Seared Ahi Tuna Dip

Ingredients:

1lb tuna steak

olive oil

kosher salt

black pepper

zest of 1 lime

juice of 2 limes

1/2 tsp wasabi paste

1 tsp soy sauce

5 dashes of tabasco

1 avocado sliced

2 minced scallion - white and green part

1/4 red onion

1 tbs toasted sesame seeds

Directions:

Brush tuna with olive oil, salt, pepper. Cook for 2 1/2 min each side. Still a little rare. Whisk 2 Tbs olive oil, lime zest, lice juice, wasabi, soy, tabasco, salt, pepper. Cut tuna into cubes. Toss avocado in dressing, add tuna, red onion, scallion, sesame seeds. Chill for at least 30 min. And if it still not spicy enough in 30 min, mix a mini addition of the dressing and then toss again. Serve with pita chips.

Recipe courtesy of Kathleen Whittell

Rip'em Apart Ribs

Ingredients:
1 rack of ribs
lemon pepper
olive oil
BBQ sauce

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Place ribs on rack and douse in olive oil. Season with lemon pepper. Cover the pan with tin foil and place in the oven for about 5-6 hours. Remove from the oven, and pour out the olive oil. Now, generously cover the ribs with the BBQ sauce. Place back in the oven for our 2 more hours. And about 5-10 min before serving, remove the tin foil. This will allow the ribs to brown a little on top. When you are ready to eat, remove from the oven and serve!

Recipe courtesy of Annie Montgomery.

Honey Drenched Goat Cheese

Ingredients:
1 goat cheese log
1/2 cup of salted sunflower seeds or pine nuts
1 cup of blackberries
3 tbs honey

Directions:
Roll the goat cheese log in the sunflower seeds. Place blackberries on top and around the log. Drizzle honey, generously over the log. Serve with crackers.

How do you cut a mango?

Have you ever wanted to add a little flair to your salsa? Or a fresh topping for your seafood? Mangoes are the perfect choice! But seriously, how do you cut one? I have mangled dozens of mangoes until I finally gave in and found this perfect video to show me how. Enjoy!

Mini Peanut-Butterfinger Cheesecakes

Ingredients:
For the crust:
1 cup Vanilla Wafers, ground
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons butter, melted
1/8 teaspoon table salt

For the cheesecake:
One 8 ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
2 Tablespoons heavy cream
1/8 teaspoon table salt
4 fun size Butterfinger candy bars (I used 1/2 a king size Butterfinger, about 2 oz.)

For the topping:
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2-3 Tablespoons heavy cream
Crushed Butterfinger

Directions:
Combine 1 cup ground vanilla wafers, 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar, 2 Tablespoons melted butter and 1/8 teaspoon table salt. Divide mixture into bottoms of mini cheese cake pan and press until flat. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.

Beat cream cheese and 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter until smooth. Beat 1/2 cup sugar, 1 egg, 2 Tablespoons heavy cream and 1/8 table salt until well combined. Slowly stir in crushed butterfinger. The recipe suggested 4 fun size bars, I used half of a king size bar or about 2 ounces of Butterfinger.

Evenly pour batter over baked crust. Bake for 20-22 minutes until cheesecake is set. Don't forget to turn down your oven temperature to 300 degrees. Let cheesecake cool for 2 hours, then remove from pan (I refrigerated mine overnight before removing from the pan).

After cooling, your cheesecakes will depress a bit, creating a perfect well for the chocolate sauce.

Melt one cup chocolate chips in microwave in 30 second intervals. Stir in between intervals and do not overcook the chocolate. Add heavy cream in small doses to the chocolate and stir until chocolate is smooth and glossy. If you add the cream too fast you will get lumps. Microwave some more to get the lumps out. Spoon the chocolate over the tops of the cakes. Spoon crushed Butterfinger over the top of the chocolate.

Makes twelve mini cheesecakes.

Recipe courtesy of noblepig.com

Spicy Peanut Chicken Noodles

Ingredients:
1 Tbs vegetable oil
2 Tbs sesame seed oil, divided
2 boneless skinless chicken thighs, sliced
1 1/2 Tbs ginger, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup rice wine
2 Tbs rice vinegar
1/8 tsp garlic chili sauce
1 carrot, julienne cut
2 green onions, thinly slices, just the green portion
1/2 cup sliced shitake mushrooms
1/2 cup of dry roasted unsalted peanuts, chopped snow peas
1/4 pack of rice noodles, prepared according to package instructions

Directions:
Heat at medium-high vegetable oil and 1 Tbs of sesame oil in large pan.

Add garlic, ginger, chili sauce and chicken, cook until chicken is browned, then add rice wine, rice vinegar and peanut butter, stir. When peanut butter has broken down into sauce, add remaining sesame oil and vegetables. Saute for about 5 minutes, snow peas should be bright green and still crisp.

Finally add prepared rice noodles and toss to coat noodles evenly.

Serve hot and garnish with chopped peanuts and fresh green onion.

The Ultimate Crostini Toppers

Fig & Prosciutto

Ingredients:
1 sliced baguette
fig or apricot spread
goat cheese
prosciutto

Directions:
Turn the oven on broil. Spread the goat cheese on each slice of bread. On top of that spread the fig or apricot. Top each slice with prosciutto. Place on cooking sheet in oven until the prosciutto is crispy.

Gorgonzola & Pear

Ingredients:
1 sliced baguette
gorgonzola cheese
sliced pear
candied walnuts

Directions:
Turn the oven on broil. Crumble the gorgonzola over each slice of bread. Top each piece with a slice of pear. On top of that, add the candied walnuts. Place on cooking sheet in oven, and broil until cheese is melted.

Recipe Courtesy of Moira O'Connell

Grilled Asparagus with Roasted Garlic Toast and Balsamic Vinaigrette

Ingredients:
1 medium head garlic, unpeeled
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons minced shallot
1 1/2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1 1/2 pounds thick stemmed asparagus
4 slices sourdough bread

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Coat the head of garlic with 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place on a baking sheet, and roast 45 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown. Once the garlic is roasted, cut the head in half horizontally, exposing all the cloves. Squeeze both halves into a bowl, discarding any skin. Whisk in 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
3. While the garlic is roasting, place the minced shallot in a bowl with the balsamic and red wine vinegars for about 30 minutes to let the flavors blend. Whisk in remaining olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Place asparagus spears in the mixture until ready to grill.
4. Preheat grill for medium-high heat.
5. Place asparagus in a large skillet or directly on the grill. Grill the asparagus, turning over once, until tender, about 10 minutes. While asparagus is grilling, spread the roasted garlic mixture on the bread. Grill bread until toasted. Arrange the bread and asparagus on a plate, and drizzle with the remaining shallot and vinegar mixture.

Recipe Courtesy of Allrecipes.com