I have a lovely collection of devilled egg platters, many of them from my sister and others I have purchased at Winners or elsewhere in my travels. The one in the photo isn't one of the fancy ones but is very practical. It's a Pampered Chef Cool & Serve Square Tray, the green insert can be frozen to keep your eggs (or veggies and dip or whatever) chilled. Smart! (Disclosure - I sell Pampered Chef) Devilled or stuffed eggs are one of my favourite goodies to bring to a potluck. Devilled eggs contain some zesty ingredient such as mustard powder or hot sauce whereas stuffed eggs don't contain the spicy stuff, such is my understanding.
I've been making these devilled eggs for about 10 years! Those scribbled little notes beside recipes don't lie about the passage of time. I ramped up the heat recently with the addition of Sriracha sauce after being inspired by The Sriracha Cookbook.
Curried Devilled Eggs
6 eggs
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon lemon or lime juice
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2-1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2-1 teaspoon Sriracha sauce
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons minced red bell pepper, plus slivers of pepper to garnish
1 tablespoon minced cilantro, plus more leaves to garnish
Prepare hardboiled eggs and cool in ice water when they are done cooking. I cook mine in the steamer tray of my rice cooker, give them a little tap on the counter before I plunge them into ice water. They usually peel well and have no grey ring around the yolk.
Slice eggs in half and remove yolks to a bowl. Mash yolks well with the mayonnaise. I toasted my curry powder because the Sharwood's label said "Cook before using" and it does bring out the flavour. Mix the curry powder, turmeric, Sriracha, salt, red pepper and cilantro with the egg yolk and mayo until well combined.
Fill the egg halves with the yolk mixture. I used a cookie press with no tip on because the peppers and cilantro jammed up the tip. I have also put the filling in a ziploc bag and snipped a small hole in the corner to fill eggs. Garnish with whole cilantro leaves or slivers of red pepper.
What is Pinterest, you ask? Only my most favourite place on the internet! Pinterest is a bookmarking website. It is a user driven, visually based content-sharing site. In 2012 it was the fastest growing social media website. Users, also called pinners, "pin" photos, videos, graphics to virtual bulletin boards. Ideally, these pins link back to the source website where you will find the recipe, instructions, place to buy that cute sweater, as the case may be, although some pins are just a pretty picture.
Who uses Pinterest? 82% of Pinterest users are women, and most of those are in the 26-34 year old age bracket, followed closely by the 35-44 age group.
Why might you want to use Pinterest? Boards can be used for many things: ideas for building, remodelling or decorating projects, recipes to try or ones you have tried, birthday party plans, shower and wedding plans, bucket list, school projects, sewing projects, exercise routines, gardening plans, photography ideas or just having all those humorous things that make you smile in one place for days when nothing goes right. My sister and I each have a board titled Things my sister will like, because we were often emailing each other cool stuff.
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| About me on Pinterest |
Collections of photos can show very plainly where your tastes fall when you are agonizing about decorating decisions! It's wonderful to be able to access your collection of recipes when are visiting your sister and making your famous appetizer. Or your boyfriend could plan your whole wedding on the sly, as seen on the Global Calgary Morning Edition!
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| I used my On the Porch board when we redid our front porch |
How do you get on Pinterest? Go to pinterest.com and click Join! You can sign in using Facebook login or set up a Pinterest login. When you join, you will be asked about your interests and Pinterest will set up your account to "follow" Pinners with similar interests. Following someone means that their pins show up in your personalized feed. You can choose to follow anyone, either all of their boards or just one or two. Conversely, anyone can also follow you! The more people you follow, the more interesting your personal feed will be. You can always click on the Everything feed to see, well, everything being pinned on Pinterest at that moment.
You can repin the pins you see by clicking on the red PinIt! (formerly Repin) in the top left corner of the photo and pinning it to one of your Boards. You can also edit the description of the pin. You can also pin new content from most websites, although some block pinning. Pinning new content keeps Pinterest fresh and interesting!
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| Of course it is! |
You can use Pinterest on your desktop/laptop computer through your browser. You can also download the free app for your iPad, iPhone or Android device. I love the iPad app. You can browse the internet from inside the app and pin new content.
Of course, there are downsides to Pinterest. It is not very searchable but that makes it like a thrift shop treasure hunt. If you like something and don't pin it, you may never see it again. The biggest downside is the time sink it can become. Guilty! Easily solved, though:
I have been pinning since the spring of 2011, back when it was by invite only, although anyone could browse the pins. Yes, I have lost many hours in front of the computer but probably would have otherwise lost them in front of the tv. And I wouldn't have found such gems as the Syfy TV series Eureka, inspiration for Project 365 and many awesome blogs and recipes. There is so much creativity out there! Enjoy it!
Once you have figured out the basics, here are some links to more advanced topics:
Time with Thea: Using Pinterest to Organize your Ideas and Inspirations
Time with Thea: Why I Have 130 Boards on Pinterest
Time with Thea: How to Organize Your Boards on Pinterest
Time with Thea: Strategies for Finding Pins to Pin on Pinterest
I brought this lovely combination to bunko on Saturday evening and got rave reviews. When I post here I like to feature a relatively original recipe because I wouldn't want someone to plagiarize my recipes. However, I got so many requests for the recipes that I agreed to post links on my blog. That is one of the main reasons I started a blog - so I wouldn't have to email so many recipes!
The focaccia bread is from King Arthur Flour. Easiest bread recipe ever! Instead of the pizza dough flavour I use 2-3 teaspoons of Focaccia Bread Spices from Epicure Selections and skip the cheese powder to keep it lactose free. I sprinkle some dried oregano and Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt on before baking it in a Pampered Chef 9x13" stoneware pan.
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| Ingredients I added |
I found the Lemon Artichoke Pesto on Red Shallot Kitchen via Foodgawker. The only change I made to
the original recipe was to add a dash of Tony Chachere's Creole
Seasoning because I was looking for a little heat.
These recipes are so easy that I made them the morning we hosted a birthday party for two of our children! Yes, that easy. Now go make some!
I purchased this cookbook at Winners because I loved the photography, and I'm always looking for good appetizer recipes. The original recipe used an arugula and hazelnut pesto but I thought some Southwestern zing would work well so I kept the concept but changed up the flavours.
The cilantro pesto recipe comes from my very awesome friend Cass. She typed it into the Notes app of my ipad during our last visit. Bye-bye to scribbling recipes on a scrap of paper! She uses this zippy condiment on everything from soups to corn on the cob to sandwiches.
Butternut Squash and Cilantro Pesto Bites
The Roasted Squash
20 - 1" cubes of butternut squash (I used a box of precut cubes from Costco)
1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon ancho chile powder
salt and pepper to generously season
Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a bowl, combine 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, cumin and chile powder. Season generously with salt and pepper. Add the squash cubes to the bowl and toss to coat with the seasoned oil. Spread the squash cubes on the baking sheet and bake for 30-35 minutes until tender and slightly browned. You don't want to cook them to mush, they have to be firm enough to hold a toothpick. While the squash cubes are baking, make the pesto.
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| Roasting the squash |
The Pesto
1 small bunch of cilantro, including stems
1 jalapeno (include the seeds if you want more heat)
1 clove garlic
1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1/2 - 1 lime (depends on how juicy it is)
salt and pepper to taste
Blend the cilantro, jalapeno, garlic and olive oil in a food processor until they reach a pesto texture. Add lime juice to taste. Keeps in the fridge for a week or more and it freezes well too.
To serve, place a small spoonful of the pesto on a cube of roasted squash and insert a toothpick to pick it up.
This recipe is a simplified version of one in my favourite little sushi book called Sushi: easy recipes for making sushi at home by Emi Kazuko, Fiona Smith and Elsa Petersen-Schepelern.
I take a shortcut by using ready-to-bake frozen tempura shrimp. I have also added a garnish of spicy mayonnaise. If you have never made sushi before, this is a great place to start. My 9-year-old is assembling the rolls in the photos here!
These are best eaten soon after preparing because the nori softens and get chewy.
Tempura Shrimp Rolls (click for printable)
20 ready-to-bake frozen tempura shrimp
1 cup sushi rice, cooking according to package directions
1-2 teaspoons sushi seasoning vinegar
2-3 sheets nori seaweed
1 teaspoon wasabi paste, optional
baby arugula
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2-1 teaspoon sriracha pepper sauce
Cook rice according to rice cooker or package directions. Bake shrimp according to package directions.
While
shrimp is baking, cut nori into strips. If the shrimp are large, cut
the whole sheet into 1” wide strips. If they are small, cut the sheet
crosswise, then into 1” strips.
Season the cooked sushi rice with the sushi seasoning vinegar and stir gently.
Combine
the mayonnaise with sriracha pepper sauce. Place in a small ziploc bag
and seal. Snip a very small triangle off one corner.
To
prepare the rolls, place a piece of arugula on the nori, then a scant
tablespoon of the seasoned rice. If you are using the wasabi, put a
little bit on the rice. Place the cooked shrimp on the rice and roll up
the nori. A grain of rice or a dab of water will stick the nori
together.
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| A spoonful of rice and a little wasabi |
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| Golden tempura shrimp on the rice |
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| Roll it all up |
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| All rolled up |
Turn over and garnish with a little squirt of the sriracha mayonnaise.
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| Enjoy!! |
Mr. Chatterpie is lactose intolerant. So this is one of those recipes I make when I can share it with a big crowd, otherwise it would just be me using the celery sticks and apple slices (hey, that doesn't sound so terrible) as ladles (but that does) to convey this tasty dip to my mouth.
This is a Pampered Chef recipe from the Season's Best Recipe Collection Spring/Summer 2006. It might seem like an unusual combination of ingredients and even if you are not a fan of curry, give this a chance. I actually prefer the canned chicken to leftover cooked chicken in this recipe.
Warm Curry Chicken Dip (click for printable)
Dip
1 cup cooked chicken (or one 12 ounce can, drained), finely chopped
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions, including green tops
1 package (8 ounces/250 grams) light cream cheese, softened
1 cup (4 ounces/125 grams) grated cheese (I use Tex-Mex blend, Mozzarella is also recommended)
1/4 cup golden raisins
1 clove garlic, pressed or minced
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Topping
1/4 cup flaked coconut (either sweetened or unsweetened)
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup mango or peach chutney or apricot jam
additional green onions to garnish
6 celery sticks and 3 Gala apples, cut into wedges to serve
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Ingredients for the dip
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Preheat oven to 400F. Spray a small (4-cup capacity) casserole with vegetable oil spray.
Combine chopped chicken, green onions, softened cream cheese, grated cheese, raisins, garlic, curry powder and salt. Mix until well combined. Spread over bottom of prepared casserole dish.
Bake 18-20 minutes until heated through. Alternatively, the dip can be heated in the microwave at full power for 4-5 minutes until heated.
While the dip is baking, toast the coconut and sliced almonds. This can be done in a small pan on the stove, in the microwave or in the oven. Slice the celery into sticks and cut the apples into wedges.
Spread chutney or jam over warmed dip. Sprinkle with toasted coconut and almonds. Garnish with additional sliced green onions if desired. Serve with celery sticks and apple wedges.
I found this gem on Pinterest last spring and thankfully made these beans several times before the link broke/vanished/slipped the surly bonds of cyberspace. Mangiadasola, thank you so much for this recipe and it deserves to live on, so here it is.
The original recipe was titled "Healthy Refried Beans" and gave instructions for cooking it in a slow cooker or on the stovetop. I have only made it in the slow cooker so those are the instructions here.
It is one of the simplest recipes I have ever seen but these beans are so delicious! They can be left whole when finished cooking and eaten like that (one certain child at our table loves them so much she eats them out of the serving bowl with her fingers - someone ought to teach her some manners!), added to recipes like chili or mashed to make refried beans like in the original recipe.
Here is my version of the easiest, healthy refried beans.
1 cup pinto beans, rinsed (no soaking required!)
4 cups boiling water
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons kosher salt (I use Diamond Crystal)
Place all ingredients in slow cooker. If you have all day, use the low setting. If starting this after lunch, use the high setting. You can't really overcook them but beans that aren't fully cooked just aren't nice. So err on the side of more cooking time than less. I usually start them around 10 am on high and turn the setting to low when they bubble furiously so they are ready around 5-6 pm.
To make them into "refried" beans, scoop out most of the water but reserve some in a bowl. Mash the beans with a potato masher, adding the reserved cooking water to make the desired consistency.
This is my newest fave appliance - a hot water pot. Hot water for tea all the time! And so handy when I need boiling water to make beans too.
It is really hard to take a good photo of cooked beans, either whole or mashed. So please enjoy the lovely shots of pinto beans accented with red Tupperware and red trim on the Ikea towel!
