Friday, March 13, 2015

Eyeball eggs on Friday 13th

Who doesn’t love a classic deviled egg? Kick up the fright factor a bit with these inexpensive and easy Halloween appetizers.

The classic deviled egg recipe gets a creepy cool makeover to disguise them as the ultimate Halloween bite. They’re sure to be a hit with all of your ghoulish guests


INGREDIENTS
1 dozen eggs
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup mustard
1 can sliced black olives, drained
Blue food coloring
Hot sauce
DIRECTIONS
Fill up a large saucepan half-way with water and gently add the eggs. Cover eggs with at least 1 inch of water and add a pinch of salt. Bring the water to a boil, cover, and remove from heat. Let sit covered for 12-15 minutes. Drain hot water from pan and run cold water over the eggs. Let sit in the cool water a few minutes, changing the water if necessary to keep it cool.
Peel the eggs and slice each egg in half lengthwise. Gently remove the yolk halves and place in a small bowl. Add mayonnaise and mustard and mix until creamy. Add a couple of drops of blue food coloring to yolk to make a green hue for the eyeballs.
Arrange the egg white halves on a serving platter and distribute yolk mixture evenly. Top each deviled egg with a sliced black olive in the center.
Take a toothpick and draw your hot sauce lightly on the egg white in a squiggly line to make veins. Add a drop of hot sauce in center of olive to make the red middle.

Eggs in bread bowl

Ingredients

6
kaiser rolls (4 to 5 inches in diameter)
6
Land O Lakes® all-natural farm-fresh eggs
6
teaspoons heavy whipping cream
6
tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
3
teaspoons chopped fresh chives
3
teaspoons finely chopped fresh parsley
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions
1Heat oven to 400°F. Line cookie sheet with cooking parchment paper. Cut thin 3-inch round slice from tops of rolls; reserve tops. Leaving 1/2 inch around side of each roll, remove bread from inside, creating 1/2-inch deep cavity; discard bread crumbs. Place bread bowls on cookie sheet.
2For each bread bowl, crack egg into cavity. Top egg with 1 tablespoon whipping cream, 1 tablespoon cheese, 1/2 teaspoon chives and 1/2 teaspoon parsley; sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3Bake 10 minutes; place reserved tops on bread bowls. Bake 2 minutes longer or until cheese is melted and whites and yolks of eggs are firm, not runny.

Tips
If you prefer, you can substitute whole wheat, white, brioche, or challah rolls for the kaiser rolls. Feel free to use fresh basil, thyme, or any other fresh herb you have on hand. For added variety, substitute grated Cheddar, mozzarella, gouda or crumbled feta cheese for the grated Parmesan cheese. All would taste wonderful baked in your egg bowl.

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Pepperoni pizza pockets

Pepperoni Pizza Pocket

Total Time: 50 min
Prep: 20 min
Cook: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for brushing
1/2 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
One 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
4 to 6 leaves fresh basil, torn
All-purpose flour, for dusting
1 pound pizza dough, divided into 4 balls
2 cups shredded whole milk mozzarella
12 ounces pepperoni, thinly sliced
Grated Parmesan, to taste
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Heat the olive oil in a small saucepot over medium-low heat. Add the onions and saute until translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Add in the garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add in the tomato paste and saute for 1 more minute. Stir in the diced tomatoes, sugar and season with salt and pepper. Add the torn basil leaves and bring to a slow simmer. Allow to simmer for about 15 minutes while you make your pizza pocket.

Roll out the dough balls on a lightly floured surface into 4 equal rounds. On half of each round, layer some mozzarella, and then some pepperoni slices. Fold in half, covering the filling, and then fold the outer edges up and crimp the edges with your fingers to seal. Place the pockets on a baking sheet, brush with olive oil and sprinkle with grated Parmesan. Bake until golden, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve with the sauce on the side.

Citrus chicken

Citrus Chicken
Total Time:
Prep: 15 min
Inactive: 6 hr
Cook: 1 hr 30 min
Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients
4 pounds bone-in chicken thighs
3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice, about 2 oranges
2 tablespoons grated orange zest
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons freshly cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon chiffonade fresh mint leaves
1 1/2 tablespoons chiffonade basil leaves
3 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons minced shallots
1 tablespoon celery seeds
Glaze:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon minced shallots
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1/2 cup orange marmalade (look for marmalade with small rinds)
1/4 cup sweet chili sauce
1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup reserved marinade, strained
Directions
Glaze, recipe follows

Combine all the ingredients in a large resealable plastic bag and refrigerate for 6 to 8 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Remove the chicken from the marinade, reserving 1/4 cup for glaze and put the chicken in a 13 by 9-inch pan and bake for 45 minutes. Baste with the glaze, turn the pieces over and bake for an additional 15 to 25 minutes, basting every 7 minutes. Remove from the oven and arrange the chicken on a serving platter.

Glaze:
In a small saucepan, over medium-high heat, add the olive oil. When the oil is hot add the shallots and ginger and saute for 3 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and reduce heat to a low simmer. Cook for 15 minutes. Baste the chicken with the glaze after 45 minutes.