Salsas and Sauces
Avocado Hummus
Avocado hummus! Have you ever heard of such a thing? I hadn’t until I tried some at a farmers’ market a couple weeks ago. Holy jeez. It was delicious, y’all. To make it at home, I adapted my basic hummus recipe (see how to make hummus for more pointers) and the olive oil gets replaced with a large avocado. And…
Read MoreCalifornia Chicken Salad
What makes this chicken salad a California chicken salad??? Let’s talk about it. I’m leaning hard on avocado for the answer. Avocado is in, or on, everything here. But also … poppy seed dressing! Because the poppy is California’s state flower! See?!? Pretty proud of myself for that one. The poppy seed dressing I used here is made with…
Read MoreHomemade Taco Seasoning
Homemade taco seasoning is a great, edible gift for the people in your life who can’t eat any more cookies! But seriously, for years I’ve eschewed pre-mixed seasoning blends in favor of individual spices and combinations to suit my delicate whims. Put a kid into that sitch, though, and those lofty goals go straight down…
Read MoreChile de Arbol Salsa Recipe
I’ve been working on this chile de arbol salsa (what we call “hot sauce” in the US) for at least five years. My first serious notes about it are dated summer of 2012, but I’d been trying out variations before then. Watch the salsa video on YouTube! (scroll down for recipe) You may not know, when…
Read MoreOrange Aioli
A simple sauce to go with these black bean empanadas or on top of simply cooked fish or chicken. Before everyone gets up in arms, I know that this does not meet the technical qualifications of an aioli. For one thing, I didn’t even put the umlaut over the “i”! But seriously, aioli is defined…
Read MorePimento Cheese
Pimento Cheese Recipe Video – scroll down for recipe card Pimento cheese is a thing that is truly best when homemade. The stuff in the little plastic tubs just doesn’t do it for me: it’s sweet, it’s pasty, it lacks pizzazz! Homemade pimento cheese — especially mine — is rich and tangy and perfect for…
Read MoreRosemary-Garlic Sour Cream Dip
Rosemary-Garlic dip goes great with kettle chips or these portobello mushroom fries! This simple dip gets better the longer it sits (don’t let it go bad) so it’s great to make on a weekend and snack on during the week. Use it as a sandwich spread with some roast beef, or put it on a…
Read MoreShrimp Enchiladas with Hatch Chile Sauce
I got some free roasted Hatch chiles in the mail from the Hatch Chile Store in New Mexico. I’d never even seen red Hatch chiles before but they immediately made me think of enchilada sauce. After blending the sauce, I tasted it and it reminded me — a little too much — of roasted red…
Read MoreCorn Salad
Fresh Corn Salad Recipe Video – scroll down for recipe card Subscribe to my YouTube channel to get notified of new videos. Corn season! It’s one of the best seasons! Besides grilled corn on the cob (elotes), this bright corn salad is my favorite way to enjoy fresh corn. This version is almost like elotes en…
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