Broccoli Cheddar Pie

We've been having tons of fun with the sous vide machine that Mr. DD gave me for Valentine's Day.  He's been talking about cooking fish with it forever, so last week I threw him a bone.  I'm not a huge fan of fish, but he and Little Devil love it.  He wanted to sous vide some salmon with lemon and fresh dill.  My job was to create some side dishes.  Something I knew I would like with or without the salmon.  I'm kinda tired of rice and mashed potatoes seemed too heavy.  Then I stumbled upon this Broccoli Cheddar Pie.  It's light, with lots of flavor.  It's not as egg-y as a quiche, so it makes an elegant side dish to any entree.  Shredded cheddar cheese makes the crust!  How can you go wrong with that?  I'll have to admit the salmon turned out very good, but the entire family agreed the Broccoli Cheddar Pie stole the show.  With St. Patrick's Day and Easter around the corner, it's a perfectly green, perfectly delicious recipe.  I'll be adding this to my list of regular side dishes, and it's definitely going on the menu the next time we have dinner guests. 

A wonderful new side dish.
Broccoli Cheddar Pie

Look how colorful.
St Patrick's Day and Easter are coming up.
What a great dish to serve!

It slices and serves beautifully.
As you can see, it's less egg-y than a quiche.
Although it would be quite delicious for brunch too.

Move over potatoes,
Broccoli Cheddar Pie is the new side dish
in town.

Cilantro Lime Rice

Cilantro and Lime go together like peanut butter and jelly.  I love the fresh, aromatic combination.  I hate to admit it but I don't eat at Chipotle.  We really don't eat much fast food at all.  We really don't eat out much at all.  But I do hear everyone rave about their cilantro lime rice.  There are a zillion variations on the internet, it's just a matter of finding the right ratio of cilantro and lime to suit your tastes.  Little Devil and her dad love this version best because it's not as heavy on the cilantro as I would like it to be.  Feel free to change that though. You'll have a terrific side dish or the base for a refreshing, healthy rice bowl.

Cilantro Lime Rice
Our new favorite side dish!

Cilantro Lime Chicken

As I've said before I love the combination of cilantro and lime.  It's so zesty in salsa and Cilantro Lime Rice is a great side dish for any meal.  When I ran across this recipe at Sally's Baking Addition, I knew it would quickly become a favorite in our dinner rotation.  I love meals that can be prepared in one dish and I'm always on the look out for new preparations for chicken breasts.  Mr. Devilish Dish loved the sauce so much, that when I make this again I'm going to double it.  I served it with Cilantro Lime Rice and black beans.  I think the next time I make this I might even double everything and use the leftovers to make some healthy, zesty rice bowls for lunch.  The chicken is so moist and flavorful it's a wonderful weeknight meal.  Thanks Sally!

Avalanche [No Bake] Cookies

One of the reasons I started The Devilish Dish was to keep myself busy after my car accident in 2010.  It was life changing, and while I'm so grateful to be alive and able to walk, my family and I have had to make a lot of adjustments.  Prior to 2010 whenever Mr. Devilish Dish and I traveled he would often drop me off somewhere interesting, and head to the golf course.  I would walk miles around town shopping and sight seeing, and even walk back to the hotel with my packages in tow.  The first time we traveled after my accident I realized there would have to some changes.  It's not too bad, I carry a book with me and as long as he's dropping me off where there is a comfortable safe place to sit and rest it's all good.  The first time I ever had an Avalanche Bar was in Santa Cruz, California.  Of course he was golfing and my plan was to sight see and shop Santa Cruz.  But when your walking is severely limited by pain and swelling you learn to walk the highlights and take lots of time to sit and smell the roses.  As long as there's a place with a chair and a Diet Coke I'm all good.  I found an old fashioned candy store in Santa Cruz with wonderful homemade treats and a great sitting area to rest my foot and read my book.  They had a big cake stand full of giant Avalanche Bars and the sign intrigued me.  Peanut butter and marshmallow?  Count me in.  If you've never had an Avalanche Bar, it's basically a Rice Krispie Treat with peanut butter, marshmallow and white chocolate.  I think this bar even went over the top and had mini chocolate chips too.  Obviously it was so delicious and memorable that I'm still thinking about it, and trying all kinds of Avalanche variations.   It was exactly the kind of treat my weary foot needed!

Mr. Devilish Dish said, "These look nothing like they taste.
They look like a bite of sugar cookie dough, but tastes like
a peanut butter Rice Krispie treat."

He's totally right.  And then he proceeded to eat about 10 of them.

Layered Broccoli Salad

We had awesome weather for February in Oklahoma last week.  I spent three afternoons on the deck enjoying 80 degree weather.  As I sit here blogging it's 37 outside with rain and a windchill of 27.  So much for that base tan I started over the weekend.  The warm weather got me excited for summer and new recipes for cook outs and dinner on the patio.  Years ago, my friend Michaela over at An Affair From The Heart shared a delicious recipe with me called, "Peg's Salad."  It it a favorite in their family and has become a favorite in ours.  This salad reminded me of Peg's Salad, with a twist.  Crisp, with savory bacon and cheddar cheese and a cool, creamy dressing.  I love the layered effect.  It looks a lot fancier than it is.  Summer will be here before we know it (or hopefully some more 80 degree weekends) and we will all be looking for some new recipes for potlucks, barbecues and backyard fun!

Layered Broccoli Salad
A beautiful presentation...

Layer the ingredients in a glass salad bowl
and top with the creamy, tangy dressing.

Great for barbecues and potlucks!

Oklahoma "Earthquake Cake"

Growing up in Oklahoma our biggest threat from Mother Nature has always been tornadoes.  When you live in Tornado Alley, you deal with the real threat from deadly tornadoes year round.  It's kind of a part of life.  We had tornado drills in school as children and all Okies have spent their fair share of time in a musty cellar.  What you aren't expecting in the Sooner State is an earthquake.  Upon doing a little research I learned that Oklahoma was feeling earthquakes as far back as 1811.   The funny thing is I remember my grandparents telling me stories about bizarre tornado experiences like the winds being strong enough to push a broom straw through a tree trunk.  No one ever mentioned "The Great Earthquake of _____."  So you could say this Okie is new to the whole earthquake thing.  We've been fortunate to experience no damage at our house, and everyone seems to take things in stride.  A little humor never hurts either.  When I found this recipe in my late aunt's things I knew I had to try it.  My friend Ginger said, "Please oh please rename this OKLAHOMA Earthquake Cake."  So I did.  When I texted the picture of the cake to my friend Barb she said, "That really does look like an earthquake!"  And behold, it does.  But this cake isn't just fun to make, it's chocolatey and moist and rich with a cream cheese frosting-like filling.  Political and geological arguments aside, with a giggle I present you Oklahoma Earthquake Cake:

It really does look like an earthquake!

Sprinkle pan with pecans and coconut

Pour cake batter over pecan mixture

Drop cream cheese mixture globs onto cake batter

Bake 45 minutes

Look at that hot, bubbly, "mess"

Cool slightly, but enjoy warm...

With milk of course.
Unless you have an earthquake and it spills.

Here's the seismic activity in Oklahoma.
So strange.  We've felt a few of the bigger ones
where I live.

Humor helps you deal with all of life's problems.
No matter how big or small.

Next time your cake falls, blame it on an earthquake.
Better yet, just bake some Oklahoma Earthquake Cake
and you don't have to worry about it!

Chinese Five Spice Wings

As much as my kid loves Asian cuisine I should just turn this blog into an Asian food blog.  She would be thrilled.  Her dad and I not so much.  We both like Asian food, just not twice a day every day.  But being the mom that I am I try to cook some kind of Asian meal at least once a week because I know how much she loves it.  (Usually on Thursday night's so the three of us can watch Big Bang Theory and Top Chef together...) So when I found the recipe for these Five Spice Wings I was excited.  My friend Michaela, over at An Affair From The Heart, had given me a set of Penzey's Spices a while back.  She's lucky enough to have a Penzey's store in Omaha, and she often treats me to unusual spices and seasonings.  One of them just happened to be Chinese Five Spice Powder.  If you aren't familiar with five spice powder, it's a mixture of five spices (duh!) used primarily in Chinese cooking, but sometimes in Asian and Arabic cuisines.  The five spice powder is a mixture of: cinnamon, star anise, anise seed, ginger and cloves.  So you can imagine what a great flavor these wings had.  I served them for dinner with some sesame noodles, but these would make a fantastic appetizer at your next get together.  So flavorful and juicy you don't even need a dipping sauce!

Chinese Five Spice Wings
So flavorful and juicy, you won't even need a dipping sauce!