Leftover avocado and limes inspired super-fast guacamole at casa de Geisler.

WING IT GUACAMOLE
1 ripe avocado, peeled and seeded
1 tablespoon light mayonnaise
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon any chili powder
2 tablespoons minced onion
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1. Mash avocado. (I used my hands) Stir in the rest of the ingredients except cilantro. Put a sheet of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the guacamole to prevent browning. (If it browns anyway, it won’t affect the taste.)
2. Do something else for 30 minutes or so, to let the flavors blend at room temperature.
3. Fold in the cilantro and serve with tortilla chips.
Note: You can also add a clove of minced or pressed fresh garlic or 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder. I was already eating a ton of garlic in hummus I ate earlier, so I didn’t want any more.

Hello. I’d like to come home with you tonight and help make dinner. Whaddya say?

ROTISSERIE CASHEW CHICKEN
1/2 rotisserie chicken, meat removed from bones and diced
1 tablespoon sugar
4 teaspoon corn starch
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 cup chicken stock
1 teaspoon sesame seeds (black and/or white)
1/2 teaspoon garlic flakes (I’ll use garlic powder)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Juice of 1 lemon
1 cup cashews Whole, unsalted if available
Serve with white rice and parsley
1. In a medium bowl, combine the sugar, corn starch, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, oyster sauce and whisk to form marinade.
2. Add the diced chicken, mix with marinade and allow to sit for 5 minutes.
3. During that time, in a wok or large saute pan, heat chicken stock to simmer. Add the marinated chicken, including all of the sauce in the bottom of the bowl. Stir to combine and mix with the stock.
4. Continue heating until the sauce begins to thicken (the corn starch will do that).
5. Add the lemon juice and cashews. Do not overcook the cashews as you want them hot but still retain a bit of their crunch. Add the sesame seeds, garlic flakes and salt.
Serve over prepared rice or noodles
– Rich’s Recipe du Jour

If you are not Amy Brown, you are eligible to enter the drawing for Wicked Good Burgers,” by Andy Husbands, Chris Hart and Andrea Pyenson in honor of Grilled Burger Weekend, a holiday which I just made up.

The book is by the same authors as “Wicked Good BBQ.” It has terrifyingly sinful recipes, almost obscene — and I meant that in the best way possible. In addition to the burgers, it includes recipes for buns, sides (i.e. bean salad), toppings (I.e. crispy onions), dressings (i.e. ketchup, mustard) and methods (i.e. steaming). The book has a photo of each burger as a work of art.
The book even offers techniques for grinding your own beef, which is obviously optional.
To enter the drawing, please send an e-mail to mailto: jennie.geisler@timesnews.com Please include your NAME, MAILING ADDRESS and NAME OF THE BOOK you want.

The Pastrami Burger looks impossible to hold, as well as impossible to put down.

PASTRAMI BURGER
1 1/2 pounds beef chuck or ground chuck
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
8 slices pastrami
1 cup sauerkraut
2 tablespoons sauerkraut liquid
4 slices Swiss cheese
Softened butter, for toasting
8 slices rye bread
Russian Dressing, recipe follows
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. If grinding, cute the beef into strips and freeze until stiff, about 45 minutes. Salt the beef. Using the coarse grinder plate, grind according to the technique in Chapter 1 (page 15). If using ground chuck, mix with salt before shaping.
3. Divide into 4 equal portions and shape into rectangles roughly the size of the bread and about 1/2 inch thick.
4. Heat a skillet over high heat until very hot. If you have an infrared thermometer, the skillet should register at least 500 degrees. Or test by brushing on a bit of oil. When the skillet starts to smoke, it’s ready.
5. Cook the patties for 2 minutes. Flip and cook for 1 minute more. Transfer the patties to a baking sheet.
6. Saute the pastrami slices on the skillet for 1 minute. Place on top of the burgers. Saute the sauerkraut and 2 tablespoons reserved liquid for 1 to 2 minutes. Spoon some sauerkraut on top of each burger. Lay a slice of Swiss cheese over each burger and place the baking sheet in the oven just until the cheese melts, about 1 minute.
7. To serve, wipe the skillet clean. Brush both sides of the bread with softened butter. Toast the bread in the skillet until it just begins to color. With a spatula, place each burger on a slice of toast. Schmear Russian dressing liberally on the other slices of toast, place on top of the burgers, and serve.
Makes 4 burgers

RUSSIAN DRESSING
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons pickle relish
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish, drained
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
Pinch salt and pepper
In a small bowl, mix all ingredients well. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
“Wicked Good Burgers,” by Andy Husbands, Chris Hart and Andrea Pyenson

If you are not Cassie Scully, you are eligible to win my copy of “200 Best Ice Pop Recipes,” by Andrew Chase. These aren’t your ho-hum juice-on-a-stick stuff. They include recipes made from citrus, berries, chocolate, fudge, caramel and cream, savory ice pops, teas and coffee, ethnic flavors even cocktails.
Here’s the one that stopped me:

ORANGE CREAM ICE POPS
Finely grated zest of 1 orange
2/3 cup orange juice
1/3 cup and 1 tablespoon Orange blossom or other light floral honey
1/2 cup frozen orange juice concentrate
2/3 cup heavy or whipping cream, 35 percent fat
1/3 cup evaporated milk.
1. In a small saucepan, combine orange zest, juice and honey. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 4 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly. Whisk in concentrate. Pour into a large measuring cup and whisk in cream and milk.
2. Pour into molds and freeze until slushy, then insert sticks and freeze until solid, for at least 4 hours. If you are using an ice pop kit, follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
– “200 Best Ice Pop Recipes,” by Andrew Chase

To enter the drawing, send an e-mail to jennie.geisler@timesnews.com including your NAME, MAILING ADDRESS and NAME OF THE BOOK YOU WANT. I do not store or share this information.

If you are not Diane Wisinsky, you are eligible to enter the drawing for “175 Best Mini Pie Recipes,” by Julie Anne Hession. This book looks like it would be a blast to own, especially for those who love to bake. It’s hard to give away, actually. It offers recipes and instructions — with process photos — for 17 kinds of dough, as well as fillings and glazes, sweet fruit and caramel and chocolate, even savory meals such as meat and seafood and vegetarian pies.
Now, pssst, you can probably buy some of the dough recipes prepared, such as phyllo and pie crust. But if you like baking as much as I do, it would be more fun to do the from-scratch thing.
To enter, send an e-mail to jennie.geisler@timesnews.com. Please include your NAME, MAILING ADDRESS, and NAME OF THE BOOK YOU WANT. I do not share or store this information.

Here’s a sample recipe, including its handmade dough:
FRESH STRAWBERRY HAND PIES
2 cups diced, hulled strawberries
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 recipe Hand Pie Dough, recipe follows
1 large egg, lightly beaten with tablespoon water
Coarse sugar for sprinkling
1. In a medium bowl, mix strawberries, sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice.
2. On a lightly flowered surface, roll out dough to a thickness of about 1/16 inch. Using a 5-inch round cutter, cut into rounds and place on 2 baking sheets lined with parchment, spacing apart. Reroll scraps as necessary.
3. Brush edges of rounds with egg wash. Place about 2 tablespoons filling in center of each round. Fold in half, enclosing filling. Pinch edges together to seal and crimp with the tines of a fork.
4. Brush tops with egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
5. Place pies, on baking sheets, in freezer for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, position oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 375 degrees.
6. Using tip of a sharp knife, cut 2 or 3 slits in top of each pie. Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, switching positions of baking sheets halfway through, until pies are puffed and golden brown and filling is bubbling. Let cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.

The recipe should make 16 pies.

HAND PIE DOUGH
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
7 ounces cold unsalted butter
2/3 cup cold buttermilk, divided1. In food processor fitted with the metal blade, pulse flour, sugar, baking powder and salt to combine.
2. Scatter butter overtop and pulse several times, until pieces are the size of peas.
3. Drizzle half the buttermilk over flour mixture and pulse 4 to 5 times to combine. Add more buttermilk 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing after each addition, just until dough begins to hold together in moist clumps. (You might not need all the buttermilk.
4. Transfer to a large piece of plastic wrap and shape into a ball. Flatten into a disk and wrap tightly in plastic. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

– “175 Best Mini Pie recipes”

This weekend is shaping up to be amazing weather-wise, and it’s time to cook outside and make the neighbors hungry.
We started spring training on the grill a few weeks ago with chicken thighs, then rib-eye steaks. That was all well and good, but this year I’m in the mood to make that deck-hogging contraption earn its keep. And I’m planning to start, well, now. Or, more precisely, tomorrow.
In the past few years, I’ve done enough chatting with — and reading and writing about — serious grillers that I feel ready to join their ranks. It’ll probably take a little trial and error, but I’ve always thought that if you’re going to screw something up, cooking food is the one of the least expensive ways to do it.
In case of disaster, I plan to keep a package of Smith’s Natural Casing Wieners in the meat drawer.
I looked high and low for a recipe that involves a 3.5-pound pork shoulder, Mexican spices (for Cinco de Mayo) and grilling, but couldn’t find one that fit the bill. The biggest problem is that most of the recipes called for a 5-pound shoulder which is way, way, way more than I want to make for my family of three. Even when I use a 3-pounder, we’re hard pressed to eat it all. I know I could freeze some, but there’s no sense in screwing around with that before I make something that’s worth keeping.
With this in mind, I have decided to venture into the land of “I know this can be done. Let’s just try it.”
I’m going to use the rub called for in this method from www.simplyrecipes.com, but play it by ear on the timing. It’s sure to be hours, but I don’t know how many.
First, though, I’m going to pick up a spare propane tank. I think that officially pushes my grilling chops up onto that nebulous “next level.”

Lemon Chicken Orzo, from Parents.com makes my list for a fast, healthy tasty dinner.

I got the lemon squares recipe from “Good Housekeeping’s Great Baking 600 Recipes for Cakes, Cookies, Breads, Pies & Pastries,” and it’s going to make it into a column, story or blog entry sometime in May.
I made the squares because I thought the rich, hearty broiled red meat required a fruity, springy contrast. It worked beautifully.

This is all a round-about way of saying that I’m now on a lemon kick. The squares only whet my appetite for the springy sweet-tart citrus staple.
Lemony Chicken & Orzo from Parents.com promises to fit right into a weeknight evening, beating all to heck my normal boring rotation of baked chicken and pasta with Prego, frozen pizza and turkey sausage.

It’s a one-pot recipe that goes together in 30 minutes with eight ingredients.
And it gets better: It comes in under the wire at 400 calories per serving.
Of course, that assumes I can stop with one serving …

One caveat: I see no reason to sully such a promising dish with with green beans. I’m going to use asparagus or pea pods instead.

If you are not Bill Cox, you are eligible to enter the drawing for “200 Easy Mexican Recipes,” by Kelley Cleary Coffeen.
As we approach Cinco de Mayo (yes, only a week and a half away), I’m in a Tex-Mex mood. Even though the holiday isn’t really that big a deal in Mexico, it’s turned into a full-blown fiesta in the U.S., giving us an excuse (as if we need one) to celebrate all things lime, cheese, spice, beans and tortilla.
The recipes look pretty simple, and build on basic sauces and veggies introduced throughout the book, such as roasted green chiles, enchilada sauce.
It also features a Mexican food glossary and descriptions of helpful kitchen equipment.

To enter the drawing, send e-mail to jennie.geisler@timesnews.com, including your NAME, MAILING ADDRESS and NAME OF THE BOOK you want.

One of my favorite things from the book is the recipe, below, for Margarita Chicken.
In my youth I was known to work two jobs at once. Mostly because I was making more as a waitress than as a journalist. I worked at five different restaurants over the years, including a two-year stint at an Applebee’s in Ohio.
One of my favorite dishes of theirs was Tequila Lime Chicken, which has been renamed so many times I’ve lost track of what it’s called now. I guess people balk at hearing that a chicken dish uses tequila, but that didn’t stop me.
Anyway, this one looks like it might approach that greatness.

MARGARITA CHICKEN
Juice of 3 limes
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons tequila
3 tablespoons orange-flavored liqueur, such as triple sec
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon minced cilantro
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine lime juice, olive oil, garlic, tequila, liqueur, honey and cilantro.
2. Add chicken. Seal bag and work marinade through chicken with your fingers. Refrigerate chicken for a least 2 hours or for up to 6 hours.
3. Preheat greased barbecue grill to medium-high heat. Remove chicken from marinade, discarding marinade. Grill chicken, turning once, until no longer pink inside, 6 to 8 minutes per side. Let stand for 6 to 8 minutes. Serve immediately whole or slice crosswise.
– “200 Easy Mexican Recipes”