Deviled Eggs and Happy Easter!

deviled eggs

Here’s a snack that I grew up with and still enjoy to this day!  A delicate appetizer which is super simple to make and generally the ingredients are found in most kitchens.  I still, though, struggle with cooking the egg such that the shell comes off easily.  I’ve highlighted how to make the perfect boiled…

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Bacon Wrapped Jalapeños

Jalapeño how do I love thee?  Well, let’s see…baked, grilled, roasted and stuffed!  I’ve used them a soup, quesadillas, cheddar crackers, in a muddled drink and encrusted with polenta.  Jalapeño (hah-lah-PEEN-yo) is part of the chili pepper family and is picked while still green although they can be picked when fully ripened when they have…

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Quinoa Salad with Bacon and Lemon Vinaigrette

Quinoa Salad with Bacon and Lemon Vinaigrette

I love cookbooks and I have an eclectic mix which I have collected over the years as gifts or ones I purchased.  My husband and kids all know that if they’re in doubt as to what to get me for Christmas or birthdays…a cookbook will be happily received!  I like the ones that are unique,…

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Potato Skins Stuffed with Egg, Bacon and Cheese

As a youngster growing up, baked potatoes were a staple and my siblings would carefully remove the flesh of the potato, lather it with butter and then place the potato flesh back in with salt and pepper.  I don’t think as kids we really knew about the variations potato skins came in.  We were just…

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Winter Caesar Salad

What happens when potato salad meets Caesar salad?  Answer: a delight to the senses!  This is one of those recipes where the sauce is the crowing glory of the salad.  It brings all the ingredients together and makes a statement – hey look at us! Making your own dressing is so easy there’s no reason…

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Spinach and Bacon Stuffed Mushrooms

The idea of stuffing a mushroom has been around in North America since the mid 1950’s when Italian-Americans began utilizing the ample supply of white button mushrooms.  Italians from the south of Italy already knew how to stuff tomatoes, zucchini flowers and peppers.  When they emigrated to America, zucchini flowers weren’t in abundance like they…

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Seared Scallops and Bacon Jam

Bacon jam conjures up all sorts of culinary delights and possibilities. It seems that bacon is today’s hero in sweet concoctions such as bacon baklava, cupcakes with bacon, bacon chocolate crunch bar, chocolate bread pudding with bacon crème anglaise to name a few. But wait, before you turn your nose up at the notion, I’ll…

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Asparagus, Smoked Bacon and New Potato Salad

My fondest childhood memories of summer were swimming long hours down at the beach where my grandparents lived and only leaving the watery playground to eat.  You could work up such an appetite swimming, skiing, playing in the water!  Potato salads were a favorite my siblings and I always enjoyed.  It was usually accompanied by…

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