Avocado Toast

Yesterday we had a SNOW DAY!! I can't believe it's the middle of March and I have 2 feet of snow outside my door. I love being snowed it because I dedicate my time to recipe testing, watching movies, and eating delicious homemade food.

This is a copy cat recipe of one my favorite breakfast spots called Sunset Cafe. I love going to Sunset Cafe but some days it is absolutely impossible to get in. Lines are usually out the door, and during the winter, standing outside is usually not an option. So, I decided to recreate the dish myself. It wasn't hard to make as the ingredients are extremely simple! Not only is this dish flavorful but there are so many beautiful colors on the plate. It definitely brightens your day!!

Note: The onions are pickled overnight so you'll want to prep this ahead of time.

Serving: 4 people
Ingredients:

• 8 Slices of Toast
• 2-3 Avocados
• 1/2 of a Red Onion
• 2 Limes
• Goat Cheese, crumbled
• 1 Jalapeno, sliced
• 4 Eggs 

Recipe:

• Overnight, you will want to pickle your red onions. This is what gives the onions a bright pink color. Thinly slice the red onion and squeeze the lime juice of two limes over the onions. Let it sit overnight (or for at least 4-5 hours).
• Toast your bread and set aside.
• Mash together the avocados to achieve a smooth consistency. Add a tad of salt and pepper.
• Cook your eggs to your preference. I love over easy or poached so you can get that glorious runny yolk.
• Assemble your toast by spreading the avocado onto the toast, then place your egg in the middle. 
• Finally, add your sliced jalapenos, crumbled goat cheese, and picked red onions.

Classic Reuben Sandwich with Slow Cooker Corned Beef

A favorite Irish dish of mine is corned beef, mostly because I love reubens. It's the combination of the buttery bread, salty corned beef, crunchy sauerkraut, creamy dressing, and melted swiss cheese that gets me every time. Since I can always get the perfect reuben sandwich at my local irish pub, I've never tried to make it at home before. In honor of Saint Patrick's Day this year though, I decided to give it a try. It turned out even better than I expected. The hardest part about this recipe is waiting all day for it to cook in the crockpot! Patience is certainly not one of my best qualities.

I wish the picture showed a little bit more of the corned beef because it is definitely the star of the sandwich. I decided to cook it in the slow cooker so that the corned beef would be super tender. The recipe below is for a classic reuben sandwich. You'll see pickled onions in the picture too because I LOVE pickled onions and I had some extra in the fridge. If you'd like to add some pickled onions to your reuben as well, squeeze lime juice on top of thinly sliced red onions, and let it sit for a few hours ,or overnight if you can, in the fridge. Add the onions in place of the sauerkraut, or with the sauerkraut like I did!

I love this slow cooker recipe because you can make so many fun dishes with the extra corned beef like irish nachos, a reuben dip, or even reuben potato skins! There are so many options! Below I included the slow cooker corned beef recipe along with how to make the classic reuben sandwich.

Slow Cooker Corned Beef
Ingredients

• 2 corned beef briskets with spice packets (about 3 pounds each)
• 1/8 cup of black peppercorns
• 7 garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 beers
• water

Recipe

1. Place beef briskets in a slow cooker with one of the spice packets (discard the other one), black peppercorns, garlic cloves, and bay leaves.
2. Cover brisket with beer. If beer does not fully cover the top of the briskets, then add water until liquid is covering briskets.
3. Cook on low for 8 hours.

Reuben 

Ingredients

• corned beef from slow cooker recipe above
• sauerkraut (I found mine by the pickles in the deli section of my grocery store)
• sliced swiss cheese
• sliced marble rye bread
• thousand island dressing
• butter

Recipe

1. Once beef briskets are cooked, take the briskets out of slow cooker and let it rest on a cutting board. 
2. Discard the liquid in the slow cooker and cut out any excess fat from brisket. 
3. Slice the corned beef.
4. Take two slices of bread. On each slice of bread, butter one side.
5. Place one slice of bread butter side down in a skillet on medium heat.
6. On top of the slice of bread add one slice of swiss cheese, then sliced corned beef, then sauerkraut, then thousand island dressing.
7. Top with a second slice of swiss cheese, then the second slice of bread butter side up.
8. Cook for a couple minutes letting the bread on the bottom to become golden brown, then flip.
9. Cook for another minute or two until both sides are golden brown and cheese is melted.

Taco Dip

I absolutely love this dip! It's a cheesy cream cheese dip, but still tastes fresh since it is topped with salsa, lettuce, and tomatoes. Everyone always seems to love it.

It is definitely one of my favorite party appetizers to make. It's fast and easy, and I can throw it together in no time. I also love that it is a cold dip. Since I don't have to worry about baking it, I can transport it easily to someone else's house. It's also great to make if I know my oven will be crowded with other things.

You can top the cream cheese mixture with any of your favorite taco toppings. I usually stick with mild salsa, cheddar cheese, tomatoes, and lettuce since most people tend to approve of those toppings. If you and your crowd are a fan of olives, scallions, and jalopenos, however, then I would add them too! I have a friend who hates onions and a boyfriend who hates spicy things so I always have to keep them in mind! If it was up to me, I'd be using jalopenos, spicy salsa, and hot sauce on top! I like thinks spicy, but since most people don't, I usually keep this dip as mild as possible. Don't be afraid to customize the dip based on what you love. Hope you enjoy!!

Ingredients:

• 1 (16 oz) container sour cream
• 2 (8 oz) packages of softened cream cheese 
• 1 package of taco seasoning
• 1 (16 oz) jar of salsa
• 2 cups of grated cheddar cheese
• 1 large tomato, diced
• shredded lettuce
• tortilla chips

Recipe:

• Using a hand mixer, mix together sour cream, cream cheese, and taco seasoning.
• Spread cream cheese mixture on the bottom of a dip dish
• Spread salsa on top of cream cheese mixture
• Sprinkle cheese on top of the salsa
• Scatter lettuce and tomatoes on top of cheese
• Serve with tortilla chips

 

Flank Steak with Chimichurri Sauce

 

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds flank steak
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp coriander
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 1/2 cups cilantro
• 1 1/2 cups parsley
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/4 tsp cayenne 
• salt and pepper

Recipe:

• Stir together cumin, coriander, and some salt and pepper in a bowl. Rub mixture on both sides of steak. 
• Place steak on hot grill. Grill for about 4-5 minutes on each side.
• Transfer steak to cutting board and let stand for 5 minutes. 
• Add garlic, cilantro, parsley, vinegar, cayenne, olive oil, and some salt to a food processor. Pulse and blend until sauce is made. 
• Thinly slice steak, against the grain, and serve with sauce. 

Bacon Cheeseburger Pizza

Here is a recipe in honor of National Cheeseburger Day. Yes, there is such a day and yes, it is in fact today! I have no idea who makes up these days, but I'm not complaining because I get to share this amazing recipe with you. You might be thinking that there is no way pickles on a pizza would taste good. In fact, it is probably one of the most amazing combos ever. And of course, I had to turn it up a notch by adding bacon and making it a BACON cheeseburger pizza. So delicious!!

Ingredients:

• 1 can of Pillsbury pizza crust
• 1/2 lb of ground beef
• 1/3 cup diced white onion
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 lb of bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup mustard
• 1 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp relish 
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• dill pickle slices

Recipe:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray a baking pan with cooking spray.
• Press the pizza dough in the pan and bake crust for 8 minutes. 
• In a large skillet, brown the beef and onion. Drain. Add Worcestershire sauce and salt and pepper to taste.
• In a small bowl, add the ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, and relish.
• Remove crust from the oven and spread the sauce on evenly. Sprinkle on half of the cheese.
• Sprinkle on the beef mixture and bacon. Top with remaining cheese.
• Bake for 6-10 minutes or until cheese has melted and crust is golden brown.
• Top with pickle slices  and serve.

Mango Salsa

Summer completely flashed before my eyes, and I'm trying to get all my last summer recipes in before the cold weather hits. I'm not sure if you got the memo, but today was in fact national guacamole day. I was so excited to make guacamole! I went to the store to get all the ingredients and low and behold the avocados were hard! I went to two different grocery stores and I couldn't find ONE ripe avocado. SO I improvised, and made the next best thing, salsa. I spruced it up a bit by adding some mango (my fave!) and it was DELICIOUS.

Ingredients:

• 1 mango, diced
• 1 jalapeno, minced
• 1/2 of 1 red onion, diced
• handful of cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 of a lime
• 4 tomatoes, diced
• salt and pepper to taste

Recipe:

• Mix all ingredients together, and serve with chips!

Our Camping Trip

Before it gets to be too late, I wanted to share with you some pictures from our camping trip over labor day weekend. We had the most amazing time. It was great to go up north for a few days and experience some of that cooler weather. We got to snuggle up in flannels next to the fire, and it was amazing. I am so ready for fall!

While we were there, we cooked the most DELICIOUS food. That smoky flavor from the fire pit just can't be beat. I also realized that I am missing something from my life, a castiron skillet. I know I've been saying that for a while, but I think its finally time to bite the bullet and do it. We basically cooked all our food in Ericka's cast iron skillet, from bacon and eggs to nachos, and of course my FAVORITE beer brats with a cheddar sauce. Unfortunately, it was too dark to get a picture of the brats so you'll just have to take my word on it that it was delicious.

 

The views while we were camping were unbeat. It was so great to just relax by the river or go hiking through the woods. It was such a nice and relaxing weekend. 

We also made this simple but delicious salmon. We simply wrapped it up in tin foil with some salt, pepper, butter, and a squirt of lemon. It cooked right on top of the fire pit grate, and turned out beautiful!

I'm hoping we can get out another camping trip before it gets TOO cold, but even if we can't, this trip was certainly one for the books.