Snacks

Deviled Eggs

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We love Deviled Eggs at our house. I’ve been making them for almost 20 years now. They are an old-timey appetizer that I remember eating as a child at the holidays. They always felt fancy to me and special and I liked that you can eat them with your hands. I make them all year around now, for football games, baseball games, BBQ’s, and especially at Easter time because it’s a great way to use up those dyed Easter eggs! We like to deviate from the paprika  sprinkle and we use cayenne pepper for a little kick. Deviled eggs are having a bit of a resurgence lately and are all over restaurant menus these days and I couldn’t be happier for the little humble egg.  This is a traditional recipe for 12 hardboiled eggs. The fun comes in the garnishes which are endless.

Tools                 

  • serving tray
  • zip top bag
  • fork
  • mixing bowl
  • spatula
  • sharp knife
  • cutting board
  • scissors
  • refrigerator

Ingredients                                                                                                      

  • 6 hardboiled eggs
  • heaping teaspoon of horseradish
  • heaping teaspoon  of yellow mustard
  • 3 tablespoons of light mayo
  • 1/8 teaspoon of salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon of pepper
  • cayenne pepper or paprika to taste
  • GARNISHES -Cayenne pepper, paprika, chives, fennel fronds, dill, thyme flowers,  cooked bacon, diced radish, shallots, pickles.

 

Recipe

Slice your eggs in half and pop out the yolk into your bowl. Smash the yolks with your fork until you have small particles. Add the rest of your ingredients and stir together until smooth. Scoop your filling into a zip top bag and squeeze out the excess air.  Snip the corner off your zip top bag and fill your egg whites.

Do not overfill, you can go back and add more filling after they are all filled. Then garnish with fresh herbs, bacon and refrigerate until service.

The Elvis English Muffin

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My tastes are changing again. My whole life I’ve noticed that my taste preferences change every ten years or so. I wouldn’t eat green beans until I was in my twenties and I HATED mushrooms until my thirties when I tasted morels and then I became OBSESSED with all things mushroom. I’ve even come to appreciate olives and bell peppers. I don’t enjoy them in everything but I do agree they have their place in the food world. In my forties now (wow) I love all things SALTY. Which leads me to this new favorite snack.  We often make bacon on the weekends and store the extra in the fridge to make breakfast sandwiches for the week. I didn’t want an egg on an English muffin so I randomly decided to put peanut butter on my English muffin and I threw Bacon on it. YUM!! Elvis Presley knew what he was doing when he ate these sammies! I’ve had that a few times and then this week my daughter left half a banana for me. I spread that on the muffin too and WOW!! Delish!!

Tools

  • toaster
  • knife
  • microwave

Ingredients

  • 1 English Muffin
  • 1/4 ripe banana
  • 1 teaspoon of butter
  • 2 teaspoons of peanut butter
  • 2 slices of cooked bacon

Recipe

Toast your English Muffin, heat your bacon for 10 seconds in the microwave. Spread the butter and peanut butter on the muffin. Smash the banana over the peanut butter and butter. Layer the bacon on top. DEVOUR!

Banana Zucchini Muffins

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I love cooking. There is something about the feeling I get when I feel like a nailed a recipe and I watch my family or friends faces when they taste it.  The smile, the nod, the closing of the eyes in enjoyment bring me such joy. These muffins do this for me!  They are moist, tender and a little bit sweet. I substitute some applesauce for the oil in the recipe so it’s lower in fat than traditional muffins but I swear you can’t tell the difference! This recipe makes  one large  loaf or about 14 muffins.  I used a muffin pan and a mini bundt pan because my daughter likes to have a “little cake” to herself. I use my extra overripe ugly brown bananas that I keep in my freezer along with frozen shredded zucchini from the summer from my garden.

Tools

  • muffin tin or loaf pan
  • butter knife
  • whisk
  • paper towel
  • mixing bowl
  • measuring cups
  • toothpick for testing doneness
  • cooling racks

Ingredients

  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup of white sugar
  • 1/4 cup of Brown sugar packed
  • 1/2 cup of vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup of unsweetened applesauce
  • 1 cup of overripe mashed bananas*
  • 1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
  • 1 scant teaspoon of baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon of baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon of pie spice or cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon of salt
  • 1 teaspoon of vanilla
  • 1/2 cup of shredded zucchini*
  • 1 Tablespoon of butter

Recipe

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Beat eggs, then add sugar, oil, vanilla and applesauce. Mash the overripe bananas until almost liquified and add to the batter. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, pie spice and mix well. Stir in the shredded zucchini.  Use your paper towel to butter your muffin tins or loaf pans. Fill your muffin tins  3/4 full. Bake for 18-20 minutes until a toothpick or knife comes out clean. Cool for a few minutes in the pan. Then take your butter knife and carefully go around the edges of the tin and flip out muffins. Cool on your racks. Enjoy!!

DELISH TIP 1: SCANT = a little less than

DELISH TIP 2: I use SUPER overripe bananas from my freezer. The browner their peel the better! I thaw them in the microwave and squish them with my clean hands!

DELISHTIP 3: I use fresh shredded zucchini sometimes if it’s summer but I often use it frozen because I shred it and save it from my garden. I will drain some of the water from the zucchini if its really watery. But you’ll need a 1/2 cup.

Ranch Party Pretzels

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It’s Not A Party ‘Til You Have Delish Ranch Pretzels!

Living in the suburbs of Detroit we are HUGE sports fans here. My friends and family get together for many sporting events. The Detroit Tigers, Lions, Red Wings and The Pistons! In the summer our  Detroit Tigers are on TV almost everyday so I am ALWAYS looking for new snacks and appetizers to serve my friends to go along with our cocktails and the game we watch in our backyard Tiki Hut!  I went to the Cider Mill last fall and tasted these flavored pretzel sticks.  I HATE pretzels they are so boring!!! But these were tasty and flavorful so I have been inspired to play around with my own “recipe” for a year now. My friends request me to make these a lot, and we all fight over the pretzel  pieces that are stuck together. This salty snack goes great with beer and other drinks.

Tools

  • Half sheet pan–15 x 21
  • flat spatula

Ingredients

  • One 15 oz bag of pretzel sticks or butter braids
  • One stick of unsalted butter
  • One 1 oz package of Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix
  • 1/2 tsp of pepper
  • 1/2 tsp of garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp of dried herbs

Recipe

Preheat oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit. Melt the butter in a microwaveable bowl. Add all the dry ingredients and mix well.  Pour pretzels onto the half sheet pan. Pour the butter mixture over the pretzels and toss the mixture coating all the pretzels. Bake for 20 minutes.  Let cool slightly and break pieces apart.  Serve warm or cooled. Store in a closed container. These never last long so they’re long gone before they can get stale.

Pulled Pork Nachos

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When I make my  Slow-Cooker Pulled Pork* or our traditional smoked BBQ Pulled Pork, we ALWAYS have A LOT of leftovers. We often freeze some of them, or make quesadillas and another of our favorite is Pulled Pork Nachos! These are SO Quick and Easy to do and everyone can put whatever toppings they like! Ready in TEN minutes! IMG_0953

Tools:

  • Cookie sheet
  • Parchment paper

Ingredients: Serves 1-2

  • 1 1/2 cups of tortilla chips
  •  1/2 cup of shredded cheese
  • 1/4 cup onions
  • 1/2 cup leftover BBQ pork
  • 1 TBSP of BBQ Sauce ( Sweet Baby Rays is THE best!)
  • ANY Nacho Toppings YOU like

Recipe

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place a sheet of parchment paper onto a cookie sheet. Place a thin layer of tortilla chips onto the parchment paper.  Top chips shredded cheese, onions and shredded pork, and another layer of shredded cheese.  Bake for ten minutes or until cheese is melted. Drizzle BBQ sauce onto nachos. Slide parchment onto plate and enjoy. DELISH!!

*Slow-Cooker  Pulled Pork is also on the blog. Get the recipe!