Avocados + Tequila: The Sip & Dip Challenge

Um, blog life is really tough. I'm considering writing a rap song about it {a la "Thug Life"} to discuss the challenges I face on a daily basis.

I know it would become a huge hit and maybe even have its own video featuring leggy models eating copious amounts of Biscoff drinking overflowing glasses of champagne. {Do they even make videos anymore? I'm about to turn 32, I'm not up to date on these things.}

But I digress.

The point is, sometimes I'm asked if I'd like to participate in a project or challenge for the blog. Some of those challenges even require that I host a party, spend a gift card at Whole Foods, leaf through amazing cookbooks, and sample tequila.

I know, right? So much trouble. But who am I to turn them down?

I'm obviously totally kidding about being put out. {But, sadly, not about turning 32 and having no idea what's happening out there with the exception of Miley's frightening televised romp in plastic undies.}

Anyway, there are times when some things just aren't a good fit for me and other times when I can't answer "yes" fast enough because it's so perfect.

The Sip & Dip Challenge happened to be one of those times. Why? Well...

1. I LOVE AVOCADOS. Like, pink puffy heart love.
2. Feeding people is one of my favorite things to do.
3. Parties are fun.
4. Tequila! Need I say more?

I totally dragged my poor, unfortunate friends {and husband, but he doesn't get a choice} into this and made them have to endure an afternoon of avocado-y, tequila-y goodness.

They look super upset about it, don't they?

So, this party was all in honor of National Guacamole Day {officially September 16}. If you don't have this marvelous occasion marked on your calendar, you should be totally ashamed of yourself.

If you're anything like me, guacamole has a place at every meal. Slathered on toast for breakfast; in a sandwich or a salad for lunch; as part of a dip for a snack; blended into a tangy sauce for dinner. Clearly, asking me to celebrate guacamole is no personal sacrifice.

Here's the menu I created for my Guacamole Gathering:

Ok, let's talk about some of these dishes. First of all, I created this spread in under 2 hours. I woke up on Sunday, went grocery shopping {With the gift card that Farley decided to snack on. Scroll to bottom of page for the picture proof. Thank you, Whole Foods, for humoring me.}, came home and cranked out this deliciousness all while chatting with friends and having these two stare at me.

Oh, hi. Is lunch ready yet???

I was going to get all crafty with my cocktails, but I had to hit the "easy" button somewhere, so instead I created easy spritzer cocktails using Whole Foods' Italian Sodas and Piedra Azul Tequila Blanco. 

Since it was a lunchtime, I thought I'd make it casual and interactive by putting together a Create-Your-Own-Taco Bar. 

I made Tequila-Lime Chicken {which I'm providing an approximate recipe for because I just started throwing things in the bowl and wasn't really paying attention}...

...and set up a selection of fixin's like homemade Pico de Gallo, Classic Guacamole, Roasted Cumin Zucchini & Onions, and shredded Monterey Jack Cheese. 

For sides, I made a big bowl of Smoky Chipotle Rice, and a creamy, crunchy Broccoli-Avocado Slaw from Gaby Dalkin's {writer of What's Gaby Cooking? blog} cookbook, Absolutely Avocados. 

To top off the tacos, this easy roasted Tomatillo-Poblano Avocado Sauce did the trick. It has a great zip to it and also makes a fabulous dipper for tortilla chips!

Finally, you know I always have to bake something... so I made savory Pepper Jack Muffins {mine were minis}, and then topped them off with Classic Guacamole to make them look like little cupcakes. I'm still dying over how cute they turned out. {Sometimes I imagine things will be cute & they are disastrous.}

We ate. A lot.

We also may or may not have taken tequila shots. What? It was a celebration!

If the "challenge" was to have an amazing time with friends, then I think the mission here was accomplished. It's a hard job, but someone's gotta do it. ;)

Tequila-Lime Chicken

2-3 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips or chunks
2 tablespoons tequila
1 lime, zested and juiced
2 cloves of garlic, grated or minced
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
Liberal pinch of salt
Olive or canola oil

1. In a large bowl, combine chicken with tequila, lime juice, lime zest, garlic, onion powder, cilantro and salt, tossing to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to marinate in the refrigerator for about an hour.

2. Heat about 2 tablespoons of oil in a  large, deep skillet over medium-high heat.

3. Place chicken in skillet, trying not to overcrowd the pan and making sure that each piece is touching the skillet. {If your pan is too small, you may want to do this in two batches.} Cook, without moving for about 4-5 minutes or until chicken pieces are well browned on first side.

4. Stir to flip pieces and finish cooking on the other sides. {About 3-5 more minutes or until chicken is cooked through and no longer pink.}

Serve hot with extra limes if desired.

Avocado-Broccoli Slaw
Barely adapted from Absolutely Avocados

1 {12 oz.} package broccoli slaw
1 Hass avocado, halved and peeled {pit removed}
1/3- 1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Salt and pepper
1 bunch scallions, sliced {optional}

1. Place broccoli slaw in a large bowl.

2. Add avocado to blender or food processor along with olive oil, cilantro, vinegar, and lime just. Blend or pulse until smooth.

3. Pour mixture over broccoli slaw. Toss to coat.

4. Taste and season with salt and pepper, then top with sliced scallions if desired.

Tomatillo-Poblano Sauce

5-6 tomatillos, peeled and halved
2 poblano peppers, halved and seeded
2 avocados, peeled
1 clove of garlic, chopped
Juice from 1/2 a lime
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

1. Prepare a sheet pan by lining with foil. Drizzle lightly with oil and rub to coat. Set broiler to 500 degrees.

2. Place tomatillos and poblano peppers cut side down on oiled pan, then drizzle a few drops of oil on each piece and rub to coat. Broil for 10-12 minutes or until both the tomatillos and the peppers are charred and blistered in spots. {Keep an eye on them! Thing can get out of hand quickly with a broiler!}

3. Remove pan from oven and place peppers in a small bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 5-7 minutes. {This will help loosen the skin and make it easier to peel.} Scoop tomatillos & juices into blender.

4. Remove peppers from bowl {watch out, they're probably still pretty hot!}. Carefully peel off the charred skin and discard. Place flesh from peppers in the blender along with tomatillos.

5. Add avocados, garlic, lime juice, and cilantro to blender. Blend at high speed until smooth. If your sauce is too thick, add a few tablespoons of water until desired consistency is reached.

Serve over chicken or any protein, or use as a zesty dip for chips!

Pepper Jack Muffins with Guacamole "Frosting"
Adapted from Taste of Home

1 cup all-purpose flour
Scant 1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
1/3 - 1/2 cup shredded pepper Jack cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a mini muffin tin with butter or oil. {These little guys like to try to stick... don't let them!}

2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

3. In a small bowl whisk together egg, buttermilk, and melted butter.

4. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients until just incorporated {don't overmix}, then carefully fold in cheese.

5. Using a mini ice cream scoop, scoop batter into greased tins. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until puffed and starting to become golden on the tops and around the sides.

6. Cool slightly, then using a butter knife, loosen the edges of each muffin to help remove them. Place muffins on a cooling rack and let come to room temperature. {Or serve them warm if you aren't planning on "frosting" them.}

For Guacamole

2 avocados
Juice from 1/2 a lime
Finely minced cilantro
Salt

{Or you can make your favorite recipe. I just kept it simple. Remember, if you're planning on piping on the guacamole, chunks will get stuck in the piping tip if you decide to add chopped onion, etc. Keep your guac "frosting" simple for this project for best results!}

1. Using a fork, mush avocados in a small bowl. Add lime juice, cilantro, and salt to taste and mix until well incorporated.

2. Place in a piping bag fitted with desired tip and pipe the guacamole just like you would frosting on top of cooled muffins.

Enjoy!

Disclosure: I was provided with a Whole Foods gift card, a bottle of Piedra Azul Tequila, and Gaby Dalkin's cookbook, Amazing Avocados, to use in hosting this party. As always, the opinions here are all my own!

The gift card that was half digested by Farley.

Race Day Pie

Well, you guys, today's my last day to prep for tomorrow's big Derby celebration.

I've been trying to stick to my party planning timeline all week in an effort to avoid a major meltdown at the 11th hour, but you know how it goes... something always comes up last minute!

So, I guess that plan is not to expect to stick with the plan.

{I'm learning to be a little more flexible.}

Anyway, I've been working my way through the menu this week, starting to chop, assemble, and make anything that I can do ahead of time so that I can have fun with everyone else on Saturday. It's taken me many, many parties, events, and gatherings to learn how to plan things out so that this is possible. I can't tell you how many times I've wound up in the kitchen during an entire party, which makes for a very sad hostess & very neglected guests.

This time around, I've made things ahead and have a good mixture of items that can be served cold or at room temp to balance out those that need to be baked or heated through the day of.

Life would be much easier with a double oven, I'm not gonna lie. But we'll make do with what we've got!

I can't keep it to myself anymore... I've got to share my Southern inspired menu for Derby Day. The rest of the details will just have to stay under wraps until after the party. {Rats.}

Kentucky Derby Menu

Beverages

 Mint Juleps

Classic, Blackberry-Mint, Grapefruit-Honey, & Peach-Basil

Oaks Lily Cocktail

Governor's Mansion Peach Tea Punch

Appetizers

Classic Cheese Straws

Benedictine Dip 

Served with Pumpernickel Toasts

Blue Cheese-Bacon Dip

Served with Crackers & Grapes

Pineapple Julep Fruit Salad

Mains

Chicken & Waffle Bites 

with Horseradish Peach Syrup

Country Ham on Homemade Biscuits 

with Pepper Honey

Sides

Cheese Grits Casserole

Beer Mac & Cheese

Corn on the Cob 

with Chili-Honey Butter

Southern Baked Beans

Blue Cheese Roasted Potato Salad

Dessert

"Derby Pie"
Maple Cupcakes with Maple Caramel Buttercream
topped with Candied Bacon & Candied Pecans

Just about everything is homemade because: A.) I only feed my friends the best. B.) That's just how I roll. and C.) I'm crazy. 

But I'm also really excited. {In case you couldn't tell.} 

I still have lots left to do before "go time" tomorrow... but I guess there's no event more appropriate to race against time. ;) 

Enough yammering on. It's time to get to work & pull together the last details. But before I go, I've got one more thing to share: A recipe for Race Day Pie, a.k.a. "Derby Pie".

Did you know that you can't actually call it "Derby Pie" because it's a registered trademark of Kern's Kitchen? They're famous for the official Pie of the Derby, and they sure take it seriously. Their recipe is super top-secret, and they're very picky about other people claiming to make the real thing. So, out of respect, I'm calling mine "Race Day Pie" ... no need to tick anyone off. ;)

The pie is a delicious blend of chocolate, bourbon, and walnuts, though I've also seen many recipes made with pecans. I stuck to walnuts because that's how Kern's does it, and they're obviously the most official!

It's almost like a chocolate chip-walnut cookie baked in a pie crust with the sweet flavor of bourbon shining through. Nothing wrong with that!

No matter what you call this sweet treat, it's sure to be the ideal ending to Derby day... though winning a few bucks on the race wouldn't hurt, either. ;)

.... And they're off! 

Race Day Pie
Found at The Chattanoogan

1/2 cup flour
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup butter, melted & slightly cooled
2 tablespoons Kentucky bourbon {I used Jim Beam, but Early Times is the official Derby bourbon}
1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips {I accidentally used milk chocolate, but no harm done!}
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

Pie Crust -
I used this recipe, but you can certainly use your favorite or buy a pre-made pie crust. {I won't tell.}

1. Make pie crust. {Or unwrap, if cheating!} Arrange in a pie dish. {At this point, I pierced it a bunch of times with a fork just to make sure it didn't puff during baking. It may not be necessary because there's a filling, but I didn't want to risk it.} Refrigerate until needed. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, and salt.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, melted butter, bourbon, and vanilla extract.

4. Add wet ingredients to dry and whisk until just combined. Gently mix in walnuts and chocolate chips.

5. Pour mixture into unbaked pie crust. Bake for 40-45 minutes until the top is slightly puffed and lightly golden, and a toothpick inserted into the pie comes out mostly clean. {Not super batter-y.}

6. Cool before slicing.

Cinco de Mayo Recipe Collection

This weekend is sure to bring on lots of fun feasting and celebrating {not to mention boozing, let's be real} with Saturday marking both Cinco de Mayo and the Kentucky Derby.

Steve and I will be doing some celebrating in Clearwater for his cousin's wedding on the beach. With the big day taking place on May 5, the bride & groom decided to go with the Cinco de Mayo theme and run with it. I volunteered to help with the decor by making tissue paper fans to hang on each chair and, boy, has it taken a while. They aren't difficult to make, but it definitely takes some time to make 110 of anything.

As I folded, cut, and cursed stapled away, I got to daydreaming about creative dishes and treats {what else is new?} to go along with the theme.

It wasn't difficult to think of fantastic additions to a Cinco de Mayo menu... we LOVE Mexican {or Mexican inspired} food in this house.

There are Goat Cheese & Mango Quesadillas for an appetizer, lunch, or light snack...

Pardon the pic... this is from 1 year ago, BGC. {Before good camera} ;)

Or Bean & Cheese Tostadas with Nectarine Salsa for a crunchier tortilla treat...

A hearty and satisfying dish of Chicken with Tomatillo & Cilantro Sauce ...

Or a simple side of Pineapple Cilantro Quinoa...

Once again... super old pic.

So many options! And now let's get to the really good stuff: Dessert.

But first, let's start with a cocktail, shall we?

Um, yeah. That's homemade coffee liqueur. I had a little fun playing kitchen bartender and made my very own batch. There are lots of different versions out there {some vodka-based, some rum-based}, but some of the recipes I found required too much waiting... up to three weeks.

While I'm sure all that waiting produces a fabulous result, who has time for all that patience? Not me! This recipe is pretty much instantly ready for consumption. Or for adding as an ingredient to these:

What better way to celebrate Cinco de Mayo/Wedding weekend than with Chocolate-Kahlua Mexican Wedding Cookies?

These classic cookies are slightly sweet, crumbly, and perfect. While they are normally seen in the non-chocolate variety, I liked that the cocoa in this version added a unique twist to an old favorite.

Though I added two tablespoons of homemade coffee liqueur, the flavor remained very subtle. If you're looking for more of a punch, you could try adding store bought Kahlua. And for extra flair, 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon {oooh... and while we're at it... maybe a pinch of chili powder?! Sorry, carried away...} would bump up the Mex-factor. 

If you're still looking for some more dishes to satisfy your Mexi-cravings, there are oodles of recipes popping up on some of my favorite blogs {or in their archives} that look absolutely fiesta worthy:

Appetizers & Snacks:

Loaded Turkey Santa Fe Baked Potato Skins from Skinny Taste

Vegan Baked Taco Dip from This Homemade Life via Baked Bree

Queso Blanco Dip from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Black Bean Salsa from The Pastry Affair

Chili-Lime Roasted Chickpeas from Willow Bird Baking

Mains:

Tequila-Orange Grilled Shrimp from Tracey's Culinary Adventures

Spicy Avocado & Chicken Enchiladas from The Novice Chef Blog

Crockpot Chicken Tacos with Chipotle Cream from Sing for your Supper

Albondigas Soup from Simply Recipes

Chipotle Honey-Lime Pork Tenderloin by Beantown Baker

Decadence:

Toasted Coconut Tres Leches Cake from Heather's Dish

Mexican Buñuelos from Mexico in My Kitchen

Mexican Brownie-Bottom Cheesecake from Pennies on a Platter

Margarita Cupcakes from Brown Eyed Baker

Libations:

Pineapple Margaritas or Guava Margaritas from Confections of a Foodie Bride

Horchata con Cognac from 12 Bottle Bar

Mexican Chocolate Shots from Snappy Gourmet

Corona Beer Popsicles from Bakers Royale

{Non-alcoholic} Strawberry Agua Fresca from Eat, Live, Run

No matter what you are celebrating this weekend, these recipes should kick start some scrumptious foodie fun!

Quick Homemade Coffee Liqueur

3 tablespoons ground espresso {I use Cafe Bustelo - not instant}

1 1/2 cups water

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup dark rum {or vodka if you're not a rum fan}

Brew coffee using 3 tablespoons ground espresso & 1 1/2 cups water in your coffee maker {or french press or however you normally make coffee}.

In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine hot coffee and both sugars. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and allow to simmer for about 8 minutes, until sugars are dissolved and liquid is slightly syrupy.

Remove from heat and add vanilla and rum {or vodka}. Mix thoroughly.

Store in an airtight container or bottle in refrigerator.

Chocolate-Kahlua Mexican Wedding Cookies

Adapted from Southern Living

1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus 1 tablespoon

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tablespoons coffee liqueur {or store bought Kahlua}

1/2 cup finely chopped pecans, toasted

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a medium bowl, combine powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder. Set aside.

In a dry add pecans and toast lightly until fragrant, 4-5 minutes. {Careful not to burn.} Remove from heat and add to a food processor along with 1 tablespoon flour. Pulse until finely ground, but not turned into paste.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar. Mix in coffee liqueur and combine. Add flour and 1/4 cup cocoa powder, then pecans until just combined.

Using a tablespoon or small cookie scoop, scoop out dough and quickly roll into approximately 1 inch balls. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 10-12 minutes until just set. Remove from oven and allow cookies to cool slightly.

While still warm, roll each cookie in powdered sugar/cocoa powder mixture and set onto a wire rack to cool completely.