March 31, 2013

Deviled Egg Chicks

Easter is almost over but I had to share this last Easter recipe with you.

Another cute one :)

You can use whatever measurements you like for your deviled egg mixture. 




 




















Deviled Egg Chicks
  • hard boiled eggs
  • mayo
  • mustard
  • salt and pepper
  • carrot
  • black peppercorns
Cut the very bottom of the each hard boiled egg so they will sit up. Cut the very top off the hard boiled eggs to use as a hat. Remove yolks, mash in a bowl with mayo, mustard, and salt and pepper until smooth. Spoon into the egg whites, leaving some peeking out of the top, enough to place eyes and a nose on. Place peppercorns in the yolk mixture for the eyes, and trim carrot for feet and nose. Top with egg white that you cut off the top for a hat.

Printable Recipe


Things got a little messy trying to keep the lil chickie standing up, and the hat made it a little top heavy, so be careful!

I hope you all enjoyed your Easter celebrations with family and friends. I sure did enjoy spending Easter with mine.  

Happy Easter to you all!

Peace, and bacon grease!


Deviled Egg Daisies

Here's another simple Easter recipe using eggs.

Deviled Egg Daisies
from Hungry Happenings
  • 4 hard boiled eggs
  • deviled egg mixture (yolks, mayo, mustard, salt and pepper or whatever you like)
  • green onions
Cut eggs lengthwise down the middle, making 8 halves. Spoon deviled egg mixture in the center and arrange egg halves around the mixture, creating a daisy flower. Make a stem, leaves, and grass out of green onions.

*Note: I only used 7 halves because the other didn't peel prettily but use 8 so that your petals are connected.  

Printable Recipe 




































 


Simple, cute, and only uses a few ingredients.

I would have used 8 egg halves but they didn't turn out too pretty when I peeled them. Still trying to perfect the hard boiled egg so that it peels perfectly. I've tried so many ways but none of them seem to work consistently. Any suggestions for the perfect hard boiled egg?

One more Easter recipe coming your way today!

Peace, and bacon grease!



Baby Chickie Eggs


Happy Easter!!!

Today I'll be sharing 3 super simple Easter recipes using EGGS!

Easter isn't as fun as it used to be. I miss dressing up in my prettiest little girl Easter dress, getting piles and piles of candy in my Easter basket, and going to the neighborhood Easter egg hunt and searching for all those colorful eggs with other adorable kids. I can't wait to have kids one day so I can give them those experiences.

My future mama-in-law did give us little Easter "baskets" when we went out for my birthday dinner on Friday. It was so cute! She is so thoughtful, and there were some DELISH candy goodies in there, along with some lottery tickets. Love that woman. 

Ok enough of the sentimental stuff, let's get to the food.

 
















These are just hard boiled eggs cut in half, with peppercorns for eyes and carrots for noses. The original recipe uses black sesame seeds but I couldn't find any at the store so I had to improvise. They are cute cuz the eyes are tiny so if I can find some in the future, I'd use those.

Baby Chickie Eggs
from Just Jenn Recipes
  • hard boiled eggs
  • black goma sesame seeds OR peppercorns
  • 1 carrot   
Peel hard boiled eggs and slice in half carefully to not tear the yolk. 

Cut small wedge pieces from carrot to make noses. Add black sesame seeds or peppercorns for eyes.

Printable Recipe

All done! See how easy that was?

More Easter recipes to come!

Peace, and bacon grease!


March 29, 2013

Bunny Pretzels


I'm such a last minute kinda person. Procrastinator, they call it. 

I've always been this way when it came to my homework and school papers, and still am to this day in grad school.

I always wait until the weekend before my SRC posts are due to make the recipe.

And I always find myself sharing holiday-themed recipes with you like days before the big day. At best, a week in advance. I wanna be like those people who start posting Easter recipes in February, but I'm just not that organized!


























But hey, you've still got time to make these little easy cuties. They do take some patience if you want to get the decorating part down perfectly, which I didn't. But there's no cooking, and only a few ingredients. 

How cute are these Bunny Pretzels?!?! If you don't make them for the taste at least make them for their cuteness. 

























Bunny Pretzels
from Stop Lookin', Get Cookin'
  • Wilton candy melts - white, and pink and black if you don't have edible markers
  • Twist pretzels
  • Edible markers - Americolor Edible Markers suggested
  • Nonstick mat (I used Silpat) 
Place pretzels on a Nonstick mat.

Melt candy coating according to package directions.

Once candy coating is melted, spoon a small amount inside each pretzel until the holes are filled.

Let the chocolate set for 15 – 30 minutes before you start to draw the face with the edible markers. Wipe the markers off after each use. Sometimes the oils from the chocolate can clog the openings of the marker and they won’t work as well. If not using edible markers, pipe eyes, nose, and ears on with melted candy melts. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Printable Recipe 


















I haven't yet mastered my decorating skills, since these kinda look like Hello Kitty pretzels. And I bought Wilton's foodwriters, but they did not work well at all on the chocolate. So I ended up only using the black foodwriters for the eyes and whiskers... that's why the whiskers aren't perfect. And the pink wasn't working at all so I ended up using some pink Wilton's candy melts for the nose and ears. So maybe take Kendra's advice if you're going to buy some edible markers, and get the Americolor Edible Markers brand.
























 
Make these and put em in your kid's Easter baskets! Adults can get Easter baskets too, ya know :)

Peace, and bacon grease!




March 28, 2013

Cocoa Krispies Egg Nests


It's been a week since I've posted a recipe. Boo to that!

But I'm back on my game and bringing you these cutie Easter treats.

Cocoa Krispies Egg Nests!


























No cooking required, just a microwave! Yall know I like easy and quick. 

And they're adorable AND a rice krispie treat + Cadbury mini candy-coated Easter eggs.


































Cocoa Krispies Egg Nests
from Will Cook For Smiles
  • 3 cups Cocoa Krispies
  • 5 oz marshmallows 
  • 2 tablespoons butter 
  • Cadbury mini candy-coated Easter eggs
Place butter and marshmallows in a large microwave-safe bowl. Heat in microwave for 30 seconds. Stir. Heat for another 30 seconds or until completely melted. 

Add the Cocoa Krispies to the mixture and mix well. 

Lightly grease a muffin pan. Fill muffin cups with Cocoa Krispies mixture. Press the centers to form an indentation for the nest so that you can fill with Cadbury candies. Allow to cool before filling with candy.


Printable Recipe

















Warning: This will get messy!

Hopefully I'll be sharing a few more Easter treats with you before the big day Sunday. 

I love a good reason to make themed food!


Peace, and bacon grease!


Sam Adams Beer Pairing Dinner at Final Cut Steakhouse


Last week I had the honor of being invited to a Sam Adams Beer Pairing Dinner at Final Cut Steakhouse in Hollywood Casino. Our first time there wasn't the best, but acceptable.

This time though. My interactions with Madeline (who invited us by email to the event) were pleasant. When we arrived they were so friendly and took us back to the Sam Adams event area, where we were greeted by our on-site contact Jerry. Great service already, off to a good start. 



























We also were given a Sam Adams glass with their Boston Lager upon entering. It was a nice balance of sweet and a tad spicy with a smooth finish.







































First up, Sam Adams Summer Ale paired with Final Cut Steakhouse's Lobster Grinder with Battered Asparagus Fries. The fries were atop some kind of sauce for dipping, it tasted like hollandaise but I'm not sure. All I know is that is was magical and I never wanted it to end. The rolls were perfectly golden and a bit toasted, and those huge chunks of lobster. I can't. The Summer Ale was also tasty, with a lemony and tad spicy flavor to it. 

 





 








Up next, Olive Oil Poached Halibut with Cherrystone Clam Chowder paired with Sam Adams Double Agent IPL. Well now I know I love halibut! It was very light but not that fishy taste at all. I love the lemon and garlic flavors and the clam chowder with the halibut, and those little potatoes and peas. Another perfect dish. And so fancy! The IPL was too bitter for my taste, and I'm not a fan of grapefruit. That's one reason why I'm not always drawn to craft beers because they can be bitter. So I'd pass on the IPL personally. But anytime I see halibut on a menu these days I'm going to be tempted to order it if it's going to be as good as this beauty.







































At this point I started to lose some lighting as it started getting dark out so sorry for blurry and dim pics. The 3rd course featured a Crispy Pork Belly with Blackberry Sauce, paired with Sam Adams New World Tripel. I was hesitant about this dish but discovered that I am OBSESSED with pork belly. This was PJ's least favorite course, however. He thought it was too crispy and too salty. In other words, he's crazy. I loved the crisp layer of the pork belly contrasting the tender pork layers. And I didn't think it was too salty at all. I think the sweetness of the blackberry sauce helped cut down on the saltiness for me. I love sweet and salty mixes so this really hit the spot. I'm not sure what the yellow sauce was but everything together was heaven in my mouth. I didn't want this course to end either! I'll be on the lookout for Pork Belly dishes everytime I go out to eat now too because this was THAT good to me. I also LOVED the New World Tripel. It was sweet like I like my beer... I didn't taste mango or pineapple per say but I did love the sweetness of it. I'd buy this in a heartbeat, but it's not for sale in stores yet. I felt special being one of the first people to try this special special beer. I'll be buying it as soon as it hits stores! Of course one of my favorite beers was the 10% ABV  :)







































And yes I took notes :) Only me, only me.

On to the 4th course.... Smoked Duck Breast, Sweet Potato Puree, and Tasman Red Gastrique, paired with Sam Adams Tasman Red. PJ loved the duck dish, it was my least favorite however. It wasn't bad, just didn't compare to the other dishes in my opinion. I didn't like the Tasman Red either as it was too bitter and again, had too much of that grapefruit taste.




























After 4 courses and samples of beer, I was a bit full. But I had to make room for the 5th and final course, Belgian Doughnuts with Coffee Caramel and a Stout Frappe, paired with Sam Adams 13th Hour Stout. I only ate a few bites of the Belgian Doughnut and it was pretty good, but not amazing. I LOVED the Stout Frappe though. It was sweet and it was oh so good. The 13th Hour Stout was also one of my favorites. I didn't taste the coffee or chocolate at all, and PJ didn't either which was good because he doesn't like coffee and thought he wouldn't like this beer but we both thoroughly did. I tasted a hint of cherry too. And it's 9% ABV. I'll be adding this to my beer repertoire purchases for sure.







































They also served a sample of my FAVORITE beer right now, Angry Orchard. It is an apple-flavored hard cider that I discovered at last year's Oktoberfest. Love the sweet and sour balance. I had no idea they were affiliated with Sam Adams and I've been drinking it every weekend for I don't even know how long! So it was a treat to see that offered on the sample menu. I've tried the Crisp Apple, Apple Ginger, and Elderflower and loved them all!

And they gave us each one of those Sam Adams glasses to take home with us.

Can I just say that I want to do this like every week? The food was amazing, they treated us like kings and queens, and I found a couple new craft beers that I can't wait to buy regularly once they become available to the public. I felt so special being one of the few to try some of the beers before everyone else. Final Cut and Sam Adams, we were honored to be your guests for this amazing event and you can invite us back anytime! It was one of the best nights I've had in awhile :) Besides losing $20 in the casino before dinner. I knew we shouldn't have stopped in there!


Peace, and bacon grease!





Final Cut Steakhouse on Urbanspoon

March 20, 2013

Frosted Irish Cream Brownies

 























What do ya know? Another challenge! I'm the queen of cooking challenges.
























This one holds a special place in my heart though. Why?

 























Because. There's alcohol involved. Every month.

Cooking and/or baking with alcohol, that is. It's called Spiked! Recipe ChallengeCan a challenge get any better than this?





This month our theme was Irish Cream liqueur. When I think of Irish Cream liqueur, I immediately think of Bailey's. I found a pack of mini Bailey's at Target and had to buy them awhile back, so this was the perfect recipe to use them on. Besides sipping on the rest of course. 

 























Frosted Irish Cream Brownies
slightly adapted from Betty Crocker

Brownies
  • 1 package (1 lb 3.5 oz) fudge brownie mix
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup Irish Cream liqueur (Bailey's)
  • 2 eggs
Frosting
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons Irish Cream liqueur (Bailey's)
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2-3 teaspoons milk
Glaze
  • 1 oz semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1 teaspoon butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon Irish Cream liqueur (Bailey's)         
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom only of a 13x9-inch pan. In a large bowl, combine all brownie ingredients; beat 50-60 strokes with spoon. Spread in greased pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until brownies are set and begin to pull away from sides of pan (bake for minimum time and then check on them). DO NOT OVERBAKE. Cool 45 minutes or until completely cooled.

For frosting, beat butter in small bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in all remaining frosting ingredients, adding enough milk for desired spreading consistency. Spread over cooled brownies.

Place glaze ingredients in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH for 30 seconds; stir until melted and smooth. Drizzle over frosted brownies. Refrigerate 30 minutes or until firm. Cut into bars.

Printable Recipe   

























PJ didn't enjoy them much because he doesn't like coffee-flavored things, including Bailey's. He cray cray. I loved them!!! More for me.


























Go sign up and learn the rules ASAP!

Hope there's some alcohol left over for drinking!! :) Do I sound like an alky yet?



Peace, and bacon grease!



Cinnamon Sugar Crisps


Time for another month of the Surprise Recipe Swap hosted by Jutta at HungryLittleGirl. Yeah, baby.

This month I was assigned to Michelle's blog, Michelle's Tasty Treasures. It wasn't hard finding a recipe as I've been a follower of hers for some time now. 

I knew I wanted to make that Green Fruit Salad, and knew that her Cinnamon Sugar Crisps were perfect to go with it. 



  













Cinnamon Sugar Crisps
from Michelle's Tasty Creations
  • 10 - 6 to 8 inch flour tortillas
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  • cooking spray
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line a large baking sheet with parchment and set aside.

In a small bowl mix the sugar and cinnamon until completely mixed.

Place one tortilla at a time on top of the parchment and spray with cooking spray then liberally sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar mixture.  Press the cinnamon mixture into the tortilla and flip over.  Repeat on the second side.

Cut into wedges and place in a single layer on the parchment lined baking sheet arranged close together.

Bake for 8 - 10 minutes or until crispy.  Let cool completely on the baking sheet before removing to a plate or bowl.  They will get a little crispier when cooled.   

Repeat with any remaining tortilla wedges until all are baked.

Store in an airtight container or Ziploc bag.


Printable Recipe

 

 

 

 

 

So easy, few ingredients, and still so tasty.

Check out all of the other great creations in this month's swap!

HungryLittleGirl

 

 

 

 

Peace, and bacon grease!