Super Easy Guacamole

A friend of mine is in town from Montana and is staying with her parents for about 10 days. They threw a party for her on Saturday night so I wanted to make some delicious food for the potluck. I first decided to make Spinach and Artichoke Dip. When I got to the grocery store, I saw the big display of already-ripe avocadoes and couldn't resist. Come to find out, my friend loves guac (probably almost as much as I do), so I decided to make this as well. This is seriously one of the easiest recipes ever. All you need are the fresh ingredients, a couple of seasonings, and a good sharp knife. Enjoy!

Note: The key is to add all the items before mixing. This will keep the avocadoes from becoming too mashed up. I prefer to have a few chunks of avocado in with all those delicious tomatoes and onions. Yum!

Super Easy Guacamole

2 ripe Haas avocadoes
1 Roma tomato
1 small red onion
1/4 to 1/2 jalapeno pepper
1 t. minced garlic
1 T. fresh cilantro
1/2 t. kosher or sea salt, or to taste
1/4 t. black pepper
1/4 t. garlic powder
1/4 t. onion powder

Halve the avocadoes and remove the pit. Scoop the whole thing into a big bowl (do not mash). Cut the tomato in half and remove seeds and other guts. Chop into 1/4 in. pieces and add to bowl. Chop onion and add to bowl. Remove seeds and ribs from the jalapeno and chop finely and add to bowl. Add garlic and seasonings to bowl. Mince cilantro and add to bowl.

NOW you mix it all up, just enough to bring it together. Test it, adjust seasonings (I usually have to add more salt), and gently stir again. Serve immediately.

In a Sunburned Country - Bill Bryson

I love Bill Bryson. I've already read and enjoyed a couple of his books, I'm a Stranger Here Myself and A Walk in the Woods. He has the uncanny ability of weaving historical facts, witty quips and his traveling experiences into one big funny memoir. If you haven't had a chance to check him out yet, please do so.

I found this audiobook at my library and couldn't wait to check it out. When I learned it was narrated by Bryson himself, I was even more excited. And let me tell you, he has the coolest accent ever. It's like 1/2 Midwestern upbringing + 1/2 living in the UK = awesome. I love the way he spoke through the whole thing.

OK, all the talk about the poisonous critters lurking all over the Outback and in the beautiful surf- and scuba-worthy waters makes me a bit concerned how it's possible that so many people actually survive a day in Australia. Good LAWD.

Bryson discusses just how amazing Australia is ecologically, geologically, and historically speaking. It is a place where prehistoric plants still exist, where the largest living creature resides, and where the first evidence of human migration is found (thousands of years before we expected, mind you).

Bryson's experiences while visiting Australia make for an amazingly funny, fact-filled and intriguing experience for the reader.

Looking for Alaska - John Green

I stumbled upon this book while playing around on Goodreads and when I found the book was available at my local library, I decided to check it out.

The narrator is "Pudge," a smart, sorta-nerdy/sorta-unpopular high school kid who decides to try a new school for his junior year. He falls into an interesting group of friends: "The Colonel," his poor but genius roommate; Lara, a Romanian sophomore; Takumi, the funny and smart Asian kid; and Alaska, the beautiful, popular senior with a boyfriend and lots of personal issues. Of course, Pudge immediately falls for Alaska. While breaking a myriad school rules, a surprising turn of events changes their lives forever. They way these friends react to the incident and to each other provides an interesting look into how high school prepares us for the many difficult challenges we will continue to face all through our lives. Highly recommended!

The Tastiest Stuffed Chicken Breasts Ever!!

I found a recipe on Carrie's blog for pesto & cream cheese - stuffed chicken breasts and thought they looked phenomenal. I tweaked the recipe a bit, as I am often wont to do, and the result was the most amazingly tasty, moist, cheesy and garlicky goodness that I couldn't wait to share with you.
Sorry, but I have no pics.

Pesto and Cream Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Makes 4, serves 4

4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cleaned and trimmed of fat
2 oz. 1/3 less fat cream cheese
1/4 c. prepared pesto
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 T. water
1 c. breadcrumbs (I used Italian style)
1/3 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 T. olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Prepare the Filling: Mix cream cheese and pesto in a bowl. Scoop into a quart-size freezer bag and squeeze into one corner. Snip off the corner of the bag so you can pipe the filling into the chicken breasts.

Prepare the Egg Wash and Coating: In one bowl, mix egg and 1 T. water. On a plate, combine bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and pepper to taste.

Prepare the Chicken: Dry the outsides of each trimmed chicken breast. Cut a large pocket into each breast. Try not to poke the knife out of the bottom or sides; keep the pocket intact.

Line up the Chicken, the Filling, the Egg Wash, the Coating as well as one more plate in this order. You will do this assembly line-style.

Pipe the filling into each chicken breast, using your fingers on the outside to gently push the filling down to fill the pocket. You'll probably use all the filling.

Dip the breast into the Egg Wash, then dredge in the Coating mixture. Set on plate. Continue with the rest of the breasts.

Preheat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Use a pastry brush to spread the oil all over the pan in a thin layer. Add all the chicken breasts and cook each side until the coating is nicely browned, about 4 minutes per side. Don't worry if some of the filling comes out; just keeping pressing it on and around the chicken.

Transfer the breasts to a baking pan and bake chicken breasts at 400 degrees F until cooked through (inside measures 160 degrees), about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes. The inside temperature will continue to rise and reach 165 degrees. This will also ensure a moist chicken breast.

I served these yummy chicken breasts with some green beans and a small serving of pasts: whole wheat thin spaghetti tossed with marinara sauce. What a delicious, wholesome meal!

Banana Sour Cream Bread

Earlier this week I opened my freezer and just about fell over when I realized how many bananas I had accumulated in there. Every week, I buy 5-7 bananas for Mr. H and me to eat over the next few days. Sometimes, they get a bit more ripe than what we like for eating out-of-hand, so into the freezer they go for Banana Bread Day. I found a recipe on Allrecipes that had a ton of 5-star ratings - over 1,300! I first tried the recipe several months ago and got a lot of positive feedback. I decided to use this recipe again, but modify it a bit to reduce the sugar content.

Banana Sour Cream Bread

Adapted from this recipe

Makes 4 loaves

Ingredients:

• 1/4 c. white sugar
• 1 t. ground cinnamon
• 3/4 c. unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks)
• 2 cups white sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 5-6 very ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 (16 oz.) container sour cream (I used Daisy Light)
• 2 t. vanilla extract
• 2 t. ground cinnamon
• 1 t. freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 t. salt
• 3 t. baking soda
• 4 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 c. chopped walnuts (optional; I didn't use them)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray four 3" x 7" loaf pans. In a small bowl, mix together the 1/4 c. sugar and 1 t. cinnamon. Dust pans lightly with this mixture. Save any extra for topping the loaves before baking.

In a very large bowl, cream butter and 2 c. sugar. Mix in eggs, mashed bananas, sour cream and vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, baking soda and flour. Add flour mixture to wet ingredients in two parts, mixing well after each addition. Stir in nuts, if using. Divide into prepared pans. Dust each loaf with remaining cinnamon/sugar mixture, if you have it.

Bake for 45 minutes to one hour, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

A Certain Slant of Light - Laura Whitcomb

Wow. Just wow. What an amazing book!

One of the girls on the NBC blogged about this book and it sounded very interesting. I stumbled across this audiobook at my awesome library and knew I had to use it for my Young Adult category.

Helen, a ghost, exists as Light and spends her time on Earth cleaving to human hosts. One day while accompanying her current host, a high school English teacher, in his classroom, he notices that a student can see her (humans can't see Light). They immediately forge a connection and what unfolds is a wonderful story of love and heartache. Just beautiful.

I am so glad I gave it a try. The beginning was very interesting but didn't totally suck me in. By the 2nd or 3rd CD (of 7) I couldn't wait to get back in my car and keep listening! It was such a great story and it surprised me at every turn.

It might be categorized as Young Adult but I definitely found many of the situations in the book to be very mature. Go read this book!

The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things - Carolyn Mackler

I've heard good things about this YA book so I decided to pick it up for my "body part in title" task for the NBC. I read the whole thing in an afternoon, which NEVER happens. It was a fast, easy read that I would recommend to anyone who's gone to high school.

Virginia Shreves is the scared, nervous, self-conscious high-school-girl incarnate. How many of us have not been terrified of going to lunch for the first day, not knowing who we are going to sit with? Who among us has not scared ourselves into a nervous wreck about dropping our lunch tray in front of everyone, tripping and making a fool of ourselves in the classroom, or *gasp* falling down the stairs?

I've always wondered how the girls like the "Bri" group were so well-adjusted on the outside. Yes, they all probably have some issues like the one girl did, but oftentimes they seem to lead this charmed life and everything seems to go perfectly for them. Is it a lucky draw of the cards in the looks department? Is it a wealthy family? How about the way they were brought up in their early years? I can't figure out what it is because I never have been and never will be one of the "Bri" girls, and not just because my name is Jenna.

Virginia Shreves spoke to me on so many levels. My heart broke for her when she was even joking about suicide. I know life is difficult for teenagers, but for Virginia to take everything so personally and internally is just so sad. I really enjoyed seeing her grow throughout the book and start to be a little healthier - physically, mentally and emotionally.