Game Prizes sans Perfume

At the baby shower I helped plan a few weeks ago I was in charge of buying or making prizes for the shower games. Since we had just as many men as women coming, my big dilemma was what exactly a "game prize" should be. My online search told me that the most appropriate shower prizes include: lotions, scented candles, sachets, and lip gloss. These options clearly wouldn't do ~ I didn't want the guys to bolt, afterall! Then I thought about chocolate, but we were already having chocolate cake and chocolate favors.

In the end I made up a double batch of my homemade salsa (recipe here), which these friends have always enjoyed.






After adding a little cuteness, I felt like I had some very respectable game prizes to offer. No makeup or girlie scents in sight!


I'm happy to report that the guys did not bolt from the party. We had an all-around great time!

Fun With Ola

Last weekend I was looking for a fun cooking project to do with my daughter. We were in the mood for something sweet, but I was hoping to avoid heating up the house with the oven. I showed my daughter a picture of homemade granola bars. Then she launched into this extended story about how her preschool friend Emily likes ola bars with chocolate chips and how her other friend Maria likes ola bars only sometimes.

Since we almost never eat granola bars around our house, this was the first time I had heard my daughter call them "ola bars." She was dumbfounded when I explained that they are actually called "granola bar." So cute!

In the end we did make a batch of granola bars. Truthfully these are somewhat of a cross between granola bars and Rice Krispie treats. They don't have granola in them, and they aren't baked like homemade granola. But they do have the flavor of granola bars with some of the same treats you would expect mixed in ~ dried fruit and chocolate chips. The cereal is more like over-sized Rice Krispies, similar to what rice cakes are made of, and I found it in bags with all the other cereals.



It was a super fun project ~ easy, very child-friendly, and SO tasty. The first time I made these I followed my penpal Emily's recipe, then last weekend I used another variation. My version is a little less sweet than the two recipes I looked at.

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Peanut Butter "Ola" Bars

• 3 cups crispy rice cereal
• 3 cups crispy kamut cereal or toasted oat cereal
• 1 cup dried cranberries (or other small dried fruit)
• 1/2 regular raisins
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
• 1 cup honey
• 1 16 oz jar natural peanut butter (creamy or chunky)

Spray a 9 x 13 baking pan. Combine the cereals, raisins, and sunflower seeds in a large bowl. Place the peanut butter and honey in a microwave safe bowl and microwave briefly to soften the mixture, then stir well to combine. Pour over the cereal mixture, then mix well. Press the combined mixture into the prepared pan. Cool, cut into squares or bars, and serve.

Keepin' It Fresh

When I think of summer I think of backyard parties. In the last few weeks I was lucky enough to be part of two backyard parties, and each time my contribution was a batch of guacamole (along with my favorite homemade salsa).

Nobody batted an eye when I showed up with this:


Are you wondering what the brown things are? Let me explain. . .

I've long loved avocados, and especially guacamole, but keepin' it fresh is a real PROBLEM. There are all kinds of tips out there for keeping avocados from turning brown. One of the most popular methods involves squeezing lots of citrus juice on the avocado (which works great since I love the flavor of lime juice with avocado anyway). I find the citrus is just enough to keep the avocado fresh until it's devoured (not long in my house!).

When I'm saving part of an avocado until the next day, or when I prep guacamole in advance, I definitely need something more powerful. The best trick I've tried is to put the seed(s) back in the avocado. If I'm saving half an avocado in the fridge, I just leave the seed in. If I'm saving guacamole for later I save the seeds while I prep, and then I submerge the seeds back in the dip when it's finished. It looks a little weird, but for whatever reason the avocado stays super fresh this way. Then I remove the seeds at the very last minute.


Here's my latest guacamole recipe. It's smoky, full of flavor, and has a subtle spice from the Tabasco. Enjoy!

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Party Guacamole
Serves 6-8 as a small appetizer

• 3 avocados
• Juice of 2 limes
• 1 clove of garlic, finely grated on a microplace or minced
• 3/4 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, minced
• 4 green onions, white parts only, minced
• 1/3 cup Rotel canned tomatoes with green chiles (about 1/3 of a 10 oz can)
  
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt
• Several dashes of Tabasco (3 or more shakes of the wrist)
• Ground pepper

Cut open the avocados, remove the seeds, score them, and then spoon the flesh into a medium bowl. Add the lime juice immediately, then add all of the other ingredients. Stir until the ingredients are well mixed and the avocado has mashed a bit. Adjust seasonings, and serve.

Mini Fiesta

Yay, Emily! My penpal had her quesadilla party this weekend. Back when we did our food exchange my challenge to her was to host a quesadilla party. I gave her my favorite salsa recipe to try, and she ended up using my spinach quesadilla recipe and pumpkin quesadilla recipe too. See her site with all the details, plus her strawberry salsa and chicken veggie quesadillas. Looks like a fun time!


I figured it was time for me to share my salsa recipe. It's the red salsa in the middle of the picture above. (Thanks for the picture, Emily!) It's super easy to make since you can throw everything into a food processor mostly unchopped. The one thing I would be sure to chop is the jalapeño so that you don't end up with large pieces in your salsa. I also think it tastes better the next day once the flavors have had a chance to blend.

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Homemade Salsa

• 1 1/2 medium jalapeños (or more to taste), chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro, washed well (some stems are OK ~ they have flavor too!)
• 1/2 small onion (red onion looks the best!)
• 1 can Mexican recipe stewed tomatoes
• 1 can regular stewed or diced tomatoes
• 1/4 tsp. salt
  

Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until the salsa reaches your desired chunkiness.

Par-tay!

I just finished ALL of my last law school projects last night. I honestly don't know what to do with myself. Oh wait. . .maybe I'll plan a party! For 30 people! And host it in two days! Can it be done? We'll see.


In the meantime, here's a super easy party recipe for you. It was part of our WILD party a couple of weekends ago. For best results, make this topping in advance and keep in the fridge so the flavors can blend together. The batch I made was garlicky and yummy!

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Easy Tomato Bruschetta

• 1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. fresh oregano, minced (or any other herb you prefer ~improvise!)

Mix together all the ingredients. Cover and let the flavors blend in the fridge for an hour or more. Use on toasts or as a sauce or garnish for pasta or veggies. Top with Parmesan or other cheese.

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Now a question for you: what's your favorite party food?

Dillas

We eat a lot of quesadillas at our house. They're quick, easy, and can be customized to fit everyone's taste. In fact, simple cheese quesadillas have become my signature contribution at weeknight school events when I have very little time to prep. The kids eat them plain, and I add a bowl of salsa alongside for the adults to spice theirs up. I can purchase 3 ingredients (tortillas, cheese, salsa), make an entire lasagna pan of them in about 30 minutes, and keep them warm in the oven until I cart them off to whatever kid-event they're headed to. It works out great for everyone!

Recently I was doing this exact thing when I decided to make a few extra "adult" quesadillas using whatever I happened to have in the fridge. This ended up being a great discovery, on par with macaroni and cheese or strawberry shortcake. I mean it - these are scrumptious! Next time you're in the food doldrums and need a quick solution, definitely try these out. Just remember to make extra!

Simple Spinach Quesadillas

• 4 taco-sized tortillas (flour, wheat, or corn)
• About 1 1/3 cups of shredded Mexican cheese (jack or cheddar will also do fine)
• About 2 cups fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped
• 3 green onions, white and light green parts, cut lengthwise into fourths, then very finely sliced
  

First prep the cheese and veggies. Warm a skillet or grill pan on medium. To assemble the quesadillas, put about 1/2 a tablespoon of green onions on one half of each tortilla. Then spread about 1/3 cup of cheese over that. Finally, spread 1/2 cup of spinach on top. The tortillas will seem very full - fold in half and crease slightly so they stay closed. Grill for a few minutes on each side, pressing them closed occasionally with a spatula to help the spinach to cook down. Enjoy!