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.

Coconut-Margarita Ice Pops + Electrolux

Fact: It is possible to have kitchen appliance envy.

Here's the deal -- I need a new refrigerator. Like, bad.

We live in a rental, and the appliances that came with the place are your typical {sub}standard, bargain basement sort that never quite do what they're supposed to. {Which would be totally fine if I didn't spend the majority of my life in the kitchen depending on them.}

There is an invisible equator in our refrigerator that delineates the zone between well-chilled items and arctic tundra. If leftovers, produce, or any other stray items happen to cross this line, they never return in usable form. There's nothing like trying to pour half and half into your coffee in the morning only to discover that it is frozen solid. Ew.

In the past 6 months, we've been forced to have maintenance come take a look at our fridge FOUR times because:

*It gets too cold.
*It isn't cold enough.
*It starts forming a sizable pond underneath the crisper drawers.
*It sounds like there is a small rodent nesting in the ice maker.

Sigh.

I've had enough of our fridge and its temperamental temperatures. And I'm in total lust with this new item that is topping my wish list:

Image courtesy of Clever Girls Collective/Electrolux

The Electrolux French Door Bottom Mount Refrigerator

Isn't she lovely???

Not only is this fridge a looker, but it's got a Perfect Temp Drawer for storing different types of foods at their IDEAL temperature. Imagine that! No zucchini-cicles!

What? Doesn't everyone have a wine & cheese party ready to go at all times in the fridge?

This fridge is so fancy that the drawers close themselves to ensure a perfect seal that keeps produce fresh longer with humidity control.

We were made totally made for one another. <3

Do you want one of these babies as much as I do? {If so, back off, sister. Just kidding.}

Now through August 22, you can visit www.livelovelux.com and enter the Electrolux Perfect Temp Sweepstakes daily for a chance to win your own Electrolux French Door Bottom Mount Refrigerator and a trip to a climate with a perfect temp - the sunny Abaco Islands in The Islands Of The Bahamas!

Need another reason to check it out? For every entry and share, Electrolux will donate $1 to Ovarian Cancer Research Fund (OCRF) with the goal of reaching $125,000. How awesome is that?

You know what else is awesome? Popsicles. Because, you know, they're actually supposed to be enjoyed in a frozen state. ;)

Even if you don't win that tropical Bahamas vacation, these Coconut Margarita Ice Pops created by Kelly Ripa will totally transport you to island paradise. Sweet, refreshing {and boozy, if you so choose}, these popsicles are pure pool day perfection!

Image courtesy of Clever Girls Collective/Electrolux

Coconut-Margarita Ice Pops
Makes 6-8 pops (depending on size of mold)

1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 cup Coco Lopez Cream of Coconut
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons superfine granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup shredded coconut
{Optional for adults} 1/4 cup silver tequila

1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth.

2. Pour mixture into individual popsicle molds {reserving ¼ inch at the top}.

3. Chill the popsicles for 30 – 45 minutes in the refrigerator. {The versatile Luxury-Design Lift Off Shelves in Electrolux refrigerators allow you to customize the space so the chilling popsicles have a safe, designated area, and the designer LED Lighting provides full visibility, even when the refrigerator is full.}

4. Remove the molds from the refrigerator, insert sticks and freeze at least six more hours or until solid.

5. Once solid, dip molds in warm water to loosen popsicle and remove from mold.

6. Pour shredded coconut into a large mixing bowl, dip one side of each popsicle into shredded coconut to garnish.

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Margarita Muffins

Do you get as annoyed as I do with those "It's National _______ Day!!!" things that seem to pop up all over the internet?

I'm all about a celebration, really. But National Kumquat Day? National Sesame Seed Day? National Sriracha Day?

C'mon.

I mean... who comes up with these things anyway? And who gave them the authority to tell us what we are celebrating on which day? When do we draw the line, people? When does it end?? WHEN?!?!

Ok, I'm done now. And I'm totally joking. If you want to party over Pork Rinds, then more power to you.

Today is actually National Margarita Day, so I thought I'd get on board -- not because I'm doing what the National Fill-in-the-Blank Creator wants me to do {take that!}, but because I happen to be quite fond of good margaritas.

I don't want to get all Ina Garten on you {"GOOD vanilla. GOOD olive oil. Blah, blah blah."}, but I really, truly am picky about my margaritas and they must be good in order for me to give them my seal of approval. {And not want to spit it back into my glass a la Sheldon from Big Bang Theory... do yourself a favor and watch this clip.}

I blame it on my 3 year stint of living in Texas. Texans know good margaritas, y'all. They can also make more things with a can of crescent dough than I ever knew was humanly possible... but that's another story for another day.

Good margaritas must:

1. Have FRESH, HOMEMADE sour mix. {None of that fluorescent green stuff in a bottle that looks and tastes like anti-freeze. Do not try to pass it off to me as fresh... I will know.}

2. Be served on the rocks. If I want a slushy, I will go to 7 Eleven, thank you very much.

3. Have decent tequila. I'll let you decide what qualifies this statement, but I would rather not drink the same kind that college kids are licking out of each other's belly buttons in Cancun during Spring Break.

It's really that simple. I actually prefer my margaritas without a salted rim, but I can appreciate the salty/sweet/tart thing that salt-lickers must enjoy.

With all this margarita talk, you'd think I was going to give you a recipe for one or something. But, no. That would be too logical.

I made Margarita Muffins. Because you can eat a Margarita Muffin for breakfast, but you can't sip on one with your eggs and bacon without being questioned on suspect behavior. {Unless, again, you're in Cancun on Spring Break.}

These are fun, fresh, and topped with pretty candied limes and a Tequila-Lime Glaze. {Though you can certainly leave out the tequila if you'd rather not start your day with booze. Party pooper.} They would make a festive addition to a themed brunch or be a good multi-tasker for National Lime Day, too. ;)

Bottoms up!

Margarita Muffins
Adapted from the 1 Mix, 100 Muffins Basic Muffin Recipe

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup {heaping} sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
A pinch of salt
1 cup milk
2 eggs
6 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
A drop of orange extract {optional}
Zest of one lime*

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place liners in a 12 cup muffin tin, and set aside.
2. Whisk all of the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl.
3. Whisk all of the wet ingredients and lime zest in another bowl.
4. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and slowly pour in the wet ingredients, stirring gently. Mix it until it's just combined so you don't get dense muffins. {Nobody likes a dense muffin.}
5. Using an ice cream scoop {or not, I just like to be fair and make sure every liner gets the same amount}, scoop batter into liners.
5. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick poked into the middle of the muffin comes out clean.

*You can add extra zest if you want them a little zestier. Using one lime gave them a slight lime flavor, but nothing overpowering. It's up to your tastebuds how you want to do it!

For Tequila-Lime Glaze

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon tequila or lime juice if you prefer
1/4 teaspoon lime zest
A drop of orange extract {optional}
1-2 tablespoons milk or water

1. In a small bowl, whisk confectioners' sugar, tequila, lime zest and orange extract together. Add milk or water a little bit at a time until you get the consistency you're looking for. If you add too much liquid, don't worry, just add a little more confectioners' sugar to thicken it up!

2. Drizzle over muffins or dip the muffins in the glaze and give them a shake before flipping them back over to get rid of the excess. Top with a candied lime if you'd like!

Candied Limes

1/4 cup water
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1-2 limes, sliced into thin rounds
{Optional} Approximately 1/4 cup granulated sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set aside.

2. Stir water and granulated sugar together in a pan over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Bring the sugar water to a gentle boil.

3. Drop in lime slices and let them bubble away for about 10-12 minutes, swishing them around every so often and coating them in syrup. Cook until the pith {white part} starts to become sort of translucent.

4. Carefully remove them from the syrup*, letting the excess liquid drip off, and place them on the lined pan. Bake them for 1 hour.

5. Remove them from the oven and, while they're still warm, sprinkle them with granulated sugar {or press them gently into a bowl of sugar} to give them a sparkly appearance.

*You can save this syrup {which is now lime flavored} to add to iced tea, cocktails, or other treats!