Bunny Beers

Sometimes Mr. DD and I exchange gifts for Easter, sometimes we don't.  It was a bigger deal when Little Devil was little and the Easter Bunny filled everyone's basket.  Now the Little Devil is out with her friends and no one is leaving fresh carrots on the porch for said rabbit.  I still have some some little goodies for everyone even though there is no egg-dyeing or egg-hiding this year.  My Merry Christmas Rein"Beer" were such a hit, I decided to change them up a bit and give the idea an Easter make over.  I was even able to find a few beers with "rabbit" and "spring" themes, which was exactly what I had in mind.  Earlier this week I cleaned my oven (UGH) and threw out the oven liner I had in the bottom.  If you haven't tried those, do.  It will help keep your oven clean of spills and overflows.  Anyway, Mr. DD went out to buy himself an electric knife so he will look all official when he carves the Easter Ham.  He came in a surprised me with a new oven liner, and said, "Happy Easter."  I'm ashamed of how excited I was.  Now I'm extra excited to give him his Easter Bunny Beers!

Bunny Beers.
When a chocolate bunny just won't do.

I was even able to find a beer
with a rabbit on it.
Thanks Shiner!

The bunny tail is a nice touch.

They look pretty cute peeking over the six-pack!

Shiner Wild Hare Pale Ale
and
Abita Spring Ale

Have a "Hoppy" Easter
(beer humor...ha ha)

Eggs-tra Special Easter Treat (with printable)

Easter is almost here, and while my little bunnies are grown up we still celebrate.  There probably won't be any egg-dyeing or egg-hunting but everyone needs a little something special to brighten their day.  One of the best things about this time of year has to be the Easter candy.  Especially Cadbury Eggs.  (And don't even get me started on the Cadbury Robin's Eggs.)  I purposely don't even go down the Easter aisle or I would leave the store with a grocery cart full of stuffed bunnies and Cadbury Eggs.  I decided to whip up a quick little Easter treat to share with my parents and in-laws and a few other special people.  These literally took minutes to assemble and I've included the tags at the bottom so you can copy mine and print your own.  I hope you have an Egg-cellent Easter, and decide to share my idea with someone Egg-stra Special!

Show someone they are Egg-stra Special
with some yummy Cadbury Eggs!

You'll need pretzel bags, Cadbury Eggs,
Baker's Twine, tags, scissors and a hole punch.

I found the bags at Hobby Lobby. 
They were back in the baking and candy-making
section.  I think they are intended for pretzel rods.

It's as simple as putting 3 Cadbury Eggs per bag,
and tying it closed with the baker's twine.  Hole
punch the tag and tie it on.  You're all done!

I've included both pastel tags...

and primary tags...
Just click on the image to enlarge.
Right click and choose the copy/paste option
or save the image to your computer.
Print using the computer program of your choice.
(Microsoft word, Corel, etc...)
Enjoy!

Homemade Italian Seasoning

A while back my husband and I cleaned out the pantry.  And by cleaned out the pantry I said, "I don't think we need Emeril's Asian Essence from 1996."  We organized everything, and all of the spices are labeled in neat little jars.  In alphabetical order.  I repeat in alphabetical order.  (No, I don't wash my hands exactly 5 times before bed.  Yes, I do like my cooking stuff really organized.)  Imagine the horror when I went into the pantry today, looked under "I" for Italian Seasoning and didn't have any.  Seriously I second guessed myself and was like, "Damn. Should not have thrown out Emeril's Italian Essence from 1996."  It was cold and rainy here and I was making a Crock Pot Ravioli Casserole.  And I was in my pajamas and dead set on not leaving the house.  Then I remembered that not only am I a food blogger, but I'm a pretty decent cook and coming up with my own Italian Seasoning probably wouldn't be rocket science.  After all, I've made my own Homemade Greek Seasoning and I always make my own Homemade Taco Seasoning.  Why should the Italians be neglected?  They shouldn't.  And so I whipped up my own Homemade Italian Seasoning and LOVED IT.  (I went extra on the red pepper flakes, but well, you know.  I'm the DEVILISH Dish.)

Out of seasoning?  No need to get out
of your pajamas for a trip to the store. 
You can make your own!

Horseradish Dip

A while back, I made my friend Michaela's Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches for dinner.  I wanted something a little different to serve beside them with some potato chips.  Horseradish is such a great compliment to beef, that I decided a Horseradish Dip would be just the thing.  You can adjust the amount of horseradish to suit your taste. (We like it hot and spicy, we're The Devilish Dish) In addition to being wonderful with chips, it makes a great spread for a roast beef sandwich, as well as a wonderful dipping sauce for sliced roast beef. 

A perfect accompaniment to roast beef!
And potato chips!

Slow Cooker Sweet & Sour Onions

I don't know about you foodie friends, but I get in a rut and serve the same side dishes over and over.  It's always salad and potatoes.  Salad and rice.  Salad and salad.  Sometimes green beans, just to mix it up.  Obviously we needed a change in the line-up so I thought I'd give Sweet & Sour Onions a whirl.  They live up to their name.  A little sweet, a little sour and a little perfect for a new side dish.  Especially because they cook in the slow cooker.  Just fix them and forget them.

A perfect slow cooker side dish.

The Sweet & Sour Onion Line-Up

Toss onions with olive oil
until well coated.

In slow cooker, combine onions with
vinegar...

brown sugar...

Chicken bouillon, salt and pepper.

Cover and cook on LOW
4-5 hours until onions are tender.

Winter Feet Fix

I hate feet.  All feet.  Even the feet of my children when they were babies.  Even my cute little feet fresh from a pedicure.  Ideally I would have one of those chairs from the pedicure place in my living room if I could.  You know, so I could watch Ghost Adventures and soak my feet at the same time.  My husband seems to think that is impractical.   For some reason he also thinks it is not necessary that I get a pedicure every day.  That might possible be the only way I could tolerate looking at feet.  Especially yucky winter feet the first time they are exposed to the world in flip flops when the weather warms up. I've seen this remedy floating around Pinterest, and thought it was just too wacky not to try.  As most of you know, I had a pretty serious car accident a couple of years ago and because of my knee and foot injuries, giving myself a pedicure really isn't possible.  A quick and easy remedy that leads to summer soft feet?  Count me in.  And only two ingredients.  

Spring is around the corner and that means:
Flip Flop Season!

Just two simple ingredients will have your
feet looking flip flop-worthy in just 30 minutes.

GROSS!
Ugg boot feet.  Bleah!

Combine equal part Listerine and warm water
in the sink.  Allow two hand towels to soak up this mixture.

Cover your feet with a nice helping
of shaving cream.

Wrap your feet with the towels and place in
a baggie over the whole wet mess.
Chill out for 30 minutes.

Rinse the mixture off, and use the hand towels
to scrub your feet really well. 

Now you have soft (and tingly!) feet,
ready for summer shoes...

Baked Chimichangas

Several years ago, Mr. Devilish Dish taught a South of the Border Cooking Class.  He shared his recipe for Homemade Ranchero Sauce.  The sauce is so good, he probably could have just given the people in the class straws and said, "Here ya go."  That might be considered a little socially unacceptable, so we came up with some delicious, baked chimichangas to serve with the sauce.  They might be slightly healthier than the fried version, if you don't count the fact the tortillas are dipped in melted butter to help make them crisp.  His cooking style is not know for its dietary consideration.  He shares huge portions and uses lots of real butter and cream.  His theory is that he's teaching them HIS RECIPES and he wants them to have the FULL-FLAVOR version.  Then each student can alter the recipes at home to fit their family's needs if they so desire.  Honestly this recipe does not need any altering at all.  One chimichanga makes a very filling portion and there is less guilt involved because they are baked.  Try them soon, and definitely take the time to make the Ranchero Sauce to serve with them.  We usually serve them topped with the Homemade Ranchero Sauce, and our Mexican Rice and Cowboy Beans OR Refried Beans on the side. It's the perfect menu for your next dinner party. 

These are so crisp and delicious,
with a hearty beef filling.

The ingredients.

Brown the ground beef.
Add the garlic and seasonings 
to create your filling.

Prepare a station to dip your 
tortillas and roll into chimichangas,
by melting butter in a large skillet or
shallow dish.

Dipping the tortillas in butter is what
makes them crispy instead of frying.

Fill the butter dipped tortillas
and roll closed.

Place seam side down in a
greased oven-safe dish.

Bake until crispy.
Check out how nice and golden
and crisp the chimichangas are.

You can top these with queso, chili or
your favorite sauce, BUT my favorite way to 
serve them is topped with HOMEMADE
RANCHERO SAUCE.

BAKED CHIMICHANGAS

1 pound ground beef
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
1/4 cup diced green chiles
1/4 cup taco sauce
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 tablespoon cider vinegar
1/2 cup unsalted butter
6 large flour tortillas

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.  In a skillet over medium heat, season beef with salt and pepper.  Add garlic, cumin and oregano.  Cook until brown and crumbly.  Drain grease away.  Stir in green chiles, taco sauce, sour cream and cider vinegar.  Remove from heat.  Set aside.  Melt butter in a shallow skillet.  Place each tortilla in warm butter until soft.  Drain away excess butter and place tortilla on a flat surface.  Place a spoonful of filling down the center of tortilla.  Fold in each end of the tortilla and roll up to seal filling inside.  Place seam side down in a large baking dish.  Repeat with remaining tortillas.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Serve topped with ranchero sauce and sour cream if desired.

Prep Time:  Approximately 25 minutes     Cook Time:  Approximately 15 minutes

NOTE:  This recipe was originally published on 4/2/14 and updated on 3/5/26.