side dishes


Easy Mango Guacamole recipe

easy mango guacamole recipe

pictured: bowls / tablecloth (old, love this one) /

Are you looking for a really easy guacamole recipe you can make mild for the kids, and spicy for the adults? You’ve come to the right place! This guacamole recipe takes almost zero kitchen skills, it is really easy to make, and your guests will think you are a chef! Love!

This particular guacamole is Mango Guacamole and it has a bit of sweetness to it which counteracts the spice and gives it a little somethin’ somethin’. If mango isn’t your thing, you can use pineapple, or nothing at all for a regular guacamole side dish.

I love using guacamole as an appetizer with chips, or as a side dish served with tacos, taquitos, flautas, burrito bowls, and more! It is a superfood side dish with endless possibilities.

So, without further ado, here is my super easy mango guacamole recipe which serves four people:

Ingredients:

  • 4 avocadoes
  • 3 tablespoons of Paul Newman’s Mango Salsa (I told you this was easy! HA!)
  • 1/4 cup Lime Juice
  • Cayenne Pepper (season to taste)
  • 1 teaspoon Paprika
  • 3 dashes Salt

Peel and de-pit the avocadoes. Put the avocadoes in a mixing bowl and mash them using a strong fork or a potato masher. Once the avocadoes are mashed to your liking, add three tablespoons of Mango Salsa. You can substitute Paul Newman’s Pineapple Salsa or use regular salsa; your choice of flavor. Then, add the lime juice, paprika and salt to your liking. Add the cayenne pepper slowly to ensure it is the right level of spice for you.

Mix all of the ingredients together. The avocadoes will be less green due to the salsa, but the lime juice preserves them from turning brown right away, keeping your guacamole looking fresh. Love that!

Be sure to taste the guacamole before serving it and add more pepper for more kick. If you want it to be mild, do not add the cayenne pepper until you started to taste the guacamole. Then, add cayenne as needed. For small children, you might want to leave the pepper out altogether to give them a mild guacamole.

My favorite way to serve guacamole is in these cute and colorful salsa bowls! We use the bowls for more than just guacamole. They are great for serving any type of sauce, as well as serving eggs or keeping ice cream to one scoop. My kids use them for snacks too such as goldfish crackers and nuts. I highly recommend investing in a few of these bowls, they are incredibly useful, and I am not really sure how I lived without them before I bought a few! Love!

If you are local to the Bay Area, I recommend the chips from the Safeway deli instead of the chip aisle. They are less expensive and taste a lot better! Love!

Things you might need for serving and making guacamole:

I hope you love this easy guacamole recipe as much as I do! It is a great way to serve fresh avocadoes to your kids and serve a yummy appetizer everyone will love at parties.

Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy!

XOXO
Cathy

guacamole recipe easy mango

Easy potato wedges recipe

Easy potato wedges recipe you can bake in the oven! My kids love French Fries, and anything made from potatoes. That is why these potato wedges are such a hit in my household! They are like wide-cut fries, but healthier and yummier. Love!

Baked potato wedges make a great side dish for a wide variety of entree’s. Basically, if you are thinking of French Fries, or any potato dish, these baked potato wedges will work perfectly; and kids will love them.

These easy to make potato wedges only require three potatoes, a cutting board, a baking pan, and an oven! You don’t have to be a chef to make these, they are super easy!

So, without further ado, here is how to make baked potato wedges.

What you need:

  • Baking pan or sheet
  • Parchment paper
  • Potato peeler
  • Cutting board
  • Knife or mezzaluna

Ingredients:

  • 3 russet potatoes
  • Salt
  • Paprika
  • Basil
  • Oregano
  • Parmesan Cheese

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Peel your potatoes. Using a sharp knife or a mezzaluna, cut the potatoes into small wedges. Line the wedges on the parchment paper (see photo below). Sprinkle basil, then oregano, then paprika, grated parmesan cheer, and finally salt over the potatoes. Voila! They are ready to bake!

Bake your potato wedges for 35 minutes at 400 degrees. This recipe will serve six people as a side dish. If you need to serve more people, add potatoes. One potato serves two people.

That’s it! These potato wedges are super easy to make, and they are delicious. I hope you enjoy them!

Things you may need to make potato wedges at home:

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO
Cathy


Italian mini baked potatoes – San Francisco style

mini baked potatoes

Looking for an easy side dish to pair with a main course? Here it is! I tweaked my Mother’s Italian mini baked potato recipe in order to ensure my kids would love them; and it worked! Since my kids love it, I wanted to share it with you in the hopes that you love it too!

This is a really easy recipe, which tastes amazing. At Whole Foods, you can buy a bag of mini potatoes; they come in two colors! My kids thought the multi-color potatoes were fun 🙂 If you don’t live near a Whole Foods, or don’t shop there, you can find these mini potatoes at any supermarket. You can buy one color, or mix two together like I do. It’s up to you! Here are the ingredients:

  • 3 lbs mini potatoes
  • 1 pat butter
  • ÂĽ cup olive oil
  • Salt, basil, oregano, paprika (or black pepper)

My Mom uses ground black pepper, but my kids don’t really like pepper, so I switched the pepper out for paprika. If you prefer pepper, you can make it like my Mom and switch the paprika for pepper. If you really want a crazy kick, use both!

How to cook mini baked potatoes

It’s really easy to cook mini baked potatoes. Before you start, pre-heat your oven to 350.

The first step will be to slice the mini potatoes in half, and spread them out in your casserole dish.

Then, slice up the pat of butter and place the parts apart from each other in the casserole. After you spread out the butter, add the olive oil, and season to taste with oregano, basil, salt, and paprika (or ground pepper). My basil and oregano are dried because we are currently under a shelter-in-place order and I am trying to limit my trips to the grocery store. You can use fresh or dried-it will taste yummy either way! I just spread the seasonings out so that they cover the potatoes; like in the photo above.

When the oven hits 350, put the casserole dish, uncovered, in the oven for 50 minutes. This will give you plenty of time to cook your main course, and vegetables.

Yummy! When the potatoes are done, they should be slightly brown on the edges. The potatoes will be soft inside, and very warm. Be sure to let them cool off for five minutes before serving. Serve with your favorite main course, and a vegetable!

Voila! Instant yummy side dish!

Things you need to cook Italian mini baked potatoes San Francisco style:

I hope you enjoy these Italian mini baked potatoes as much as my family does!

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy