Beulah's North Carolina Deviled Eggs

"I want to eat deviled eggs, but I don't want anyone to see me eating them." -- Guy at the BBQ last night, right before devouring a deviled egg.


What it is about deviled eggs that makes people feel so...for lack of a less offensive word, white trash-y? There's no shame in mixing egg yolks with mayonnaise and stuffing them back into the eggs from whence they came, people!

I started making my Grandma Beulah's deviled egg recipe quite frequently last summer, when I would inevitably have some sort of barbeque to attend every weekend, and they're a hit every time. In fact, among my little social group, they've become sort of a tradition. You bring them to a party and everyone says, "Wow! I haven't had deviled eggs in forever!" and then person after person proceeds to pop them into their mouths like candy. Why anyone would be embarrassed to enjoy such a simple summertime delight is beyond my understanding.

Don't be ashamed to make this easy and delicious picnic classic - your friends will thank you.

DEVILED EGGS

INGREDIENTS
Makes 23-24 deviled eggs (sometimes there's not enough filling to fill the last one or two egg whites)

1 dozen large eggs
Hellman's mayonnaise (about 1/2 cup)
Mustard (a good hefty squeeze)
salt and pepper
couple dashes vinegar
pinch of sugar
paprika for sprinkling

sweet pickle relish, if you want to make them that way (about 1/4 c.)

STEP ONE:

Boil the eggs. Remove from the hot water and place in a bowl of ice water and put them in the fridge to cool down. When they are cool, peel the eggs.

STEP TWO:

Cut the eggs in half and place the yolks in a medium bowl. Place the whites on a plate.

STEP THREE:

Mash the yolks, and add all the other ingredients. Mix together until semi-smooth. Fill the eggs with the yolk mixture. Top with the paprika as a garnish.


Once my deviled eggs became an institution, my friend bought me a deviled egg carrier as a birthday gift, which has turned out to be more amazing and handy than I ever thought possible.


Happy Summer! Thanks for reading. More soon...

It's beginning to look a lot like party dip

Snow outside my apartment window can only mean one thing...holiday party season has arrived!

Champagne cocktails galore, roasted nuts in every bowl, and spinach dip as far as the eye can see...and don't even get me started on the plethora of holiday cookies. Ahhh...it really is the most wonderful time of the year.

Unless, of course, you're saddled with more potluck Evites than you can count and have the cooking skills of an eight year old.

Well, lucky for you, you read this blog! I have a few go-to things I tote to parties (thus, the season of schlepping through the snow begins...sigh) that are always crowd-pleasers.

I even tested a new recipe for a party this weekend, and it got rave reviews (and was completely demolished by the end of the night - always a good sign).

My old standby is a recipe my BBF Alisha gave me back in college. Hence, I have always called it Alisha's Taco Dip. Not only is it the crack cocaine of dip (seriously, people will just stand around the hors d'ouevres table and nosh ravenously), it's super fast and easy and requires ingredients you could probably grab at a 7-11 in a pinch.



ALISHA'S TACO DIP

1 package cream cheese
1 16-oz. container sour cream
1 package taco seasoning
1 can refried beans
shredded Mexican blend cheese

These are the basic ingredients - you can add any number of things to it - pimientos, jalapenos, black olives, tomatoes - whatever you want.

Just mix all the ingredients together except the cheese, spread in a casserole dish, cover with a layer of the cheese, and bake, uncovered, for about 30 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips.

The recipe that was such a hit recently is a Cheese Dip Pine Cone - very seasonal. I found a recipe in a magazine that inspired it, and just modified it to fit my tastes. The basic idea is that you shape cheese dip into an oval, and stick toasted sliced almonds in it to resemble a pine cone (a few girls at the party asked if it was supposed to be a Christmas porcupine...hmmmm).



CHEESE PINE CONE

2 8-oz. packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1 8-oz. container sour cream (I used light)
1 small jar pimientos
8 oz. havarti dill, grated
4 oz. chihuahua or other salty cheese, grated
1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley
squeeze of lemon juice
dash of cayenne pepper
dash of black pepper
sliced almonds, toasted
rosemary sprigs for the "greenery" garnish

I added the pimientos and parsley for a red and green effect (very Christmas-y), and they really added a lot to the flavor.

Mix all the ingredients except the almonds and the rosemary together in a large mixing bowl. Spread the mixture into an oval shape (I used a spatula to this and it worked well) on a tray. Cover and refrigerate from a minimum of 2 hours to overnight.

Toast the almonds in a single layer in the oven or in a pan. Cool. Starting at the top of the oval, stick them in one by one in a pine-cone-ish formation. Add the rosemary sprigs at the bottom.

Serve with crackers (I used whole wheat crackers and rosemary/olive oil Triscuits, and they were both great with it). It would also be great with crudites or french bread.



My last go-to party recipe is my Grandma's banana pudding. It's one of those throwback desserts that nobody thinks about, but one bite in, people are just standing around, practically shanking each other with plastic sporks to get at another plateful. And, like the Taco Dip, it's one of the easiest things you'll ever make.



BEULAH'S BANANA PUDDING

1 tub Cool Whip, thawed (do NOT use actual whipped cream in this, e.g., Reddi Wip - it won't work)
1 package instant vanilla pudding (you'll need milk, preferably whole, to make it)
1 box Nilla Wafers
5-6 bananas, perfectly ripe

Make the pudding and let it chill for about 15 minutes in the fridge until it's set.
In a large bowl, whisk in about 1/2 of the tub of Cool Whip until it's smooth.

In a 9 X 9" casserole dish or bowl, place Nilla Wafers side by side in the bottom to create a sort of crust.

Cut the bananas into round slices (about 3/4" inch thick). Place a layer of banana slices on top of the layer of Wafers.

Pour 1/2 of the pudding/Cool Whip mixture over the top, smoothing with a spatula.

Put another layer of Nilla Wafers and bananas on top. Pour the rest of the pudding on top. Using a spatula, spread the remaining Cool Whip over top of the pudding layer. Place a layer of Nilla Wafers (in a pattern, if you want) on top. Refrigerate for an hour before serving, or refigerate overnight to serve the next day.

So, friends, put on Mariah Carey's timeless Christmas album, spend some time in the kitchen with good food, good pals, and bad champagne, and enjoy the holiday season!

Thanks for reading! Happy Merry Christmahannukwanzakah!

Sex & the City: The Food

Pun-prone chick writer with big hopes, big dreams, and even bigger hair in the big city....

I know what you're thinking, and NO, I'm not talking about myself in the third person. I'm talking about my HBO hero (of sorts), THE Carrie Bradshaw!


I used to watch Sex & the City back when it was on HBO - before TBS censored all the good parts. I owe most of my theories on love and romance to that show (yikes?). It goes without saying that I have been anticipating the movie since the show ended back in my college days...and it's finally HERE!

Always on top of event planning, I had bought my tickets weeks ago and assembled a posse of chic ladies who were just as psyched as I was to see Carrie ruminate on the big screen (and I had heard rumors that there are not one, but TWO fabulous wedding dresses to behold in the film - be still my beating heart! But no spoilers here - you'll just have to see it yourself).

But what would a SATC-themed fete be sans Cosmos?!? And of course, since I am the Fearless Cook and not Carrie Bradshaw, after all, I made some tasty treats for the ladies (I kept it all light - don't want to strain those stilettos).

My inspiration for the party food came right from the runway. Each of the three things I made was inspired by one of the three infamous shoe designers mentioned on the show (The Trifecta): Manolo Blahnik, Jimmy Choo, and Christian Louboutin.



Manolo Blahnik ("I spent $40,000 on SHOES?!?") is a Spanish designer whose eponymous label has taken the show, and the fashion world, by storm. And what better way to celebrate a Spanish designer than to eat Spanish tapas? That's when I found the perfect Spanish Stuffed Tomato recipe.



MANOLO BLAHNIK = SPANISH TOMATO TAPAS

Jimmy Choo ("I lost my Choo!") is a Malaysian designer who works in France, so I decided on a South Asian twist on Shrimp Cocktails (cocktails also being appropriate to the occasion): Spicy Malaysion Shrimp Cocktails with Coconut Rice.

JIMMY CHOO = SPICY MALAYSIAN SHRIMP

And Christian Louboutin's signature is his famous red sole, which he says was inspired by his assistant painting her nails red one day in the design studio. So I wanted a very, very red dessert, hence my Balsamic-Macerated Berry Salad.

CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN = BALSAMIC BERRY SALAD

I used actual recipes for these dishes, so it's not exactly my typical fearless method, but I'm giving myself points for creativity with the whole shoe thing. Read on to see how it all came together.


INGREDIENTS

SPANISH TOMATO TAPAS



12-15 smallish tomatoes (I used the slightly-bigger-than-cherry-tomatoes that are still on the vine)
6 eggs
3/4 c. mayonnaise
3 cloves garlic
juice of one lemon
3 T. fresh parsley, plus sprigs for garnishing
salt and pepper

Hard-boil the eggs. Cut the tops off the tomatoes and scrape out the insides and seeds. Mix the mayo, garlic, lemon, parsley, and salt and pepper (to taste). Chop up the eggs and mix them into the garlic aioli mixture. Spoon it into the tomatoes. Garnish with fresh parsley.


SPICY MALYASIAN SHRIMP

2 lbs. raw, deveined, de-shelled shrimp
1 red bell pepper
4 jalapeno peppers
5 shallots
3 cloves garlic
1/2 c. water
1 can lite coconut milk
1 c. uncooked basmati rice
salt and pepper to taste
sugar to taste
juice of 6-8 key limes, or more to taste
10-12 T. oil (I used peanut oil)
fresh cilantro

Heat 6 T. of the oil in a large skillet. Salt and pepper the shrimp lightly, then fry on both sides until just pink. Remove from pan, leaving the oil in it. Roughly chop the shallots, bell pepper, and garlic. Remove the seeds and ribs from the jalapenos and roughly chop them. Combine jalapenos, bell pepper, garlic, shallots, and water in the blender and blend until you have a not-too-smooth paste. Add the rest of the oil to the pan, and cook the blended mixture with the oil, adding half the can of coconut milk and lime juice, sugar, and salt and pepper. Cook until some of the liquid has reduced. Cook rice according to pachage directions, and when it's almost fully cooked, stir in the rest of the coconut milk. Spoon a little rice into small cups, and top with 4-5 shrimp each. Garnish with sprigs of fresh cilantro.

BALSAMIC BERRY SALAD



2 pints fresh raspberries
2 c. fresh strawberries
2 c. ripe cherries, pitted and halved
1/2 c. balsamic vinegar
1/4 c. sugar (or to taste, based on the fruit's natural sweetness)
juice of 1/2 a lemon
3 T. chopped fresh mint
1 c. heavy whipping cream
2 T. sugar

Rinse all the fruit. Slice the strawberries into pieces. Pit and halve the cherries. Add them to a tupperware bowl with tight-fitting lid. In a bowl, mix the balsamic, sugar, and lemon juice until the sugar has dissolved. Pour over fruit and stir around to coat. Place the lid on and refrigerate overnight so the berries macerate. Just before serving, stir in the fresh chopped mint. In a mixing bowl, using an electric hand mixer, whip the cream until it begins to get fluffy. Add the sugar and whip until it's whipped-cream consistency. Serve the berries with a dollop of whipped cream on top, and mint to garnish.

COSMOPOLITANS



4 parts Citron Vodka
2 parts Triple Sec or Cointreau
2 parts cranberry juice
1 part fresh lime juice

Measure all ingredients into a shaker, add ice, and shake until mixed. Strain into four martini glasses.



The food all came out yummily (except for a couple suspect tomatoes, which had my dear Kelly running to the bathroom, heels and all, in the middle of the movie. We think we dtermined that it was the salmonella outbreak among small red tomatoes. Sorry, Kell).

And the movie came out even...yummilier? You know what I mean. It was truly amazing. Packed theater (all lovely ladies, dressed to the nines, cat-fighting over saved seats). Group gasps at dream closets. Fashion porn. And even a little gratuitous male nudity. I give it two stilettos up.

The real breakout star of the film was Jennifer Hudson, who is my new obsession, thanks to her adorable character and infectious song, "All Dressed Up in Love." (Available on iTunes!)



The breakout star of the hors d'ouevres? In my humble opinion, the whipped cream, and berry salad in general. Desserts are not my forte, but it was gorgeous, tart, and not too sweet (just like the four fabulous ladies of SATC).

In conclusion, if you haven't seen the Movie yet, drop what you're doing, buy your ticket on Fandango, and shimmy on over to the nearest cinema for the chick flick to beat all chick flicks. Why are you still reading my blog? Go! RUN! See it now!!!!



Thanks for reading! And thanks to my ladies for coming over!

More soon...

Go, Team! Er...Who's Playing Again?

Anyone who knows me well can attest that I'm a far cry from a sports fanatic. But the Superbowl? I'm a huge fan, mostly because it entails gathering at someone's house, eating my weight in snack food, and watching the inevitable Bud and Miller slapstick spots. So Jess and I decided to have a party for just those reasons.



Girls only: no yelling at fumbled passes; no "Shhh! The game's back on!" Just a group of cool ladies, some cocktails, and - of course - some great food.



Our trip to Jewel snowballed (no pun intended, and you know what I'm referring to if you've been outside at all this week) from a quick trip to pick up snack provisions into a full-on party offensive.

We went intended to adhere strictly to the list, but ended up, well, offsides. In the Valentine's Day decoration aisle, specifically. Perhaps it was serendipitous, because we realized that a party as girly as the one we were hosting begged pink heart-shaped accessorization. Drink pink punch out of plastic footballs? Never. So after we splurged on some bargain-priced fete decor, we got down to business.





On the party menu:

Crudite Platter w/ French Onion Dip
Superbowl Sundaes (yep, it's a pun)
Pink Funfetti Cupcakes
Velvety Crockpot Sausage Dip (gourmet it ain't, but this is football, after all)
Fried Ravioli Kabobs

And to drink, First Down Punch, as well as whatever the BYOB gods saw fit to bestow upon us.



For the Crudite platter, I was tempted to phone it in and just pick up one of those pre-made jobs at Jewel, but I realized I had some carrots I had ignored in my veggie drawer, so I figured I'd just cut up a few things myself.

I used broccoli (1 bunch), celery (1 bag), carrots (5 medium), and red bell peppers (2). For the dip, I used most of a large container (16 oz.) light sour cream and about 3/4 of a package of French Onion soup/seasoning mix. I just mixed them together. Simple.

The cupcakes were originally supposed to be Strawberry (I wanted them to be pink), but there were none to be found. So I settled on Funfetti, because, let's face it, they're pretty girly, too. As we all know, I don't bake, so of course I just bought the box mix (come to think of it, I have no idea how one would go about making Funfetti cupcakes from scratch). I wanted to top them with cream cheese frosting, but ever since I've been on high-alert about trans fat, I haven't eaten pre-made frosting, because EVERY SINGLE BRAND contains trans fat. So I improvised. I used 1 package light cream cheese (at room temp.), and mixed in about 1/2 c. skim milk and 3 T. powdered sugar. It came out just fine, and NO TRANS FAT. I also got some pink sugary sprinkles to decorate the top.





The crockpot Cheese Dip is a Superbowl classic: Velveeta (1 lb., I used the reduced fat), hot Italian sausage, and 2 cans of diced tomatoes - the preseasoned kind with chiles (I used Red Gold brand, the "Mexican Fiesta" variety). I just browned some sausage (about a 2/3 lb.) and drained it. I cubed the Velveeta and put it in the crockpot with the sausage and the can of tomatoes, with all their yummy liquid. I just put the crockpot on LO and let it hang out for a few hours, stirring it occasionally.



For the Fried Ravioli Kabobs, I used store-bought refrigerated lobster ravioli, zucchini, and baby bella mushrooms. I sliced up the zucchini and mushrooms and caramelized them in a little olive oil with salt and pepper. (I did them each separately, and I made the slices big enough that I could turn them individually with tongs so they got nicely cooked on both sides.) After the ravioli has boiled for about 5 minutes, I put a them in a heated skillet with a little olive oil, and sprinkled some bread crumbs over the top (I had made them a couple weeks ago with some leftover parmesan crisps, but you could use any old kind). I just fried them for about 2-3 minutes, until the bread crumbs sort of stuck onto the raviolis, making a crisp crust. Then I speared a mushroom slice, a ravioli, and a zucchini slice onto a toothpick and served them on a tray.




For the First Down punch, I mixed one part vodka, one part ginger ale, and two parts cranberry cocktail. It was pink and lovely and potent.



We never even got around to making the Superbowl Sundaes, but we did head to Michael's after the game for some pizza.

The party was a smashing success. I think Femme friendly Superbowl parties should be de rigeur - I'm definitely starting the tradition. The ironic thing, though, was that despite our purported disinterest in the actual game, by the end, we were all cheering for the Giants! (Who doesn't love an upset?)

I wasn't sure who to cheer for at first, but when I found out Tom Brady (of the New England Patriots) dumped his pregnant girlfriend for a Victoria's Secret model, I knew I wanted him to perish in the flames of defeat. I got one word for you, Tom: KARMA.



It was a great time! Thanks to all my ladies for coming!

And thanks for reading. More soon....