I love food.  In fact, that's probably pretty obvious when you scroll through my blog posts and see how many are about recipes that I love.  My most recent obsession is the avocado.  I love it.  It's so creamy and it has such a mild flavor.  My favorite way to eat avocado is on a sandwich.  My recipe is really simple.  Not much to it at all, but this sandwich is really satisfying.  

It's so satisfying, that I ate half the sandwich before I even remembered that I was going to take a picture of it.  Oops.

What you need:

1 Haas avocado

1 tomato 

1 Tbsp Hellman's lite mayo

2 slices of bread

Salt and pepper to taste

Toast your bread first.  It makes the sandwich easier to handle.  Slice up your tomato.  Halve the avocado and twist it apart.  Slice the avocado while it is still in the peeling, then squeeze it to get the slices out.  Layer the avocado slices and tomato on the bread.  Lightly salt and pepper the tomatoes.  Spread the mayo on the other piece of bread.  Voila!  It is finished.  

I think it would also be nice (and more decadent) to add a few slices of bacon and some melted mozzarella on here.  My mouth is watering just thinking about it.  Good eats!

"Because you don't live near a bakery doesn't mean you have to go without cheesecake." -Hedy Lamarr

This past week my mama bought us a new spring form cheesecake pan since our last one managed to get warped.  So what did I do?  I went home and I made a cheesecake.  For my birthday in June we went to eat at a restaurant named Nami's and for dessert my mom ordered a white chocolate raspberry cheesecake.  Since she loved it so much, I decided I would search for the best recipe and try to recreate what she had at Nami's.  

If you've never checked out www.pillsbury.com, you're truly missing out.  There is an abundance of delicious and simple recipes.  In fact, I love pillsbury.com so much I've blogged about them a couple of times.  Anyway...I found the recipe I was looking for at: http://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/white-chocolate-raspberry-cheesecake/3628c6b0-d06c-46a5-b1db-a31d73741aec/

I've made cheesecakes before, and they usually crack or either don't completely set up in the middle.  BUT...this recipe was perfect.  Because of the lack of ingredients at my local grocery store, I had to skip out on the chocolate wafer cookie crumbs and fresh raspberries, but the cake was great none-the-less. 

I'm not sure why the cheesecake looks so yellow in the picture, because it was more of an off-white color.

So...if you're looking for a great recipe, I assure you that this one will be a hit.

Hummingbird

Not only are hummingbirds my favorite bird, but now they are the name of my favorite cake.  The truth is, I love all cake, but hummingbird cake is especially delicious.  If you like the taste of banana nut bread with a few extra things thrown in and topped with a cream cheese frosting, you will love this cake, too.  This past Sunday I requested that Nanny make a hummingbird cake for dessert.  She did, and it was delicious.  

You can find many recipes on the internet with slight variations, but below I have posted Paula Deen's recipe.  The Hummingbird Cake is a southern cake, so I knew Paula Deen could do it right.

FOR THE CAKE
Nonstick vegetable spray
All-purpose flour, for pans
3 cups self-rising flour
2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
2 very ripe large bananas, mashed
1 (8-ounce) crushed pineapple, with juice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 large eggs, beaten

FOR THE FROSTING
1 pound (1 box) confectioners' sugar, (for the frosting)
1 (8-ounces) cream cheese, room temperature (for the frosting)
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, softened (for the frosting)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, (for the frosting)
1 tablespoon milk, or more if needed (for the frosting)
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans, (for the frosting)

Directions

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray and flour three 8-by-2-inch round cake pans, tapping out excess flour; set aside.
• Prepare the cake; in a large bowl, stir to combine self-rising flour, sugar, oil, pecans, bananas, pineapple, vanilla, cinnamon, and eggs.
• Divide batter evenly between prepared pans, smoothing with an offset spatula. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until the tops spring back when gently pressed with your fingertips, 26 to 28 minutes.
• Transfer pans to a wire rack to cool 10 minutes. Invert cakes onto wire rack. Re-invert cakes and let them cool completely, top sides up.
• Prepare the frosting; in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine sugar, cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon milk on medium speed until frosting is smooth. If needed, add more milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, to achieve the proper spreading consistency.
• Using a serrated knife, trim tops of cakes to make level. Place four strips of parchment paper around perimeter of a serving plate or lazy Susan. Place the first layer on the cake plate. Spread the top of the first layer with 1/4 of the frosting. Place the second layer on top and repeat process with another 1/4 of the frosting. Place the remaining layer on top of the second layer bottom side up. Spread entire cake with remaining frosting. Sprinkle the top with pecans. Remove parchment paper strips; refrigerate until ready to serve.