Superbowl Snacks and Drain "Un"clogger

Yesterday was the Superbowl and the stores were packed with people going in for last minute chips and soda and all other sorts of junk food.  In spite of my unwillingness to participate because my favorite team was knocked out in the conference championship games, I decided to get festive and make some dip, guacamole, and fries.  Oh, and put some fruit by it to make it look healthier, of course.  All three of the recipes were inspired or created by friends of mine, but have been modified to fit my taste.  

The first of the three was the guacamole that my Mom and my mother-in-law inspired.  My Mom inspired it in the way that she used to make an avocado salad that I loved and my mother-in-law in the seasonings.  (Just a note, today was my mother-in-law's birthday.  She was an amazing woman and we miss her dearly.)  Anyways, the recipe is as follows (beware, I cook a lot of things to taste, so you will want to make sure that you taste the guac as you season to make sure you like the way it is turning out).

Moms-Inspired Guacamole

• 2 Ripe avocados (Make sure they are soft, but not mushy)
• 7-10 cherry tomatoes, diced into small pieces
• 1 medium green onion, chopped
• 1/2 bunch of cilantro, finely chopped (I love cilantro, feel free to use less if you think that is too much)
• 1 TB Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 TB Lemon Juice
• Sea Salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste.

First, dice the avocados and pour into a bowl, add tomatoes, green onion, cilantro, olive oil, and lemon juice.  Use a fork to mash it all together.  I like it chunky so I mix everything together first and use a fork.  If you like it smooth, use a food processor to whip the avocados, olive oil, and lemon juice into a smooth mixture, then add the tomatoes, cilantro, and green onion.  After that, add the seasonings.  Go easy at first to make sure you don't overdo it.  This recipe is good for about four people.

The next recipe was introduced to me in High School by a friend of mine named Kelley.  She brought it to school and shared one day and I fell in love.  I couldn't get enough of it.  She told me how to make it and I have been making it for fun ever since.  I did add some garnish to it out of guilt of it being too unhealthy, but it remains pretty much unchanged.

Kelley's Famous Dip

• 2 cans vegetarian or fat free refried beans
• 1 16 oz. container of low-fat sour cream
• 1 taco seasoning packet
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (or Pepper Jack if you like it spicy) 
• 1/2 small white or vidalia onion, diced (about 1/4 cup)
• 7-10 cherry tomatoes, diced into small pieces (optional)
• 1 green onion, chopped (optional)
• Sliced black olives (optional)
• Chopped avocado pieces (optional)
• Coarsely chopped cilantro (optional)

Spread beans in a casserole dish so that they are about 3/4-1 inch high.  I use my 2 1/2 quart oval casserole dish.  Sprinkle half of the diced white onion over the beans.  Next, in a small mixing bowl, blend the sour cream with the taco seasoning.  Use a spatula to smooth it over the beans in a nice even layer.  Sprinkle the rest of the onion on top.  Next, add the cheese in an even layer on top of that.  Sprinkle the tomatoes, green onion, black olives, avocado, and cilantro over the top and serve.

The last recipe was inspired by my Mom who made "healthy" fries in the oven.  I modified it and consequently made it less "healthy" and less effort.  They are absolutely delicious and are easily modified.

Oven Baked Fries

• 6 White or Red potatoes, sliced into about 3/4 centimeter thickness, and then sliced into 3/4 centimeter width.
• About 1/4 cup light Olive Oil
• About 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1/2 TB Italian Seasoning
• 1/2 TSP Black Pepper
• Sea Salt

First, wash and slice the potatoes.  Mix oil, melted butter, italian seasoning, and pepper in a medium sized mixing bowl.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Add about 1/4 of the fries to the bowl and coat the fries in the mixture.  Take the fries out and spread them out on a cookie sheet.  Continue coating the fries in the mixture (1/4 of a time) and spread them out evenly on the cookie sheet.  Make sure they are spread out evenly, not stacked so that they can cook evenly.  Once spread out on the cookie sheet(s) sprinkle salt over the fries.  Bake in the oven for about 15-20 minutes until a fork goes goes in smoothly and edges of fries are starting to brown.

Note: Instead of half oil, half butter, you can use 1/2 cup oil or 1/2 cup butter.  I do half and half to cut down on the amount of butter I use, but still get that nice buttery flavor.

DIY Drain Unclogger

Recently, I have found myself with a slow shower drain that is getting pretty annoying.  Because I don't like going to the store, I decided to look up a DIY drain unclogger that I could make myself and use.  Sadly, it didn't work for me but it might work for you.  As I said, I found it on Pinterest, but the link was broken so I had to rely on the picture caption the pinner put on it.  It said to pour 1/2 a cup of baking soda down the drain, then 1/2 cup of vinegar.  Cover it with a wet washcloth and let it sit for five minutes.  After that, run hot water down the drain to wash it out.

Unfortunately for me, I couldn't get the stopper out of the drain (it's the kind you twist down to plug and twist up to unplug) so I had to push the baking soda down with my fingers.  It got clogged with baking soda then and I couldn't even finish putting it all in there.  I wasn't ready to admit defeat yet, however, so I poured the vinegar on it slowly so it wouldn't pool up and then put the washcloth on top. I let it sit and then turned on the hot water only to discover that it was a failed effort and the drain was still slow.  I might have to break down and actually use a chemical unclogger or get the hubs to snake the drain.  Oh well.  First recorded Pinterest fail.