Wednesday, February 18, 2009

What the devil?

Really any excuse will do...You say you're having a party? Watching TV at your house on a Tuesday? Having a bad hair day? I'll make deviled eggs!

Since deviled eggs are not something that I can just make for myself (too rich for my blood) I have to wait until someone asks me (or I offer at the slightest hint that there's an occasion that involves dinner of the potluck variety)

This is a batch I made recently for a friend's birthday party.

Recipe:

6 hard-cooked eggs peeled and cut lengthwise
¼ cup Mayonnaise
1/8 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Paprika for garnish

Directions (and Revisions)

1. Remove the egg yolks to a small bowl and mash with a fork.

2. Add mayonnaise, salt and pepper and mix thoroughly. (Revision: variation on a theme! You can add anything you want to this recipe- cayenne pepper, mushrooms, cheese, really whatever your little heart desires, experiment so that the consistency is firm enough to fill the egg with)

3.Fill the empty egg white shells with the mixture and sprinkle lightly with paprika.(or chives)

So I have to interject here and say that to make your life easier you must pipe the mixture into the eggs! To do so just scoop the mixture into a ziplock bag, snip off a corner and pipe away.

Review: YUM! Really is there anything tastier? These babies went in under ten minutes.


Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Reluctant Housewife Part 2

And so my quest for Martha Stewart-like perfection continues...today we make falafel and live to tell about it.

Recipe:
  • 2 cups chick peas
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • oil for deep frying

Directions (and Revisions)
1. Cover chickpeas in water and soak overnight (or hello, use store bought, make life a little easier)
2. Drain and place in food processor and blend until finely ground
3. Add onion, garlic, parsley, coriander, cumin, baking powder, and 1 tablespoon of water, then process until a rough paste, leave covered for 30min (why? you ask, I don't know, maybe to let the baking powder work its magic)
4. Using your hands, shape heaped tablespoons of the falafel mixture onto even sized balls. Squeeze out any excess liquid.
5. Fill a large heavy based saucepan one third full of oil and heat until a cube of bread dropped into the oil browns in 15 seconds. Lower the falafel balls into the oil and cook in bathces of five for 3-4 minutes, or until well browned all over. Remove the falafel with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

Okay if you know me, you know I didn't deep fry anything. And not because I don't enjoy a good greasy basket of french fries from the local pub (that's Flowing Tide for you Reno people searching for the best bar food around) but cause deep frying anything scares the beejezus out of me! I baked these at 350 for ten/fifteen minutes.

Review:
These little guys baked (instead of fried) taste basically like hummus with a baked over shell. Appetizing? Not necessarily. Go the old fashioned route and deep fry the suckers!