Your Basic Deviled Egg

Deviled eggs is the food I look forward to the most at Easter time. This year my husband and I decided to stay home rather than visiting the family, but I won't go without the deviled eggs. The great thing is that you can make as many or as few as you like. If your making them for a large group you may want to make a couple dozen, but if you're making them just for yourself (as I'm doing this year) then you can make just a couple.

This is a super-basic deviled egg because it's the only kind I like. I hate when sweet relish is added or any other "creative ingredients" for that matter. But when you have such a basic recipe it has to be spot on. These actually earned me an A on a final in culinary school last year. First, you want to make sure you don't use really fresh eggs. As an egg ages, it starts to pull away from that membrane between the egg and shell, making it easier to peel once the egg is cooked. Second, you want to make sure you cook the eggs properly. Nobody likes rubbery egg whites or green yolks from overcooking.

How to make a proper hard-boiled egg.

1. Bring eggs to room temperature by leaving them out for about an hour. 
2. Place eggs in a pot and over them with tap water. 
3. Place over high heat and bring to a boil. 
4. Let boil for just 1 minute (no longer) and then turn off the heat. 
5. Set a timer for 12 minutes. 
6. At the end of 12 minutes, remove the eggs from the hot water and place in a cold water bath to stop the cooking process.

Your egg should look like this. The whites will be soft and the yolks yellow. 

How to make deviled eggs.

Ingredients:

• 6 hard boiled eggs
• 1/4 cup mayo
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• pinch of salt
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• paprika, for garnish

1. Peel eggs and cut in half length-wise. Remove the yolks and place them in a bowl. Set the whites aside. 
2. To yolks, add mayo, Dijon, salt, and cayenne pepper. Add more salt to taste. 
3. Put the yolk mixture into a piping bag with tip. If you don't have a piping bag, just use a zip lock bag with a corner cut off. Pipe the mixture in the egg whites. 
4. Sprinkle lightly with paprika. Refrigerate and serve once fully chilled. 

Date with a Pig

A couple of years ago my mom came to town for a weekend visit and we ate dinner at Milk and Honey, a tapas restaurant in downtown Santa Barbara. After two different friends highly recommended we order the "Date with a Pig" we, of course, could not resist. Simply, a date wrapped in bacon and drizzled with honey, it was amazingly delicious. We even ordered a second helping after devouring the first dish that came out. 

Could I recreate the Date with a Pig at home? After much experimentation I have concluded that they must deep fry their bacon wrapped dates; I just couldn't get it exactly right in an oven no matter what I tried. However, my version is pretty darn good and I love bringing these little babies to parties. 

Ingredients:

• 10 dates, cut in half lengthwise with the pits removed
• 10 strips of thick cut bacon, cut in half to make 20 short pieces
• salt
• honey
• 20 toothpicks, soaked in water for 20 minutes

1. Wrap each date with a piece of bacon and secure with a toothpick. 
2. Place on a sheet pan and sprinkle with salt.
3. Cook for 20 minutes at 350. Turn over and cook for another 10-20 minutes, or until bacon is crispy. 
4. Allow to cool slightly and serve drizzled lightly with honey. 

Better-Than-Fried Jalapeno Poppers

I love jalapeno poppers. Spicy jalapeno peppers filled with melted cheese and fried to crispy deliciousness. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Problem is that they are almost always ultra greasy and gut-busting from being deep-fried. Can you create a lighter, yet still delicious, jalapeno popper by baking instead of frying? You sure can!

These baked jalapeno poppers maybe too good. My husband and I ate an entire batch of these one night and we paid for it dearly. He still won't go near one. These are better than any of those fried jalapeno poppers I've had before. The cheese filling is creamy and full of flavor and doesn't dribble down your chin when you bite into the jalapeno. The panko bread crumbs give it a great crunch too. Spicy, cheesy, and crunchy, but light and fresh, these babies are awesome!

Ingredients:

• 16 jalapeno peppers
• 4 oz light cream cheese
• 2 cups shredded jack cheese
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1/2 cup four
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 2 cups Ppnko bread crumbs
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons milk
• ranch dressing, for serving

1. Pre-heat over to 350.
2. Halve the jalapenos and clean out the seeds and ribs.
3. Mix together the cream cheese, jack cheese, and garlic powder. Fill jalapenos with cheese filling.
4. Mix together in small bowl the flour, salt, and pepper. In separate bowl, beat eggs and milk. Spread panko bread crumbs on a plate.
5. Lightly dredge each jalapeno in flour, then eggs, and then panko before placing on a greased cookie sheet.
6. Bake for 40 minutes and let cool for 5-10 minutes before serving. Serve with ranch dressing.