This is one of my favorite things to make for outdoor parties along with homemade tortilla chips. It’s yummy and refreshing, and guests love it!
What You Need:
4 limes
6 to 8 jalapeños chopped depending on your spice level
1 medium white onion chopped
27 to 30 roma tomatoes chopped
1 bunch of cilantro finely chopped
Salt for taste
Steps:
1. Chop all veggies and mix together in a large bowl.
2. Add your lime juice from the limes and mix well. Add salt lightly, mix, and taste until you achieve your desired taste.
*tip: taste test your pico with a tortilla chip. And always add salt gently. better to have little salt where others can add salt to their pico vs your salsa coming out too salty*
3. Serve immediately or allow to refrigerate overnight before your big party.
1 bell pepper any color you like, probably not yellow though
1 bunch of fresh cilantro chopped finely with a few leaves left out for garnish
1 jalapeño or Serrano pepper finely chopped
1/2 red or white onion chopped
2/3 cup of Mexican cheese (look for cotija or queso fresco) crumbled up
What You Need For The Dressing
3 tablespoons of sour cream
2 tablespoons of miracle whip (I prefer miracle whip over Mayo. It just has a different flavor to me)
2-3 limes for squeezing
1/2 teaspoon of cumin
1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of chili powder
Steps:
1. Start by heating the olive oil on medium high in a skillet. Add the corn and cook until lightly charred. 7 to 10 minutes, once charred add to a large bowl.
2. Add the chopped bell pepper, jalapeño or Serrano pepper, cilantro, and onion to the large bowl with the charred corn.
3. In a small bowl add the ingredients for the dressing and mix well.
4. Add the dressing to the large bowl with the corn and mix well. Add 1/2 of the crumbled mexican cheese. Taste, and add additional lime or salt if needed.
5. Garnish with the remaining cheese and cilantro and serve. Or cover and place in the fridge for up to 8 hours.
12 slices of Turkey deli meat (I used Hillshire Farm Ultra Thin)
12 slices of salami or 24 pieces of snack sized salami (2 snack size on each slider if you use those)
12 slices of mozzarella cheese or a few handfuls of shredded mozzarella cheese
For The Butter Spread
1/4 cup of unsalted butter melted
1/2 – 1 teaspoon of raw honey
A dash of garlic powder
Steps:
1. Preheat oven to 375 and lightly butter a 9×13 glass dish.
2. Place the bottoms of the rolls into the glass dish and layer with 1/2 of the jarred pesto, turkey meat, salami, and cheese. Spread the remaining pesto on the bottoms of the tops of the sweet rolls. Press down rolls to secure.
3. Brush the rolls evenly with the melted honey butter leaving just a little to spare for when the rolls are done.
4. Cover baking dish with foil and bake at 375 for 10 mins. Remove foil and bake for an additional 10 to 12 minutes or until cheese is melted and tops are golden.
5. Brush rolls once more lightly with the butter and enjoy!
baking instructions: bake at 500 degrees in a 9×13 glass dish for 10 to 12 mins or until edges are crisp.
What You Need:
1 pack of active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
1 tablespoon of sugar
3 tablespoons of olive oil plus more for coating
3 3/4 cups of flour plus more for dusting
1 1/2 teaspoon of salt
Steps:
1. Whisk together 1 1/3 cup of warm water (you don’t want the water hot, it will kill the yeast) and the sugar. Then mix in the yeast and allow to sit for 10 mins until mixture is a little foamy and bubbly. Once the ten minutes are up add the tablespoons of olive oil.
2. In another large bowl mix together the flour and salt. Creat a well in the middle and add the water and yeast mixture. Knead dough for a minimum of 5 minutes adding more flour if necessary until dough is smooth and stretchy.
3. Divide dough in half creating 2 dough balls. Brush each dough ball with olive oil, placing each piece of dough in a bowl covered with plastic wrap. Allow to rise for an hour and a half.
4. Once dough is done rising freeze one and prepare the other. Rub olive oil all over a 9 x 13 glass dish. Arrange your dough in the glass dish leaving some space in the corners to spread. Add your sauce, seasonings, and toppings.
5. Bake at 500 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes or until nice and crispy on the edges. Remove pizza from glass dish and place on a charcuterie cutting board and serve while hot.
Little story behind these. I worked at the bank awhile back (this was maybe almost ten years ago) and we had a pot luck. A guy I worked with at the time, Pablo, brought these in and I thought they were the most delicious thing ever!
Everyone uses jalapeños to make poppers but these were with yellow chilies. They also weren’t fancy like how most wrap the bacon around the pepper. They were simple!
I brought some home to share with my husband and he loved them as well. After we analyzed them we were like, “these are actually really easy to make!” And now we make them all the time for gatherings or cook outs.
Thank you Pablo!
Enjoy!
Servings: 16-20 peppers
Note: you will need a grill and someone who knows how to work the grill.
What You Need:
8 to 10 yellow chiles (each Chile makes two poppers)
8oz of cream cheese
2 cups of shredded cheddar or mixed cheese
1 pack of bacon cooked and cut or broke into 1 inch pieces give or take
Bacon tip: instead of frying, save yourself some time and bake at 400 for 15 to 20 mins and a pan sheet lined with foil. So much better, trust me.
Steps:
1. Cut all the peppers in half removing all seeds. Smooth on cream cheese onto each pepper, add cheese on peppers, then lay a pieces of bacon on each pepper.
2. Grill the peppers on low medium heat for about 15 minutes. When the cheese is melted and the bottoms begin to char they are complete.
1. First prep your veggies. Add your chopped pepper, onion, tomato, cucumber, cilantro, and celery in an extra sized large bowl. Cover and set aside in the fridge.
2. Prep your shrimp, removing the skin and devein (optional). Once the shrimp are done (can be like forever. Have someone help you!) place in a kitchen pot. Cover with water, add the 1 celery stick, 1/4 of an onion and bring to a boil, removing the foam. Boil for 1 minute. Reserve a cup of the shrimp water.
3. Remove the veggies from the fridge and add the shrimp once cooled. Then add the lime juice, Clamato, shrimp juice, salt, and mix well. Add additional salt, pepper, extra cilantro and lime juice if needed or until desired taste.
Enjoy!
Serve with tostadas or Tortillas chips. Add in hot sauceand freshly diced avocados!
Add 1 celery stick and 1/4 of an onion. Bring to a boil and boil only for 1 minute. Even when you see the shrimp begin to turn pink, wait till the water is boiling and boil for 1 minute. Then set aside to cool.Allow the shrimp to cool before adding to the veggies.Reserve some the shrimp water from boiling. You will add this to the shrimp cocktail. About 1 cup.How small to chop the onion and pepperHow small to chop the tomato.This is all the cilantro we used. Chopped up makes about 1 tablespoon.This is the hot sauce we prefer with it but anything is good!So yummy!
It’s all in the sauce. This enchilada sauce is so delish. There’s a bonus to this recipe as well. It can also make a great cheese dip for tortilla chips.
Typically I’ll use left over chicken or rotisserie chicken and mix in corn to use as the enchilada filling. If I don’t have chicken I’ll use white beans mixed with corn or spinach as the filling.
Once the sauce is complete, take about a cup of the sauce and mix it with your chicken filling or bean filling until all combined.
Roll your enchiladas in corn tortillas and pour the entire sauce over the enchiladas. Top with jack cheese and fresh chopped cilantro.
Enjoy!
Pan suggestion: a glass 9×13
Servings for: 10-12 enchiladas
What You Need:
4 tablespoons of unsalted butter
1/4 chopped sweet onion
1 tablespoon of jarred minced garlic
8 oz block of monterey jack cheese shredded
1/2 cup of parmesan cheese
8 oz of cream cheese
3/4 cup whole milk
1 cup of heavy cream
(2) 4oz cans of green chilies
Salt and pepper for taste
2 tablespoons of fresh chopped cilantro
Steps:
1. Begin with a medium sauce pan on a low heat (between a 2 and 4) and melt the butter. Add in your onion and garlic and sauté until onions are soft.
2. Add your heavy cream, milk, and cream cheese. Mix until cream cheese is completely melted.
3. Next add the parmesan cheese and add 3/4 cup of the jack shredded cheese. Once melted in, add both cans of green chiles.
4. Season with a couple of dashes of salt and pepper. Add the paprika and 1 tablespoon of chopped cilantro. Mix continuously on low for 5 to 7 mins.
5. Reserve a cup of the sauce and mix with your enchilada filling.
6. Once your enchiladas are rolled up and placed in your 9×13 pan, pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas. Top the enchiladas with the remaining Monterey Jack cheese and chopped cilantro.
2 14oz cans of artichoke hearts (rinsed and drained)
1 1/2 cup of whole milk
8oz of cream cheese softened
1/2-3/4 cup of Parmesan cheese
2 cups of shredded pepper Jack cheese or Jack cheese
Salt and pepper for taste
1/4 cup of minced garlic (jarred is fine)
8 tablespoons of unsalted butter
2 4oz cans of green chilies
Steps:
1. In a large skillet melt 4 tablespoons of butter with the garlic. Add spinach, season with salt and pepper and sauté until spinach is wilted. Transfer to a strainer.
2. In the same pan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter and add the artichoke harts. Season with salt and pepper. Sauté for about 7 mins. Transfer artichokes to strainer as well.
3. Keeping the same skillet, add the remaining butter (2 tablespoons), the milk, and cream cheese . Once cream cheese is melted add the pepper Jack cheese (leaving a little left out to top it off with) and Parmesan cheese. Cheese mixture will become a little curd like. Add the green chilies and turn on low heat, while watching carefully and mixing.
4. Chop up the spinach and artichokes, then add to the cheese mixture. Turn off heat and mix well until all combined.
5. Pour into a 2 1/2 quart baking dish, top with additional pepper jack cheese and bake at 375 for 15 to 20 mins until cheese is bubbly and a little golden on top.
Salsa made at home along with homemade tortilla chips just taste better! It’s all so easy and doesn’t take a lot of time at all!
HOMEMADE SALSA
What You Need:
3 decent sized Roma tomatoes
2-3 Serrano peppers (1 for a mild flavor. And make sure it’s Serrano. Jalapeño will give a different flavor.)
5-8 garlic cloves (not jarred minced garlic)
1/4 of a large white onion
Salt for seasoning
A generous handful of fresh cilantro
Steps:
1. In a small medium pot bring the tomatoes, onion, garlic, and peppers to a boil. Simmer until very soft. The skins will begin to peel.
2. Once the veggies are soft place them in a medium sized mixing bowl. Add about 1/4 cup of the water the veggies were boiling in.
3. Sprinkle with salt and add handful of fresh cilantro. Mix with a blender. Taste and add more salt or cilantro if needed. A squeeze of lime can be added, that’s optional.
HOMEMADE TORTILLA CHIPS
What you need:
Vegetable oil
Sea salt
Corn tortillas
Steps:
1. Stack 7 Corn tortilla on top of each other. Cut the stacked tortillas vertically and then horizontally. Giving you 28 corn tortilla triangles.
2. Heat your skillet to a medium heat with 1/2 inch of vegetable oil.
3. Once oil is heated (it will begin to sizzle and bubble a little) begin adding the tortillas into the oil. Fry until golden brown on both sides. (Use to tongs to flip)
4. Place finished tortilla chips on a plate with paper towels to soak the excess oil. Sprinkle with sea salt right away. Allow to cool.
The Wild Gems 