Chile Rellenos

I'm a big fan of stuffed peppers, and these are delicious and easy to make. Total cost: $5 Time: 1 hr & five minutes, 40 of which you can do something else while it's cooking.

Three pablano peppers.
one cup uncooked rice
six tomatoes or one 16oz can tomatoes/tomato sauce
three minced cloves garlic
one whole onion, chopped
one portabella mushroom cap, chopped
one tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
two cups water
Put the rice, tomatoes, garlic, onions, mushroom, salt, pepper, and water in a medium saucepan, cover and put on high. Bring to boil (about five minutes on a gas stove, longer on electric). Turn heat down to it's lowest setting and leave it there for ten minutes. Meanwhile: Put your pablano peppers on a cookie sheet and put them under the broiler. Stand there and watch them, you want them to blacken and blister so the skin comes off later when you take them out of the oven, but you have to turn them over and 180º so they blister all over. Don't walk away, and try a nice pair of tongs to turn them with, like when you barbeque. While you're doing this, the timer for your rice will probably go off, just turn off the burner and let the rice sit there. Ignore it. Go back to your blistered pablano peppers: After they're blistered and or blackened (it's just the blisters you're after, but the blackening just happens, it's no big deal, trust me if you're turning them every minute or so) remove from the oven and, using a sharp paring knife (the only other knife you really need besides the chef knife), remove the skins. This part is not crazy easy, but it's doable and well worth the effort. Have a glass of wine while you do it. Once the skins are off, cut off the tops and remove the seeds from the inside. Right about now the rice should be done, too, it takes about ten minutes to "rest" after the burner is turned off to fully cook, but even if it's not cooked all the way, it will finish inside the peppers after you stuff them with the rice mixture. So, stuff your peppers. Just use a big spoon to put the rice mixture into the peppers, feel free to gently push it down into the pepper, hence the "stuffing" part. Place them upright, rice sticking out and upwards, in an oven proof bowl so they don't topple over. I just use one of my fiesta ware bowls; a pyrex bowl or any baking dish would work, too. Bake them at 350º for 40 minutes. Grate up some mozzarella or parmesan cheese if you like and sprinkle the cheese over your peppers before you eat them - they heat of the pepper will melt the cheese. Enjoy!

Guacamole

It's so easy to make your own, why would you ever buy this? Total cost: $4.50

ok, here's how to make your own, fresh Guacamole:

Four ripe avacadoes (you don't have to squeeze them! they turn dark when they're ripe!)
one small tomato or 1/4 of a regular one, about two Tablespoons worth, fresh
1 lemon, juiced
one tablespoon minced onion, fresh
1/2 tsp cumin
If you don't own a decent chef knife, buy one, it'll be one of the best purchases you ever make.
Use your knife to cut each avacado all the way around, the pit will act as a sort of "stop" for the knife to guide against. Twist the cut avacado halves in opposite directions, and they'll separate easily with the pit remaining in one half. Use your knife and with a quick axe like motion, strike the pit with the sharp edge of your knife, it should stick in the pit. A gentle twist will release the pit from the flesh of the avacado's flesh. Now get a big spoon, and literally scoop out the flesh from the skin. So easy and fast! Repeat with your remaining avacadoes and put the green flesh in a medium to large sized bowl, you're going to mash it up in a minute like mashed potatoes after you do these next steps:

pour into the bowl with the avacado flesh the juice of one lemon. add the cumin, minced onion, and diced tomato. Now mash it up with a fork.

If you want, you can add salt, pepper, or whatever else you like to taste. Have fun with it!

Takes about five minutes if you take your sweet time. :) Enjoy!