Easter Basket Deviled Eggs

My youngest brother, Matt, works on Sundays and was unable to get Easter Sunday off to join us for a family meal.  This year, he requested Palm Sunday off and it was approved, so 15 of us joined together to celebrate Easter a week early.

In order to get this up quickly, in case you would like to make these cute deviled eggs for your Easter meal this weekend, I won't be posting how to make deviled eggs, just how to decorate them to make them look like a basket of Easter eggs.  I will let you know, however, that when preparing the yolks, I add mayonnaise, sweet pickle relish, and mustard to make mine.

As you can see above, I used a wavy cutter I purchased from Pampered Chef years ago to cut the eggs.  Somehow I thought that would give them more of a basket look.  After removing the yolks to a bowl, where I added the ingredients listed above, I used a plastic bag to pipe the filling into each egg white half.

Then I added a pinch of alfalfa sprouts.  I was hoping they would stay more contained to the yolk area, but those little sprouts have a mind of their own and there were 24 of them to prepare, so I refused to fight them.

Using five different colors on each egg, I added some candy-coated sunflower seeds, which became the eggs in the basket.  I found the colorful sunflower seeds at Trader Joe's, but I've also seen them at party stores.  I kept my eyes open for them when shopping since the first of the year.  By sticking them into the yolk mixture a little bit, it ensured they would not roll off the egg when picked up by the consumer.

The final step was to add the "handle" of the basket using a short piece of chive.  I thought they would be a bit more rounded in appearance.  But, they preferred to bend instead of curve nicely.  There wasn't time to fight them into submission, so each one is a bit different.  I will try to perfect this before I make them the next time.

All in all, I was pleased with how they turned out.  The were a cute addition to the table and they tasted good too!  Enjoy!

Chicken Chili Nachos

This recipe is pretty fast to prepare when I find I have extra teenagers in the house and they're really hungry.  I try to always have the ingredients available so I can throw this snack together in no time.

I found this recipe in the January/February 2006 issue of Quick Cooking magazine and it was a hit from the first time I made it, getting nothing but 8's and 9's on the Melnarik rating scale.  Equal marks are given by the numerous teenagers who've feasted on these tasty nachos.

As I stated above, I like to always have all of the ingredients on hand for this dish, so sometimes I have precooked chicken instead of raw.  The method is the same except that instead of having to cook the chicken, I just cube it and heat it a bit in the pan before adding the rest of the ingredients.  I heat it because it's cold, having been in the refrigerator, and I find that the seasonings adhere to the meat better when it is warm.  As you can see from the picture above, I used precooked chicken this time.

Once I get the chicken going in the pan, I drain and rinse the kidney beans in a colander.

To the warmed (or cooked according to the recipe below) chicken I add the seasonings, tossing to combine.

Then I add the drained kidney beans, the chili beans with the sauce (I like to use the S&W brand chili beans with zesty sauce), and the tomatoes with green chilies, stirring to combine.

When combined, the juices are pretty thin, so I cook the mixture over medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until it reduces a bit and becomes much thicker.

When ready to serve, it's as easy as arranging some plain tortilla chips on a plate,

adding some of the chicken chili mixture,

and topping that with some shredded Mexican cheese blend.

My guys like the cheese completely melted, so we microwave each plate on high for about a minute to make them happy!  These nachos can be built on a large platter for a crowd.  Depending on the size of the platter, you may have to melt the cheese in the oven.  Just be careful because the platter will be hot, so use a hot mitt and protect the table you put it on!    Also, when and if there are leftovers, the chicken mixture is easily reheated for a quick lunch another day.  Enjoy!

Chicken Chili Nachos

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed

1 can (10 oz.) Rotel tomatoes

1 can (16 oz.) kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (15.5 oz.) chili beans in zesty sauce, undrained

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon cumin

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 package (13 ½ oz.) tortilla chips

1 ½ cups shredded Mexican cheese blend

Spray a large skillet with non-stick cooking spray.  Cook chicken in skillet over medium-high heat until no longer pink.  Add tomatoes, beans and seasonings, stirring to combine; cook for 10 minutes or until juices reduce and thicken.  Arrange tortilla chips on individual plates; sprinkle with chicken mixture, top with shredded cheese.  Microwave on high for 25 – 30 seconds to melt cheese.

Shredded Beef Nachos (Crock Pot)

This is a great dish to serve a bunch of hungry teenagers; I know from experience.  It's also great for those times when I know I'll be gone all day and won't have much time to prepare a meal, plus everyone seems to be eating at different times.  I usually serve it as a meal and the leftovers are used by my boys as a snack later in the week.

I think boys like almost anything that can be eaten with their fingers!  That and the crunch of the chips makes this a winner with my guys.  I found this recipe in slow cooker recipe book at the check out counter in the market and I love that there is so little work involved in preparing this dish.  That made it a perfect choice during the busy holidays!  My guys give this recipe 8's and 9's on the Melnarik rating scale.

After trimming the chuck roast of any extra fat around the outside, I place it in a cool crock pot.  Tip:  Only hot foods should be placed in a heated crock pot, cold or room temperature foods should be placed in a cool crock pot before cooking.

I added the minced garlic to the top of the roast and distributed it as evenly as possible.

In a small bowl, I combined the taco seasoning mix and brown sugar.  I always use dark brown sugar unless a recipe specifies otherwise.

This mixture was then sprinkled over the beef.  I covered the crock pot and cooked it on low for 8 hours.  If time is an issue, it can also be cooked on high for 4 - 5 hours.

Once fully cooked, the roast had shrunk a bit and there was a flavorful sauce at the bottom of the pot.

The meat was so tender, I had to remove it from the crock pot in sections.  I placed it on a cutting board and shredded it using 2 forks, discarding any fat.

The shredded beef was returned to the crock pot and mixed in with the juices.  That's all it took and it was ready to serve.  This is how we assemble our nachos:

We place tortilla chips on a microwave safe plate and, using a slotted spoon, top them with some of the shredded beef (left).

We top the beef with a pre-shredded Mexican cheese blend -Monterey Jack and cheddar (right).

We put the plate in the microwave for 1 minute on high to melt the cheese (left).


Then we add any desired toppings such as salsa, sour cream, cilantro,
green onions, and/or fresh tomatoes (right).

These nachos can be served as a snack or as a meal.  Any way you serve them, they're sure to be a hit!  Enjoy!

Shredded Beef Nachos

Nachos

1 (3 lb.) boneless beef chuck roast, trimmed of fat

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 pkg. Taco seasoning mix

3 tablespoons brown sugar

Tortilla chips

Suggested Toppings:

Cheddar/Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

Sour cream

Salsa

Green onion

Olives

Cilantro

Diced tomatoes

Place beef roast in a 3 ½ or 4 quart slow cooker.   Distribute garlic evenly over beef.  In a small bowl, mix together taco seasoning and brown sugar; sprinkle over roast.  Cover and cook on low 8 – 9 hours.

Before serving, place topping ingredients in individual serving dishes.  Remove beef from slow cooker; place on a large plate or cutting board.  Shred beef with 2 forks; return to slow cooker and mix well.

To serve, have guests place chips on serving plates; using tongs or a slotted spoon top chips with shredded beef.  Top the beef with cheese and any other desired toppings.

Beef mixture can be held on low setting for up to 2 hours.

Liza's Mint Brownies

Who doesn't love brownies?  I know I do, but I also love mint, specifically chocolate mint.  So, I decided to try making mint brownies and the result was/is spectacular!

These brownies have the same look and texture of "normal" brownies with the added benefit of mint flavor.  I get raves on these brownies any time I serve them.  My boys get excited if they come home and smell that I've made a batch of these treats.  The only person who doesn't care for them is my husband because he doesn't like mint.  He thinks I've ruined a good batch of brownies when I've added the mint.  We really don't mind, as we figure there are more mint brownies for us!  The rest of us give this recipe 9's and 10's on the Melnarik rating scale.

The first thing I do is prepare my 9- x 13-inch baking pan.  I line it with non-stick foil, leaving a couple of inches of foil to hang over each end.  If you do not have the non-stick foil, then the foil you use will need to be greased.  I do this not only to ensure easy clean up, but also to aid in quicker cooling of the brownies and it allows a much easier way to cut them once cooled.  I will explain fully later.

One of the reasons this recipe is so simply is that I use the Ghiradelli brownie mix.  I try to always have this product on hand in case I need to whip up a dessert for something.  I like to buy the large box from Costco, as it contains 6 pouches, of which I use 2 for this recipe.  Individual boxes are available in most grocery stores also. The amounts of the additional ingredients needed to make the brownies are listed on the package.

To begin, following the directions on the box, in a medium bowl I combine the oil and the egg for one batch of brownies, mixing thoroughly.

To that, I add one package of the brownie mix.

I mix these together using about 40 strokes, so as to not overwork the batter.  There will still be some lumps (some are the chocolate chunks), but don't worry about them.

This first batch of brownie mix gets spread on the foil in the baking pan.

I top this with a layer of mint patties. I had this bag for a while, and during the heat waves at the beginning of October, they must have gotten warm enough that when they cooled, they got this whitish film on them.  They are still perfectly good to use if this happens.  The main thing here is to use the right type of mint patties.  DO NOT USE York Peppermint Patties as they are too thick!  From experience, I know that they don't melt completely into the brownies (this is what you want to have happen) and they can bubble up over the sides of the pan and make a horrible mess in your oven!  I use the Palmer brand.  Using the 14 oz. bag means there are only 2 patties left over.  Each patty is approximately 1-1/2 inches in diameter and not even 1/4 inch thick.  They are perfect for this recipe.  As you can see from the picture, I completely cover the brownie batter with mints, cutting some patties in half to fit. 

I mix up a second batch of the brownies in the exact same way as the first and spread it on top of the mints.  Into the oven it goes for 10 minutes longer than the box calls for when baking a 9- x 10-inch dish (or double recipe) of the brownies.

When they come out of the oven, they smell heavenly.  I leave them in the pan on a cooling rack for about 10 minutes.

Because brownies are so dense, they take a very long time to cool.  Lining the pan with foil helps speed the process a little bit.  By using the extended foil at the ends of the pan as handles, I lift the whole thing out of the pan and place it on the cooling rack.  This way, the brownies are no longer surrounded by the hot pan which would need to cool before the brownies begin to cool, and the air can get completely around them to help them cool faster.  Sometimes I elevate my cooling rack on inverted snack cups (see my Stromboli recipe) to help with the air flow.  I'm not saying they will cool fast, just more quickly than they would if they were left to cool in the pan.

The other benefit to using the foil is the ease in cutting the completed brownies.  I move the foil with the brownies to a cutting board (to protect my table).  Then, using a sharp large knife and and a rocking motion, I can cut them in no time!  This is much faster than using the sawing method while cutting brownies in the pan.

From the first picture at the top, you can see that the mints have melted completely into the brownies, which are moist and delicious.  Whenever I take these mint brownies to a function, I always prepare a small sign indicating they are mint brownies.  That way, if there are other people like my husband, they won't be disappointed.  Also, you won't find any thrown away in the trash, as true mint chocolate lovers will savor every morsel!  Enjoy!

Liza's Mini Pizzas

Every kid loves pizza and this was one of my boy's favorite things to request for dinner as they were growing up.  It was a favorite of mine because of how quickly I could put it together and I knew they were always going to eat every last bite.

This is still one of my go to meals when I'm feeding my family at three different times and I don't have a lot of time to put something together.  Because of my time constraint, I didn't take time to measure anything in order to type up an actual recipe for you.  I put these mini pizzas together visually, and hope you can do the same by following my pictures.  My boys give these mini pizzas 9s on the Melnarik rating scale.

After preheating the oven to 400 degrees, I begin by "opening" English muffins and placing them on a baking sheet.

I top each half with some pizza sauce (not so much that it oozes out in each bite, but to cover the bread).  I used to use Ragu Pizza Quick Sauce Traditional flavor, but I can't find that product any more.  I now use the Prego Pizza Sauce, which comes in a jar.

For a little more flavor, I then sprinkle on some dried oregano.

Then I add a layer of shredded mozarella cheese.

On top of that, I add some medium cheddar for extra flavor.

The last thing is the topping and in our case, pepperoni is the topping of choice.  I add four slices to each pizza so there's a pepperoni in each bite!  I use the Hormel brand that comes in the red box, as the slices are just over an inch in diameter and fit best on these mini pizzas.

I put them in the oven at 400 degrees for 15 minutes and when they come out they are hot and the cheese has melted and the kids can't wait to dig in.  As the cheese melts, some of the pepperoni slices may slide off the pizzas. I just push them back towards the middle.  Nobody around here really cares what they look like, they just care about how good they taste.

We usually wait about a minute before eating them, because they are simply too hot directly out of the oven.  I serve them directly from the baking sheet so as to keep them warm, but my boys inhale these so quickly, there really isn't time for them to cool down too much!  Enjoy!