Jalapeño Chili Fries

 

Fries. Made of Jalapeños. Breaded and baked.

Just make them. As soon as possible.

Ingredients:

-6-8 jalapeño peppers, seeded and cut into strips
-1 egg
-1 tsp flour
-1/2 cup bread crumbs
-1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Seed and cut the jalapeño peppers. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Mix together egg and flour in a small dipping bowl. Mix together bread crumbs and cheese in another dipping bowl.

3.  Dip jalapeños in the egg mixture first, then in the bread crumb mixture, and spread in single layer on cookie sheet.

4.  Cook at 400 degrees for 14-18 minutes turning halfway through. I cooked mine 14 minutes and they were a little crispy, but my oven cooks hotter than the average oven.

5.  Dip in ranch dressing or sauce. Eat right away. Caution they are amazing and a bit spicy.

 Side note- I'm wondering what these would taste like with cheese melted in the last few minutes of baking...

Toasted Raviolis

Toasted Ravioli

Ingredients:

1/2 package meat or cheese ravioli (thawed)

1 beaten egg

2 TBSP milk

3/4 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese + more for garnish (optional)

3 cups vegetable oil for frying

1 jar marinara sauce for dipping

Directions:

1.  Combine milk and egg in a small dipping bowl. In a separate bowl combine bread crumbs and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (optional).

2.  Dip thawed ravioli in egg mixture then in breadcrumbs.

3.  In a large heavy pan, pour oil to depth of 2 inches. Heat over medium heat until a small amount of breading sizzles and turns brown. Fry breaded ravioli in oil, a few at a time, for 1 minute on each side or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with extra parmesan cheese (optional).

4.  Serve immediately with heated marinara sauce.

Tip: If you want to make a few packages at a time they freeze very well. Store in a freezer bag until ready to use. To warm: heat on cookie sheet in a 450 degree oven for 5-10 minutes on each side. They will taste freshly made and wonderful!

Rosemary Fries

I love fries but sometimes they are just too plain. My friend, Haley, made these amazing waffle fries for me. You can use any frozen french fry you want, but the waffle shape held the spices better I think...

 Mince some rosemary and garlic.

Sprinkle olive oil, rosemary, garlic and salt over frozen fries.

Cook according to fry directions. I flipped mine over half way through the cooking time.

Cook until golden brown and crispy. Serve with a yummy sandwich or burger.

Enjoy!

Bruschetta

 

Bruschetta is a Italian appetizer made up of small circles of toasted bread, tomatoes, basil, garlic and olive oil.

First take a loaf of bread (a thin baguette French bread or similar Italian bread) and cut into ovals.

Place on a cookie sheet or and drizzle with a little olive oil. Bake at 300 for about 5-10 minutes depending on how crispy you like your bread.

 

 Cut up 2 medium sized tomatoes, a small handful of basil and 1-2 cloves of garlic. Drizzle with a little olive oil. If you put too much olive oil you will have very soggy bread. I added a bit of salt and pepper and mixed it all up.

  

Rub the cooked bread with a pealed clove of garlic to give it a little flavor. This step is optional - if you don't like garlic then you may skip it. We forgot this step and it was still very good! You may also add in some mozzarella cheese, sprinkle some Parmesan cheese on top, spicy red peppers, etc to spice it up a bit.

Serve right away or the bread will get soggy and fall apart. 

 Enjoy as an appetizer, a side dish, or just an afternoon snack, with some pasta, with some chicken, or with anything that would go good with bread and tomatoes.

Fruit Dip

This is the easiest and yummiest fruit dip I have found! All you do is combine this...

with this...

It might not look so good at first...

But keep on mixing.  The more "whippy" you mix the better.

You'll have a few lumps...

So, keep on mixing, "whippily".

Eventually you will get to smooth creamy perfection!

Enjoy with all kinds of yummy fruits!

Guacamole by Fil

My hubby has nominated himself to be the "Official Family Guacamole Maker." He has been experimenting with many different combinations and amounts of ingredients and has found his favorite blend.



Here is the best combination we have found- remember everything on this list is optional if you don't like it (except the avocados)

Felipe's Guacamole
 
Ingredients
2 large Avocados (cut into little pieces)
1/2 to 1 Onion
2-3 cloves Garlic (minced)
sprinkle crushed Red Pepper
sprinkle Chili Powder
Salt (to taste)
Pepper (to taste)
1 small Tomato

Directions
Combine all ingredients in a bowl. If you like it chunky, just stir everything together. If you like it smooth, use the back of a fork to mash avocados. Enjoy with chips, tacos, enchiladas, salads, burritos etc!

7 Layer Dip (sort of)

Yummy 7 layer bean dip! OK, so maybe it's not really 7 layers, but I that's what every one calls it. 8 layer dip just doesn't sound as exciting!   I know there are a lot of versions of this, but this is my favorite way to make it.  It ALL gets eaten every time!  Just layer all the following in a 9 X 13 glass pan....

1.  One large or two small cans of refried beans mixed with a taco seasoning packet.

2.  Three large or four medium avocados mashed with salt and pepper. (or store bought guacamole)

3.  Medium sour cream

4.  About 1/2 jar of salsa

(I don't like too much since you will have tomatoes on top and a lot of salsa can make it runny)

5.  Shredded cheddar cheese

6.  Chopped up tomatoes - I only used one

(when making this, I will cut the tomato in half and then squeeze out the juice

and seeds before cutting. Again, it helps prevent it from getting too runny)

7.  Chopped up olives - I use about 1/2 the can

8.  Small handful of chopped up green onions

(or you can use a can of drained green chilis)

Serve with your favorite tortilla chips and enjoy!!