kids.  The only difference, as rational adults, certainly you will listen better than the average teenager does!

My most recent faux pas? While shopping for the ingredients for about a half dozen appetizers for an upcoming party, I didn’t follow my own shopping list.  I had written “cherry tomatoes” on both my Costco and my Trader Joe’s lists. I went to Costco first and purchased a 2-pound package of those cute little “cherub” egg-shapped tomatoes.  Next, I was in Trader Joe’s I saw “cherry tomatoes” and thought, “Oh, I’ll have plenty of those from that huge package from Costco,” and promptly crossed them off the list. Bad move! I needed real “cherry” tomatoes for this recipe, round and substantially  larger than those little cherubs. Dang it… but was I going to make another run to the market? No way, do with what you’ve got, that’s my motto … OK, not so much as motto as an admission to the fact that I’m just lazy! So be sure and use cherry tomatoes, they will be easier to hollow out, easy to fill, and will stand up so much better on the serving tray…

The second cherry tomato recipe, which cherubs work perfectly for, will be posted in a couple days.

Avocado and Pesto Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes

30 cherry tomatoes
1/2  medium avocado, pitted
2  ounces cream cheese, room temperature
2  tablespoons purchased basil pesto
1  teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Cut a thin slice from the top of each tomato.  Carefully, cut a thin slice from bottoms of tomatoes so they stand upright when filled and placed on a platter. With the paring knife carefully cut out the center of the tomato and use the knife or a small spoon carefully hollow out the tomatoes.  Place the hollowed tomatoes upside down on a rack to drain. Let stand 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, use a spoon to scoop the flesh from the avocado half into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade.  Add the cream cheese, pesto, and lemon juice. Process until completely smooth. Scoop filling into a pastry bag fitted with a large plain round tip.

Place tomatoes, cut sides up, on a serving platter. Pipe filling into the hollowed tomato. Serve immediately or cover loosely and refrigerate up to 4 hours before serving.

Makes 30

If your house is anything at all like mine, then you’re always waiting for that last person to get home before dinner can be served, or finish being made. All of the components for these tacos need to finished at the last minute. Although not as hard or as much of a pain as it sounds!

You can prep everything for the salsa well ahead, just don’t dice or mix in the avocado until the last possible moment. The slaw and its dressing can also be made well ahead, don’t mix together until just before serving though, or it’ll get soggy.  And the spice mix for the tuna should be ready to go, but since the tuna only takes a couple minutes to sear, again wait until the very last moment.  As proof of how far ahead it can done, I had plenty of time to prep out everything, take and Photoshop the picture of the prepped stuff, and write this entire blog post and recipe, while waiting for that elusive family member to arrive… maybe I’ll call now and begin my nagging … “What time DO you think you might be home? We are hungry!”

Southwestern Ahi Tuna Tacos

Salsa
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup minced cilantro
1/3 cup diced red onion
3 tablespoons lime juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 Haas avocado, diced

Slaw
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
2 chipotle chilies in adobo sauce
1 tablespoon adobo sauce from chipotle peppers
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups thinly sliced Napa cabbage
1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup thinly sliced and chopped yellow bell pepper

Tuna and Tacos
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound Ahi tuna (sashimi grade)
2 teaspoons olive oil
8 taco shells, corn tortillas, or flour tortillas
2 limes, halved

Salsa: Combine all ingredients, except avocado, in a medium bowl. Dice and stir in avocado, just before serving.

Slaw: Place the mayonnaise, sour cream, chilies, and adobo sauce  in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until smooth.  Season with salt and pepper. Set dressing aside.

Just before serving toss together the cabbage, cilantro, bell peppers and all but 1/4 cup of the dressing.

Tuna and Tacos: In a small bowl, combine cumin, chili powder salt, and pepper. Rub spice mixture generously on both sides of the tuna.

Heat a nonstick skillet over high heat. When pan is smoking hot, add olive oil and roll pan to coat. Sear tuna for 1 minute per side, or until fish is cooked on the outside, but rare on the inside. Transfer to a cutting board. Dice tuna into 1/4-inch cubes.

Divided slaw between taco shells/tortillas, spoon in salsa and then top with tuna. Squeeze each with lime juice and a drizzle of the remaining dressing.

Makes 8

After yesterday’s long “birthday” post, I thought it would be nice to post a quick and easy soup for today. Since it’s still scorching here in the desert, I serve this soup at room temperature rather than hot. The avocado just seems to make it more “cool” and summery. If you haven’t already commented on yesterday’s post, be sure and do so to be in the running for the grand prize for a baker’s dozen of fabulous cookbooks. You can easily make this a vegetarian soup, just use all water instead of chicken broth. The carrot and avocado flavors actually come through better that way.  I’m just not a huge carrot fan, so I prefer the broth to tone that flavor down a little.

Carrot and Avocado Soup

2 pounds carrots
1 pound potatoes
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3 avocados, cut in half and pitted, divided

Peel carrots and potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces and place in a large soup pot. Add garlic, broth, water and a pinch of salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat.  Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes or until vegetable are tender.

Puree soup in batches in a blender. Use a spoon to scoop out the flesh of 2 of the avocados and place in blender, puree until smooth. Taste soup and season with salt and pepper. Thin with more water for desired consistency. Serve soup as is or return soup to pot and heat lightly, if desired.

Use a table knife to dice the remaining avocado halves directly in the peel/shell.

Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with the diced avocado, use a spoon to scoop out the pieces and carefully drop on top of each soup bowl. Give each portion a grind of black pepper and serve.

Serves 6