The Perfect Hard Boiled Egg

A few tips for perfect hard boiled eggs?  The night before you boil your eggs, turn the whole egg carton on its side. This will help position the yolks directly into the center of the egg. This works great if you are using the eggs in a deviled egg recipe

To boil your eggs: Place eggs in large saucepan, fill with water, fully covering the eggs. Sprinkle with a little baking soda, about 1/2 tbsp. (this helps keep the shells from sticking to the egg when you peel them, so they still look pretty!) Set over high heat until the water is boiling. Cover pot, remove from heat. Set timer for 14 minutes. When they are done, remove with a slotted spoon and place into a large bowl of ice water to keep the eggs from cooking further. Once cooled, peel. Hard boiled eggs will keep good in your fridge, with shell-on for 1 week.

Waste Not

While scrolling Facebook, I came across a post by another food blogger. She was asking her readers what they do with the remaining egg white/egg yolk that a recipe might call for. I for one, always discard the egg white if I am only to use the yolk and vice-versa. Well not anymore! There were some pretty good responses that I would like to share.
1. Feed them to your dog...Ive heard eggs are great for them. It was not specified whether you would cook the egg white or egg yolk first, but I would for good measure.

2. Save it for breakfast the next morning. Obviously if you are only using one egg and already taking a portion of it out for your recipe, then I'm not sure how filling that alone would be. Maybe with some toast, mixed with a little pico de gallo? That sounds like a great way to start my morning!

3. Apparently, you can freeze the yolk/egg white in ice cube trays for another recipe later on. I have not tried this, so I do not know how quick this will thaw or how big of a mess this might make when it comes time to use them.

4. Make a lemon curd. Here is a recipe from Yum Sugar you can try.

5. Save the yolk for french toast the next morning--yum!

6. Use the leftover yolk to make mousse or pudding.

7. Yolks for custard or bread pudding.

8. Cheesecake!

9. Hollaindaise sauce or mayo

There are other types of food you can use them for, but I think you get the idea. So I will leave you with my own suggestion that I was surprised to not see in the comments:
10. Use the yolks for a carbonara pasta sauce ;)

BBQ Deviled Eggs W/ Pickles & Parsley

So I know some of you might be thinking BBQ sauce on deviled eggs might be a strange combo... but I'm telling you, it isn't! That is the great thing about deviled eggs, there are so many different ways they can be prepared, for many different taste preferences. Well this is my favorite way of having them, and they look pretty too! This particular version, was from my Cuisine at Home magazine from June 2010.

*A few tips for perfect hard boiled eggs?  The night before you boil your eggs, turn the whole egg carton on its side. This will help position the yolks directly into the center of the egg.
To boil your eggs: Place eggs in large saucepan, fill with water, fully covering the eggs. Sprinkle with a little baking soda, about 1/2 tbsp. (this helps keep the shells from sticking to the egg when you peel them, so they still look pretty!) Set over high heat until the water is boiling. Cover pot, remove from heat. Set timer for 14 minutes. When they are done, remove with a slotted spoon and place into a large bowl of ice water to keep the eggs from cooking further. Once cooled, peel. Hard boiled eggs will keep good in your fridge, with shell-on for 1 week.
   

Now onto the fabulous recipe!

12 hard-cooked eggs, peeled, cut in half, and yolks removed
2 oz softened cream cheese (10 sec in microwave will do it)
1/4 C mayo
1 tbsp prepared yellow mustard
1 tbsp BBQ sauce ( I use Sweet Baby Rays)
3 tbsp minced dill pickles
2 tbsp minced sweet onion
2 tbsp minced fresh parsley
salt and pepper, to taste
sliced pickles for garnish

Carefully rinse and pat dray egg halves to remove any extra yolk.

In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, mix together yolk, cream cheese, mustard & BBQ sauce until smooth. Fold in minced pickles, onion, and parsley. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Fill a plastic bag with the yolk mixture and snip the tip. Divide filling among egg whites. (Or get fancy and use a piping bag, and desired tips. I used a star tip for mine in photo. Drizzle with BBQ sauce. ( I used a small squeeze bottle to accomplish this mess free.) Top each with a slice of pickle. You can wipe up any messes on the egg with a paper towel.
Serves about 12...considering people will only take 2 halves ;)

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies

Who doesn't love cookies?!??! They are simply the greatest thing in the world universe! While some cookies are of course better tasting then others, I have never had a bad cookie experience. If asked what my favorite type of cookie is, I never have an answer. I am however partial to the texture of cookie I prefer.. I like them crisp on the outside, and ooey-gooey chewy in the center. Well I wont keep you waiting long for this great recipe. It is one of my go-to cookie recipes that never disappoints! They are good in an airtight container for about 2-3 days but freeze very well and can be enjoyed right away after taking them out of the freezer.

2 C oats

1 C flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 C peanut butter

3/4 C butter

1 C packed brown sugar

1/2 C white sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

 Preheat oven to 350º. In medium bowl, whisk together oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. 

 In large bowl, beat peanut butter & butter until smooth. Add sugars, mix well. Add in eggs and vanilla. Stir in dry ingredients to peanut butter mixture. 

Shape dough into 1" balls, chill dough if too soft.  

Place balls 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Flatten with floured fork in a criss-cross pattern. Bake 8-10 minutes.

--recipe source unknown

Kielbasa & Wild Rice Soup w/ Butternut Squash

We have been enjoying a nice visit back home in Tucson this month. Been busy with baby showers, birthdays, taking our turn at being tourists in our home town, and taking advantage of having grandparents close by to sneak away for a date night or two. So to sum it up, we have been BUSY! Going out to restaurants are fun of course but while traveling and not being in your usual routine at home, its hard to come across a good home-cooked meal that took a little time to prepare.

Fall is here, did you know that? I was aware of the season change, but with trip planning and the craziness of getting visits in, I haven't had time to really enjoy it.  I got a nice surprise one night after a long day of errands, visits, and trying to squeeze too much plans into one day... Enter fall.. My moms house smelled wonderful! Unfortunately we had already ate dinner (something quick on the way). We had a cranky boy who was falling asleep and had plans to sneak in some Blizzards from Dairy Queen and relax with some TV before bed. My mom told me she made some soup... didnt sound as appealing to me as the smell was...and I had my ice cream, so I told her I would check it out another time.

The next day, while trying to find something to eat for lunch... nothing sounded good anymore and I was beyond bored of sandwiches, I found the soup sitting in the fridge. Looked alright, smelled great, so I decided to check it out. Well it certainly did not disappoint! It reminded me of the season I was missing out on with our busy plans. It was warm, comforting, savory, and hearty. With butternut squash and smoked kielbasa, it was exactly what I needed. Unfortunatly, I do not have a picture to post on this one. By the time I  tried the soup and decided I had to share this great recipe, it had already gone to the freezer and I didnt think a picture of a soup ice cube would grab your attention ;) Next time I make it, I will snap a photo for sure! This recipe came from Cuisine at Home Issue 96, the only changes made at the time, was with out the heavy cream added (which still made a winning recipe). Enjoy!

14oz. kielbasa, half-moon sliced
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 C diced onion
1/2 C diced celery
1/2 C diced red bell pepper
2 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp cayenne
1 tsp dried thyme
1 C dry wild rice (I used Uncle Bens, reserved seasoning packet for another use)
2 tbsp flour
1/2 C dry sherry
5 C low-sodium chicken broth
4 C diced butternut squash (1-1/4 lb)
1/2 C heavy cream
salt and pepper, to taste

Cook kielbasa in a large pot over medium-high heat until beginning to brown, 5-6 min Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.

Melt butter in same pot, then stir in onion, celery, bell pepper, garlic, cayenne & thyme; saute until onion is translucent, 4-5 min. Stir in rice, then stir in flour to coat.

 Deglaze pot with sherry, scraping up browned bits; cook until thickened, about 2 min. Add broth & kielbasa, bring to a boil, and reduce heat to med-low. Cover pot & simmer soup until rice is nearly cooked, about 30 min (depending on the rice directions you are using).

Add squash, cover, & cook until squash is tender, about 15 min more. Stir in cream, then season soup with salt & pepper.

Makes 6 servings, about 10 cups

Chocolate Banana Ice Cream

So a few months ago, my mom was telling me about something she heard about from Dr. Weil. I recall being distracted by my son (who chooses to let his presence be well known when I decide to be on the phone). What I heard her telling me of mashed bananas and cocoa powder and calling it "ice cream", I thought sounded very misleading in every sense and admittedly tuned her out (sorry mom!). So fast forward months later, I heard of this really cool idea from various Pinterest posts of turning mashed bananas and cocoa powder into ice cream! It took me a little while to make the connection that this was exactly what my mom was so excited about, but I gave the idea a little more consideration--still had not tried it yet though...until today. Yes, I finally decided to give this one a try. My lack of interest before, was because I am not too much of a fan of bananas. My son however, is a huge fan! As in, we use to have to hide bananas because he would eat them all day every day if it were possible. He was watching a show on tv, DisneyJr. I believe, and there was a little demo/commercial about making banana "ice cream", Gavin who has a sweet tooth like no other...and loves ice cream, blurted out that he wanted to make some! My immediate thought was, "hey if this could fill the gap on real ice cream for him, then sign me up!" Bananas are always getting thrown out for getting too ripe around here, so why not! Well, let me tell you, after trying this stuff, I am now a true believer that you can blend up some frozen bananas and call it ice cream! There are plenty of different ways to make this, but this is the one I came across from The Nourishing Gourmet. >>Simple Chocolate Banana Ice Cream

So it really is simple, all you need are 3 ingredients...

2 bananas, frozen (From my own experience, peel bananas BEFORE you freeze them)
1 tbsp (I had mine heaping) of unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 tsp vanilla extract

*That's right, NO SUGAR NEEDED* the bananas make this sweet enough!

Plop the ingredients into a food processor or blender until creamy. This made a soft serve consistency, which I thought was great! Other things you could try, adding strawberries, coconut, nuts, sprinkles.. whatever! Enjoy ;)

Summer Veggie Casserole w/ Ground Beef

One of my favorite things about cooking, is there are no limits! I love trying a recipe in its original form (at least once!) and although it was great the first time, and usually deserves a second round, sometimes you just have different ingredients on hand and you know that what you have will do, if not make it better! Well that is what this casserole recipe brings! I adapted this casserole from a Philadelphia Cooking Cream Contest winner (Summer Casserole Surprise w/ Zucchini & Mushrooms). My son, who isn't too crazy about mushrooms, gobbled this one up!

10oz uncooked elbow noodles
1 C sliced zucchini
6oz pkg sliced mushrooms
3/4 tub Philadelphia Savory Garlic Cooking Creme
1 Jar garlic spaghetti sauce
8oz ground beef
1/2 C shredded mozzarella

Preheat oven to 350º. Set a large pot of water to boil. Once boiling, add your noodles, cook about 7 min (or according to pkg directions.). In last min of cooking, add your zucchini to the water. Drain mixture in colander.

Meanwhile, brown ground beef over me-high heat. Add the mushrooms to the ground beef until they start to brown a little. Once beef is cooked through, stir in cooking creme. Remove from heat; set aside.

Mix about 3/4 pasta sauce with the noodles and zucchini. Pour half the mixture into the dish. Layer on top half of the mushroom mixture. repeat layers. Spread remaining pasta sauce over top, and sprinkle with shredded mozzarella. Bake in preheated oven about 15-20 min. Let stand 5 min before serving.