The Devilish Dish: March 2012

Monday, March 26, 2012

Green Pea Salad

I'll admit it. My name is Candi and I hate peas. Canned peas, frozen peas, fresh peas. Ewww...But my hubby and our Little Devil like them. So occasionally I throw them a bone and actually fix something they like. It's a simple salad, with lots of good flavors (except the peas) but those are disguised easily enough by lots of Parmesan cheese and bacon. For those of you that like peas, the flavor isn't disguised. By disguised I meant I pushed them to the other side of my plate and left them there for the dog. Never fear Pea Lovers, you will enjoy this salad very much! Don't let my disdain for peas discourage you.

Crisp and Delicious. And full of peas.
Which is great if you LIKE them.

The line up

Combine lettuce, peas, celery and red onion.

Don't forget the Parmesan.

In a separate bowl, whisk together
Miracle Whip and sugar.

Add the bacon which has been cooked and
crumbled. Toss all ingredients to combine.
Add salad dressing and toss until well coated.

Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.

Spring Break Cupcakes

Most of the time when I'm baking, it's because of a special occasion. A birthday or anniversary where the dessert needs to special. Perfectly matched cupcake liners, fillings, buttercream and toppings. A lot of thought put into it. But when you think about it, the cupcakes that turn out to be the most fun are the ones where you just act like a kid and go for it. That's what I did this week with my Devilish Dish Assistant. She was out of school for Spring Break, and as usual she wanted to BAKE! So I said, "How about we come up with our own special Spring Break Cupcake recipe? We can make them any way you want." And what we wound up with were fun, wacky, spring-like, tye dyed cupcakes with vanilla buttercream, sprinkles, cherries and gummy worms. We just kept piling on the fun. A super simple recipe that only makes 12 cupcakes. Just the right amount to enjoy over Spring Break. You can flavor and decorate them any way you want, and the best part is just making them with someone you love!

Time for some Spring Break Baking Fun!

For a tye-dyed effect, spoon batter
into liners randomly.

Allow to cool completely on wire racks.

Frost with vanilla buttercream frosting
and decorate with anything and everything!

Let your Spring Break Baking Assistant choose
the toppings and do the decorating.

Here's a dissected cupcake so you
can fully see the tye-dyed look.

Here's my Devilish Dish Assistant, Emily.
She's proudly showing off our concoction!

Bake up some fun with someone you love!

White Chocolate Covered Strawberry Baseballs

Every so often we get a group of friends together and tailgate before big baseball games. When we tailgate for football season, I have my usual repertoire of fall recipes that I prepare. Since baseball means warmer weather we usually take a grill and do burgers or hot dogs, nothing fancy. According to my husband. My friend Michaela sent me a picture of these cute white chocolate covered baseballs a while back. She said it made her think of me because I'm such a baseball fan. I squirreled that picture away because I knew the perfect occasion would arise and I would get to make them! And of course my hubby shot down my idea. He said they were too fancy and that no one liked white chocolate. WHAT?!? What planet is he from anyway? So yes maybe chocolate covered strawberries are a little fancy sitting next to a bag of Cheeto-s but so what? They taste good and they look awesome. As you can see, I won in the end and we'll be having these cute little baseballs for dessert at our baseball tailgate. Wait until he sees the baseball-themed paper plates and napkins I bought. Boy will he be surprised!

Twice Baked Potatoes

Twice baked potatoes have to be the quintessential company side dish. They are simple to prepare, and can be made ahead. Just pop them in the oven before your guests arrive. A very impressive presentation, with just a little bit of prep work. My version does not skimp on the filling. I mean how "devilish" is a dry potato? Not very. Hold on to your hats for lots of butter, cheese and sour cream. And get ready for your guests to rave.

Twice Baked Potatoes, you can't beat 'em!

The Twice Baked Potato Party

Bake potatoes and let cool.
Scoop filling from inside.

Mash filling with potato masher.

Stir in butter and sour cream.

Season well with salt and pepper.

Add cheese, chives and bacon.

Stuff each potato with filling mixture.
Dot the top of each with a pat of butter.

Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Sit back and enjoy the rave reviews.

Meatball Soup

When Little Devil was really still Little, she loved spaghetti and meatballs. Everywhere we went she would order spaghetti and meatballs. Of course, Mr. DD and I would sing,

"On top of spaghetti, all covered with cheese, I lost my poor meatball when somebody sneezed.
It rolled off the table and onto the floor. And then my poor meatball rolled right out the door.
It rolled in the garden, and under a bush. And then my poor meatball was nothing but mush."

And she would CRY!!! She would cry and say she did not want that to happen to her meatball. Obviously her father and I have scarred her for life, but she still loves meatballs anyway. This soup was a big hit for her. It's like a yummy stew, with meatballs and elbow macaroni. Hearty and fun and definitely a reminder of your childhood. Which may or may not be a good thing. That depends on what your parents sang to you.

Don't Sneeze!

The Line-Up
Just a few ingredients that go in one pot.

Bring water to a boil.
Add beef bouillon.

Add tomato sauce.
Stir in seasonings.

Add meatballs, celery, carrot and garlic.
Simmer about 25 minutes.

Bring soup up to a low boil
Add pasta and cook until pasta is done.

Serve with crusty rolls,
and garnish with Mozzarella or Parmesan cheese.

Enchiladas & Eggs

Santa Fe, New Mexico is quite possibly my favorite place on the planet. I would pack up tonight and move there in a heartbeat if I could convince Mr. Devilish Dish to be a green chile farmer. The first time he had ever visited Santa Fe, we were sitting in a tiny cafe for breakfast, trying to decide what to order. The assumption was Migas or Huevos Rancheros. Our server came to take our order, just as another server went by with the most delicious looking hot mess smothered in red chile sauce that either of us had ever seen. In unison we both exclaimed, "I want that," not even knowing what it was. Turns out it was Enchiladas & Eggs. Because in Santa Fe, it is perfectly acceptable to eat enchiladas for breakfast. I think it is perfectly acceptable to eat them anytime, anywhere. You will too, whether it's for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

"I want that!"

Place dried chiles in boiling water.

Let sit 45 minutes until soft.

Puree chiles, chile water and salt in a blender.

Pour through strainer to remove any
skin or seeds.

Set aside while
preparing enchiladas and eggs.

Fry tortillas briefly in hot oil,
to soften.

Heat sauce in remaining oil.

Spread tortilla with sauce.

Top with shredded Cheddar cheese.

Sprinkle with onion and queso fresco.

Top with another torilla, additional sauce
and a fried egg. Garnish with queso
fresco and enjoy anytime of day!

Salted Nut Rolls

I'm not sure why these are called Salted Nut Rolls. They're really a Salted Nut Bar. A peanut bar to be exact. In fact, they taste like a PayDay candy bar. My friend Michaela, over at the An Affair From The Heart Blog, shared this recipe with me many years ago. It seems to be a regional favorite in Nebraska. Then I brought the recipe to my area and WOW-ed everyone. They are just that good. We made it once for a get together and got so much positive feedback on them, it became our personal joke. "Make them rave with Salted Nut Rolls." For some reason I always bake them in the Fall, when football season rolls around, but they are delicious anytime of year. Make your friends RAVE! Give 'em a try!