Green Goddess Goodness

Several years ago, the Restaurant "Ruby Tuesday's" served an "Avocado Ranch" salad dressing on their salad bar. It was so yummmmmy! Anyway, I have been craving it and after describing it to my mom, she said it sounded very similar to the old salad dressing known as "Green Goddess". So after searching and sampling several very tasty, but not quit right dressing recipes, we have finally came up with our own that we love...

Recipe:
1 avocado (peeled and pitted)
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon minced dried garlic
1 teaspoon minced dried onion
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce instead of anchovies
(we don't care for anchovies flavor in this recipe)
salt & pepper to taste

Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend until totally liquified. Chill for a least two hours before serving. Also this recipe works for our "Thrifty Thursday" because all the items should be in your pantry... :)
 

"ATW80DS" - Yellow Pepper & Spinach Salsa

For our Toss Together Tuesday Challenge, we would invite everyone to make their favorite salsa and share it. The only catch is you can only use items that are already in your pantry. On shopping allowed today.

Here is ours... From Guatemala

Yellow Pepper & Spinach, why spinach? Well because Cilantro and I do not get a long very well, but I do like the green leafy look that it gives to salsa and we have a lot of fresh spinach hanging at the pantry... So why not? :)

Ingredients:

1 large can of diced tomatoes
1 large yellow sweet pepper  (diced)
1 small handful fresh spinach (washed & shredded)
1/2 diced fresh onion
1/2 diced fresh jalapeño pepper or 1 fork full of canned jalapeño sliced (diced)
1 teaspoon of jalapeño juice (add more the hotter you like your salsa)
1 tablespoon katsup
Sprinkle of sugar
Sprinkle of salt to taste

Mix all the ingredients together and let rest at least two hours before servings.

"ATW80DS": SHOYU RAMEN - (totally homemade / totally umami)

• Japanese Shōyu ("soy sauce") Ramen is typically based on a chicken and vegetable stock with plenty of soy sauce added resulting in a soup that is very pleasing to the palate. It usually has curly noodles rather than straight ones and is often adorned with marinated bamboo shoots, green onions, nori (seaweed), boiled eggs, bean sprouts and chili oil. We, on the other hand, love to add all kinds of fresh vegetables and tofu to ours.

   This is not a soup that can be made on the spur of the moment, unless you already have chicken or vegetable stock in your pantry. To make your stock, place the following ingredients in a large stock pot and cover. Simmer on low for 4 hours, and strain the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve. Reserve stock, discard leftover bones and vegetables. This can be made up to two days ahead. 

• 4 quarts water
• 4 pounds chicken bones 
• 1 cups chopped carrots
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped leeks, white parts only
• 1 head garlic, halved horizontally
• 1-inch piece fresh ginger, smashed
• 1 small white onion, quartered
• ½ cup soy sauce, sake and teriyaki sauce
• On the Day of...
  COOK EGGS
  Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Carefully add eggs one at a time and boil gently for 7 minutes. Drain eggs and transfer to a bowl of ice water to stop cooking; let cool. Peel; set aside. Egg yolks should be shiny yellow and almost jammy; egg white should be just set.
    
  REHEAT STOCK AND COOK NOODLES
  When ready to serve, bring stock to a simmer; it should be very hot. Add noodles to the stock and according to package directions.
   
  Just before serving
  Divide noodles among 4 deep bowls. Top with sliced chicken, grated carrots, thinly sliced celery, mushrooms, green onions, water chestnuts and a few small cubes of tofu. Peel and slice egg, placing it off to one side. Serve ramen with chili oil, sesame oil, and/or shichimi togarashi.
• 
  

Feelin' Saucy.... (Homemade Ragu/Bolognese Sauce)

The good old fashion kind that calls for three kinds of meat and you cook it all day.

Ingredients
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
1 carrot, finely, diced
2 medium onion, diced
2 celery stocks, finely diced
6 clove garlic, sliced
12 oz. beef stock
1 pound turkey, ground or shredded
1 pound pork, ground or shredded
1 pound beef, ground or shredded 
1/4 pound pancetta or slab bacon, ground 
1 large can tomato sauce
1 large can whole tomatoes
1 med. can tomato paste
2 tablespoons of Italian seasoning blend
1 cup milk
1 cup red wine
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Parmigiano-Reggiano, for grating
Directions
In a 6 to 8-quart, heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, and garlic and sweat over medium heat until the vegetables are translucent and soft but not browned, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add the beef stock, ground meats and pancetta and stir into the vegetables, stirring to keep the meat from sticking together until browned. Add all tomato ingredients, milk, spices and wine and simmer over medium-low heat for 1 to 3 1/2 hours. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and remove from the heat. Serve over fresh pasta.