Holy Guacamole and Other Thoughts

Before I start going off I have to list the three things I learned today:

1. There is absolutely no point to get a manicure if you will be constantly doing dishes.
2. When cilantro turns towards the dark side it smells like wicked-bad halitosis.
3. Steve Jobs has definitely sold his soul to the devil so he could create must have gadgets like the IPad.  

My husband, bought me an IPad.  Just add this to the list of the reasons why I love him.  It was a late Christmas/ I love you gift.  I guess he got tired of me fawning every time I would see one, whether on TV or at my local Target.  I also think he bought it to quell my feverish longing for the Verizon IPhone (February 10th can't get here fast enough).  Whatever the case, my inner Machead is giddy.

 My favorite app so far (besides Angry Birds) is Epicurious: The Cook's Companion.   With a simple finger sweet, I can scan categories of recipes, from Super Bowl to I Can Barely Cook.  Thanks to the IPad's compact size and the available cookbook mode, I am sure following these recipes will be easier than finding a space on my counter for my cumbersome Macbook - something I have done one too many times when I needed to follow an electronic recipe.  The recipes available are from major foodie magazines like Bon Appetit and Gourmet with pictures and user reviews.  You can even download a $1.99 add on you can sync your favorite recipes to Epicurious.com's recipe box to save for later.  And for those who don't have an IPad, you can download this app for the IPhone and IPod Touch.

So after a day at home playing with my new IPad, it came time for me to cook dinner.  Some nights I just don't feel like cooking a full meal so I keep it simple.  Since I had a substantial amount of pulled BBQ chicken left, I decided to rework into BBQ Chicken Nachos.  This fresh take on nachos is tasty, hearty and simple.  In fact, it would make a perfect Super Bowl dish. If you make the pulled BBQ chicken a day or two beforehand, the flavors have a chance to incorporate which I think makes the nachos tastier than the sandwiches I made the other night.  I also made guacamole, one of my all-time favorite dips.  I topped my BBQ chicken nachos with guacamole and it was a pretty tasty combination.  The best part was I barely spent any time in the kitchen preparing dinner.  

I just want to add, before I go into the recipes and obligatory food porn, that I use Rotel in my guacamole but you are more than welcome to use fresh tomatoes and green chilies.  I prefer to use all fresh ingredients whenever possible but I have a bad habit whenever I buy tomatoes.  I am the only one in the house that eats them and most of the time they become penicillin before I get a chance to use all of them.  I even bought a nifty tomato saver to prevent this from happening but my kids now use it to store trinkets. I have found it easier just to use Rotel and call it a day, but the choice is up to you.

Guacamole

3 ripe Avocados with 2 of the pits reserved

1/2 medium onion, chopped (I usually use red onion, but white is OK too)

2 cloves of garlic, minced

juice of 2 limes

1 can of Rotel, drained (I used tomato, green chili cilantro and lime juice)

2 tsps of Adobo

1 tsp of cayenne pepper (optional)

handful of cilantro, chopped

• In a mixing bowl, add onions, garlic, avocado and lime juice.  Mash with potato masher til desired consistency (I like a chunky puree consistency)
• Once mashed, stir in Rotel, Adobo, Cayenne pepper and Cilantro (or 2 chopped tomatoes, seeded and juiced,  and 1 can of green chilies).  
• Adjust seasoning if necessary and serve with your favorite Tex-Mex dish.
• To store, add the 2 pits back to the Guacamole to prevent browning, cover and refrigerate.  

BBQ Chicken Nachos

2-3 C of Pulled BBQ Chicken (see January 24th's entry)

Tortilla chips

about 2-3 C of 4 cheese Mexican Blend Shredded Cheese

sour cream (optional)

guacamole (optional)

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Spray a cookie sheet or 13"x9" casserole with non-stick spray.  Make a bed of tortilla chips, spreading them out evenly.
• Top tortilla chips with BBQ chicken and shredded cheese (enough to cover  all nachos)
• Bake for 20 minutes til chicken is heated through.
• Serve with sour cream or guacamole if desired.