Deep Fried Avocado Wedges

I mentioned these deep fried avocado wedges in my last post and I had posted a photo on the MN Food Dudes web site and received a huge response so I thought I'd continue the Avocado mania this week and give you the recipe.

Avocado Egg Rolls with Cilantro Dipping Sauce

If you love Avocado, you're in for an amazing adventure this week. The Virtual Potluck team has partnered up with SoCal Avocados to bring you some amazing dishes featuring the smooth, creamy, farm-fresh avocado.

To appreciate what you're about to be presented with, an avocado tutorial is in order.

Pretzel Rolls

I was making my weekly trek through Costco last week and I noticed they are selling pretzel rolls now at our location. I was going to grab a bag and then I thought, nah, I can make these myself. I know I just made the pretzel bites a few weeks ago, but these are pretty different, and pretty amazing.

You get the great soft dough on the inside and the chewy exterior of a pretzel, just in a roll format. This means you can use it for all sorts of things, that is if they last long enough. I made various sized rolls and had great plans to use some for hamburgers and sandwiches but we ended up eating them all as is. That just means I have to make them again soon.

Banana Cream Pie with Salted Caramel

Had enough of this healthy streak? I felt like I needed to show that I wasn't eating just healthy food now and it was the Super Bowl game last week so I wanted to make a fun dessert. I've always been a fan of cream pies but they're always pretty simple and one dimensional.

This Banana cream pie defies all that I had previously thought. The homemade vanilla pastry cream is rich and smooth and the shortbread crust is divine. The ground peanuts are baked right into the crust and are the perfect compliment to the fresh bananas layered between the pastry cream.  Then to top it all off, literally, a salted caramel sauce is drizzled over the top. It's fresh and complex and could easily be eaten in one sitting.

Paleo People Granola

I've got a fun quick product review for you today. I love to snack on things throughout the day but the last couple months I've been trying to eat healthier and that's seriously reduced my snacking options. I received these bags of granola from Paleo People and while I had intentions of trying to incorporate some into a recipe, I actually just ate it all. I sprinkled some of the apple crisp flavor over some ice cream, and the rest I just ate out of the bag.

Cheese Pretzel Bites with Jalapeño Honey Mustard

Just in time for the Superbowl, here's the perfect snack. Did you know, there are a few key criteria for determining the perfect Superbowl snack?

• Handheld
• Dippable
• Contains cheese and/or bacon

It took me a long time to develop that list and I think it's pretty conclusive.  I was pretty upset though when I typed this up and it put the little squiggly line under dippable, indicating that it was spelled wrong. How in the world is that not a word, especially since it was a key criteria? Anyway, I'm going with it.