Best Dad in the West - Father's Day Gift

Happy Father's Day to all of the Dads and Father Figures out there.  This year I had a hard time thinking of something for Mr. Devilish Dish.  The last thing he needs are more golf balls or fishing lures.  Both my Christmas and Valentine gifts for him were cooking related: cookbooks and kitchen gadgets so I didn't want to go that route again.  Our Oklahoma Sooners Baseball Team made it to the College World Series.  We got his dad a shirt.  He's a huge baseball fan.  Mr. Devilish Dish got his own shirt.  That idea for him was down the drain.  A while back I saw the cutest cowboy hat planter at Walmart.  That's not really his thing, but I wanted it for myself.  I kept thinking it would make a cute cowboy-themed gift basket.  It was in the back of my mind while I was searching "Father's Day Gift Ideas" online.  Nothing jumped out and said, "Mr. Devilish Dish needs this," but the one thing he's been doing a lot of lately is barbecuing.  You name it, and he has put it in the smoker.  So I was leaning toward some kind of gift with a grilling theme.  But again, he has just about everything gadget for barbecue kings. so I was at a loss.  I was scrolling through my million emails when Texas Food caught my eye.  Apparently sometime in the past I have ordered some Made in Texas products from them.  Of course I took note of all of the barbecue rubs and sauces.  Goldee's Barbecue in Fort Worth, Texas is a highly rated BBQ joint that is often cited as some of the best barbecue in the whole state.  When I saw the gift pack of rubs and BBQ sauce, an idea was born.  AND, instead of a box, gift bag or basket - well I had my excuse to get that cowboy hat planter. I added a little shredded gift basket stuffing and whipped out a cute tag.  Of course I had to get the cowboy boots plant stake too.  Now he can create his delicious Goldee's style barbecue at home and I can plant something pretty in that cowboy hat planter.  Win-Win.  Happy Father's Day.

I just love how this
all came together.

Here's the planter and the little
plant stake.  I'm thinking
of planting either cactus or
succulents in there.  So cute!

All it needed was a little gift 
tag to complete the theme.

Here is the gift tag I created.
Feel free to copy and save it to 
print one for yourself.

I think the planter, plant stake and gift
tag would be a super cute gift with just
a plant inside.  But Mr. Devilish Dish
is a barbecue guy, not a plant guy.
I can tell you he LOVED the rubs
and sauce. 

I hope this little gift idea inspires you.  It would work for any holiday. Without the BBQ stuff I think it would make a super cute baby shower gift.  Add a plant, add some candy, add some bandanas and turquoise jewelry for the ultimate western-themed gift. 

Cajun Potato Salad

I've told you before that my brother in law is a chef in New Orleans.  As if we weren't hooked on Cajun food before, we sure are now.  We make Cajun food often, whether it is gumbo, etouffee, or shrimp and grits.  I'm always down for anything with Cajun flavors and seasonings, as we always have an abundance of fish to fry or chicken to blacken.  This potato salad has the delicious Cajun flavors of both Creole mustard and Cajun seasoning.  It is so good as an accompaniment to not only any Cajun meal, but outstanding for any barbecue.  It's a very flavorful alternative to standard potato salad. Try it for your next potluck or tailgate.  It will be the hit of summer side dishes! 

This is the tastiest potato salad.
Don't just serve it for Mardi Gras,
enjoy it year round.

The ingredients.
Not pictured is my awesome
Homemade Cajun Seasoning.

Boil the potatoes until fork tender.

Combine the mayo, Creole mustard,
sour cream and Cajun seasoning.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Boil and chop your eggs.
I use Anthony Bourdain's method 
for the perfect eggs EVERY time.

Stir the cooled potatoes
with the dressing, and then carefully
stir in the remaining ingredients.

This is such a great twist on a 
classic potato salad.

Enjoy not only with Cajun entrees, but grilled
sausages, hamburgers, fried fish and more!

CAJUN POTATO SALAD

3 pounds red potatoes
1 cup good-quality mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons Creole mustard

2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
1 small yellow onion, chopped fine
3 stalks celery, chopped fine
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped fine
1/4 cup chopped dill pickles
4 hard boiled eggs, chopped


Scrub the potatoes clean and cut into quarters - you want them to be bite-sized pieces.  Boil in a large pot on the stove top until they are fork tender.  While the potatoes are boiling, combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, Creole mustard and salt and pepper to taste.  This will be the dressing.  When the potatoes are done, drain well and allow to cool slightly.  Once the potatoes are cool, stir in the dressing to coat well, then stir in the remaining ingredients just until coated with dressing.  Cover and chill a few hours before serving.

Pink Fluff Dessert

So last year, the Mother's Day festivities were literally created around the paper plates and napkins I bought for the occasion.  The plates were half-circles and looked like lemon wedges.  The matching napkins made it so cute I just knew I wanted a lemon dessert to match, and I made my TWO-INGREDIENT LEMON BARS. This year, I was stuck for inspiration, so I did the same thing.  I went out and chose my cute paper plates and napkins and decided to build a dessert around that.  I found some really cute pink paper plates with pastel roses, and coordinating napkins.  When I showed them to my friend, she said, "You have to make my husband's grandmother's Pink Fluff recipe."  Now I had no idea what Pink Fluff was but I assumed it was one of those desserts that may or may not be called a salad, but probably contains marshmallows and fruit, and qualifies as a dessert.  The cherry pie filling in this dessert gives it the perfect shade of pastel pink.  The only change I made is using freshly whipped cream instead of Cool Whip and I always do in these kinds of recipes.  It's light and fluffy and chilled so it is ideal to serve all summer long.  Both my mom and aunt loved it, and asked for the recipe.  AND I took the leftovers to my friend, who gave it the stamp of approval!  

A quick and easy dessert that 
tastes as pretty as it looks.

Just a handful of ingredients...

Combine the pie filling, pineapple
and pudding mix.

Fold in the whipped cream and 
then stir in the marshmallows.
Allow to chill.

Now you have a beautiful pastel pink dessert.

Garnish with additional marshmallows and
some maraschino cherries.

Enjoy!

PINK FLUFF DESSERT

(1) 20-ounce can Cherry Pie Filling
(1) 20-ounce can Crushed Pineapple, undrained
(1) 3.4-ounc box instant vanilla pudding mix
1.5 cups heavy whipping cream, whipped to stiff peaks
2 cups mini marshmallows (plus more for garnish)
maraschino cherries for garnis

In a large bowl, combine cherry pie filling, pineapple and pudding mix.  Allow to set up while you whip the cream.  Carefully fold in the whipped cream.  Once the whipped cream in incorporated, carefully stir in the marshmallows.  Cover and refrigerate for a couple of hours.  When ready to serve, garnish with additional marshmallows and maraschino cherries.

Homemade Bean Dip

There are a few food combinations that go so well together, they are iconic:  Peanut Butter & Jelly, Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup and of course Fritos Corn Chips & Bean Dip!  That dip in a can was a household staple growing up.  It was our go-to snack food all through college.  When Mr. Devilish Dish decided to make it from scratch a while back, it became an instant hit.  I just happened to have my college friends in town, so he whipped up a batch and everyone agreed how delicious it was.  We even gave it to my Mom & Aunt for Mother's Day.  That is how often this snack staple is enjoyed by my family.  The best part about this dip is it goes together in seconds, with just a hand full of ingredients.  It is so easy to keep an couple of cans of pinto beans in the pantry to pull out whenever we need a quick side dish or snack.  Of course tailgate season will be here soon, and I know this recipe will be on repeat.  Creamy, with just a hint of spice, this dip is ideal for dipping or as the base for a 7-Layer Dip.  Grab a bag of corn chips, and put this recipe into your summer snack rotation immediately! 

The ultimate snack combination...

This is so simple and delicious.

Just dump everything together.

Process until smooth.

Enjoy with corn chips for dipping.

We double this recipe every time we make it.
It's that good.

HOMEMADE BEAN DIP

1 can Pinto Beans, drained
1 Tablespoons Jalapeno brine
3-4 pickled jalapeno slices
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon chili powder

Place all ingredients into a food processor or blender and mix until smooth and creamy.  You can enjoy immediately, or even better if you let the flavors meld together in the fridge for a couple of hours.

NOTE:  We double this recipe every time we make it.

Enjoy,

 

Charcuterie Nachos for National Wine Day...The BEST snack with WINE!

Add this one to my big list of GIRL DINNERS.  I have so many recipes that I make for myself when Mr. Devilish Dish is away, like Asian Chicken Salad and Dumpling Dinner.  In fact, I have been considering adding a search category on here for both GIRL DINNER and CHARCUTERIE BOARD, and this would qualify as both.  Like any charcuterie board, any thing goes.  Pepperoni? Sure.  Olives? Go for it.  Same for nachos.  That is our favorite use for Mexican ingredient leftovers.  In fact, last night we made an amazing pan of nachos using leftover charro beans, diced carne asada steak, guacamole and pico de gallo. This recipe is a delicious match up of both ideas, and ideal with a couple of glasses of crisp white wine.  Simply pick a bag of your favorite thick kettle-style chips (Sea salt or Truffle work great) and add all of the tasty things you might share on a charcuterie board.  You are only limited by your creativity.  I'll let you in on a little secret.  I had planned to enjoy this by myself when Mr. Devilish Dish was out of town, but I would up preparing it on a night he was home and he loved it.  So much for my girl dinner category tab lol. 

A salty snack, with a little tang and sweetness too.
This is the ideal girl dinner, with a glass of 
crisp white wine.

Here is what I used, but the topping ideas
are endless.  I've added a list of suggestions below.

Spread the potato chips on a baking sheet. 
Top with pieces of prosciutto and brie cheese.
Broil under a low broiler.

Drizzle with balsamic glaze.

Such a good snack or light meal.

CHARCUTERIE NACHOS

1 bag kettle-style potato chips (sea salt or truffle work well)
1 package prosciutto
1 small package brie cheese (peeled and diced)
balsamic glaze for drizzle

Place your potato chips on a baking sheet.  Tear the prosciutto strips into small pieces and sprinkle over the potato chips.  Top with diced pieces of brie cheese.  Place in the oven under a low broiler until cheese is melted and prosciutto is starting to crisp a little bit.  Drizzle generously with a balsamic glaze before serving immediately.

Other topping ideas:

sliced olives
pepperoncini pepper rings
fig or apricot jam
pepperoni slices
salami slices
mozzarella or goat cheese

hot honey

Enjoy,

Cucumber Caesar Salad

I started this blog in 2011.  Hard to believe I've been at this on and off for 15 years.  I stand behind the recipes 100%.  Not so much by all of the pictures though.  Looking at some of my older posts, the pictures were so bad.  The lighting in our kitchen was so bad until we remodeled a few years ago.  The technology of the camera in cell phones has certainly improved.  In no way do I pretend to know what I'm doing, I just  love to create, cook and share. A while back Mr. Devilish Dish bought himself this fancy new cutting board.  It's enormous and he insists on leaving it out on the kitchen counter.  Really because there is no way to store the thing, but he justified it by saying, "It will make a nice background for our food pictures." And he's right.  So then he had another idea, and suggested, "Why don't you make some of your favorite recipes that have already been blogged and update the pictures?"  We made a list of some of our favorites that I have been wanting to re-share but have been too embarrassed by the poor photo quality.  His first suggestion was baked beans, followed by, "That way I can smoke something ribs this weekend and you can make baked beans."  Which is pretty much how he wants all of our weekends to go, but I get tired of baked beans and potato salad so I am constantly trying to come up with new and interesting side dishes to accompany his selection of smoked meat.  This Cucumber Caesar Salad is amazing.  It's all the regular ingredients of a good Caesar salad, minus the Romaine Lettuce.  Crisp cucumbers are substituted for lettuce, making this an ideal side salad for a plate of hot and spicy barbecue.  It really did hit the spot next to the ribs and baked beans, because I got that last batch of baked beans a little spicy.  If you're looking for a fun alternative to a traditional Caesar Salad, or an ordinary cucumber salad, then this is it!

A refreshing twist on a
traditional Caesar Salad.

CUCUMBER CAESAR SALAD

For the Dressing:

1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons anchovy paste
1 teaspoon good quality Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup good quality mayonnaise

For the Salad:

1-2 large English cucumbers, thinly sliced
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 package Caesar-style croutons

(Optional: you could easily make this salad a meal by adding grilled chicken or shrimp)

Place the garlic and parsley in the bowl of a food processor and process until minced.  Add the anchovy paste, mustard, lemon juice and mayonnaise.  Process to create a smooth dressing.  Refrigerate if not using immediately.  When ready to serve, toss the dressing with the cucumbers, Parmesan cheese and croutons.

Enjoy,

Banana Cold Foam for Coffee

We are coffee drinkers around here!  Mr. Devilish Dish even makes his own homemade vanilla syrup for my coffee in the morning.  So when the Devilish Nephew's sweet wife sent a text and said, "Do either of you know how to make cold foam for coffee?" we were ON IT.  Typically I just make a latte in the morning or a vanilla cold brew, but I'm no stranger to a good cold foam so Mr. Devilish Dish and I went to work.  We immediately bought some bananas so we would have some ripe, flavorful ones to work with.  After a little trial and error, we had perfection.  I'm not gonna lie, this is delicious.  Probably not my morning drink of choice before work, but a little banana cold foam on top of a small afternoon pick-me-up cold brew is an afternoon snack all on its own.  A really tasty treat to add to our home coffee bar menu.

Such a tasty topping for your favorite
coffee beverage.

BANANA COLD FOAM FOR COFFEE

1 very ripe banana
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of sea salt

In a small blender or food processor, combine the banana, heavy cream, sugar, vanilla and salt. Blend until smooth.  You can save this in the refrigerator for later and re-froth when ready to use, or use immediately.  To serve, pour a glass of your favorite cold brew coffee and top with a few tablespoons of the banana cream foam.  

NOTE: We used a hand-held frothing wand to get this extra foamy and frothy.

Enjoy,