Chipotle Shrimp Tacos

Yesterday was my moms birthday and I was in charge of dinner. I was planning a fancy steak dinner, but my mom told me she wanted shrimp. So it was SHRIMP TACO night at the Boulos residents! I found this recipe and instantly fell in love...anything with the word "chipotle" steals my heart. Everything turned out DELICIOUS...no left overs! I served the tacos with fresh corn, wheat tortillas, and the corn guacamole(scroll down for that recipe). Enjoy!

2 pounds jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
Marinade
1 can (7 oz) chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (about 3 peppers)
¼ cup canola oil
¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice (about 5-6 limes)
3 cloves garlic
½ tsp salt
1 large handful cilantro

Rinse shrimp thoroughly. Place in a large plastic storage bag.
Combine all marinade ingredients except cilantro in a blender. Blend until smooth. Add cilantro and blend until just combined. Pour into bag with shrimp. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least two hours to overnight. Saute in skillet with veggies of your choice for 5-10 minutes or until shrimp is fully cooked.

Corn Guacamole

I love avocados.I love corn.I LOVE GUACAMOLE. I love saying the word guacamole even more! I seriously can eat guacamole with a spoon...... that is after I finished all the chips...joking...not really. Trust me a good guacamole will never EVER disappoint! Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 3 ears Corn, Shucked
• 6 whole Avocados, Diced
• 1 whole Large Tomato, Diced
• 1/3 cup Onion, Finely Diced
• 2 cloves Garlic, Finely Minced
• 2 Tablespoons Diced Fresh Jalapeno
• 1 whole Lime, Juiced
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
• 1/4 teaspoon Ground Cumin
• 1/2 cup Cilantro Leaves

Preparation Instructions

Grill corn until nice and golden, with good grill marks on the kernels. Allow to cool a bit, then cut the kernels off the cobs. Set aside.
Halve avocados and remove pit. Cut avocado into a dice inside the skin, then scoop out with a spoon.
In a bowl, combine corn kernels, diced avocados, diced tomato, jalapenos, minced garlic, lime juice, salt, and cumin. Stir gently to combine. Add cilantro and stir in.

Posted by Ree on July 14 2011

Spicy Molasses Cookies

This is not your everyday cookie....but it should be! I didn't want to bake the traditional "chocolate chip cookie" because what's the fun in that! I love watching old movies & seeing the kids run in from playing outside to homemade cookies fresh out of the oven and all the love in the air fills the kitchen...ohhh how the times have changed! These cookies turned out amazing! I'm taking them to a friends house, but I sort of wish I made a batch for myself to eat when no one is watching ( I have a theory that if you eat cookies when no one is watching calories don't count!). Happy Friday cookie day!

Ingredients

• 1 cup Sugar
• 3/4 cups Crisco (vegetable Shortening)
• 1/4 cup Molasses
• 1 whole Egg
• 2 cups Flour
• 2-1/2 teaspoons Baking Soda
• 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon Ground Ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon Ground Cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon Ground Cardamom
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix sugar, shortening, molasses, and egg together until well combined. Dump in dry ingredients, stirring dry ingredients together lightly. Mix together until dough is combined.
In your hands roll dough into walnut-sized balls, then generously coat each ball with sugar. Place balls on a baking sheet and bake for 9 to 11 minutes, allowing to bake for about a minute after cookies begin to crack.
Remove cookies from baking sheet and allow to cool…though these are delicious while still warm.

Hummus

Hummus is one of my favorite things ever, and I probably wouldn't have survived college without it. I always have to have hummus in the fridge because I dip it in EVERYTHING. I dip my carrots in it, my chicken, I put it in my sandwiches...shoot I might as well start using it as toothpaste! Surprisingly, this is my first time making homemade hummus. I usually go to my friend Costco and buy the pre-made kind. I liked the recipe because it was simple. However, I did use a lil more of everything it asked for. I used a whole lemon instead of half, more chopped garlic, more olive oil, and more cumin. Without adding more of everything it tasted a little plain.Overall,it turned our pretty good, but I still like the pre-made one from Costco better ...damn it Costco!! I will play around with a few other hummus recipes..Costco will not win this battle!! If you have any please share! Enjoy for now!

• 3 cans (14.5 Oz.) Garbanzo Beans, Rinsed And Drained
• 1/3 cup Plus 1 Tablespoon Tahini
• 3 cloves Garlic, Chopped, Or More To Taste
• 1/2 whole Lemon, Juiced
• 1/2 teaspoon Ground Cumin, Or More To Taste
• Salt To Taste
• Fresh Basil Or Italian Parsley
• 3 Tablespoons To 5 Tablespoons Cold Water
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

Preparation Instructions

Combine chickpeas with all ingredients, except water and olive oil, in a blender or food processor.
Pulse until mixture becomes somewhat smooth and combined, but do not over mix.
Add water as necessary to facilitate blending. At the end, add olive oil and pulse no more than three times, just to incorporate.
Pour mixture into a bowl and stir to ensure mixture is combined. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to three days in the fridge

Lucilles WHO?

Yes you heard me... Lucille's who?...This barbecue chicken recipe is giving Lucille's BBQ Smokehouse a lil run for their money.Initially I was a lil  nervous about making homemade barbecue sauce,so tempting just to use the pre-made bottle kind, but I took on the challenge. First of all, it wasn't even a challenge...so easy! This easy barbecue chicken recipe was definitely a winner...woo hoo! Make it...Lick your fingers after each bite...and Enjoy!

• 18 whole Chicken Legs
• 1 Tablespoon Canola Oil
• 1/4 whole Onion, Diced
• 2 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1 cup Ketchup
• 1/4 cup Packed Brown Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons (additional) Brown Sugar
• 4 Tablespoons Distilled Vinegar (less To Taste)
• 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
• 1/3 cup Molasses
• 4 Tablespoons Chipotle Adobo Sauce (the Adobo Sauce Chipotle Peppers Are Packed In)
• Dash Of Salt

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place chicken legs on a broiler pan or any pan with a rack, then roast for 20 minutes.
While the chicken is roasting, heat canola oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook for five minutes, stirring, being careful not to burn them.
Reduce heat to low. Add all remaining ingredients and stir. Allow to simmer while the chicken roasts. Taste after simmering and add whatever ingredient it needs (more spice, more sugar, etc.)
After 20 minutes of roasting, crank on the broiler to get a little color on the legs. Broil for five minutes.
Remove chicken legs from oven. Reduce oven to 350 degrees. With tongs, dip each chicken leg into the sauce, submerging completely. Place back onto the pan. After all chicken is coated, return pan to oven for five minutes, or until hot and sizzling.
Remove from oven. Brush/dab generously with remaining sauce. Allow chicken to sit a few minutes before serving.

Adult Bagel Bites

Remember eating bagel bites as a kid? Well this lil recipe is the adult version of bagel bites...perfect to bring to a BBQ as a small appetizer( which is what I did). Did I mention how easy it was to put together? Super easy & super good. Some changes I made to the recipe was add peperoni instead of mushrooms ( i didn't have mushrooms so just made a lil substitute) and use fresh basil instead of dried basil.Also, next time I make these I'm going to use baby bagels so they are bite size ( the regular size bagels were way to big). Enjoy!

I teaspoon minced garlic
Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano
2 tablespoons milk
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons butter
8 ounces of sliced mushrooms
1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
6 honey wheat bagels cut in half
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
3/4 cup artichoke hearts cut in 1/2-inch pieces
3/4 cup roasted red peppers cut in 1/2-inch pieces

Preheat oven to 350F
In a bowl, mix garlic, salt, pepper, basil, oregano, milk, and cream cheese. set aside.
Melt Butter in saute pan over medium-high heat. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. After 15-30 second, add mushrooms and toss to coat. Saute for 8-10 minutes, stir in vinegar and heat for another 30 seconds.
Spread cream cheese mixture on bagel halves. Top with mozzarella, artichokes, red peppers, and mushrooms. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until cheese is bubble and starting to brown.

Pomegranate Mojito...Summer time and the Livin' is Easy

My usual drink of choice is wine, however I did have a pomegranate mojito at The Cheesecake Factory and loved it, until the bill came and each one was $12.75! Call me cheap,  but I think $13 is way too much for a cocktail at the Cheesecake Factory..if I was at some fancy mancy restaurant then fine whatever..but lets be real the Cheesecake Factory is definitely not fancy. So I decided to make this $13 cocktail at home, and honestly sometimes its not only cheaper but also safer to make drinks at home and have friends over! I think a mojito is a PERFECT summer cocktail,the mint is so refreshing! Okay here is the recipe, enjoy and Happy Summer :)

Ingredients:
2 fl oz pomegranate juice
2 fl oz white rum
4 fl oz club soda
½ lime , chopped
a few mint leaves
1 sprig of mint , for garnish
1 tsp sugar
crushed ice  
1 tall glass

Place the sugar, chopped lime, and mint in the glass and crush them together with the pestle. Next, half-fill the glass with ice. Add the rum, pomegranate juice, pomegranate seeds, and the soda water to the glass. Stir well. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint and your mojito is ready to serve.