Best B.A.T Ever.

Now that I work from home, somethings have changed. Some for the better, and some for the not-so-good! One thing I miss about going to work is the socialization--getting to talk to someone other than my dog. But working from home has it's perks, too. In fact, I think the perks of working from home fall in this order:

1. The commute.
2. The dress code.
3. The B.A.T.

What is a B.A.T. you ask?! It's the Picky Chicky version of a BLT. It's a Bacon, Avocado and Tomato sandwich made on homemade bread that's been toasted and rubbed with fresh garlic. In a word, it's incomparable. You get the creaminess of the avocado (which I have made into guacamole, but a B.G.T. doesn't sound as fun as a B.A.T!), the salty-crunchiness from the bacon, the fresh-juiciness of the tomato and the heartiness of homemade bread. I dare you to find a sandwich at a restaurant that compares. Go ahead! :)

The best thing about it--other than the amazing, life changing, satisfying sandwich you're about to eat--is that the ingredients to make one sandwich cost about $2. That is about 1/4 the cost of a sandwich from a gourmet restaurant. Plus--you don't have to drive to get there. I know--win/win for you!

So here is the picky chicky version of the B.L.T. Let me know your your version turns out...

Ingredients:

2 slices of baked bacon
2 slices of vine ripe tomatoes
1 clove of garlic
(tip cut off)
Guacamole
(recipe below)
Choice of bread
Salt and Pepper to taste

Guacamole:
1 Avacado
1/4 of a small red onion
1/4-1/2 of a jalapeno
(Use more for a spicier guacamole)
1-2 small cloves of garlic
1 tsp of salt
1 tsp of pepper
1 tsp of Southwestern seasoning
(I use this!)

Using a food processor (I use this one), finely mince the onion, jalapeno and garlic. Add the avocado, salt, pepper and southwestern seasoning and blend until a smooth spread.

Preparation Instructions:

Crack fresh black pepper on bacon and bake in the oven (350 degrees F for 15-25 minutes, depending on the thickness of the bacon). While bacon is baking, prepare the guacamole and cover with plastic wrap. Toast the bread, and gently scrape garlic clove over roughened, toasted bread. (Remember--tread lightly with the raw garlic! It is is potent and can be hot if you get a big chunk!) Spread both pieces of toast with the guacamole (leaving off the high-in-fat mayo!), and build your sandwich. I usually salt and pepper the tomatoes to bring out their flavor!

Doesn't this beat anything you'd get out at an overpriced restaurant?! I think so... ;)

Reese's Cup Peanut Butter Banana Bread

Yes--you read the title correctly. This is a recipe for banana bread. Not just ANY banana bread, but peanut butter banana bread with teeny-tiny Reese's cups floating in it.

Two of my favorite things in the culinary world would be peanut butter and chocolate. Add some banana bread into the mix and I am a goner. I saw an idea for this bread, but I didn't like the look of the banana bread recipe--I think the recipe I use as my "everyday banana bread" looked a lot better! I took my favorite components from bread A (peanut butter and Reese's cups) and my favorite things from bread B (sour cream) and combined them to make this little bite of heaven. (I dare you to stop at ONE bite... )

So without any further ado, here is my picky chicky Reese's Cup Peanut Butter Banana Bread. Enjoy!

Ingredients:



1/2 cup of butter flavored Crisco
(You can use real butter, if you prefer!)
1/3 of a cup of creamy peanut butter
1/2 a cup of sour cream
1 1/4 cups of sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp of vanilla
1 cup of mashed, ripe bananas
1 3/4 cups of flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp of salt
8 oz package of mini Reese's cups

Preparation Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Using a mixer, combine Crisco, peanut butter, and sugar. When light and fluffy add sour cream, eggs, vanilla and bananas until well blended. While the mixer is going, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add dry ingredients to the Crisco-peanut butter-eggs mixture until just combined. Using a spatula, fold in all 8 ounces of the mini Reese's cups. (I sampled one to make sure they were fresh... as the chef is allowed to do!) Divide batter into 2 loaf pans and bake at 325 for 50-60 minutes. Toothpick should come out clean when inserted. The top of the bread will be quite brown--don't worry. It's not burned!

Enjoy--I can't wait to hear your version of this bread turns out!

Chicky's Tamale Pie

I love Mexican food. I don't know what it is about Mexican food that I like... OK, let's face it. I love the ooey, gooey, cheesy spiciness of Mexican food. In some ways, Mexican food is a comfort food for me. There's something amazing about how warm and filling it is. My issue with making Mexican food is that it is insanely complicated--there are more ingredients than I can shake a stick at. Don't get me wrong--the end results are amazing, but some times I don't have the energy to put together a comforting south-of-the-border meal. I ran across a recipe for a chicken tamale pie. It looked amazing, but I saw a few things I could do to make it more in line with my palate. So here is the Picky Chicky's take on a Chicky Tamale Pie! Let me know what you think!

Ingredients:

1# of chicken breasts
(Cooked and shredded)
1 box of Jiffy corn bread mix
1 (14 oz) can of creamed corn
1 egg
1/3 of a cup of milk
1 (4 oz) can of fire roasted chiles
1/4 of a cup of sour cream
3 TBSP of taco seasoning
(divided)
1 (10 oz) can of medium enchilada sauce
1 1/2 cups of shredded cheese
(I use pepper jack--I love the way it melts!)

Preparation Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Combine creamed corn, Jiffy, egg, milk, chiles, sour cream, 2 TBSPS taco seasoning, and 1/2 a cup of cheese in a medium mixing bowl. Pour carefully into a greased pie plate and bake @ 400 F for 20-25 minutes. While the corn base is cooking, add remaining taco seasoning to shredded chicken and 1/3 of the enchilada sauce. When corn base is no longer "jiggly" and pour remaining enchilada sauce over corn base. Top with chicken and remaining cheese. Return to oven and cook until cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve with homemade salsa and sour cream.

Favorite Basic Salsa

One of the many adventures I have had in my life was teaching overseas. I got to teach at a school in Seoul, South Korea called Seoul Foreign School. (It's also where I graduated from High School, but I digress...) While there, one of my closest friends and neighbor was Sara Schmidt. Sara is an amazing cook and one of the best things she taught me to make was her recipe for salsa. I've taken her recipe and tweaked it to fit my tastes. The good thing about salsa--you can add just about anything your palate likes! This picky chicky likes her salsa like this:

Ingredients:

1/2 of a medium onion
2 cloves of garlic
1-2 jalapenos
1/2 of a poblano pepper
2 (14 oz) cans of diced tomatoes with chiles
2 tsp of cumin
2 tsp of southwestern seasoning
(I use this one!)
1/2 tsp of sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation Instructions:

I have used a handy chopper in the past (similar to this!) but now I use a mini-food processor (like this!). I blitz the onions, garlic, and peppers together and move to a mixing bowl. Then, using the same food processor, I blend (almost to a puree!) two cans of tomatoes along with the cumin, southwestern seasoning, sugar and salt and pepper. Once I like the consistency, I add the tomatoes to the onions, garlic, and peppers and mix well. (I generally go light on the salt to begin with because I taste test with salted corn chips!) Adjust seasoning--you may want more cumin or more salt/pepper.

I have been known to add the following ingredients to my basic salsa to jazz it up:

corn
black beans
cilantro
bell peppers (or any other type of favorite peppers!)
Roasted tomatoes (instead of the tomatoes with chiles)


Let me know how your version of this picky chicky's salsa turns out!