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,