The Devilish Dish

Monday, November 7, 2011

Hasta La Pasta: Meatless & Mexican

I know a lot of people participate in "Meatless Mondays." Meatless Monday is an international campaign that encourages people not to eat meat on Monday (or at least one day of the week) to improve their health and the health of the planet. It's not a bad idea at all. Unless you are married to my husband, who is obviously the old lady from the Wendy's commercials re-incarnated because his favorite phrase is, "Where's the Beef?" I don't always consciously choose to participate in Meatless Monday or eat vegetarian, but there are a lot of vegetarian dishes that I enjoy. Trying to convince Mr. Devilish Dish is another story. However, I think I pulled it off with this dish. It's like a hearty pasta salad, CRAMMED full of vegetables. But seasoned quite well with Mexican spices. It's great served hot or cold. And Mr. Anti-Meatless Monday Where's The Beef liked it. And ate seconds. And did not complain about the missing meat.

A must have for Meatless Monday!

The Line-Up

Cook onion and garlic until tender.

Add zucchini

Add tomatoes

Add jalapeno and poblano peppers

Add corn

Add seasonings and cook about 15 minutes.

Remove from heat. Stir in white wine
vinegar, season with salt and pepper and
add cooked pasta.

You'll never miss the meat.

Deviled Egg Casserole

I love deviled eggs. And not just because I'm the Devilish Dish. They are just so good. And it seems like we never get enough of them. I don't know why. We ALWAYS have eggs in the fridge. I just never think to make them. I guess that's why when Easter rolls around, we eat them like they are going out of style. There are so many variations of deviled eggs. The things you can stuff them with and top them with are endless. But who ever heard of a WARM deviled egg? That is something my brother would only joke of. Until now. Deviled Eggs. Ham. Cheese. Potato Chips. That's the Devilish Dish version of the 4 Food Groups right there. It's a wonderful recipe. Very rich and yummy. I think it would be perfect for a ladies luncheon, shower or brunch, served with a salad and bread. Or on a plate by itself. With no side dish. Which is how I served it to my husband. He didn't seem to mind!

Deviled Egg Casserole.
So unusual and So good!

The Deviled Egg Casserole Party

Combine soup and milk.

Add 1/4 diced celery and set aside.

Slice eggs and remove yolks.
Mash thoroughly.

Add mayonnaise and mustard to yolks.

Stir in remaining 1/4 cup diced celery.
Season with salt and pepper.

Refill egg whites.

Put the filled halves back together.
Like a delicious
deviled egg sandwich.

Wrap each egg with ham slice.
Place folded side
down in a greased baking dish.

Cover with soup mixture.

Sprinkle cheese and potato chip
crumbs over soup.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

This recipe is featured at the Midweek Fiesta
at:
Food Corner
Please pay them a visit!

Day of The Dead Cakes

I've already told all of you I love Halloween. I don't know why I have such macabre interest but I always have. Macabre may not be the correct word, but I definitely lean a little toward the dark side. Dia De Los Muertos, or The Day of the Dead, is a holiday celebrated in Mexico and other cultures around the world. Family and friends gather to remember those who have died. It's a little like Memorial Day here in the United States, but less somber and more festive. The celebration takes place on November 1st and 2nd. Families honor the deceased by building an altar decorated with sugar skulls, flowers, and favorite foods and beverages of the departed. They also visit the graves with these items as gifts. Celebrations can take on a happy atmosphere as families recollect humorous stories about their loved ones. Foods associated with the holiday are Calaveras (or skulls) often made from sugar and chocolate. These food gifts are for both the living and the dead. Though my culture is not Hispanic, I have always had an interest in this holiday. I own quite a collection of decor and books related to the subject. When I found this great skull pan, I immediately imagined cakes decorated as sugar skulls. Whether you choose to celebrate this holiday is up to you. You've definitely learned a little bit of history on another culture. The cake recipe is a great one, it's dense and releases from shaped pans easily. You don't have to make them in the shape of skulls, but I hope you do. Feliz Dia De Los Muertos. (Happy Day of the Dead!)

Feliz Dia De Los Muertos!

The Line-Up...
A very simple cake to make.

Cream together butter and sugar.

Meanwhile sift together:
flour, baking powder and salt.

Add part of the flour mixture
to the butter mixture.

Alternate, first adding some flour, then some
milk, always beginning and ending
with flour mixture.

Add almond extract.

Whip egg whites until foamy and fluffy,
but not stiff. You want them not quite
at soft peak form.

Carefully fold into cake batter.

Place batter in prepared pans.

Bake until cake tester inserted
near center comes out clean.

Cool completely and decorate as desired.

Honor the memory of your dear
departed friends and family.
Happy Day of the Dead!

Candy Corn Meringue Cookies

I came up with Candy Corn Meringue Cookies, purely by accident. I was in the kitchen, playing Mad Scientist and creating my Chocolate Spice Pumpkin Souffles when my impatience got the better of me. I was whipping egg whites for the souffle and decided to use my new hand mixer instead of my stand mixture. I whipped the egg whites until foamy, and added the sugar. And I whipped and whipped for what seemed like an eternity, but the egg whites never seemed to get stiff. I assumed that I had inadvertently gotten some egg yolk mixed in. So I set that bowl aside and whipped up a new batch in my stand mixer. And I realized that there was nothing wrong with the original mixture, I just didn't whip it long enough. Not being one to waste a thing in the kitchen, I sat these egg whites aside until I was finished with the pumpkin/souffle project. I figured the most simple way to use them would be a meringue-style cookie. Since I had Halloween on the brain, I tried to think of a way I could incorporate my favorite holiday into my concoction. And then I thought about candy corn. I wound up with a very simple, but festive Halloween cookie. Sometimes mistakes can result in the best inventions!

Happy Halloween!

Place orange-tinted egg white
mixture into piping bag.

Pipe orange dollops onto cookie sheet.

Top orange batter with yellow dollops
that are slightly smaller in diameter.

Top yellow batter with white dollops
to create a candy corn appearance.

Bake for 1 hour.

Turn oven off and leave cookies
in oven to dry out completely overnight.

Enjoy!

A perfectly spooky treat
for your trick or treaters!

Cardinals Crunch

I've seen lots of variations of popcorn or snack mixes combined with candy on the internet. You can't beat the mix of sweet and salty. A perfect example this time of year is candy corn combined with salted peanuts. A super simple, but tasty treat. In my quest to keep my husband fueled up to watch his Cardinals play in the World Series, I decided to take my regular recipe for Crack Corn, and jazz it up. After all, it's not any ol' baseball game we're talking about. It's the World Series. Feel free to throw it whatever you like, whether it's M&Ms, candy corn, or something to match your team's colors. A home run for sure!