Brittany's PantryLemon-Herb Deviled Eggs & New Easter Traditions
Brittany wrote this on 25 April 2011
eggs, gluten-free, lemon, sour cream
Is that an oxymoron? New traditions? I suppose, or nothing would ever change would it? And my life seems to be all about change lately…
In the interest of wanting to start some new traditions, I of course went straight to food. Usually, when I read a recipe, I can pretty much guess what it is going to taste like. I can read a list of random ingredients, put together the flavors in my head, and sort of know what the result will be like. I have a farely distinct palette and while I know that that has something to do with it, I believe that the majority of my ability comes from cooking, and reading a lot of recipes. Experimentation is a significant player too. Each recipe I try, with success or failure, teaches me something about my skills (or lack of) in the kitchen, my preference for certain flavors and techniques, and what foods taste like together.
All of those things aside, I recently looked at a picture and knew I had to make it. Forget ingredient lists. The picture looked so good, I practically ran to my kitchen to bake them.
Hot Cross Buns!
Yum, right? And ooooooh my goodness they are awesome. This is what I am talking about. Behold! My new Easter tradition! I will henceforth be making these every Easter. And maybe around Christmas too. And Labor Day. And Groundhogs Day.
I got the recipe from here. I followed it exactly with no tweaking. If you are new to yeast breads and regard them as a rather scary endeavor, this is perfect for you. No kneading or guessing about how much flour. It is straight forward instructions and a very forgiving recipe. I highly recommend giving them a try. I also suggest that you eat one right out of the oven, with no frosting. Yeasty and wonderful!
As for the posting today, I thought I would give you a recipe to help use up all those hard boiled eggs leftover from Easter. No doubt you have been flooded with deviled egg recipes and I could be different and give you something original. Like Mock Turtle Soup. Blegh. But instead, I am going to leave you with one of my favorite deviled egg recipes.
Lemon-Herb Deviled Eggs
Adapted from Bon Appetit
Refreshingly light and tangy, these are a delightful change from the norm. I love to bring them to a pot luck and watch them disappear!
6 hard boiled eggs
3 T sour cream
1 heaping T mayo
1tsp Dijon mustard
Zest of 1/2 lemon
Splash of fresh lemon juice
Cayenne Pepper to taste
Chopped fresh parsley or thyme
Peel eggs, then cut in half lengthwise. Transfer yolks to small bowl and mash with fork. Mix in sour cream, mayonnaise, and mustard. Stir in the rest of the ingredients and taste for seasoning. Spoon yolk mixture into whites. Sprinkle generously with chopped parsley and/or thyme. Serve immediately or cover and chill.
If you have ever had these beauties at a restaurant but never made them yourself, don’t be intimidated! I am pretty sure there are only two real requirements and those are tortillas and eggs. After that anything goes.
Years ago I had my first breakfast burrito at a Sonic, and I have never been the same since. They put tator tots in it! Well, not exactly tator tots, but whatever kind of fried potato round that they serve there. And I thought, ‘Man! This is brilliant!” I haven’t had one at Sonic since, but I make my own all the time; infinitely healthier, easier, cheaper, and in my opinion, tastier. I make these for breakfast (it never hurts to state the obvious), lunch, and dinner. Especially in the summer when we are outside playing until the very end of the day and I don’t want to come in and heat up the kitchen by using the oven, or take a lot of time to put together supper for the family. And hey! Perfect for picky eaters! Each one is made to order!
Breakfast Burritos
Remember. This is not rocket science. Just build what you like. This is how we usually make them.
Tortillas, white or wheat
Scrambled Eggs
Sausage
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Cream Cheese
Chives
Tator Tots
Sometimes Spinach
Hot Sauce, optional
Cook the tator tots according to package directions. Through experience we have discovered that it works well if you start by spreading some cream cheese on the tortilla first. Then sprinkle with cheese. Add your sausage and chives (we just snip them over the eggs with a scissors) to your eggs just before they are set and ti will all hold together a bit better. Dump the egg mixture onto the cheese and top with tator tots. Top with hot sauce, if desired. Wrap and enjoy!
Pasta With Zesty Bolognese
Brittany wrote this on 20 April 2011 beef, cream cheese, pasta, tomatoes
Let me just say that I love to share this recipe with people.
Quick Disclaimer: I think my spell check isn’t working…
It isn’t my creation, but when people would ask me for a recipe for something quick and easy, I would give them this. When a friend is looking for something that is different from the norm, but doesn’t want it to require a degree from the CIA (Culinary Institute of America) to make it, I pass this along. And even after the one millionth time I get requests for my old stand bye, tried and true recipes (and then start a food blog so that I have a place to put them all for you to see!), I still am excited to add this to the list. Because, really, that is the point of me doing this at all. I started this blog so that after searching for different recipes from every source imaginable, trying them out and testing them, all of you could benefit. If it is posted here, it worked for me and chances are, it will work for you too.
Speaking of random sources, this recipe is from the Food and Family Magazine that is put out by Kraft. I think it is free, as I don’t ever recall subscribing to it, and truth be known, I rarely cook from it. Nearly all of the recipes include a ‘convenience food’ as a main ingredient; boxed mac and cheese as a base for a chili mac recipe, jarred spaghetti sauce poured over frozen chicken patties and topped with cheese for chicken parmigana. Not quite my bag and usually not very healthy. But every once in awhile, I sort of go “Huh. That is a good idea!” I have been making this recipe for a long time and then kind of forgot about it. Which I am really bummed about because it would have been perfect to throw together when my kitchen was out of commission. Oh well.
Bolognese is a traditional italian meat sauce that is mostly meat and not much sauce. It is thick and chunky so don’t expect it to coat your pasta like a marinara. It won’t. However when my son was little, I did discover that it is these very qualities that make it excellent finger food for a toddler. So far, I have been unsuccessful in creating this dish with out the bottled dressing. I have tried several times to make it but substituting different spices and vinegar, but I can’t quite get it to taste as good as the original version which has tremendous flavor. If I ever finally nail it, I will amend the recipe later. Until then, though far from a traditional bolognese, this is just plain awesome.
Pasta With Zesty Bolognese
Adapted from Kraft
Traditional Bolognese takes hours and hours to make. This version can be done in the time it takes you to boil the water and cook the noodles, making it perfect for a weeknight dinner.
1 small onion, chopped
1 pound of ground beef
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1/4 c Zesty Italian dressing or Italian dressing
2 T cream cheese
3/4 pound (12 oz) spaghetti, cooked according to package directions
parmasen cheese
While boiling the water and cooking the noodles, brown beef and onions in a bit of olive oil in a large sauce pan. Once cooked, drain any fat and add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and italian dressing. Heat until bubbling slightly and let cook for a few minutes to let all the flavors merry. Just before serving, turn off the heat, add the cream cheese and stir until it melts into the sauce. Serve over pasta and top with parmesean cheese.
Honorable Mention:
This dish has such robust flavor, it goes really well with whole wheat pasta, so feel free to switch it up. Ground turkey is good in here too. This sauce freezes great, but sometimes (and I don’t know when it isn’t ALL the time-wierd) the cream cheese curdles slightly when you reheat it. This doesn’t affect the taste at all and I still freeze leftover sauce all the time. It is also fantastic with roasted peppers in it. Just use the kind jarred in water, dice them up and throw them in. Super good.
Love a Good Recipe?
Then you’ve come to the right place! I’m Brittany, and I share tested, trusted recipes you’ll love. I prepare & photograph food, obsess over the perfect recipe, and enjoy grins of delight when I serve up something awesome. Enjoy!
