Comfort Foods and Indulgences

Are you looking for a little something to go with the Academy Awards? No, this dip does not emulate any of the films up for best picture. There are so many creative-Oscar food posts out there. However, if this was up for an award....OMG it would take home the trophy in every category. Yes...it is that good. It definitely falls into that "crack" dip category. This would have been amazing during football season.

Everyone's hineys will be firmly planted in front of this dip and the TV, no matter how boring the Oscars get. If you have this dip, you are set...no ball gown needed. It won't fit after you eat this dip anyway.

My favorite part of this dip is the heat that comes from the chipotle in adobo. It is the perfect amount of spice and flavor. It is what makes this dip so tasty. And addicting. It's perfecto.

Try it if you dare...but have lots of people around to share in the calorie load.

I am damned if I do and I am damned if I don’t!  The husband does complain at times about the “fresh baked” treats that adorn our kitchen counter(no one else seems to complain…).  And when I do take a break from endless hours in the kitchen, and there is nothing under the glass dome, he sighs, makes a comment, and pouts.

This past Friday night was one of those occassions.  We had just finished a lovely Friday night dinner of roasted salmon with homemade teriyaki sauce, baked brown rice, and sauteed zucchini.  No dessert.  I did, however, have frozen cookie doughs in the freezer, but that wouldn’t do.  Although it wasn’t what he wanted, the kids talked him in to a Pinkberry run.  I was perfectly happy with my mini yogurt with fresh berries, but I knew that baking was going to be part of the weekend agenda.

I know what you're thinking.  Weeknight dinner and  the culinary term reduction are two words that do not go together.  But I double-dare swear that they do.  This recipe is so perfect for any night that is filled with reckless activities caused by our busy and crazy lives.  This recipe will take you back to the simple life you crave.

You cannot get this from a box, you cannot get this from an ox.  You cannot find this here or there, but you can make this in your underwear...or something like that.

I mean are you tired of your pathetic nightly dinners?  Does your family dread the dreaded chicken recipe again?  Have you been wanting your inner-chef-dom-tendencies to shine through without much effort?  This is your lucky day.

This simplistic, tasty, somewhat-savory, somewhat-sweet dinner is for you.  It is by far the most effortless (well, I guess McDonald's would be more effortless) weeknight meal you could possibly throw together.  And it's so good, you could even serve it for Sunday night dinner.  After making this, no one will believe you've running around like a maniac all day.

I have been making this sandwich again and again over the past two weeks and decided it's probably time to share them with all of you. Heck, just look at them...what's not to love?

Just this morning I shoved one into the hands of my oldest son as he was running out the door. Turns out it's perfect school bus food too. Lucky him. The ingredients are simple and you probably already have most of them at home.

My main inspiration for this recipe were my beautiful California avocados. There is rarely a day that goes by that I don't enjoy an avocado with one of my meals or as a snack. They truly are nature's butter and require nothing to make them an amazing and healthy treat. Avocados are one of the few fruits that provide good fats in our diet (3 g of mono and 0.5 g polyunsaturated fat per 1-oz. serving) and are heart healthy.

And don't be afraid to buy extra avocados and keep them in your fridge. I store mine in the crisper drawer and they keep for weeks. This means I always have a ripe avocado to use when I'm ready...which is daily. After you scramble your eggs, place them on top of your toasted bagels and sprinkle with shredded cheese. It will melt nicely on top of the hot eggs.