Deviled Eggs Three Ways

Have leftover hard boiled eggs from your Easter celebrations? Read on!

I only recently discovered my love for deviled eggs, and now I can't let springtime pass without making and/or enjoying them several times. The great thing about them is that you can make as little as 2 and as many as 2 dozen (or more - especially if you have someone to help you peel them, which is my least favorite part!) And, if you want to please several different palates like I did for Easter, you can easily make different types. Just divide your cooked yolks into different bowls and make three different fillings. Mine all started with the same - 1 tablespoon of mustard per 2 cooked yokes - and then the additions started. Enjoy!

Sriracha Deviled Eggs

2 hard boiled eggs
1 tablespoon mayo
1 1/2 teaspoons Sriracha
Salt and pepper to taste
Chopped green onion
Dash cayenne pepper

Half the hard boiled eggs and scoop out the yolks, careful to keep the white in tact. Place yolk in a bowl with the mayo and mash and stir with a fork until smooth. Add the sriracha, salt and pepper and stir. Place in a baggie with one of the corners snipped off (so the diameter of the hole is about 1 centimeter). Pipe filling evenly into the 4 egg halves, then top each with green onion and a dash of cayenne.

Twice the Truffle Deviled Eggs with Parmigiano Reggiano

2 hard boiled eggs
1 tablespoon mayo
1 teaspoon truffle salt
1/2 teaspoon truffle oil
1/2 ounce shaved Parmigiano Reggiano

Half the hard boiled eggs and scoop out the yolks, careful to keep the white in tact. Place yolk in a bowl with the mayo and mash and stir with a fork until smooth. Add truffle salt and oil to mixture and stir to combine. Place in a baggie with one of the corners snipped off (so the diameter of the hole is about 1 centimeter). Pipe filling evenly into the 4 egg halves, then top with shaved parm.

Double Mustard Deviled Eggs with Pickled Red Onion

2 hard boiled eggs
1 tablespoon mayo
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon grainy German mustard
4 slivers pickled red onion (I do this quick method from Bon Appetit)

Half the hard boiled eggs and scoop out the yolks, careful to keep the white in tact. Place yolk in a bowl with the mayo and mash and stir with a fork until smooth. Add both mustards and stir to combine. Place in a baggie with one of the corners snipped off (so the diameter of the hole is about 1 centimeter). Pipe filling evenly into the 4 egg halves, then top with pickled onion sliver.

No matter which way you crack it, deviled eggs are delicious! What's your favorite combo?

Easy Easter Brunch

Luke and I are breakfast fans (can you tell?), so this weekend I hosted an Easter brunch & lawn games party with some friends. The best thing about this menu? Everything can be prepared a day or two before and then heated, meaning you can have a relaxing morning. For a more lunch-like meal, you could add ham, potatoes au gratin and maybe sub in some fresh made rolls for the cinnamon rolls.

Savory

• Artichoke dip with pita chips and bell peppers (This Martha Stewart one was lovely, though I subbed in half the canned artichokes for marinated ones from the antipasti bar at Whole Foods Market)
• Bacon and Asparagus Quiche (recipe below)
• Deviled Eggs with Truffle Salt (recipe to come this week!)
• Spring Greens Salad with Shaved Parmigiano Reggiano (6 ounces of your favorite greens with lemon zest and juice, good olive oil, salt and pepper, lightly toasted pine nuts and plenty of shaved parm)

Sweet

• Cinnamon Rolls (I made this recipe from The Pioneer Woman - I made a half recipe and froze the unbaked rolls so I have an instant breakfast component next week almost ready) I'll be honest, these weren't the knock-out winner I'd hoped for (they were a bit dense and desserty), so I'll probably try another recipe next time
• Fresh Fruit

Drink

• Mango Mimosas (Juice Ataulfo mangos, add a little water for mixability, add desired amount of Champagne - done!)
• Bloody Maries (we're Zing Zang fans in our house - what's your mix of choice? Or, do you go whole hog and make it all yourself?)

Bacon and Asparagus Quiche 

1 pie crust (I'm a fan of William's Sonoma basic pie dough recipe)
1/2 pound asparagus
olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
4 pieces bacon
1/3 cup sun dried tomatoes packed in olive oil, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 cup freshly grated sharp white cheddar (goat cheese would be delicious too!)
4 eggs
1 cup whole milk

Preheat oven to 400.

Prepare your pie crust and place in pie dish, then stick in the fridge for safe keeping.

Meanwhile, trim off woody ends of asparagus then chop into 1 1/2 inch pieces. Place on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper - toss to combine. Lay out bacon on another foil-lined baking sheet. Roast asparagus for 25 minutes, tossing once. Cook bacon about 15 minutes (will vary based on how thick-cut it is) until almost crunchy. Set both aside to cool off, and put bacon on a paper towel-lined plate, then crumble once cooled. Place asparagus and bacon in a bowl with tomatoes.

Lower oven temp to 350.

Take out your pie dish and put asparagus mixture inside, then sprinkle evenly with cheese.

In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs and milk. Pour milk mixture over the veggies, which should just cover them. Bake quiche for 50 minutes until set, then let cool at least 15 minutes before tucking in. I refrigerated mine once it was completely cooled, then reheated the next morning at 350 for about 25 minutes.

There's a story behind the ax - I won't go into it...

Truffled Breakfast Pizza

Have I mentioned I LOVE that it's grilling season? You may remember how we discovered grilling pizza last year. Well, I couldn't wait to do it again this year. Instead of buying the dough from the grocery store (I've been grabbing the fresh dough from the pizza counter at Whole Foods Market), I decided to make my own again since it's been a while. OMG so good! I forgot! If you have the time, it's worth it and actually really easy. I highly recommend this recipe from Martha Stewart. And, if you're not a truffle fan like us, or you don't have any truffle oil on hand, this would be equally delicious with a tablespoon or two of lemon juice squeezed over the arugula.

Truffled Breakfast Pizza
 
1 mound pizza dough
Flour for dusting
1 tablespoon olive oil
2-3 tablespoons pesto
1 cup freshly shredded white cheddar
4 ounces arugula
2 teaspoons truffle oil (or lemon juice, if you prefer)
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano, plus more for topping
3 eggs

Place a baking stone in the oven and warm to 500 degrees. I let mine warm up for a good 15 minutes. 

Meanwhile, dust large cutting board with flour then carefully stretch out dough. I've found that it's best to go thinner than  you want the pizza to turn out, since it fluffs up in the oven. So, go a little thinner that you're comfortable with (mine was about 16-18 inches in diameter). Carefully brush the top of the dough with olive oil.

Remove the baking stone from the oven and either slide the dough onto it, if you can manage. Or, carefully and quickly pick it up and drop it on the pan. The key here is to get it right the first time so that you don't have to mess with it. I recommend having someone help you with the transfer.

Bake the pizza for 5 minutes. remove from the oven and spread the pesto over it, then sprinkle with cheese. Bake another 5 minutes.

Place arugula in a medium bowl. Drizzle with truffle oil and Parmigiano Reggiano and toss to combine.

Meanwhile, heat a large skillet and fry the 3 eggs to desired doneness. Ideally, leave the yolks at least somewhat runny so that they serve as a tasty sauce for the pizza.

Remove pizza from the oven and let cool for 1 minute. Spread arugula salad over the top, then place eggs on top. Cut into 6 pieces and enjoy!

We enjoyed outside on a peaceful Sunday morning :)

Menu March 17, 2013

Happy St. Patrick's Day! We don't have an Irish meal planned, but we did start the day with a delicious breakfast pizza topped with greens - recipe to come :) A lot of delicious vegetables are making their way onto the menu this week - you can definitely tell that spring has sprung in the market. Have a great one!

This week's menu plan:

• Saturday: Grilled Pizza - I tried a new homemade crust recipe from Martha Stewart - it was awesome! Mimicked this method with new toppings.
• Sunday: Beet and Farro Salad with Homemade Ricotta - the beets were too pretty to pass up! And, homemade ricotta is SO tasty and easy to make. This time, I used Bon Appetite's method.
• Monday: We had a late crop of cauliflower finally produce, so I wanted to highlight it in a fun salad. I saw this recipe for Spring Peas and Greens with Cacio e Pepe dressing in Food & Wine and knew I wanted to riff on it. Will share my version if it turns out well :)
• Tuesday: Doing a twist on Mario Batali's Spring Pasta with Blistered Cherry Tomatoes in the April issue of Food & Wine. So excited that Emily & David are coming over with baby Lila!
• Wednesday: I found a new dentist, and they're open late some nights! Since I'm going after work, Luke and I will head to Chinatown down the street to try another spot.
• Thursday: Shrimp and Mushroom Rice Bowl - this may be a kid recipe in Cooking Light, but it sounds delicious, so I'm giving it a try!

Also, it's Benji's FIRST BIRTHDAY! Here are a few fun action play shots from this morning :)

 
Have a delicious week! What's cooking in your house?

Spring Brunch Casserole with Goat Cheese and Bacon

I love the transition from fall to spring in my kitchen. Goat cheese comes back with a vengeance, and I can't help but put herbs in everything. But, while both of these make an appearance in this dish, they weren't the inspiration. Rather, Luke scored a bag of baguette slices, and I didn't want them to go to waste! I already had everything on hand, and on a lazy Saturday morning, this was the perfect bow to tie it all together. 

The goat cheese bites are the best :)

I won't be posting a menu plan this week due to SXSW craziness. Just some batch cooking tonight so we have lunches during a crazy week. Have a great one!

Spring Brunch Casserole with Goat Cheese and Bacon

8 cubes bread cubes (white or wheat, whatever you have on hand, but preferably a few days old)
8 eggs
3/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons pesto
3 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
3 slices bacon

Preheat oven to 375. Spray an 8x8 baking dish with cooking spray. Tear or cut bread cubes into bite-sized pieces and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk and pesto. Add bread cubes to bowl and toss thoroughly to combine. Place mixture into baking dish and press down. Top evenly with goat cheese crumbles. Bake for 30 minutes. 

Meanwhile, cook bacon until crisp. Drain on a paper towel, then crumble. Sprinkle on top of casserole after 30 minutes, then place in oven and bake another 5 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes, then cut in and enjoy!

Sumo orange slices for extra deliciousness :)

Menu March 3, 2013 - Booze Week

It's Booze Week! For really no reason (except maybe a belated celebration of Texas Independence Day on 3/2??). I happened to notice that two of the recipes I had planned included alcohol, so I figured why not make it a theme? This week's meals include tequila, beer, white wine and cider. Cheers!

• Sunday: Grilled Tequila Lime Chicken with grilled avocado and mango salad. I'm basing my recipe off this version from Ina Garten. I'll share if it's tasty!
• Monday: Slow Cooker Pork and Cider Stew - everything about this recipe looks delicious (and I have pork tenderloin in the freezer already). From Whole Foods Market.
• Wednesday: Spring Risotto, starring a Texas white wine, early-in-the-season asparagus and some green peas. Can't wait!
• Thursday: Beef Stew with Root Vegetables from The Pioneer Woman on Food Network. I happened to catch this episode and thought it looked delicious - Luke is excited for this one!

The beet salad from last week turned out delicious - I'll be sure to share! And, a garden update coming soon :)

Have a great week!