The Devil Made Me Do It Eggs

For picnics, Sunday lunches, and holidays, Deviled eggs have always been a favorite treat. Everyone has their own recipe. This recipe is spicy, tangy and delicious.


                           The Devil Made Me Do It Eggs

12 eggs, boiled, peeled and sliced in half lengthwise

2 tbl spoons mayonnaise
1 tbl spoon Dijon mustard
1 tsp. Chinese dry mustard
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 small shallot, minced
2 small sweet Gherkin pickles, minced
pinch salt and pepper

1/4 tsp paprika for garnish
24 small parsley leaves for garnish.


Cooking Eggs. Cover eggs with water in saucepan. Add 1 tsp vinegar to water. Bring to a boil. remove from heat and cover. Let sit 10 minutes. Immediately run under cold water or plunge in ice bath. Peel. Carefully slice in half lengthwise, remove yolk and place yolk in bowl.


Mixture.  In a bowl, mix mayo, both mustards, cayenne, salt, pepper, shallots and pickles. Mix thoroughly. Combine with yolks. If not creamy enough to pipe, add a touch more mayonnaise. (Important: taste mixture for heat level. These eggs have a little kick. Heat level can be raised or lowered by use of dry mustard. Adjusted it here). Place in piping bag or a plastic baggie with one corner cut off. Squeeze into halved eggs. Garnish with a sprinkle of paprika and a parsley leaf.

Scallops with Fettucine in a Spicy Cream Sauce

Scallops are delicious shellfish, especially served with pasta. Add a few veggies and you have a winner. This dish has just a touch of heat, but the sweetness of the scallops and the cream sauce calm it to a faint memory.


         Scallops with Fettuccine in a Spicy Cream Sauce

1# U-10 count scallops, cleaned and dried
1/4 cup chopped bacon
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and diced into 1-inch pieces
1 cup sliced shitaki mushrooms
2 cloves crushed garlic
1 small shallot, diced
1 Tbl spoon chopped parsley
4 Tbl spoons butter
2 Tbl spoons olive oil
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
1/3 cup white wine
1/4 cup heavy cream
salt/pepper to taste


In a saute pan at medium heat, add olive oil and bacon. Cook until done, add garlic and shallot and cook 1 minute longer. Set aside. Reheat pan, add butter. Saute scallops and cook until somewhat firm, about 3 minutes per side. Should be white inside. Don't overcook or they will turn rubbery. remove from heat. Add mushrooms and asparagus and saute until done. De-glaze with white wine. Reduce by half. Add pepper flakes, salt, black pepper and Old Bay Seasoning. Add cream and reduce. Add saved bacon and garlic mixture and scallops and toss a few times until heated.

Remove scallops. Pour sauce and veggies over cooked fettuccine and place scallops on top, four per serving. Sprinkle with fresh parsley. Serve with buttered and toasted slices of Italian bread.

Spicey Shrimp Alfredo

One of my all-time favorite comfort dishes is pasta. Sometimes a heavy red sauce or meat sauce is just too much, especially on a hot summer's day. This recipe is perfect - just a little bite of heat but light and filling.  This is a recipe for two people.


                                   Spicy Shrimp Alfredo

1# 24ct shrimp, peeled and deveined
8 oz. fettuccine pasta, dried  (If you use fresh fettuccine, add after sauce to saute pan)
1/4 cup diced onion
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/cup butter
1 cup half and half
1 cup heavy cream (You can substitute more half and half for lighter sauce)
2 egg yolks, beaten
1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
3 tsp extra virgin olive oil
s/p to taste


                                           Alfredo Sauce
In a sauce pan, heat half and half, heavy cream and butter until light boil, reduce to low and whip in egg and add Parmesan cheese. Cook until thickened. Salt and pepper to taste.


To cook pasta, bring 2 quarts water to a boil (1 quart per 4 oz dried pasta is best). Add 4 pinches salt and 1 tsp olive oil to season and to keep pasta from sticking. Cook approx. 12 minutes or until al dente, just done. Do not overcook!

To cook shrimp, add 2 tsps. olive oil to saute pan on medium heat-high, add onion, pepper, garlic and cook about 1 minute. Add shrimp, red pepper flakes, pinch of salt and black pepper, and cook 2 minutes, tossing a few times until shrimp just turns pink. Add cooked pasta, toss to mix, then add Alfredo sauce. (Do not drench pasta. Add enough sauce to coat pasta with a little left over) Cook on medium heat for another minute to heat sauce.

Serve with a good garlic butter Italian bread and a glass of Pinot Grigio or your choice of beverage.

Plum Glazed Salmon with Saffron Rice

Seafood is delicious, low calorie and good for you. This easy recipe delivers a mixture of Occidental-Oriental flavors to please the taste bud.


                                  Plum Glazed Salmon

4 pieces center-cut salmon fillets
4 tbl spoons olive oil
1 tsp lime juice
4 tbl spoons plum preserves
1 tsp dried thyme
Kosher salt
Pepper


Heat broiler. Oil broiler pan. Mix plum preserves, lime juice and thyme. Salt and pepper fish to taste, then brush fish with plum preserve mixture. Place fish skin side down on broiler. Cook 5-6 minutes until brown.


                                         Saffron Rice

1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup uncooked rice
1/4 cup butter
1 tsp minced onion
1 pinch saffron threads  (More if golden color desired)
Salt to taste

Add butter to pan on medium heat. Saute onions. Add rice and coat with butter mixture. Add stock. Bring to a boil and cook 5 minutes. Turn of heat and set aside.



                                   Shitake Mushrooms

1# Shitake mushrooms, cleaned
1/4 cup butter
1 tbl spoon Oyster Sauce
Kosher Salt
White pepper

In a saute pan, melt butter on medium heat, add mushroom and saute until almost tender. Add Oyster sauce, salt and white pepper to taste. Toss and serve with Salmon and rice.


Let me know how this works for you. Of course, any good mushroom will work - crimini, button, Enoki, straw or a mixture.

Chicken-Chorizo Quesadillas

Like Mexican food with a twist? Try these quick and easy quesadillas for a meal or a party snack.


                                            Chicken-Chorizo Quesadillas


6 flour tortillas
2 boneless chicken breasts
1/2# chorizo sausage
1 cup shredded Manchego cheese, or any good queso blanco
1 can black beans
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 small red onion, small dice
1-2 jalapenos, minced (Remove seeds and ribs for milder temp)
1 small tomato, small dice
1 small papaya or mango, small dice
1 tbl spoon lime juice
1 tsp olive oil
8 oz. sour cream
salt/pepper

Rub chili powder into chicken breast. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill or bake. Slice into thin strips.
Saute chorizo over over medium heat. Drain.
Add cumin and garlic powder to black beans. Heat black beans on stove top or microwave for 4 minutes.

Heat tortillas slightly in saute pan on medium heat to make pliable. Add spoonful of chorizo, 3-4 strips of chicken, and a spoonful of black beans (Use slotted spoon for beans). Sprinkle with cheese, fold and heat in saute pan until tortilla browns a little and cheese melts, or about 2 minutes. Flip and do the same on other side.
Slice quesadilla into 4 wedge-shaped slices by cutting in half, then halving each half. Top with a little salsa and a dollop of sour cream.
                                                              
                                                          
                                                             Salsa

Mix onion, jalapeno, tomato,and papaya or mango in small bowl. Add lime juice and olive oil. Season with salt/pepper. Let set for 30 minutes before serving.


For a complete meal, add a side of black beans and rice, or just snack while watching TV.
To add more heat, splash a little Chalula hot sauce or your favorite hot sauce in bean mixture or salsa.

Seared Scallop Salad

In summer heat, quick and easy salads make great meals. Here's one that's sure to please everyone. Scallops are delicious and healthy for you.

                                                    
                                                      Seared Scallop Salad

12 large scallops, cleaned
1/8 cup olive oil
1/8 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsps. lemon juice
1 tsp chopped fresh dill

1 bag mixed greens
1 small carrot, peeled and shredded
1/4 red onion, French cut
1/2 cucumber, peeled, shredded
1 cup Italian Dressing

Mix olive oil, rice wine vinegar and Dijon mustard. Marinate scallops in mixture and place in refrigerator for 30 minutes. Remove from marinade and sautee over medium heat 4 minutes on one side. Add lemon juice and dill, mix contents of pan, and sautee other side of scallops 4 minutes until done. Be careful not to overcook. Add salt/pepper to taste.

Place a handful of mixed greens on plate. Add some carrots, cucumber and onion. Sprinkle with Italian Dressing. Place 4 scallops per plate. Serve with buttered toast points or toasted sliced Frech Bread.

Bonnie's Breakfast Casserole

Here's a great brunch or breakfast casserole for company. The recipe is from my great Atlanta frined, Bonnie. Thanks Bonnie. It's the way I like my Rice Krispies - with sausage and cheese!

Bonnie's Breakfast Casserole

2 lbs sausage – 1 mild, 1 hot (pork or turkey)

6 cups Rice Krispies

1 medium onion – chopped

16 oz Cheddar Cheese – grated

4 eggs – slightly beaten

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can cream of celery soup

1/4 cup milk

      1.     Whisk eggs, soup and milk together until smooth – set aside

2.     Brown sausage and onion together; drain

3.     Arrange in layers in a 9x13 dish as follows:

                    1/2 sausage

                    3 cups Rice Krispies

                    1/2 cheese; then,

                    1/2 sausage

                    3 cups Rice Krispies

                    1/2 cheese

4.     Pour egg mixture over top

Bake uncovered in a 350^o oven for 45 min – 1 hour

Serves 8-10
Can be made a day ahead and cooked before serving.