Deviled Eggs: Three Ways

One of my favorite Easter-time foods has always been deviled eggs - my grandma's recipe, of course. (It's normal to eat 10-15 in one sitting, right?)

However, with the help of Pinterest, other peoples' creative ideas, and binging on Chopped episodes, I have discovered a whole new world of deviled eggs. Apparently, deviled eggs can be whatever you want them to be. 

I was a little nervous to venture outside of my comfort zone, but these following recipes were a good different (much like Elsa). Enjoy these glamorized deviled egg recipes - though I can't promise they will be able to create beautiful ice castles and adorable snowmen (sorry, I can find a way to connect anything to Frozen).

Oh, and in case you're needing an easy way to get perfectly hard-boiled eggs, check this out.

Buffalo Chicken Deviled Eggs

(find original recipe here)

12 eggs, hard boiled

2 tbsp mayonnaise

1/4 c Frank's hot sauce

1/2 c shredded chicken

1/4 c carrot, finely diced

1/4 c celery, finely diced

2 tbsp onion, diced

1/4 c bleu cheese, crumbled

Salt & pepper, to taste

Cut each egg in half, and set aside whites. Mix together yolks, mayonnaise, hot sauce, chicken, carrots, celery, and onions. Scoop a heaping spoonful of the filling into each egg half. Sprinkle each egg half with bleu cheese & drizzle with extra hot sauce.

Bacon Cheddar Deviled Eggs

12 eggs, hard boiled

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 tbsp mustard

1/4 c sharp cheddar

6 slices bacon, chopped

Salt & pepper, to taste

Start by frying the bacon until it's crispy (save the bacon drippings). Cut each egg in half, and set aside the whites. Leaving a handful of the bacon out to sprinkle over the top, mix together egg yolks, mayonnaise, mustard, cheese, bacon, and some of the bacon drippings. Mix in some of the bacon drippings to the filling.  Scoop a heaping spoonful of the filling into each egg half, and then sprinkle bacon over the top. 

Red Curry Deviled Eggs

(find original recipe here*)

12 eggs, hard boiled

1/2 c mayonnaise

1 tsp champagne or white wine vinegar

2 tsp Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp dry mustard

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tbsp red curry paste

Salt & pepper to taste

1/4 c fresh parsley or chives, chopped

Paprika

Cut each egg in half and set aside whites. Mix together the rest of the ingredients until throughly combined and smooth. Scoop into a pastry bag or large Ziploc bag, and pipe filling into each egg half. Sprinkle with paprika for extra color.

*This recipe was discovered during a Chopped-watching marathon. In Season 6, Episode 6, Lisa Garza spends all her time on a perfect deviled egg recipe. She literally gets no other basket ingredients on the plate, but the judges are so impressed by her deviled egg that she almost moves on. I thought, "That's a deviled egg recipe I'm gonna need to try."

[Grandma's] Deviled Eggs

This is Part I of my Deviled Eggs series… stay tuned for some serious fun (think bacon, curry, hot sauce).

However, before I share any non-traditional recipes, I have to share the recipe that is near and dear to my heart. Some people like pickles in their deviled eggs. Some like olives. In my family, we like sugar. My grandma is notorious for this - she used to add sugar to the sugar-free Kool-Aid mixes (and let me tell you, that's a real rush).

Grandma's Deviled Eggs

8 eggs, hard boiled*
1/2 cup Miracle Whip (if you're doing it Grandma's way, you won't use mayo)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp mustard
1/8 tsp pepper
Paprika

Peel eggs & cut in half. Scoop yolks into a bowl and mash with a fork. Add the rest of the ingredients, and mix until smooth. Scoop or pipe into eggs, and sprinkle with paprika.

*There are a lot of articles with very specific and complicated ways to boil eggs, but I just do it my mom's way: put eggs in cold water, bring to a boil, boil for 10 minutes, take off heat & submerge in cold water. Once cool, you can peel them (you can put them in the fridge to help with the cooling process).

Bomb-Diggity Bacon Salsa

The other day I was watching the Food Network (shocker), and saw that my old friend Trisha Yearwood now has a cooking show (coincidentally, she also does Zumba). I already had an appreciation for Trisha, but this knowledge brought it to a whole new level. Turns out she's a pretty bomb cook too, and makes her salsa with...

wait for it...

bacon.

I've been dying to try the recipe ever since. Needless to say, I finished off my bag of chips (I'm going to need to start looking for something else to put this salsa on).

Below is a slightly modified version of her "Salsa Ranchera" (see original recipe here). Salsa Ranchera just didn't quite capture the greatness of the recipe... so I also modified the title.

Bomb-Diggity Bacon Salsa

6 slices thick-sliced bacon, cut into strips

4 medium tomatoes, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced 

1 serrano pepper (see note below), de-stemmed, de-seeded, and finely diced

1/2 tsp cumin

1 1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp salt

In a large saucepan, cook the bacon until it gets brown, but before it gets crispy. Add tomatoes, onion, garlic, pepper, cumin, salt, and pepper to the pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for ten minutes. Serve warm or cold. Probably warm, since you're not going to want to wait (I prefer it warm anyway).

Note: I know everyone's spiciness preference is different, so you will want to adjust this recipe to your taste. I thought two peppers made it just a little too spicy (my lips were burning). If you don't like any heat at all, I would probably just replace the serrano pepper with a green bell pepper. If you're not as much of a pansy as I am, go for two. 

Roasted Garlic & Lemon Broccoli

So, I've never been a big vegetable eater. I know I'm supposed to eat them, so I do, but I have a hard time enjoying them. I've really never been a broccoli fan. Until now. I found this recipe at The Amateur Gourmet, and it is AAA-MAZ-ING. I've also seen it called "The Best Broccoli of Your Life." I guess you'll just have to find out for yourself.

Roasted Garlic & Lemon Broccoli
1 lb. broccoli crowns
5-6 tbsp. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 lemon
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Salt & pepper

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Start by washing the broccoli, then chopping off the broccoli heads and arranging them on a cookie sheet covered in foil. Drizzle the olive oil and sprinkle the diced garlic over the top of the broccoli. Add salt and pepper. Cook in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the tops of the broccoli start to turn brown. Take out of the oven, and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Zest the lemon over the top of the broccoli, then squeeze the lemon juice over the top as well. You won't be disappointed.

Parmesan Knots

These little knots were super easy to make and super delicious. There's not much more I need in a recipe. You may want to double this batch, because, simply put, you're gonna want more.

Original Recipe Source: Taste of Home

Parmesan Knots
1 tube (12 oz.) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
1/4 c. olive oil
3 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried parsley

Cut each biscuit into thirds. Roll each piece into 3-inch long ropes and tie in knots. Tuck ends under. Place two inches apart on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown (check the bottoms to make sure they don't burn!).

In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, oregano, and parsley. Toss warm knots in the mixture once they are done baking.

Cheddar Bacon Ranch Dip

Okay, so this is the easiest, most addicting dip ever. The recipe is courtesy of the Plain Chicken blog (I've tried a few recipes from this blog, and have never been disappointed). She called it "crack," and it proved to be so at girl's night. Beware... you won't be able to stop eating this once you start.

[scroll to bottom for complete recipe]

This recipe has just five simple ingredients:

I added green onions to the original recipe for a little extra kick... plus I just love onions.

Cheddar Bacon Ranch Dip
-16-oz container sour cream
-1 packet ranch dressing mix
-3-oz packet bacon bits (in the bag, not the jar)
-1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
-3 green onions, chopped

Mix together all ingredients, and refrigerate before serving (if you can wait). I am also going to try modifying this recipe the next time I make it to be a little healther--with Greek yogurt instead of sour cream, and turkey bacon instead of bacon bits... we'll see how it goes. ENJOY!

Hummus

I don't know about you, but I love me some delicious hummus. However, I feel it's kind of hit-and-miss with store-bought hummus - so I decided it was about time to make my own. It was actually super easy... especially if you have a nice food processor (which I decided I need to invest in).

Ingredients:
2 cans garbanzo beans, drained
1/4 cup tahini (aka sesame seed paste... you might have to go to a specialty store for this one)
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh parsley, minced
1 pinch paprika

Stick everything but the olive oil, parsley, and paprika in a food processor or blender (as long as it's a really good blender... my little magic bullet didn't quite do the trick). Mix until smooth. Scoop into a bowl, then drizzle olive oil and sprinkle the paprika & parsley over the top. You won't be disappointed. I like hummus with pita bread, pita chips, or veggies--but do what you like with it!

Black Bean & Avocado Salsa

This recipe is almost... embarrassingly easy. I get so many requests for the recipe, though, so I decided it would be a great addition to my blog.

You will need:
3 ripe avocados
1 red onion
3-4 tomatoes
juice of 4 limes
1 bunch of cilantro
4 ears of fresh corn (or 1 can of golden corn)
1 can black beans, rinsed
Fresh jalapeno or serrano pepper for an extra kick (optional)
Italian dressing seasoning packet
Salt & pepper to taste

Okay so the instructions are as follows... chop the tomatoes, onion, cilantro & avocado and put into a bowl. Add the corn, black beans, & lime juice. Use Italian dressing seasoning packet and salt and pepper to taste... and that's it! If you let it sit in the fridge for about an hour, it allows the flavor to come out better.


For this batch of salsa, I was especially lucky to be able to use mostly produce that was in season:

Delicious, red tomatoes


Fresh corn on the cob


Crisp red onion...


All locally grown!

And then there was the fresh cilantro, lime, and avocado from the grocery store... I guess everything can't be in season at once.







MOST. DELICIOUS. SALSA. EVER.