Black Bean, Corn, Red Peppers, Avocado Salad & Lime Cilantro Dressing

                                                                                                                     
2 15-oz. cans black beans, rinsed and drained

3 ears fresh corn, cooked, cooled and kernels cut off the cob

2 red bell peppers, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons minced shallots 

2 teaspoons salt

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons sugar

9 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

6 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 teaspoon lime zest

½ cup chopped cilantro

2 Hass avocados, diced

Directions

  

Combine all ingredients except avocados in a large bowl and mix well. Cover and chill for a few hours or overnight. Right before serving, add avocados and mix gently, being careful not to mash avocados. Garnish with a few springs of freshly chopped cilantro if desired.  Serve at room temperature!

Chocolate Brandy Cherries

                                                                                                                   

1 large container of stemed Maraschino cherries(Sam's club)

1 box of Wilton's ready to used rolled white fondant (Michael's)
liqueur of your choice ( I have used Whiskey and Creme Sherry) my next choice will be Black cherry liqueur
Ghirardelli dipping chocolate
parchment lined cookie sheet

Drain 1/2 of the cherry juice and reserve for another use. Add liqueur to cherries and cure for 2 weeks (in refrigerator). Cherries must be well dried or the fondant will melt. Drain cherries on a towel(reserve juice for cakes and such) and rotate to be sure to get all the moisture. I usually drain my cherries for several hours. Separate fondant into manageable pieces, keeping unused fondant in a sealed ziplock, pinch off a marble size piece and roll between fingers to flatten, needs to be the size to fit around the cherry. Do in batches, a batch is what ever amount fits on the cookie sheet. Wrap cherries and seal around the stem. Let wrapped cherries dry while you finish your batch. I usually wrap all my cherries and put in the refrigerator. I dip the cherries in batches also. Dipping chocolate will not tolerate any liquid, it looses it's dipping quality. After all cherries are dipped, put in an airtight container and let them cure a couple of days so that the fondant will become creamy. Enjoy!

Foil Pack Chicken Stack

                                                                                                                                        

 4 Boneless skinless chicken breast (season with season salt) pounded thin

 1 family size broccoli rice cheese steam bag 

 1/2 cup half and half

 1 cup Shredded cheddar cheese 

 4 slices cooked bacon; crumbled 

 4 tbs. Ranch dressing 

- 400 degree oven

- Spray 4 large sheets of heavy-duty foil with oil.

- Place  chicken on the center of each foil sheet.

- Top chicken with rice/broccoli mixture.

- Sprinkle with 1/4 of the cheese and 1 slice of bacon, crumbled.

- Drizzle with 1 T. ranch dressing

- Spoon a little half and half on top each chicken stack

- Bring up foil sides and fold to seal, leaving room for heat circulation inside

- Place packets on a cookie sheet and bake 20 min.

- Remove packets and let stand 5 min.

- Cut sits in foil for steam before opening

Penne Pasta with Sun-dried Tomato Cream Sauce

                                                                                                                                               

2 cups (8 oz.) dry penne pasta

8 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (about 1/3 cup)

1 can of (12 fl. oz.) Evaporated Milk

2 cups (8-oz. pkg.) shredded Italian-style four-cheese blend

1 teaspoon fresh basil

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

PREPARE pasta according to package directions, adding sun-dried tomatoes to boiling pasta water for last two minutes of cooking time; drain.

MEANWHILE, COMBINE evaporated milk, cheese, basil, garlic powder and pepper in medium saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until cheese is melted. Remove from heat.

ADD pasta and sun-dried tomatoes to cheese sauce; stir until combined.

Easy Lobster Ravioli

                                                                                                                    

1 package of lobster raviolis (10-12 ounces)

1 jar of lobster bisque (10-12 ounces)

1 teaspoon corn starch

1 teaspoon water

1/2 lb. pre-cooked lobster

fresh chopped Italian parsley

Boil Water

Fill a large pot about half full with water.

Add a little bit of fresh ground salt - it will flavor the water and also raise the boiling point slightly.

Let the water preheat while you prepare your sauce.

Prepare your sauce 

Cornstarch mixture

Mix one teaspoon of cornstarch with one teaspoon of water. This mixture will act as a thickener. Bisque should already be pretty thick; if you are using a particularly thin one, use a little more cornstarch/water mixture.

Make the sauce.

Place the bisque in a pot on med-high heat. Stir in the cornstarch mixture and bring to a boil, stirring frequently.  Once the bisque is boiling, reduce the heat to medium. If you are adding extra seafood, now is the time to do it. It will continue to boil and thicken. Stir it regularly so nothing sticks to the sides/bottom, and so a film does not form on the top.

Cook the ravioli

When the water has reached a rolling boil, add the raviolis. Cook them for 6-8 minutes. When the ravioli is tender and all floating, drain them. Save the pot to mix with the sauce so you don't have to dirty extra dishes.

Mix the ravioli with the sauce. Place your large pot off of the heat. Put the ravioli back in the pot, and pour the sauce over it. Gently toss to coat. Plate your ravioli. Top with fresh ground pepper. Enjoy!