Avocado Salsa

I got this recipe years ago from Taste of Home I believe. I make it just about every time we have a big get-together. I made it this past weekend for our baby shower/bbq and it was a hit like always. Many of my friends requested that I share the recipe, so here it is!

-fyi, you want to make this a day ahead of time, the longer the flavors can marinate togther, the better

you need:

1-2/3 cups frozen corn, thawed

2 cans (2-1/4 ounces each) sliced ripe olives, drained

1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

5 garlic cloves, minced

1/3 cup olive oil

1/4 cup lemon juice

3 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

4 medium ripe avocados, peeled

Tortilla chips

In a large bowl, combine corn, olives, red pepper and onion. In a small bowl, combine garlic, oil, lemon juice, vinegar, oregano, salt and pepper. Pour over corn mixture and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Just before serving, chop avocados and stir into salsa. Serve with tortilla chips. Yield: about 7 cups.

Cory's Chicken & Chorizo Enchiladas, with Beer Can Chicken

Cory made these two ways; the first with Shrimp and Chorizo, and then he tried them Chicken and Chorizo. Both are awesome, so try it either way.

To use shrimp instead of chicken, you want 1 1/2 pounds raw shrimp, peeled and deveined, chopped into bite size pieces.

Makes 12 enchiladas

What you need:

Cheese Sauce:

½ cup sweet red pepper, chopped

½ cup onion, minced
½ cup green pepper, chopped
1/4 cup butter
½ teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whipping cream
1 ½ cups Monterey Jack cheese or Pepper Jack cheese
½ cup sour cream

Chicken and Chorizo Mixture:
1 small tube of pork Chorizo
2 tbsp butter
4 cups shredded chicken
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cups ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 1/2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
12 (9 in.) flour tortillas

For the Chicken, we did a beer can chicken in the oven. Cory has always wanted to do one, so we figured this was a good time to try one! We would have used the grill outside, but it was super windy out. The oven worked just as well though and the chicken came out great, really moist and juicy.

you need:
1 (4-pound) whole chicken

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

3 tablespoons of your favorite dry spice rub (we used Weber's Chicken Rub)

1 can beer (we used Coors)

yeah that's right, we drink Coors from a glass, cause we're classy like that.

Remove all the giblets from the chicken. Rinse off and pat dry.

Rub the veg. oil all over the bird, and then season the bird with the salt, pepper, and dry rub. Set aside.

Open your can of beer and take a few swigs :) You just want to use about half to 3/4 can of beer for the bird. Place your bird over the can, using the legs to make like a ripod with the can. 

Now you can either grill your bird, over a med-high heat for about 1.5 hours, or put him in a dutch oven or roasting pan and set in the oven. Roast at 400 degrees for about 1.5 hours. You're looking for in internal temp of 180 degrees. When it's done, let him sit for 10 min before shredding.

Prepare the chorizo. Sautee over med-high heat for 5-7 min. Remove from pan and place on a plate with a paper towel, to soak up some of the grease. Set aside for now.

Ok, so to start our cheese sauce...

Saute red pepper, onion and green pepper in 1/4 cup butter until crisp-tender. Add oregano, salt, garlic powder, pepper, cayenne pepper, and flour; blend well and cook, stirring constantly for about a minute.

Whisk in the cream and continue cooking for 3 minutes or until slightly thickened. Add 1 1/2 cups cheese; stir until melted. Add sour cream, stir to blend. Set aside.

In another skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Saute chicken and 1/2 cup onion for 2-3 min. Add chopped tomatoes and 1/2 of the cheese sauce.

Fold in the chorizo..

Butter up a 9x13 baking dish..

Have some more beer..

Spoon 1/3 cup chicken and chorizo mixture into each tortilla.

Sprinkle a bit of cheese on top of chicken mixture. Roll the enchiladas up tightly.

Arrange seam side down in a 9X13-inch glass baking dish. Spoon remaining cheese sauce over tortillas and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes. Enjoy!

Steak Tacos with Grilled Corn Salsa

These are the best tacos ever! I got the recipe from Cook's Country. They used a flank steak, but we prefer New york steaks in this house! The grilled corn salsa is full of flavor, and the lime infused sour cream gives it a refeshing kick. Try them, and you'll never want any other taco again :)

serves 4

You will need:

2 ears corn, husk and silk removed

1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

1 jalapeño chile, stemmed, seeded, and minced

1/4 cup lime juice (2 limes)

1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro

Salt and pepper

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 (1 1/2- to 2-pound) New York steak

12 (6-inch) corn tortillas

1/2 cup sour cream

Prepare the corn salsa first so that all the goodies in it can mingle for a while...

Place corn in large bowl and microwave, covered, until nearly tender, 3 to 5 minutes.

Stir onion, jalapeño, 2 tablespoons lime juice, cilantro, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper together in bowl. Set aside.

Grill corn over hot fire, turning often, until lightly charred and tender, about 10 minutes.

Remove corn from grill and let cool about 10 minutes, then cut kernals from husk and add to the salsa.

Combine cumin, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper in bowl. Pat steak dry with paper towels and rub with cumin mixture.

Grill your steak to your liking...medium rare for me, well done for the hubby...so we meet in the middle. Transfer your steak to a carving board and cover with foil. Let it sit for 5-10 min before cutting.

While your steak is resting, throw some corn tortillas on the grill, just to heat them up a bit..lightly char 'em

 Combine sour cream and remaining 2 tablespoons lime juice in bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cut your steak into thin slices. Prepare your tacos...steak, salsa, sour cream, pinch more of cilantro... there ya have it!