Deviled Eggs with Smoked Salmon and Dill

Hi everyone!  I'm back...well, mostly back.  Now that I'm back in the land of the living (thanks to a sweet baby girl who has slept nearly 7 hours straight for the past 3 nights), I feel like cookin' again!  

Besides, our dinner delivery service officially stopped last week (sniff sniff!).  We had lovely friends who brought us dinner 3x a week for nearly 6 weeks.  Yes, I was spoiled.  Very spoiled! 

Now that I've dried my tears, LOL...let's talk eggs. 

I've made these deviled eggs before, and man...they're good.  Mighty fine eatin', I'm telling y'all.  But, I can't make 'em today, because it's Friday, and it's Lent, and we can't eat any bacon today. :-(.

However, we can use some lovely smoked salmon instead, and it's nearly as good.  Bacon is tough to beat, but I needed to take something tonight to Mom's Night Out.  Maybe tonight I'll finally win the Bunko pot!  At any rate, I'm betting I won't come home with any leftovers. ;-)

Deviled Eggs with Smoked Salmon and Dill 

1 dozen large eggs

4 ounces smoked salmon (about 3/4 of a cup), finely chopped

4 tablespoons mayo

2 tablespoons fresh dill, finely chopped, plus more for garnish

4 teaspoons dijon mustard

salt and black pepper to taste

cayenne pepper to taste

1 tablespoons (or more to taste) fresh lemon juice

paprika for garnish (if desired)

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil.  I like to use a large, deep skillet.  Then I don't have to wait as long for the water to boil.  (I'm short on time these days...I never know how long this baby will sleep for me!). 

Once the water is at a boil...

use a large, slotted spoon to gently lower your eggs in. 

Wait for the water to come back to a boil.  Turn off the heat, put on the lid, and let the eggs sit for 12-14 minutes. 

If you let your eggs sit out for about 1/2 an hour before you boil them, there's less chances of them cracking on you.  Cold eggs don't like hot water ;-).

After 12-14 minutes, place your eggs in a large bowl of ice water. 

When they're cool enough to handle, peel off the shells.  Some say to peel them under running water so the shells come off more easily.  I just hold them in the bowl of water and peel them that way.  You can do it however you like.

At this point, you can put the eggs back in the fridge and finish up later...which I had to do, because my baby girl woke up.

Otherwise, cut each egg in half lengthwise, and gently scoop out the yolks into a medium bowl.  Put the egg whites aside for just a bit. 

Here's a little tip:  If you slice just a little bit of the egg white off the bottom of the empty halves, they'll sit flat instead of sliding around all over the place.  This works especially well if you don't have one of those deviled egg serving platters.  I do, but I still like to take a little off the bottom of the eggs. 

Use a fork to mash the egg yolks.  Combine them with the smoked salmon, mayo, dill, and mustard.  Season to taste with the salt, pepper, cayenne, and lemon juice.  

Spoon the mixture back into the egg whites and garnish with a sprinkle of paprika and a tiny sprig fresh dill if you'd like. 

Well, I did come home with leftovers from Bunko night, but I had the most losses of the night (I lost 9 rounds), so I won $15!  How about that? :-)

At any rate, now y'all have another deviled egg recipe to use.  Comes in handy after you dye a couple dozen eggs with your kiddos for Easter, right? 

God bless your table tonight!

Wordless Wednesday: The Chicken and the Egg

I was watching Good Eats on Food Network the other night.  My hubby actually watches the show...he likes the science behind all of Alton's recipes.  Anyway, the topic of discussion was Chicken and Dumplings.  I was intrigued enough to try and making some for dinner, with "dropped," dumplings instead of the "slick," noodle-like dumplings.  Alton had nothing in his broth except the meat and the dumplings.  I added some fresh thyme (because I like thyme with chicken), plus leeks, carrots, and celery per David's suggestion ("That's how my mother made them."). 

What can I say? Where has this dish been all my life?  Simple comfort food...and the hubby liked it too.  Excuse me while I go sneak another bite out of the pot!

As for the egg--I love the smoked paprika I get from Penzey's.  Whenever I make deviled eggs, I always sprinkle a little regular paprika on top for a pretty garnish.  I figured smoked paprika would be good, if not better.  Just for the heck of it, I googled, "smoky deviled eggs, " and this recipe popped up.  So of course I made 'em. ;-)

Let me tell you...these were easy, and they were GOOD.  I took them to our playgroup today...we had a potluck and Easter egg hunt for the kids.  I made a dozen, (24 halves), and they were gone in an instant...I was barely able to save the last one for David to sample tonight when he gets home from work (and he liked them as well). 

I guess this is not a "wordless" post after all, but I probably won't post anything for Friday as it is a day of fast and abstinance for us.  Christina is hoping for grilled cheese...which is starting to sound good.  I'll try and get up a post for Easter; mostly things I have made before, but one new dessert recipe will be up for show.  It's from the Pioneer Woman...so you know it's going to be good!

God bless your table tonight!

Eggs Benedict For Father's Day

I wanted to get this up in plenty of time to make for your favorite Dad on Father's Day. Poached eggs may seem intimidating, but there's really not so much technique to it as there is timing. I made Eggs Benedict for the first time last year and served them on toasted English muffins with smoked salmon...it was heavenly ('cause of course, I made myself a plate too)! And yes, please cheat and use a prepackaged hollandaise sauce mix...it makes me feel less guilty for not making it from scratch...thanks, I appreciate it!

I think Dads deserve breakfast in bed just as much as Moms do, so get ready to crack some eggs. If you're still unsure about poaching eggs, have a practice run before Sunday ;-)

Classic Eggs Benedict

Makes 1 serving

1 package hollandaise sauce mix

butter and water for the hollandaise sauce mix

2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar

1 tablespoon salt (for the water)

2 large eggs

salt and fresh black pepper

4 thin slices deli ham

1 English muffin, split in half

fresh dill for garnish (if desired)

Fill a large, deep saute pan with water, to within an inch from the top. Don't use a pot if you can help it...the eggs will take longer to hit the bottom, and they may not cook up as nicely. Crank the heat up to high...we want this baby to boil.

Meanwhile, make the hollandaise sauce according to the package directions. I just used this one from Walmart.

Please do not skimp on the amount of butter it calls for...it really is necessary to make the sauce rich and creamy. You can work off the calories later. Once the sauce is done, turn down the heat to the very lowest setting (as low as you can get it) to keep it warm, and cap with a lid.

Now for the eggs. Once you have a good boil on the pan of water, turn your heat down slightly so you have a nice medium boil. Add the vinegar and salt, and stir to combine. The vinegar helps the egg whites stay together once it hits purgatory, and the salt adds flavor.

Crack your eggs into a couple of measuring cups with handles. This is the easiest way to get both eggs in at the same time. (If you need to make four eggs, use 4 cups).

Hold the measuring cups over the water...

and gently tip them in. They will turn white and start to cook immediately.

Poach the eggs for 3 to 4 1/2 minutes. If you like the yokes very runny, you're a 3 minute egg person. If you're like me, you are more of a 4 minute egg person, where the yolk is loose, but not all over the place. Everyone with me?

While the eggs are poaching, lay the ham out on the English muffin halves and toast. I do them together in my toaster oven.
It is very necessary to use a slotted spoon to lift the eggs out of the water once they're done. This helps cradle the egg gently so it doesn't break and drain the excess water away.

Hold the egg over the water for just a few seconds to let any water drip off.

Carefully place the eggs on top of the ham covered muffin halves...

and sprinkle with some salt and pepper.

Ladle the hollandaise sauce over the eggs...and be generous! Mmmm.....!

The fresh dill adds a nice layer of flavor with the lemony, buttery sauce. Usually, I will sprinkle it on, but I didn't this time (I did after I took the pictures ;-).

I cannot tell you how good this is! I feel like I'm on vacation at a nice hotel, on a Saturday morning with room service. Ahhh! (Okay...I had a craving too...but don't tell anyone!)

Now see...that wasn't so hard, was it? Hope you give this a try!

Happy Father's Dad to all our Dads and God bless your table tonight!

Bacon, Leek, and Tomato Frittata

Eggs are just about the quickest protein you can get on the table. My kids love frittatas and think it's great when Mom makes 'em for dinner. I sneak in some veggies, and they don't mind too much, especially if I melt some cheddar or monterry jack cheese over the top...they dig right in.

In case you're wondering, a frittata is a open-faced omelet cooked in a large, non-stick skillet. If you are intimidated by regular omelets because you don't like the idea of flipping eggs over, this is the perfect recipe for you. It looks impressive, but you don't have to flip a thing :-).

You can use any combination of vegetables you like. I have leeks, grape tomatoes, baby yellow tomatoes, and yellow squash from our garden, but blanched asparagus, parboiled potatoes, scallions, green bell pepper, zucchini, or corn will work just fine. If you don't have yellow tomatoes, just use all red grape or cherries. Instead of bacon, deli ham, turkey, or turkey bacon is fine if you want to cut back on the fat.

Bacon, Leek, and Tomato Frittata

8 large eggs

2 tablespoons fresh basil, thinly sliced

Splash of milk

salt and black pepper to taste

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 cup baby yellow tomatoes

1 cup red grape or cherry tomatoes

1 medium leek, thinly sliced

5 slices bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 cup yellow squash, diced

1 cup monterrey jack cheese

In a medium bowl/measuring cup, whisk together the eggs, basil, milk, salt and black pepper. Set aside.

Have your bacon and vegetables all ready to go. You can't chop and cook at the same time with this dish, because it goes rather quickly. Please pretend I posted a picture of the yellow squash here; I wasn't going to at first, but I needed to use it up...thanks for understanding ;-).

Are you wondering why I don't have a pic of my cut-up tomatoes?

Well hold on...I have the NEATEST trick to show you! I saw this on an episode of the Rachel Ray show and I practically squealed with delight, because I really knew it would come in handy with the millions of tomatoes I've been picking. Here's just a sampling of what we've been harvesting the past 2 weeks.

First, take two plastic deli lids...from your Chinese take-out containers, grocery store, or where ever. Place one lid right side up on your work surface.

Put however many little tomatoes will fit into the lid, on their sides.

Now, place the second lid, upside down, on top of the tomatoes.

Take one hand, and hold the lid down, gently, but firmly. Use your other hand and a nice sharp knife to cut the tomatoes in half, in between the lids.

Look...perfectly sliced tomatoes!!!

Isn't that COOL? Come on? Aren't you squealing like I was? (Okay, maybe not, but still...this trick has saved me all week :-).

Just for fun, I did some red grape tomatoes too. Put all the prepped tomatoes together in a bowl.

Heat up a 12-inch, non-stick skillet over medium heat. Make sure your skillet has an oven-proof handle. You also don't want to use a pan that is really old and beat up. Chances are the non-stick surface has worn off as well, and it would be awful to make a beautiful frittata that sticks to the pan.

When your pan is ready, toss in the bacon, and cook until it's nice and brown.

Next, add your leeks. There should be enough bacon fat in the pan to cook the leeks, but if not, then pour in the olive oil. We want to be absolutely certain the frittata will slide right out of the pan when it's done.

Continue to cook the bacon and leeks for about 4-5 minutes, then add the yellow squash.

The tomatoes go in next...just cook those a few minutes until they start to soften.

Season everything up with some salt and pepper. At this point, heat up the broiler in your oven.

Turn your heat down to medium low, and carefully pour in the eggs.

Let the eggs cook for about 5 minutes. Use a plastic spatula to gently lift the edges so any uncooked egg runs underneath.

When the top is almost set (edges are done, and top is still moist and a bit runny), sprinkle on your cheese, and pop the skillet under the broiler.

Now, I've said this before, and I'm going to tell you again...do not leave the kitchen. The broiler is SUPER hot, and the frittata needs just a few minutes under the heating element so the eggs finish setting up and the cheese melts.

Use an oven mitt to remove the frittata when it's just a little golden brown on top.

Cut into wedges and serve immediately. My hubby likes his frittata with salsa.

Coming up...more recipes using tomatoes and a little somethin' special for Father's Day. I tell you, we are so overrun with tomatoes...I'm having to cook with 'em nearly every day...otherwise, I can't keep up!

God bless your table tonight!