Strawberry Guacamole

1 avocado
1 large clove garlic, diced
juice of 1/4 lime
1/4 - 1/2 t salt
1 T chopped cilantro
1 serrano pepper, diced
1 large strawberry, diced

Pit and mash avocado. Add remaining ingredients, except strawberry, and mix well. Fold in strawberry. Garnish with a couple slivers of strawberry, if desired.

Crock Pot Chili

2 lbs. pork shoulder, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
1 C onion, coarsely chopped
1 large green pepper, chopped
2 serrano peppers, seeded and minced
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 can beer
3 T Ancho chili powder
1/2 t ground cumin
2 t dried oregano
2 bay leaves
1/2 t black pepper
1/2 t salt
1 T sugar
6 tomatillos, quartered
2 plum tomatoes, chopped
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with liquid
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained
1 (7-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 t liquid smoke

Brown pork shoulder in skillet coated with cooking spray. Add to crock pot. Add onion and peppers. Sauté until almost tender. Add garlic and sauté another minute. Add beer and heat til boiling. Transfer to crock pot and add remaining ingredients and 1/2 cup of water. Cook on low for 8-10 hours (or high for 5 hours) in crock pot. Remove bay leaves. Garnish (see below).

~Optional Garnishes~
cilantro, finely chopped
green onions, finely chopped
shredded jack or cheddar cheese
fat free sour cream

Bacon-Wrapped Dates

One of our favorite restaurants, Mesón Sabika in Naperville, serves these with a red pepper sauce.

Pit and stuff 12 dates with blue cheese, a slice garlic or slivers of almond.

Wrap each with a half slice of bacon and fasten with a toothpick.

Bake at 375 for 10 minutes. Turn and bake an additional 10 minutes until bacon is crispy.

Pasties

This is an old family recipe that my German grandmother used to make. My mother wrote down the recipe. I made them for my sister's birthday.

2 recipes pie crust
1 pkg. Round steak, diced
1 pkg. Pork steak, diced
1 onion, chopped
thinly sliced potatoes
thinly sliced carrots (optional)

Mix filling ingredients in large bowl. Salt and pepper to taste. Roll out crust into oblong shapes. Place about 1 ½ C of filling on each. Top with a dollop of butter. Fold over and pinch edges together. Vent top with several slits. Make little balls for top with left-over crust. Bake in preheated 450 oven for 15 minutes. Lower temperature to 350 and bake 45 to 1 hour longer.

Pie Crust
2 C flour
2/3 C shortening (Butter-flavored Crisco)
1 t salt
5-7 T cold water

Mix flour, shortening and salt with a fork, until the consistency of small peas. Add water 1 T at a time to a portion of the flour mixture. Do not over mix.

Garlic and Artichoke Dip

This dip is served warm with pita chips or toasted bread. It satisfies if you have a craving for warm, gooey and cheesy. And it's great for that Fantasy Football Draft Party!

4 cloves garlic, smashed
1 green onion, cut in several pieces
1/3 C Pecorino Romano cheese, grated
1/3 C low fat mayonnaise
1/4 C low fat cream cheese
1 T lemon juice
1/4 t crushed red pepper flakes
1 14 oz can artichoke hearts in water

Chop garlic and onion in food processor. Add cheese (reserving a couple tablespoons for topping), mayonnaise, cream cheese, lemon juice and pepper flakes. Process until nearly smooth. Add artichoke hearts and process until a few chunks remain. Place mixture in 1 quart baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with reserved cheese. Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes until bubbly.