"Top Secret" Gourmet Rooster

Hi guys!  I have something huge for you today.  I am giving you a “top secret” Gourmet Rooster recipe.  This is the recipe that started it all…..Sundried Tomato Jam, and it is ,by far, my favorite.  This is the recipe that got the ball rolling and made me decide to go into business.  Why don’t I carry it at Gourmet Rooster?  Well…..some recipes just don’t make it to market.  That was the case with this.  It has a long cook time, expensive-ish ingredients, and it just didn’t go from a small amount to a commercial amount well.  But….it remains my favorite, and I decided it was high time I shared it with you.  It is so good that I just can’t leave it for only me.

This is a pretty easy recipe to make.  It takes a bit of time, but it is so worth it.  Let me show you how I do it….

I start by roasting a whole head of garlic.  I just cut the top off and lay the whole thing down on foil.  I drizzled it with olive oil and sprinkled it with salt and pepper.  Then, I made a tight bundle and popped it in the oven for 30 minutes on 400 degrees.

Meanwhile….

I also used olive oil, a whole onion, chicken broth, sundried tomatoes packed in oil, red wine vinegar, brown sugar, white sugar and some water that didn’t quite make the picture.

I chose the tomatoes packed in oil because I think they have a better flavor and texture.  This, my friends, is what made this recipe too expensive to bring to market.

I start the recipe by cooking the onions in a bit of olive oil for about 15 minutes.  The onions will have just started to caramelize.  Once they do, I throw in the sundried tomatoes, which have been drained, and the roasted garlic.  The garlic will squeeze right out of the carcass like a paste once it is cooked.

If your sundried tomatoes are in huge pieces, chop them up a bit.  This will become a “jam” at the end and smaller pieces are better.

Once the garlic and tomatoes had been stirred in, I added the broth, vinegar, water, white sugar and brown sugar.  I also added a smidge more salt and pepper.  That is totally to your taste. 

This mixture gets brought to a boil, covered, and cooked for 30 minutes over medium heat.  Go about your business…watch TV, take a nap, go for a walk, look on Pinterest, etc.

That is my jam…boiling.

Actually, that isn't "my jam".  My jam is Push-It by Salt & Pepa;)

Once it has simmered for a full 30 minutes, take off the lid and continue cooking the jam until it is jam-like….about 15 minutes.  Stir frequently.  You will be surprised how quickly this goes from a soupy concoction to jam.  The sugars caramelize and everything reduces and gets nice and sticky.

My absolute favorite way to eat this jam is on toasted baguette slices with goat cheese.  I sliced my baguette and threw it in the oven to brown up.

I spread goat cheese on the toasted slices.  I love cheese.  Have I mentioned that? 

Then, I top the goat cheese with my yummy jam.  This jam is sweet and savory at the same time.  You can taste the sweetness of the onions, the saltiness of the tomatoes, the tang of the vinegar, etc.  It is perfection in one bite.

This jam is great on sandwiches, chicken breast, steak, fish, or just straight out of the jar.  I wish I could carry this and sell it to all of you, but I will have to just imagine that you are all making it at home and loving it;)

Roasted Garlic and Sun-Dried Tomato Jam

1 Head of Garlic, roasted

2 T. Olive Oil

1 Small Onion, (about 8 oz.), thinly sliced

8 oz. Chopped Sun-Tomatoes in oil, drained

2 T. White Sugar

2 T. Brown Sugar

¼ Cup Red Wine Vinegar

1 Cup Water

½ Cup Chicken Broth

½ tsp. Salt

To roast garlic:

Cut about ¼ inch off the top of the head, to reveal cloves inside.  Drizzle with 1 T. of olive oil and wrap in foil.  Roast at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes.  Unwrap foil and let cool.

Sauté (on medium-high) onion in remaining olive oil until they start to caramelize, about 15 minutes.  Squeeze in roasted garlic and add tomatoes.  Mix well.  Add remaining ingredients and mix well.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.  Remove cover and simmer until jam-like, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Peachy White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Has your kid ever told you….”Mom, I’m supposed to bring cookies to school tomorrow.  I forgot to tell you.”?  I’m pretty sure this happens kind of frequently.  In the kid’s mind…cookies kind of just miraculously happen.  They don’t make them.  What do they care?  Well, today I have the world’s easiest cookie recipe, which could quite possible also be the best tasting cookie I have ever had.  Seriously.

I am going to show you my “recipe” for Peachy White Chocolate Oatmeal cookies.  Long name, easy recipe.

I used a packaged oatmeal cookie mix.  The back of the bag asks for 1 tablespoon of water, a softened stick of butter and one egg.  I add Gourmet Rooster County Fair Peach Spread and white chocolate chips.

Now I realize that adding Gourmet Rooster County Fair Peach Spread might be problematic for some of you.  If you can’t get your hands on any, feel free to use any kind of peach preserves you can find.  You will also want to add about 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, ½ teaspoon nutmeg and a pinch of ginger.  Or a tablespoon of Pumpkin Pie Spice.  Same idea, but obviously not as good;)  Ha!

FYI-if you live in Northern Nevada, it is about to get easier to get my products.  I am going to start selling at Farmer’s Markets this Saturday.  I will be at the Summit Mall on Saturdays and Tuesdays and at the Spark’s Farmers Market on Thursday evenings.

I have never once had the forethought to soften by butter the right way….by leaving it out on the counter until soft.  Who plans ahead like that?  I pop my butter in the microwave for about 20 seconds.  This should soften it without melting it.

I mixed the softened butter with an egg and water.

Then, in goes the bag of cookie mix and the peach spread.  This dough will be stiff….which is good.  Stiff things are good.  I am talking about stiff drinks, dirty birds.

Then, I stirred in the chips.  Use your muscles.

I used an ice cream scooper to get uniform sized cookies.  I also baked my cookies on parchment paper so I didn’t have to worry about sticking.

This recipe will make about 3 dozen cookies.  Maybe less, maybe more….depending on what size you make them.

Chris actually said this was the “best cookie” he’d ever had.  For a second I felt bad considering all the cookies I have made him from scratch.  But then I realized I was lucky that I could use this crazy easy recipe anytime to give him the “best cookies”.

If you have never had my County Fair Peach Spread, let me just tell you….it tastes a lot like peach pie filling.  It is spiced with all the warm spices….cinnamon, nutmeg, etc.  This gives the cookies the most delicious peachy pie-like flavor.  And the white chocolate chips send these over the top.  You will love these.  I did, and I tend to not like oatmeal cookies!  But these are amazing.  Try them and tell me what you think!

Peachy White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

One package Betty Crocker Oatmeal Cookie Mix

1 stick butter, softened

1 tablespoon butter

1 egg

½ cup Gourmet Rooster County Fair Peach Spread

1 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray baking sheets with cooking spray or line with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, mix together softened butter with water and egg.  Once mixed, stir in peach spread and cookie mix.  Mix well.  Fold in chocolate chips.

Scoop dough onto cookie sheets using an ice cream scoop.  Bake at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes.

Aloha Onion Dip

Good afternoon!  I hope you had a great Memorial Day weekend!  We finally got some good weather yesterday.  We didn’t anything with it though.  We packed.  We are getting rid of so much junk it is unbelievable.  We had boxes of stuff in our shed that hadn’t been opened since we moved 2 years ago.  If I haven’t needed it in the past 2 years, clearly I don’t need it now.  We have tried to go through rooms and closets when the girls aren’t home so they don’t battle us over every single thing.  For instance: Paisley in convinced she HAS to keep a box of baby toys she hasn’t played with since she was under a year old.  Seriously, baby toys!  They are both going to various birthday parties this weekend, and I am going to tear through their room like a tornado.  But a tornado that cleans and throws stuff out….not one that leaves a path of destruction.

Although we were packing and cleaning yesterday, I did get a chance to make us a really yummy dip to snack on.  I know, I know….this is a recipe you could have used last week so that you could have brought it to a Memorial Day party.  I’m not much on planning ahead;)  I made us what I call an “Aloha Onion Dip”.  It is a delicious combination of caramelized onions, pineapple, soy sauce and cheese.  I serve my dip with Hawaiian style potato chips, but it would be crazy good on bread too.

I ended up using two 8 ounce packs of cream cheese.  I went for the 1/3 less fat kind.  You can take your pick.

I also used a small can of crush pineapple, some butter, a whole sweet Maui onion, soy sauce and Monterey Jack cheese.  I was able to find a sweet Maui onion, but any sweet onion will do. 

Let your cream cheese sit out for a while to soften….and grate your cheese;)

I sliced my onion up into relatively small pieces.  You will want onion in every bite, so don’t just slice it into big chunks.

I caramelized my onion is about 2 tablespoons of butter.  Warning: this will take a while.  Like around 40 minutes.  Be patient and cook this on low.  Stir every now and then, but just let them go on low-ish heat.  It will happen.

You can salt and pepper your onions here, but go easy on the salt.  These onions will be getting soy sauce soon.

In my picture above, the onions are not caramelized yet….but they are well on their way.

Once the onions were caramelized, I added my drained pineapple and soy sauce.  I let this heat for a bit just to meld the flavors.

Soy sauce added.

Next, I melted in my 2 bricks of cream cheese and grated Jack cheese.  Then, I poured the whole mixture into a baking dish.

I topped my dip with a little bit of Jack cheese that I had reserved, then I popped the whole thing under the broiler.  I broiled this until the top was brown and bubbly.  Remember, everything inside is already hot.

Yum.  This dip is the perfect mixture of sweet and savory…..not to mention super creamy.  This is perfect for a crowd.  A crowd that likes onions.

Like I said, I served my Aloha Onion dip with Hawaiian style potato chips.  This would be crazy good baked in a bread bowl and served with bread too.  Or served with crudité for you healthy folks;)

MMMMMMMmmmmmm.  I love digging through the outside cheesy layer to get to the good stuff!

Aloha Onion Dip

1 sweet onion, chopped

2 tablespoons butter

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

8 ounces crushed pineapple, drained

1/3 cup soy sauce

2 eight ounce bricks cream cheese, softened

1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, grated

Preheat broiler.

Sauté onion in butter, with salt and pepper, until caramelized.  This will take about 40-45 minutes on low.  When onions are caramelized, add drained pineapple and soy sauce.  Heat through.  Stir in softened cream cheese and ¾ cup jack cheese.  Stir until melted.

Pour dip into a baking dish.  Top with remaining Jack cheese.  Broil until brown and bubbly.

"Ice Cream" Cones...Sort of

Good evening.  And yes, I said that in an Addam’s Family voice.  I don’t think you can wish someone a “good evening” without saying it like Morticia.  So tonight is going to be super quick….mainly because what I am going to show you is so super easy and fast.  Paisley is supposed to bring a “birthday treat” to share with her class tomorrow.  For those keeping track…yes, she had graduation yesterday, but she still has a few days of school left.  Weird, I know.  Also, her birthday is not till the end of summer….if you were wondering about that;)  But they let the kids with summer birthdays celebrate with their class before school gets out.

So Paisley wanted to bring ice cream cones to her whole class.  Obviously that wasn’t going to happen.  I racked my brain trying to think of an alternative, and I remembered something I saw in an issue of Southern Living like four years ago, at least.  It was “ice cream cones” made with meringue cookies. 

They look super cute, but they will never melt!  Genius!  I ran out to Trader Joe’s and bought a pack of cookies, then onto the Walmartz for ice cream cones and chocolate chips.  Let me show you how I put these little guys together.  You will see the genius in these too.

I think the easiest place to find meringue cookies is Trader Joe’s.  If you can find them someplace else, and in fancier colors…you rule.  I had to make 20 of these so I have a few leftover cones…and I used about ½ a bag of chocolate chips.

I melted my chips in the microwave.  You must do this slowly to keep the chocolate shiny.  I microwave my chips in 30 second increments, stirring between each.  It won’t take long.

Then, all I do is dip the cone in the melted chocolate and stick a meringue on the top.  The chocolate is the glue!

I also used some pretty pink sprinkles on the chocolate while it was still soft.  Just makin’ them extra pretty.

I used the foam that the cones came in to hold up my cones while the chocolate hardened.  Just poke holes in the foam.  Works like a charm. 

Aren’t these the cutest things you’ve ever seen?  These are perfect for a summer get together.  They won’t melt!  I know I already said that…but seriously….genius!

Paisley is so excited to hand these out to her class tomorrow. 

You could totally use different colored candy melts too instead of plain chocolate chips.  Imagine the possibilities!  Imagine the cuteness!  Imagine these on a dessert/candy buffet!  Or in pink or blue for a baby shower.  Endless possibilities.  Can you tell how excited I am about these?;)

I will see you all next week.  I hope you have a wonderful and relaxing long weekend.  Feel free to come help me pack for my move;)

Gourmet Rooster BBQ Bacon Burgers

Hi guys!  Memorial Day is coming up on us pretty fast!  Are you prepared?  Do you have lots of fantastic BBQs planned?  A cook-out every day?  What about me you ask?  Well, I will be packing.  Yep, that’s right.  We are moving.  Don’t worry Reno, we are just moving a little bit down the mountain;)

We are planning to move June 15^th….So I figure we should start packing now.  Will that really happen?  We’ll see.  I’m pretty excited to move.  I love our house now….but I can’t wait to get back to city livin’.  No more propane for power, septic tanks, pine needles everywhere, bears, etc.  I really am only moving about 5 minutes down the mountain, but it will be a big change.  I hope.  It turns out I’m not Snow White and living in the forest doesn’t suit me.

Back to my burgers…(Did I not tell you I’m making burgers?  Oops.  I’m making burgers.)  I really wanted to grill these burgers on the BBQ outside, but we have a super duper red flag warning today here.  There is already a huge fire burning about an hour or so south of me, and I decided not to burn down the Galena Forest tonight.  You’re welcome neighbors.  I will be using my indoor grill for this.

How much would it suck if I burned down this house right before I was scheduled to move out of it?;)

So this burger is special for a few reasons.  The first and most important reason is that this burger has ground up bacon inside of it.  I didn’t think of this myself.  My friend Jason was telling me about a local place, which has since closed, that used to sell ground beef with ground bacon in it.  I am assuming this isn’t what let to their closure since ground up bacon in burgers sounds amazing.  I also use two kinds of Gourmet Rooster spreads in it…and I put the cheese in the burger.  Sounds yummy, right?  It’s easy too.

I used two pounds of ground beef, about 2/3 a pound of thick sliced bacon, Gourmet Rooster Smokehouse Bacon BBQ Sauce, garlic salt, black pepper and gorgonzola cheese.  It already sounds phenomenal, right?

If you are counting Gourmet Rooster….don’t worry….the other flavor comes later.

So the bacon gets a trip in the food processor to get “ground”.  Is that grammatically correct?  It doesn’t seem right.

As you can see in the picture above, I gave it a rough chop before I put it in the processor.

Then, in a large bowl, I mix the beef, ground bacon, sauce, salt and pepper.  I don’t add the gorgonzola yet because I am going to form some burgers that are cheeseless for my wee ones first.

The kiddie’s burgers have been removed…so I added the gorgonzola.  I mixed this all up lightly.  Don’t over work your meat.  I say that all the time…but it’s true….right guys?

Make sure that you put a little dent in the center of your patties.  When burgers cook, they tend to poof up in the middle so if they have a dent in the middle….this isn’t a problem.

I grilled these on my trusty George Foreman Lean Mean Grilling Machine.  One tip:  the bacon in the burger will splatter like a you know what.  If you are grilling this on a BBQ…watch your fire.  It might flare up.  It you are doing this in a pan….wear goggles.  I’m kidding.  Just stand back.

I grilled my burgers for about 4 minutes.

Oh look!  The second Gourmet Rooster flavor!!  I top my burgers with Gourmet Rooster Caramelized Onion and Chardonnay spread.  I also used lettuce and tomato.  Burger toppings really are a personal preference so you do what you need to do.

If you love grilled onions on your burger, you will love this spread.  And you don’t have to cut any onions.

Are you kidding me right now?  There is bacon IN THE BURGER!  COOKED RIGHT IN!  Sorry, I didn’t mean to yell at you, but I need you to realize the possibilities of bacon IN your burger.  The BBQ sauce isn’t half bad in there either.

I don’t care if this is bigger than Paisley’s head.  I’m goin’ for it.  I hope you try this recipe too!  You will.  It’s bacon.

Gourmet Rooster Bacon BBQ Burgers

2 pounds ground beef

2/3 pound bacon, ground in food processor

¼ cup Gourmet Rooster Smokehouse Bacon BBQ Sauce

2 teaspoons garlic salt

1 ½ teaspoons black pepper

4 ounces gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

Gourmet Rooster Caramelized Onion and Chardonnay Spread for topping

Mix together ground beef, ground bacon, BBQ sauce, garlic salt, black pepper and cheese with your hands.  Gently form burgers, leaving a dent in the middle.  Grill until cooked through on both sides, about 4 minutes per side.  Serve on buns with Gourmet Rooster Caramelized Onion and Chardonnay Spread.

For Debbie

Hi guys.  Today, I am going to do something different.  I’m not cooking for you all today….or even for myself.  Today, I am cooking in honor of a friend that I lost yesterday.  Yesterday morning, one of my best girlfriend’s mom lost her two year battle with cancer.  Her name was Debbie.  Debbie fought long and fought hard, but in the end, stupid cancer won again.  Debbie leaves behind my friend Becky, and a son named Alex.  She also leaves behind a beautiful grand-baby named Nikolett.  Of course she leaves behind a ton of extended family and friends, and we will all miss her very much.

I have been friends with Becky since I was 13, which means I had known Debbie for 22 years.  Debbie was the cool, sassy mom who went out dancing at night on the weekends, wore leather skirts and put fake eyelashes on me for my senior banquet.  She would talk to us about boys and dating, and she was just cool all around.  I will miss her so much, and I know her family is devastated.  Having lost a parent myself, I wanted to do something in honor of Debbie.  I knew I had to cook the infamous “Hot Dog Stew” today.  Cooking is very therapeutic for me, and I felt that I could celebrate Debbie by cooking one of her recipes.

When Becky got married, I put together a recipe box that included a ton of recipes from me and Becky’s family and friends.  Debbie sent me a recipe for “Grandma Buba’s Hot Dog Stew”.  When she sent it over, I immediately laughed.  When Becky had talked about this recipe when we were young, which she did all the time, we would all joke that it was just chopped up hot dogs boiled in water and that was what made it soup.  Debbie had a lot of strengths….but she wasn’t really know for her cooking;)  I read the recipe, and of course, I was surprised to see that it wasn’t really just chopped up hot dogs.  It actually didn’t sound half bad.  This recipe is a mix of potatoes, hot dogs, onions and spices. 

Now I have to be honest….I never made this recipe before today.  While it didn’t sound half bad, it also didn’t sound like something I would make.  But today, in honor of Debbie, I cooked hot dog stew.  So this is for you Debbie……

This recipe calls for 6 potatoes, peeled and chopped.  I didn’t want to peel potatoes, so I used Yukon Gold potatoes which have a thin skin that doesn’t require peeling.  I also used a pack of all beef hot dogs, a chopped onion, ketchup, oil, garlic salt, black pepper and paprika.  I will also use water too.

If you know me, you know that I have never cooked a recipe the way it tells me too….unless it is something baked, as that is a science.  I always add my own spin.  But I stuck to this recipe like it was written in stone.  OK, no I didn’t.  Grandma Buba apparently liked a lot of oil…..I did cut down on that.  You’ll see.

To start, I chopped up my hot dogs.  Easy enough, right?

Then, in a large pot…I added ½ cup oil.  I sautéed my chopped hot dogs until they were slightly browned.  This goes fast.

Debbie’s recipe called for ½ cup oil…I used less than ¼ a cup.

Once the hot dogs were brown, I pulled them out with a slotted spoon and set them aside.

Next, I added my chopped onion, garlic salt, pepper and paprika.  I cooked the onions just until they were starting to soften.

I am going to warn you now…this recipe will need a lot of salt. 

Once the onions were soft, I added my potatoes and cooked them until they were starting to brown.  Once they get a good crust on at least one side, add just enough water to cover the potatoes.  I used about 3 cups and that was enough for my size pot.

I boiled the potatoes, lid off, for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until the potatoes were soft.  A lot of the water will evaporate during this process.  This is what you want.

After about 23 minutes, I still felt like there was too much water in the pan, so I drained about ½ cup off.  Then, I stirred in about ½ cup ketchup.  I tasted it to check for seasoning.  It needed more salt.

This will thicken as it sits. 

There it is….The famous Hot Dog Stew!  I added some shredded cheese just for kicks.  This was surprisingly yummy, and your kids will love it.  And I thought of Debbie with every bite.  I thought of all the fun times I had at Becky’s house.  I am glad that I got the chance to know Debbie and be a part of her life.  The world lost a great lady. 

This one’s for you, Deb.  I’ll always miss you, but I know that you are resting now, and there is no more pain.

Grandma Buba’s Hot Dog Stew

-Recipe from Deborah Geller-

¼ cup oil

1 pack all beef hot dogs, chopped

1 onion, diced

2 teaspoons garlic salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

2 teaspoons paprika

6 potatoes, peeled and diced

water

½ cup ketchup

In a large pot, heat oil over medium high heat.  Add hot dogs and saute until browned.  Remove hot dogs from pan and set aside.

Add onions, garlic salt, pepper and paprika to pot.  Suate until onions are softened, about 4 minuites. 

Add potatoes to pot and stir.  Let potatoes saute until brown on at least one side.  Add enough water to the pot to just cover potatoes.  Simmer potatoes until soft, about 20 to 25 minutes.  Drain about ½ cup water off.  Add back in hot dogs.  Stir in ktechup and taste for seasoning.  Adjust seasoning if necasarry.  Stew will thicken as it sits.

Shrimp and Avocado Pasta Salad

Hi all.  I hope everyone had a fantastic Mother’s Day and treated their mom right.  My mom was here for the weekend, and we had a great time!  She got to gamble a little bit, which she loves.  I, on the other hand, do not.  I basically went through $10 in 10 pulls of the slot machine.  Then, I was out of money….or so I thought.  I moved to another machine and someone had left a 95 cent voucher.  I got to play a few more hands of nickel poker.  Hey big spender!  I might as well of just handed the Grand Sierra my $10 when I walked in the door.  It would have been easier.

So the weather is really nice here, and it reminded me that Memorial Day is quickly approaching.  Most people I know like to have BBQs on Memorial Day.  Or “Grill Out”, I guess….depending on what part of the country you are from.  I have a recipe today that will be great with anything that you BBQ.  It is an Avocado and Shrimp Pasta Salad.  It is super easy to make, and little bit different than your typical pasta salad because the dressing has avocado and cilantro in it.  Yum!  I will show you how I make it.

Whoa!  Watch the glare;)

I used a one pound box of mini farfalle.  You can use any type of pasta that you like for pasta salads.  I like one that holds sauce well, like farfalle.  Don’t use a variety that is too smooth….everything will slide right off of it.

Cook the pasta according to package directions.  When you drain it, rinse the pasta with cold water to cool it off.

Aside from the dressing, the ingredients for this salad are red onion, chopped tomatoes, white corn, salad shrimp and pepper jack cheese.

I used frozen white corn.  I defrosted it…obviously.

Notice that my cheese is a Safeway brand.  I had to go to Sparks the other day to handle a Real Estate issue, and I almost peed my pants when I saw a Safeway.  I swear I just about moved to Sparks strictly because it has a Safeway.  I love me some Safeway.

I added the ingredients to the cooled pasta and mixed.  Now it just needs dressing.

This salad really kicks ass with its mix of corn, shrimp and cheese.  The onions and salad aren’t half bad either.

For the dressing, which is the best part of this salad, I used an avocado, mayo, cilantro, garlic salt and lime juice.  It is like a creamy guacamole spread all over a delicious salad.

All the ingredients got a ride in the food processor until they were pretty smooth.

Remember, avocados should be immediately coated in lime juice so don’t let your avocados sit.  They also require a ton of salt…so be generous.

Creamy, slightly sour from the limes, and totally delicious.  I love the briny taste of the shrimp in this too.  If you are grilling shrimp….skip the salad shrimp and add grilled shrimp.  You will pee in your pants.

Yum!  Invite me to your Memorial Day BBQ.  I will bring this.

Shrimp and Avocado Pasta Salad

1 pound macaroni, cooked, drained and rinsed with cold water

1 cup salad shrimp, defrosted

1 cup tomatoes, chopped

½ cup red onion, chopped

1 cup corn

4 ounces pepper jack cheese, diced

1 avocado

2 tablespoons cilantro, leaves only

2 tablespoons lime juice

2 teaspoons garlic salt

½ cup mayonnaise

In a large bowl, gently mix together pasta, tomatoes, shrimp, onion, corn and pepper jack cheese.

In a food processor, blend together avocado, cilantro, lime juice, garlic salt and mayo.  Pour dressing over salad and mix gently.  Chill until ready to serve.