lizzycooks Guacamole with Fresh Lime Juice

Guacamole is a creamy Mexican dip made with avocados. The avocados need to be the perfect ripeness for the best results--not too firm and not too soft. Fresh lime juice really wakes up this tasty version of the dip that is made to go with tortilla chips.

                                            

      

4 medium avocados, peeled and seeded    

1/4 cup onion, chopped
3 tbsp cilantro, chopped

Juice of half a lime

1/4 tsp garlic powder    

      

1 tsp Kosher salt  

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Frank's Hot Sauce-10 shakes

                                

Mash the avocados in a medium bowl with a fork. Add the remaining ingredients, stir, and chill for at least an hour. Garnish with red pepper flakes.

Pour some margaritas and grab the tortilla chips--you're all set!

lizzycooks Chili

This is my standard go-to chili recipe and it makes a beautiful hearty chili. It is perfect for fall or when it is hailing in April. I added a new ingredient this time, medium-hot chili powder from Penzey's (a favorite company) in addition to regular chili powder. This chili isn't really spicy, so add more heat if you like. This recipe makes enough for 4-6 servings, depending on your hunger meter.

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 green bell pepper, medium diced
1/2 large yellow onion, chopped 

8 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb ground beef, 85/15
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp + 1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp medium-hot chili powder

1 tsp cumin
2 tsp Kosher salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 14 oz can black beans
1 14 oz can red kidney beans
1 14 oz can crushed tomatoes
1-2 cups water

In a 4 quart saucepan or large pot over medium heat, saute the bell pepper and onion in oil until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic and cook for just a few more minutes, watching the pan closely so you don't end up with burnt garlic. Push the bell pepper, onion, and garlic to the side of the pot and put the ground beef in the center of the pan. Stir and cook until there is no pink left in the beef. Add the sugar, chili powders, cumin, salt, and pepper to the pan. Stir in and cook for a couple of minutes. Stir in the beans, tomatoes, and water. Simmer chili for 1-2 hours over low heat, occasionally checking and stirring.

Serve chili and add your favorite toppings. I like to use cilantro, raw onion, a dash of apple cider vinegar, low-fat sour cream, and shredded cheddar cheese. This chili freezes well.

Pecan Candy

Oh, this pecan candy is so good. Sometimes called glazed or candied pecans, I looked at a few different recipes and came up with this one. The deep nutty flavor of the pecans along with the sweet and slightly salty taste is wonderful. Wrap some pecan candy in parchment paper, put it in a decorative tin, and you've got a delicious homemade gift. 

4 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

dash Kosher salt

1 cup whole roasted pecans

Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the brown sugar, vanilla, and salt. Add pecans and turn heat to medium-high. Gently boil the mixture for 3 minutes, stirring often and making sure not to let it burn. 

Pour the hot mixture onto a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Bake the pecans at 350 for 15 minutes and let them cool on the pan. After cooling, break the candy into smaller pieces.
 

lizzycooks Blog Thoughts & Statistics--2022 Update

I started this blog/recipe website 12 years ago and set it up primarily as a place to hold my favorite and most often made recipes. There are also recipes here from people that hold a special place in my heart. 

The blog is a creative outlet for me and there are now 207 posts. I haven't felt like cooking much during the pandemic but am starting to more and more, and have also been posting more recipes lately. I decided to remove ads from the blog over a year ago because they were more trouble than worth. You can subscribe to the blog if you'd like to receive an email each time there's a new post.

I took a look at some of the statistics generated by blogger for lizzycooks and learned the following about my viewers. The United States makes up 58% of total viewers, Russia is in second at 5%, followed by France, Romania, Canada, United Kingdom, Poland, and Ukraine. About 19% of viewers are from the "other" category...not sure what that's about. Don't worry, I can't see specifically who is looking at my blog! Just browsers and traffic sources and things like that.

Enjoy your food and keep on cooking!

Black Bean, Corn, & Avocado Salad with Garlic Vinaigrette

I've been trying to satisfy a craving for a salad with avocado, corn, and cilantro, and came up with this today. This salad tastes really fresh, has crunch from the corn, smoothness from the avocado, sweetness from the onion, the beans are really good for you, and everything is surrounded by an earthy flavored garlic vinaigrette. This salad is easy to make and could be lunch, dinner, or a zesty side dish to go with grilled fish or chicken. 

Salad:

1 can sweet corn, drained

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

2 medium avocados, cubed

1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 cup red onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped fine
1 teaspoon Kosher salt

Garlic Vinaigrette:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/8+ cup red wine vinegar

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt 

Pepper to taste

With a wooden spoon in a large bowl, gently mix together all of the salad ingredients. Whisk together the vinaigrette ingredients. Stir vinaigrette into the salad. Cover and put in the fridge for an hour or two before serving so the flavors can marry. Makes 4-5 cups. Eat it fast--first day best!

Red Wine & Rosemary Pot Roast

My Midwest roots tell me this is how your house is supposed to smell on a Sunday afternoon. The gravy makes the dish. Leftovers are yummy if you have any, but this dish is best as soon as it's out of the oven.

2 tablespoons olive oil

10 cloves garlic, minced

3 lb boneless chuck roast

1/2 cup water

2 cups dry red wine

1/2 teaspoon course grind black tellicherry pepper

1.5 teaspoons Kosher salt

3 tablespoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped

3 carrots, cut into 1-2" slices
3 small Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 6 pieces
1 medium yellow onion, chopped rough

2 tablespoons cornstarch

Heat a Dutch oven over medium heat and then add the oil. Add the garlic and cook briefly, then push to the sides. Add the beef and brown on both sides. This will take 6-7 minutes per side. Pour the water and wine over the meat then sprinkle the pepper, salt, and rosemary over the top. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer. Now you can either cover and simmer for 90 minutes on the stovetop, OR cover and bake in a preheated 325 oven for 90 minutes before you add the vegetables.

After the first 90 minutes, add the carrots, potatoes, and onion to the Dutch oven. Cover again and simmer an additional 90 minutes until vegetables are tender.

Remove the meat and vegetables to a serving platter with a slotted spoon. Pour remaining juices into a large, glass measuring cup and skim the excess fat. Add water if you don't have 2 cups of juice. Add the 2 cups back to the Dutch oven. Whisk the cornstarch with 1/4 cup of cold water in a small bowl and add it to the juices. Bring to a boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly to thicken.

Drizzle the gravy over the meat and veggies. Serve the rest of the gravy on the side in a proper gravy boat. hahaha

lizzycooks Sloppy Joes

Certain days require a good sloppy joe. Simple comfort food and memories of eating these as a kid. These sloppy joes have a sweet and deep tangy taste--almost bbq-y. Really delicious. 

1 lb lean ground beef

1/2 cup finely chopped red onion

2 large garlic cloves, diced

3/4 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon Worcestershire

Few dashes of Tabasco

Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Brown the ground beef, onion, and garlic in a medium pan over medium heat. Drain. Add the remaining ingredients to the ground beef mixture and stir well. Cook on low for 30 minutes. Serve hot on brioche buns, with a side of cole slaw and chips. Makes 4 large sandwiches.

Guacamole Boris Karloff

Scary good. Even without garlic.

Buffalo-Style Chicken Meatballs

With just seven ingredients you can whip these spicy and crunchy little appetizers up in about 30 minutes. You can adjust the heat if you need to, but if you do use the full 1/2 cup of hot sauce called for in this recipe it will definitely make you sweat and your nose run. They are delicious and low in fat. Makes 3 dozen.

1 lb. ground chicken breast

5 green onions, diced

2 large stalks celery, diced

1 egg

1/3-1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup hot sauce (I used Tabasco)

1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 400.

Throw it all in a bowl and mix it up really well. Roll the meatballs into a 2" size and put them 2" apart on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Bake for 25 minutes and serve with celery and blue cheese dressing.

Modified from a recipe at:  theholdernessfamily.com

Roasted Garlic and Goat Cheese Galette

This appetizer or main event is fancy enough for a party, really rich, tart, and fun to create. Here is my recipe for roasted garlic to use in the galette recipe. It’s difficult to describe just how good garlic smells when roasting in your oven... 

1 large head of garlic

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, defrosted and unrolled
1/3 cup olive oil (give or take)
5 ounces plain goat cheese, softened
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste (⅛-¼ teaspoon) 

Raspberry balsamic or balsamic glaze

Preheat oven to 400. Roast the garlic and set aside to cool down.

Roll out puff pastry dough to about 1/8” thick and cut into a 12” round. Put on a round sheet pan covered with a baking mat, lightly crimp the edges of the dough, and put in the freezer for 20 minutes.

Squeeze the garlic out of each clove into a bowl. Add the olive oil and stir to blend. Add the goat cheese, rosemary, salt, and pepper and stir until smooth.

Remove the crust from the freezer and spread the bottom with the goat cheese mixture, leaving a 1” border. Fold the border over the edge to close dough into a half moon shape. 

Bake until the crust is light golden and puffy, about 25 minutes. 

Remove from oven and put on a plate. Drizzle raspberry balsamic glaze over the top and cut into small pieces after letting it cool for a few minutes.