Ingredients:

• 1 bunch of flat rice noodles (enough for one person)
• 1.5 teaspoon of fish sauce (you can substitute about this for about 1 teaspoon of soy sauce or salt)
• White vinegar
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 0.5 teaspoon of chili sauce(the recipe calls for ground chili pepper, but I used an Asian pepper sauce since I don’t have ground chili peppers)
• 1 egg
• 1/8 of an onion sliced
• 1/8 teaspoon of sugar
• 1 heaping tablespoon of peanut butter
• Shrimp, deveined and peeled
• 2 green onions (cut into 1 inch pieces)
• Half a lime

Instructions:

1. Cook the noodles until they soften. Since you’re going to be frying the noodles, it’s better for it to be a little undercooked than overcooked. 
2. Oil and heat (on high) a non-stick frying pan. When the oil slides across the pan smoothly, toss in your minced garlic. Fry until nearly golden and the drained noodles and stir fry quickly to prevent the noodles from sticking. Add fish sauce (or whatever substitute you’re using), a splash of white vinegar, and chili sauce.
3. Continue to cook the noodles, but push them to one side of the pan before cracking the egg. Scramble cook the egg thoroughly before mixing with the noodles. Cook thoroughly before placing the noodles in a dish. 
4. Turn the heat to medium and add the peanut butter to the same pan. Mix with sugar until the mixture softens and resembles a thick sauce before pouring over the noodles. Squeeze lime juice over noodles.
5. Turn the heat to high and oil the pan again. When the oil finishes heating, add the green onions and regular onion. Cook until fragrant (stir fry for 3-5 seconds). Add the shrimp and cook together with green onions. Top the noodles.

Ingredients:

• 4 Avocadoes
• 5 Limes
• Sea Salt
• Pepper
• Red Onion
• Cumin
• Fresh Cilantro

Instructions:

1. Slice all four avocadoes in half, length wise, then use a spoon to remove the green flesh from the rinds. Place the eight hemispheres in a bowl after removing the pits from the flesh. Leave the pits in the bowl, as they help the avocadoes from turning brown.
2. Place limes on a hard surface and roll them back and forth while applying reasonable pressure. This allows for a greater release of juice. Slice four limes into quarters and squeeze into bowl. The sooner the lime is added the better, as the citrus also deters avocado browning.
3. Slice the fifth lime into eighths
4. Dice red onion and add to bowl.
5. Briefly slice the avocado hemispheres using knife, but be sure to leave sizeable chunks. Next, using a potato smasher, smash the chunks of avocado to produce a guacamole-esque paste. Personally, I leave some sizeable chunks, but smash to personal preference.
6. Dice fresh cilantro after rinsing. Focus on the leaves and the leave the stems for the compost bin, the leaves carry the most flavor. Add diced cilantro to taste.
7. Mix contents of bowl and season with sea salt, pepper and cumin to taste. Avocado is an aphrodisiac that might just make the night for you and your senorita/senor. 
8. Test taste of guac- I usually add the rest of my fifth lime, but again, it all depends on your preference for that citrusy bite.
9. Emerge from your kitchen bearing the bowl of green heaven and watch as it disappears remarkably quickly. At particularly enjoyable fiestas this guac has been known to inspire the abandonment of chips and the use of certain celebrator’s own hands as conveyance from bowl to mouth.  In one case, even this shortcut was skipped and the face was simply placed in the bowl. I suggest that a request be made that this direct mouth on bowl action be at least restrained until most of the guac is gone.  It is a terrible waste because after this maneuver, the remaining guac is good for little more than a rejuvenating face paste taking the place of mud at a spa treatment. 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup pastina pasta (or any small pasta)
• 2 Tablespoons of olive oil
• ½ cup cubed chicken breast (uncooked; bite-size pieces)
• ½ cup diced onion (any type of onion you prefer)
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice (I substituted this with marinara sauce)
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• ¼ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley (I omitted this)
• ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
• ¼ cup bread crumbs (Italian bread crumbs add extra flavor)
• Salt and pepper for seasoning
• About 1 Tablespoon of butter

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Cook pasta according to directions on package. Drain and put into a large mixing bowl.
3. Meanwhile, put the olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook for about 3 minutes (until chicken begins to brown). Stir in the onions and garlic and cook until the onions are soft and the chicken is cooked through. *I added about a ¼ cup of the dry white wine as the chicken, onion and garlic sautéed for extra flavor, and continuously seasoned the combination with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.
4. Add the chicken mixture into the cooked pasta. Add the marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese, parsley, and season more if needed. Stir to combine.
5. Place mixture in a 8x8x2 inch baking dish that you can either butter or spray with cooking spray, such as Pam. Sprinkle the bread crumbs and parmesan cheese evenly over the pasta mixture. Dot with small bits of the butter.
6. Bake for about 30 minutes or until the top of the mixture is golden brown.

*Note- Instead of chopping fresh garlic cloves, I use ready-to-use chopped garlic. It’s much easier sometimes.
*Note- you can always omit the chicken for a vegetarian dish or choose another type of meat of your liking.

Adapted from The Best Recipe cookbook 
Ingredients:

• 2 large eggs
• 1 can evaporated milk
• ¼ teaspoon hot red pepper sauce (like Tabasco)
• Salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• ½ pound elbow macaroni
• 4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, cut up into 4-6 pieces (and get REAL butter, not margarine, not spreadable butter, not I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter)
• 12 ounces grated cheddar cheese (about 2 ¼ cups) 

Instructions:

1. Bring two quarts (1 quart=4 cups) of water to boil in a big pot over high heat.  Add about 1 and a half teaspoons of salt to the water.
2. While waiting for the water to boil (you need to include a verb) the mustard powder with one teaspoon of water to form a paste.
3. Mix eggs, 1 cup evaporated milk (not quite the whole can), ½ teaspoon salt, pepper, mustard mixture, and pepper sauce in a small bowl, and set aside.
4. Cook the macaroni in the boiling water according to package directions.
5. Drain the macaroni and then return the macaroni to the pan over low heat. Add the butter and stir continuously. When the butter has mostly melted, add the milk mixture and about ¾ of the cheese to the buttered noodles. Keep stirring, gradually adding more milk and cheese to the mixture. When the sauce has thickened and looks hot, creamy, and delicious, remove from heat and serve immediately. I’m serious about the ‘immediately’ part. The macaroni will never be as good as it is coming right off the pot. The macaroni cannot wait for your guests, your guests must wait for the macaroni.

For the Crust:

• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick butter) melted 

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Combine all ingredients together. Press mixture firmly into the bottom of pie pan or muffin tins, making sure there is enough on the sides of the pan/tins.
3. Bake in oven until brown, about 15-20 minutes.
4. Lower oven temperature to 425 degrees.

Filling:

• 2 (14-ounce) cans condensed milk
• 1 cup key lime, with 1 tbsp zest 
• 4 egg yolks

1. In a bowl, whisk together the lime juice, zest and egg yolks until well blended, and add the condensed milk.
2. Whisk until well combined. 
3. Put filling in the cooled shell, and bake in oven for 15 minutes. Place in the refrigerator and allow the pies to chill for at least 2 hours.

Topping:

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream, very cold
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon lime zest
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• ½ tsp Vanilla extract

1. Before serving, beat the heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form. 
2. Sprinkle in the sugar while beating, and drizzle in the lime juice and vanilla extract. 
3. After you have achieved the desired consistency, fold and mix in the lime zest.

Serve on a plate with more fresh lime zest grated over the pie/plate for an extra burst of flavor, and let the pie take you away from the cold wintery dreadfulness of Michigan!