Bacon Ranch Deviled Eggs!

As we have discussed before, "Deviled Eggs" are a southern staple for holidays, parties, potlucks, cookouts....anytime people gather to eat!!!  Some people get hung up on the name with the 'devil' being in it.

The term ''Deviled' is just a food term for anything cooked with hot spices or spiced up some way.  We actually also called them 'dressed eggs' in our part of the country.

Whatever you call them, they are dang good and always a crowd pleaser and with all ages!

You know I like to change things up a bit sometimes and since I love anything with 'ranch seasoning' and 'bacon', why not put them in the deviled eggs!!!

 I played around with it and I must say it's delicious.   I actually liked these better than the original eggs and they are so easy!!!  

Here is what you will need:

10 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled

12 eggs, hard boiled

1/4 cup mayonnaise

2 Tbs. sour cream

1 Tbs. dry ranch dressing mix

1 tsp. mustard, yellow or Dijon

1 Tbs. grated Parmesan cheese

dash of salt and black pepper

dash of Tabasco sauce (optional)

paprika or Cajun seasoning for garnish

Place eggs in enough water to cover them.  Add a tsp. of vinegar and a dash of salt and they will peel much easier.  Also, if you can, don't use really fresh eggs that you just bought.  They are much harder to peel than eggs you have had in the fridge for a few days.  

Bring to a boil and boil for just a minute with cover on pan.  Turn heat off and let sit for about 12 to 15 minutes in the hot water.  Run under a couple changes of cold water and peel.  They will peel much easier.

With a sharp knife cut down the center lengthwise.  Remove the yolks and place in a bowl.  Mash with a fork.  Add half of the bacon  crumbles and all of the other ingredients and stir together until smooth.  

You can fill them with a spoon or put the filling in a piping bag and pipe it in for a very pretty presentation.  Sprinkle with just a little paprika or I like to sprinkle with just a bit of Cajun seasoning which gives them a little more spiciness. 

Finally top them off with the other half of the bacon crumbles!!!  

These are so yummy and they will disappear fast!!!  Enjoy!!!

Deviled Egg Macaroni Salad!

With Easter and Spring right around the corner, my mind is wandering to recipes that are more suited for warmer weather and cookouts!  It can't get here soon enough for me.  I think we all think of eggs and "Deviled Eggs" when we think of Easter.  This recipe is a really delicious combination of hard boiled eggs, macaroni, and veggies with a tasty dressing.

 Here is what you will need:

1 lb. elbow macaroni, cooked according to pkg. directions

6 hard boiled eggs, peeled and diced

2 cups mayonnaise

1 Tbs. yellow mustard

2 Tbs. sugar

1 tsp. white vinegar

1/3 cup sweet pickle relish

2 stalks of celery, diced

1 red or green bell pepper, diced

1 bunch green onions, sliced thin including the green blades

1 tsp. seasoned salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

paprika

Drain the cooked pasta well and set aside.  In a mixing bowl, combine the mayonnaise, yellow mustard, sugar and white vinegar and stir until the sugar has dissolved.   Stir in the pickle relish, celery, bell pepper, green onions, seasoned salt, and black pepper.   Place the pasta and the diced boiled eggs in a large bowl and pour the dressing over all and toss lightly until it is all coated.  

Sprinkle the top with paprika!

You can serve this immediately or chill and serve cold!   This would be great for cookouts or potlucks, because it feeds a crowd and it is so tasty!

Sausage Potato Frittata!

This "Sausage Potato Frittata" is a great meal when you are short on time and it's good for breakfast, lunch or dinner!   If you haven't ever made a frittata, it's similar to a quiche, but cooks in much less time.  This recipe is pretty basic and very hearty, but you can add anything extra you like.  Green or red peppers, mushroom or some diced zucchini would be great also.  Here is what you need:

  

1 lb. ground breakfast sausage

1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil

3 cups potatoes, peeled and diced

8 eggs

1/4 cup sour cream

1/4 cup half and half

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1 cup shredded Gouda cheese (can substitute Swiss or Monterrey Jack)

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

4-5 green onions, sliced thin

In a large oven proof skillet brown the sausage. Remove the sausage to another dish.  I just used my large iron skillet.  Leave the drippings in the skillet and add 1/4 cup oil.  If the sausage rendered a lot of grease, you might not need as much oil, but usually sausage nowadays doesn't rendered much grease.   Add the diced potatoes to the skillet and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.  Fry the potatoes just like you would ordinary fried potatoes.  Toss the potatoes to coat with oil.  Cover with a lid and cook for about 15 minutes on medium heat. 

Remove lid and turn to brown on the other side.  You don't need to brown these as much as you would for fried potatoes, because this will be cooked more from this point.  Add the browned sausage back to the pan.

In a bowl whisk together the eggs, sour cream, half and half, salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Add the cup of Gouda cheese or Swiss if that is what you are using.  Pour evenly over the potatoes and sausage.  Move the skillet around to cover it all.  Cook uncovered over medium heat for 4-5 minutes or when the eggs are set.  The top will still look shiny and wet.  When you move the skillet around the eggs don't move around the edges.  Sprinkle the cup of cheddar cheese on top.  Place in a 375 degree oven for about 5 minutes or just until the top is just starting to brown.  Don't over brown this, because then it will be over cooked. 

See how it's just lightly browned.  The cheese on top is what browns. If you don't think it's done enough run it under the broiler for just a minute, but watch it closely.   Sprinkle with the green onions.

Slice and serve!  If you use a nonstick skillet you can slide it onto a platter or cutting board, but since I used a cast iron skillet I just served from the pan. 





Cheesy Breakfast Enchiladas!

I love enchiladas and I also love breakfast casseroles you can prep the night before, so this recipe for

"Breakfast Enchiladas" was right up my alley!  This is so delicious and even the "Picky One" loved it (my husband).  It's a really good breakfast or brunch dish, but you can serve it for supper also!  Here is what you will need:

1 lb. breakfast sausage, browned and drained

3 cups cheddar cheese

6 (8 inch) flour tortillas

6 large eggs

1/2 cup half and half cream

1 Tbs. flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. seasoned salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

dash of hot sauce (optional)

fresh parsley and fresh cilantro for garnish

Brown the sausage in a skillet and drain excess grease.  Add 1 1/2 cups of the cheese to the sausage and mix.   Fill each tortilla with 1/6 of the mixture and roll up, leaving the ends open. 

As you roll, lay them in a 9"x13" baking dish that has been sprayed with nonstick spray!

In a bowl, whisk the eggs, half and half and seasonings together.  I added a dash of Tabasco sauce to mine for a little zing, but it's totally optional!  Pour the egg mixture over the rolled tortillas.

Sprinkle the top with the other 1 1/2 cups of the cheese.  Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.  This is best if prepped the night before, but you could bake it immediately also, if you didn't plan ahead.

Leave the foil on and place in a preheated 350 degree oven for 40 minutes.  Uncover and bake for an additional 10 minutes to sort of brown the top a little.

Sprinkle the top with a little fresh parsley and cilantro!

Serve the plain or with a little sour cream or I topped mine with some of the "Fresh Pico de Gallo"

that I posted yesterday!  It made them so good!  I also served them with "Fried Potatoes" which was yummy!  I found that cutting each one in half and serving the halves side by side on the plate worked best also!  I have to say this is going to be a regular at our house!







Quiche Lorraine!

This creamy quiche makes the menu even more suitable for an Easter Brunch.  If you are using the menu for a bridal shower or baby shower, you could bake the quiche mixture in the mini muffin tin and make the bite size quiches. 

This is a lighter quiche than some I have made and bakes up very nice. 

Ingredients:

4-5 slices of bacon cooked up crisp and drained
4 eggs
1/4 cup finely chopped green pepper
1 Tbs. finely diced onion
2 cups cheddar or Swiss cheese (either works fine)
1 cup half and half cream
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 8 inch pie shell

Crumble the bacon and place in the bottom of the pie shell that has not been baked.  Beat eggs with wire whisk.  Add in half and half, onion, green pepper, salt, and pepper and whisk together.

Place cheese in pie shell on top of bacon and pour egg mixture over this.

Before you pour the egg mixture in the pie shell,  place it on a cookie sheet.  Place the quiche on the cookie sheet in a 300 degree preheated oven. 

Bake for 40 - 45 minutes or until the center is firm and not jiggly.

Crustless Buttermilk Quiche!

This "Crustless Buttermilk Quiche" is a great quiche you can whip up in no time and it's good served for breakfast, lunch, brunch or a light supper!   I started making crustless versions of quiche when I was trying to cut some of the carbs in my diet and I found that I really didn't miss the crust all that much.   These are also great when you don't have a pie shell or time to make a pie crust!   The use of buttermilk in this is a little different also and you know it can only make it better!  Buttermilk is one of the ingredients in southern cooking that just makes it or breaks it!    Here is what you will need for this quiche:

1 lb. breakfast sausage (1 roll),  browned  (can substitute diced, cooked ham for sausage)

1/4 cup sliced green onions

3 Tbs. butter, melted

4 large eggs

1/4 cup flour

1  1/4 cup buttermilk

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. seasoned salt

dash of hot sauce (I used Tabasco)

1 cup shredded Swiss cheese

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Crumble and brown the sausage in a skillet.  Add the green onion for the last 5 minutes just to get it tender.  If there is excess grease, drain that off.  

Spray a quiche dish or deep pie plate with nonstick spray and place the sausage and onions in the bottom.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the butter, eggs, buttermilk, flour and seasonings.  Stir in the cheeses.  Pour evenly over the sausage mixture.  Make sure to spread the cheese around evenly.

Place in a 350 degree oven.  It's best to place this on a cookie sheet.  I used the Temptations pie plate which is just the perfect size, but if you use a regular deep pie plate, it will be very full.  Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until a sharp knife inserted into the center comes out clean.   If it starts to brown too much, just lay a piece of foil over the top.  Slice and serve immediately!

This is great served with hash browns or fried potatoes!