Avocado Chicken Salad

When looking through recipes, I decided to try this one since it used avocado and it seemed an easy way to introduce the veggie to the family.  It's not a bad recipe, just an everyday one that I will make again because it tastes good and is simple to make.


Avocado Chicken Salad 
~ adapted from becomingbetty.com


2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
1 avocado, peeled and cut into chunks
4 green onions, sliced
1-2 T lime juice
3/4 cup mayo
salt and pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in bowl.  Stir.  Serve on rustic Italian bread.

Even the toddler liked it . . . .

Homemade Cheez-Its

I love me some snack foods.  BUT I hate thinking of all the icky stuff that goes into them.  So, when I found this recipe, I thought I'd try it.  Seriously, snacky food with only 5 ingredients?  SCORE!

Mom came up right as these were coming out of the oven.  She stayed to sample a few . . . and then sampled a few more . . . and a few more.  She hates HOT stuff and told me to remove the Cayenne next time I make them for her, but she still kept eating this first batch!

My one friend tells me they're "a lot of work for something you can buy for 2 bucks . . . ".  I disagree.  They're worth it!

Homemade Cheez-Its
~ adapted from Fromaway.com


1 cup flour (I used 1/2 cup whole wheat and 1/2 cup regular)
4 T cold butter, cut into squares
8 oz Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese
3/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Cayenne Powder
Water to form dough
Kosher salt (optional)

Place all ingredients in food processor.  Process.  Enjoy the pretty color of your new food processor.  Think about taking pictures of it to share since it was such a great pre-Thanksgiving deal!  Pulse until mixed.  Slowly add cold water 1T at a time until mixture creates a dough.  Place dough on parchment paper and place in freezer for at least 30 minutes.  Do not rush this part.

After dough has chilled at least 30 minutes, place between two sheets of parchment paper and roll to 1/8" thick.  Using pizza cutter, cut dough into squares roughly 1" square.  Transfer to parchment paper lined cookie tray(s).  Sprinkle SPARINGLY with kosher salt.

Bake 25 minutes or until crisp.  I waited until they started turning brown to take mine out.  They then started to crisp while cooling.  Try to let cool before eating all of them!

Chocolate Oreo Cupcakes

My Mom is a chocolate freak.  I really think she could find a way to live on chocolate alone if we'd let her.  So, when her anniversary came up, it was a simple choice.  We needed a chocolate cupcake.  Then, I found a recipe that was chocolate and included Oreos.  JACKPOT!!!  The hardest thing about these cupcakes was making certain there were enough Oreos since I have two chocoholics in training.  Oh, for the icing, if you're wanting to pipe it out, using fancy tips, make certain to smash the heck out of the cookies or they will clog the opening.  Or just be lazy like me and glob the very yummy icing on the cupcakes.  These cupcakes were well received. even if they used a cake mix.  Miss Mia actually ate the entire cupcake and not just the icing.

Chocolate Oreo Cupcakes
~ adapted from instructables.com


Cake
1 package chocolate cake mix
1 package Oreos

Frosting
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
3 3/4 powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Mix cake mix according to directions (I, as usual substituted unsweetened applesauce for the required oil).   In the bottom of each cupcake liner, place one Oreo cookie.  I then placed 2/3 of the remaining Oreos in mixer and let the mixing paddle smash the cookies up.  Or, if you feel a little angry, maybe take a rolling pin, fill a baggie with the cookies and smash them this way.  Dump them in the cake batter, and mix them up.

Fill the cupcake liners with cake mix.  Bake for approx 20 minutes at 350 (refer to cake mix for appropriate times), or until cupcakes are done.

Let cupcakes cool.  While cupcakes are cooling, mix frosting.  Again, I just let the mixer break up the Oreos, but I didn't pipe the frosting on my cupcakes, just lobbed it on with a knife.  Cream together the butter and cream cheese.  Slowly add the powdered sugar.  Add vanilla.  Finally, add cookies.

Enjoy!

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Oatmeal Muffins (with infant cereal!)

We have a TON of infant cereal left.  A TON.  This is because Miss Aisey never really ate it - and people loved giving us cereal as "gifts".  Me, not wanting to let things to go to waste, decided to use the cereal to make some oatmeal muffins.  BTW - I used oatmeal in one batch and rice cereal in another - both work with this muffin.  It's not too sweet - perfect for lathering on the butter and jams!

Infant Cereal Oatmeal Muffins

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 cup dry infant cereal (oatmeal OR rice)

1/2 cup milk

2 T applesauce

2 eggs

1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 425F.  Mix dry ingredients together.  Make a well, and slowly stir in the milk, oil and eggs until just blended.  Use 1/4 cup cookie scoop to add batter to paper lined muffin tins.  Bake at 425 for 20 - 25 minutes.

Makes 10 muffins.