My Famous Nachos

These nachos aren't "famous" in the usual sense of the word. They're famous in the way my Dad's french toast is famous, or the way my husband's gluten free lasagna is famous. They're just my (very special) version of nachos; with all the stuff I like and none of the stuff I don't. And, as a decent pile of nachos is hard to come by in these parts, this recipe is just the thing to satisfy my craving.

Try it. It's easy, the flavors are delicious, and I love the contrast of the heat on the bottom with the cool crunch on top.

Warning: when I say "pile" I mean it. This makes a LOT of food. Unless you have a huge appetite, half of this recipe will do for two people.

Ingredients:
two avocados (tip: cut them into chunks before scooping them from the skin)

two limes
Tabasco
small handful fresh cilantro/coriander, roughly chopped
one medium red onion, 1/2 chopped roughly, 1/2 finely diced
salt, to taste
10-15 cherry tomatoes, quartered (tip: use a sharp serrated knife, cutting from the skin side)
olive oil
16 oz. can of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
bag of corn chips
package of shredded sharp cheddar cheese (or, if you can get it, a fiesta blend)
1/2 a 16 oz. can of re-fried beans (optional)
sour cream
2-4 handfuls of romaine lettuce, washed and torn
one large orange or yellow bell pepper
one hot red chili pepper, sliced (optional)

Method:

Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F.

While the oven is heating, make your guacamole. In a medium/large bowl, add two avocados, the juice of one lime, 5-10 squirts of Tabasco, the chopped cilantro/coriander, and the 1/2 onion that's finely diced (the roughly chopped 1/2 is for the black beans). Using a fork or a potato masher, mash everything together. Salt to taste, then gently stir in 4 or 5 of the cherry tomatoes.

Next, put some olive oil in a small pot on high heat, and add the roughly chopped 1/2 onion. Stir occasionally until the onion starts to brown. Add some salt and stir. Allow to cook for another minute or so, then add your black beans, oregano, and vinegar. Stir occasionally until the liquid is gone and the beans have a bit of a stickier texture. Remove from heat.

If you are using re-fried beans (I usually don't), heat according to the instructions on the can.

While your beans are cooking, spread a layer of chips evenly over one large or two smaller oven-safe plates or trays (you will be serving/eating on whatever you use—moving nachos gets ugly). Sprinkle cheese over the chips, making sure that you get some on each chip. Place in the oven for 5 minutes or so, until the cheese melts.

When the chips are done, spread the re-fried beans (if using) in a layer over the top. Next, spread the black beans, then a generous amount of guacamole and sour cream over that. Place the romaine, the bell pepper, and the rest of the tomatoes on top.

Garnish with juice from the second lime, then Tabasco and the chili pepper, if you like.

Serve. Then, try not to die from over-eating—it's so good you just can't stop.

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Grasshopper Pie

For as long as I can remember, grasshopper pie has been one of my favourite desserts. In fact, I think I may have been mildly addicted to it as a child. Mint, chocolate, and cream? Oh, man.

Despite my longtime love of grasshopper pie, I hadn't had it in about a million years. So, I decided to make one for my birthday this year.

Note: my birthday is in the middle of December. Little did I know two of the key ingredients—crème de menthe and crème de cacao—would be impossible to find. We looked everywhere (there are not really any liquor stores around here—surprise, surprise), and finally found them weeks later in London.

So, better late than never, I give you...my birthday pie!

It was easy, dangerously delicious, and very popular. You will be tempted to stand over it, by yourself, with a spoon. I recommend making one as soon as possible.

Grasshopper Pie (adapted from Nigella's Kitchen cookbook)

Ingredients:
300g bourbon biscuits (I used gluten free. Also, if you're in America, use gf Oreos)
50g good-quality dark chocolate, chopped
50g soft unsalted butter
150g mini-marshmallows
125ml full-fat milk
4 tablespoons crème de menthe (I used the green one)
4 tablespoons crème de cacao blanc
375ml double cream (heavy/whipping cream)
a few drops of green food colouring (optional; I didn't use any)
1 deep 25cm/9in tart pan with a loose base

Directions:
Process the biscuits/oreos and chocolate in a food processor until they form a crumb mixture, then add the butter and carry on processing until it all starts to clump together.

Press mixture into a high-sided tart tin, making a smooth base and sides with your hands or the back of a spoon. Put into the fridge to chill and harden.

Melt the marshmallows in a saucepan with the milk over a gentle heat and, once the milk starts to foam (not boil), take off the heat and keep stirring until the marshmallows blend into the milk to make a smooth mixture.

Pour the mixture out of the saucepan into a heatproof bowl, then whisk in the crème de menthe and crème de cacao. Leave until cooled.

Whisk the cream until it starts to hold soft peaks. Then, still whisking, add the cooled marshmallow mix. this filling should be thick but still soft, not stiff or dry, so that it will eventually drop easily out of the bowl into the chilled pie crust.

When the marshmallow and cream are combined, add a few drops of food colouring (if you want to) and whisk it in.

Spread the filling into the chilled base, swirling it about with a palette knife or a spatula to fill evenly, then put the pie back in the fridge, covered, to chill overnight or for a minimum of 4 hours until firm.

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