Deviled Eggs

 

Deviled eggs are a classic appetizer and you should not have a gathering with out them. Or at least attempt to. In my house there is an invisible thief and somehow the filling miraculously disappears if you turn your back to the counter.  Hmmmmm... Sister, why are you licking your lips??

There are oh so many devilish recipes but this is the one my family has always used. I am actually a huge fan of "basic recipes" that serve as a good starting point and can usually be tweaked several ways to create many varieties or to end up with something totally different. Take the sugar cookie for example - add chocolate chips - totally different cookie. Similarly the deviled egg can have a sweeter flavor by using relish in the filling or spicier flavor if you choose to add a dash of Tabasco sauce.  The possibilities are limitless and that's exciting. For your next party you could create a deviled egg sampler.. fun!

Deviled Eggs

(makes 24)

12 Eggs

1/4 cup yellow mustard

1/4 cup sour cream

1/4 cup parsley

3 mini kosher dill pickles

paprika and parsley for garnish

Boil the eggs. See below for how-tos and tips.

After carefully peeling the eggs cut in half length wise. Rinse to make sure you do not have any little pieces of shell still stuck to the egg. Scoop out the egg yolks. Theses should pop out pretty easily but you can use a spoon if needed. Set the whites on a plate and the yolks in a separate bowl.

In a blender or food processor chop the pickles until you achieve minced pieces (about the size of bacon bits). You can add a little pickle juice too if you'd like (a tablespoon or so).

Add the egg yolks to the pickles. I have a tiny food processor so it was easier to do this in two separate batches (just add half the ingredients at a time).  Add mustard, sour cream, and parsley. Process until creamy.

I like to pipe my deviled eggs. Its fancier. But you can spoon the mixture into the egg whites. Caution: the pickle pieces might clog a very small piping attachment so try something with a wider tip. If you don't have such fancy kitchen accessories put the filling in a plastic sandwich bag and snip the corner.

Sprinkle the little devils with some paprika (or cayenne pepper) and top off with a piece of parsley and you've got a very impressive dish of deviled eggs. :)

Here are some other filling recipes you can try.

Tips for perfect hard boiled eggs:

Boiling eggs would seem like a no brainier but there are a few tricks that will make the peeling process a bit less frustrating.

1. Fresh eggs might be harder to peel so this is a great way to use eggs that have been in your fridge for a few days. (Note: this is rule is NOT applicable to baking. To bake always use the freshest eggs you have!)
2. Try to find a pot in which the eggs fit comfortably beside each other. Not too much wiggle room but don't stack them. 
3. Always place eggs in cool water at the beginning of the cooking process. (put eggs in the pot and cover completely with cool water. Place on the burner and then turn on the heat.) The gradual exposure to heat won't shock the egg. This way you will avoid rubbery textures and it will also make peeling easier.
4. Bring the water to a boil. After achieving a rolling boil turn off the burner and cover the pot.  Let the eggs sit for 15 minutes. This will result in perfectly yellow yolks. No green or gray. Yay!
5. Drain the hot water and fill the pot with ice cold water. After the eggs have completely cooked drain again and place in the fridge until ready for use.
   

Nutritional Facts: (makes 24)

Calories 89, Fat 6.3g,  Carbs 1.9g,  Protein 6.5g,

Vitamin A 5%, Calcium 5%, Iron 6%

Party Peppers and Ranch Dip

These cheese stuffed, bacon wrapped jalapeno peppers might be little but they have a lot of personality.

If you've trying to compile a budget savvy party menu make sure to put these apps. on your go-to list.

12 Jalapeno peppers  $1.34

8 oz. Cream cheese $0.98 (Thanks Walmart!)

1 bag of Shredded Cheddar Cheese $2.25

1 package of bacon $2.00
1 packet of Ranch Dressing Mix $1.50

For around seven bucks you can make 24 stuffed jalapenos....actually, you'll have a lot of left over ingredients so to be extra budget savvy use what you already have to make other appetizers. Here are a couple of other recipes to get you started: Spinach Artichoke Dip & Twice Baked Potatoes.

Fun.    Different.    Bold.     Flavorful!

Ingredients

12 jalapeno peppers
4 oz cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup shredded cheddar

1 tbs ranch dressing mix (I used the Hidden Valley packet)

6 slices of bacon

1 lime

You will also need:

Toothpicks, cookie sheet, cookie cooling rack

Recipe

Preheat oven to 350F.

  In a large bowl filled with cold water add a hand full of ice cubes.  Slice the jalapenos in half lengthwise. Using a small spoon scoop out the seeds. Discard the seeds and put the sliced peppers in the ice bath. (I read somewhere that this step kicks up the heat factor a notch or two - and according to my guests these were very hot! So, I guess its safe to assume this is true.)

**Very helpful hint! Wear gloves!! Well, I didn't have any gloves and had no need to go buy a whole box of them for a single use. I made a poor decision and handled the jalapenos with my bare hands. Perhaps if the tip I read online would have placed more emphasis on how badly your hands would burn if did not use gloves... then I most definitely would have worn them! I can't imagine a box of silicone gloves can be more than a couple of dollars but if you're counting pennies - like a a college student = )) then I'm sure your dentist or doctor would let you have a pair. = D **

In a small bowl use a fork or spoon to combine the cream cheese, shredded cheddar, and ranch dressing mix. Remove the peppers from the ice bath and place them on a sheet of paper towel to absorb the excess water. Use a spoon to fill each pepper half with the cream cheese mixture. Set the stuffed peppers aside.

I found it easiest to use a pair of kitchen scissors to cut the bacon but you can use a knife if you'd like.  First, cut the bacon slice in half width wise. Then cut each half piece in half again, this time length wise. You should now have four slender pieces, about four inches each. Continue until you have 24 pieces.

Wrap a strip of cut bacon around each stuffed pepper and secure with a tooth pick. (I used the colorful toothpicks because they're more festive :))

Prepare them for the oven:  Place a cooling rack on top of a cookie sheet lined with foil. (If you do not have a cooling rack you can use the little racks from a toaster oven :)  Place each pepper on the rack.  This way the bacon grease will drip onto the cookie sheet. (You could just bake them on the cookie sheet but I saw pictures of this done both ways and I preferred the cooling rack method. The peppers turned out prettier. If they end up swimming the in bacon grease its just a little less aesthetically pleasing.  No worries. You aren't loosing any flavor buy putting them on the cooling rack.)


Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes or until bacon is crispy and cheese is bubbly.

Serve warm or at room temperature with Ranch dip. See below for recipe.

For extra festive peppers:

I love lime (and had some left over from making the most luxurious
Layered Lime Cheesecake you've ever tasted) so I decided to squeeze some lime juice over the cooked peppers for a little extra twist. I am sure some freshly chopped cilantro sprinkled on top would also be a fun way to jazz these up. Or you could try adding some to the cheese mixture.

Ranch Dip

Remaining Hidden Valley Ranch mix (about 1 packet)

8 oz sour cream

1/4 - 1/3 cup milk

Combine all ingredients and whisk together until smooth.  

The packet specifies milk + mayonnaise for dressing-like ranch and sour cream for dip-like ranch.  Well, I wanted something in between and combined the two. I used regular skim milk but I'm sure butter milk would be good too.  Add milk gradually until you reach desired consistency. Best if chilled for a couple of hours (even better over night) to let flavors settle.

 

Nutritional Facts: (recipe makes 24 halves- does not include dip) 

Calories 45, Fat 3.9g, Carbs .3g, Protein 2.3g

Vitamin A 2% Calcium 2%  Iron 1%