If your principal enjoyment of avocado is in the form of guacamole, allow us to suggest an avocado “boat”—a stuffed avocado half.

When our grandmother held her weekly card parties with “the ladies,” their choice of luncheon was Avocado Boat With Crab Salad. Not surprisingly, that fancy recipe became a favorite first course when, in our first apartment, we staged dinner parties. Today it seems retro, but still delicious.

You can stuff anything into an avocado half, starting with scrambled eggs or tofu at breakfast, your favorite salad (egg, shrimp, tuna) at lunch, or anything as a first course at dinner (we’ve long since replaced the crab salad with ceviche, a contemporary take, as well as barley/quinoa/rice salad).

Large avocados are recommended for this recipe (a large avocado averages about eight ounces). If using smaller or larger fruits, adjust the other ingredients accordingly.

SOUTHWESTERN SALAD IN AN AVOCADO BOAT

Ingredients For 4 Servings

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE beans, corn, carrots, cilantro, salsa, green onion and red pepper sauce in a bowl.

2. SPOON into avocado boats. Garnish and serve.

TIP: Cut a thin lengthwise slice off of the bottom of the avocado halves to make them stable on the plates.

Find more avocado recipes at AvocadoCentral.com.

For family fun or to bring to a party, how about a bacon cake?

While some people can put bacon fat into the batter and/or the frosting, we prefer a standard yellow cake, cream cheese frosting and a topping of candied bacon.

A sheet or loaf cake format is easier than a layer cake—and puts you closer to the bacon (a higher bacon:cake ratio).
BACON CAKE RECIPE

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. BAKE your favorite yellow cake mix or recipe. Add optional corn kernels to batter.

2. MAKE cream cheese frosting.

3. MAKE candied maple bacon (recipe below).

CANDIED BACON RECIPE

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT oven to 400°F. Arrange bacon slices in single layer on foil-lined 15x10x1-inch baking pan. Bake in oven 15 minutes or until bacon edges begin to curl.

2. REMOVE pan from oven. Carefully drain drippings and set aside for other use.

3. MICROWAVE honey/maple syrup for 30 seconds, stirring after 15 seconds. Use a pastry brush to coat bacon. Bake 10 minutes longer or until bacon is browned and crisp.

4. COOL bacon on wire rack. Break into bite-size pieces. If you have more candied bacon than you need to top the cake, well, that’s not really a problem, is it? Snack away!
  

Looking for a garnish for your dessert? Grab that jar of peanut butter.

Add sweetener to taste (agave, honey, maple syrup, sugar or noncaloric sweetener). Consider a pinch of cinnamon.

Then pipe the peanut butter from a pastry bag. You can use a plastic food storage bag by cutting off a small piece of one corner.

Then pipe away, onto angel food cake, brownies, cookies, cupcakes, ice cream, pie, pound cake or pudding.

If you’d like a traditional sauce, you simply need a few more ingredients.

Turn peanut butter into a pourable dessert sauce with this easy recipe:
Ingredients For 1 Cup

 
*You can use plain peanuts, salted, candied or spiced, including hot seasonings like chipotle. Here are recipes for candied nuts and spiced nuts.

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE all ingredients except alcohol in a small saucepan.

2. HEAT on low, stirring, until sugar is dissolved and sauce is smooth. Stir in optional alcohol. Serve warm.

 
HOW MANY DESSERT SAUCES HAVE YOU TRIED?

Check out the different types of dessert sauces in our tasty glossary.

It’s tequila time: July 24th is National Tequila Day. To celebrate, how about a refreshing tequila lemonade? Here’s a recipe from QVC host and best-selling cookbook author David Venable.

RECIPE: GINGER-MINT TEQUILA LEMONADE

Ingredients

1. COMBINE the water, sugar, and ginger in a medium saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat and simmer until the sugar has melted.

2. REMOVE the pan from the heat, add 16 mint leaves, cover, and let the leaves steep for 10 minutes. Using a fine strainer, strain the mixture into a glass container and refrigerate until well-chilled.

3. ADD the tequila, ice, sugar mixture, lemon juice, remaining mint leaves, and lemon slices into a large pitcher. Stir to combine, then pour the lemonade into glasses.

Find more of David‘s recipes at QVC.com.

CAN YOU NAME THE 5 TYPES OF TEQUILA?

 
SEE ALL THE JULY FOOD HOLIDAYS.
  

Mention National Tequila Day and you may get a resounding chorus of “Margaritas!”

But how about trying something different on July 24th, like a Mercadito? The name means “little market” in Spanish, but the flavor is spicy and vigorous.

This recipe from Milagro Tequila uses reposado tequila, sligyhtly aged (see the different types of tequila).

RECIPE: MERCADITO COCKTAIL

Ingredients Per Drink

Preparation

1. MUDDLE lime and cilantro in a cocktail shaker.

2. ADD remaining ingredients and shake vigorously.

3. STRAIN into a rocks glass with fresh ice.

4. GARNISH with cucumber wheel and cilantro sprig.
 
 
FIND MORE OF OUR FAVORITE COCKTAIL RECIPES