Western Deviled Eggs with Pickled Mustard Seeds

A fun twist on classic deviled eggs  -  Western style with diced ham, onion and green peppers and topped with sweet pickled mustard seeds. 

When I was a kid I couldn't get enough of deviled eggs. I loved making them as much as I loved eating them, so my mom bought me a deviled egg serving platter. It was a fancy white plate with grooves to hold about 16 deviled eggs. Every time we went to a party I'd have to make my eggs to bring. I was only 8 or 9 years old - how cute is that?

I don't know if I got burnt out on them, but I haven't had deviled eggs in years. But lately I've been making a lot of hard boiled eggs to have in for a quick breakfast on the go, so last weekend I decided to turn some of them into a fun appetizer for dinner with family.

Ham and eggs are such a classic combination, and add in peppers and onions and you have one of the most popular omelette recipes ever - the Western. No need to buy a whole ham, either. Just ask your deli counter for one sliced of cooked ham sliced approximately 1/4 inch thick.

The first step to getting a good deviled egg is to make the perfect hard boiled egg. There are so many tips and tricks out there - boiling, adding vinegar, baking, etc. I keep it simple and my eggs peel perfectly every time and the yolks are bright yellow - no green ring.

Place the eggs in a pot and cover with water until they are submerged. Bring the water to a boil for one minute, remove from the heat and cover. Set your timer for 13 minutes and as soon as the 13 minutes are up, run cold water into the pot. I do this for several minutes and even add ice. You really want to shock the eggs so they peel comes off clean. By using this method, that thin skin between the egg and the shell sticks to the shell, not the egg, and makes it super easy to peel the eggs.

These pickled mustard seeds were a find at a recent cooking demonstration. I had never had them before, but love the texture and the touch of sweetness they add. What a perfect topping for a deviled egg!

These were so yummy - sweet, creamy, and salty - that I have made them twice in the past 3 days!

Western Deviled Eggs with Pickled Mustard Seeds
Original Recipe by Mary Ellen of Mary Ellen's Cooking Creations

Ingredients

• 8 hard-boiled eggs, peeled
• 1/4 of a green pepper, diced (2 Tbsp)
• 2 Tbsp minced white onion
• 2 Tbsp diced ham (see my tip above about buying deli ham)
• 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper
• 1 tsp stone ground Dijon mustard
• 3-4 Tbsp mayonnaise (I prefer Hellmann's)
• Pickled mustard seeds to topping

Directions

• Slice the eggs in half and gently remove the yolk (they should pop right out if cooked properly). 
• In a bowl, mash the yolks using the back of a fork. Add the green pepper, onion, ham, salt, pepper, Dijon and mayo. Mix until creamy. Taste and adjust any seasoning. 
• Spoon the mixture evenly between the 16 halves and top with the pickled mustard seeds. 
• Chill until ready to serve. 

Grandmom's Macaroni Salad

This is one of those dishes that takes me back to childhood, and now I make it often for my family. It is such a simple recipe with simple ingredients, but is one of my favorite sides for burgers, dogs, grilled chicken, or really any summer party or BBQ food.
You know those mac salads that you sometimes get at a diner in a little cup and they are all wet with way too much mayo? And they are a bit too sweet? That's not this salad.

I have a few tips to make this the best mac salad you will every try. First, you have to cook the pasta to al dente. You want it to still have a bite, so definitely rinse it with cold water as soon as you drain it. Overcooked, soft mac mixed with mayo is not what you are going for! 

I use only carrots, red onion and green pepper. It's important to dice them into the smallest dice you can get. You don't want them to stand out in the salad, but simply give flavor and some texture. 

I add my mayo in 2 steps and end up with a perfectly creamy mac salad. The first time I add it I mix it up and let it sit in the fridge for about an hour. When you take it out it will look almost dry. That's when I add the rest of the mayo and veggies. Oh - and it must be Hellman's Mayo!!!!

Finally, don't be scared to season it! Salt and pepper only, but be generous and keep tasting every time you mix. 
Timewise, this is a really quick salad to pull together. The water takes a few minutes to boil and then the pasta only takes 5 minutes to cook. During that time I chop my veggies, and then the mixing only takes a few minutes. I'll even pull this one together for a weeknight meal as long as I have an hour to let it chill in the fridge. 

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So forget those sweet, wet mac salads that have given macaroni salad a bad name and give this one a try! I guarantee it will be the one everyone asks for! 
Grandmom's Macaroni Salad
Original family recipe
Ingredients

• 1 lb macaroni/elbow noodles
• 6 Tbsp mayonnaise, separated (amount is approximate)
• 1 carrot cut into a small dice
• 1/4 red onion cut into a small dice
• 1/2 green pepper cut into a small dice
• Salt and pepper, approximately 1 Tbsp each

Directions

• Bring a pot of water to a boil. Salt it generously and then add your noodles. Cook to al dente, approximately 5 minutes. Drain and immediately rinse with cold water and drain well. Transfer noodles to a large mixing bowl.
• Add half of the mayonnaise, salt and pepper. Stir to combine, cover, and place in the fridge for one hour. 
• Add the veggies, and slowly add more mayonnaise until you get the creaminess you want - remember, you don't want it to be too wet. Continue to season with salt and pepper, tasting as you go.
• Chill until you are ready to serve, stirring before serving. 

Beef and Bean Burritos

Ground beef, pinto beans and salsa fill this crispy, oven-baked burrito. Personalize them with your favorite toppings for a great dinner everyone will enjoy! 

I crave the flavors of Mexican food (or at least Tex-Mex) at least weekly. Some of my favorite things include jalapenos and cilantro! And then there's the cheesy dishes and dips you get with Tex-Mex - I cannot resist!

Last week's package of ground beef was begging to be turned into an amazing Tex Mex dinner, and I just happened to be craving it, so this happened - ground beef, pinto beans, and salsa all stuffed in an oven baked burrito and personalized with out favorite toppings.

Usually when I make tacos I just brown the meat, add the spices and let it simmer for a few minutes until I'm ready to start assembling. With some extra time to spare last week, I let this meat mixture simmer for 45 minutes to give it some really amazing flavors.

When stuffing the burritos it is really important not to include the liquid from the meat. You'll naturally get some in there, but use a slotted spoon so most of it drains. Once stuffed, I placed them on a rack on a foil lined baking tray and sprayed them with cooking spray. 20 minutes in the oven and they were perfectly crispy.

The best thing about build-your-own meals (things like pizzas, tacos, baked potatoes, etc.) is that everyone can top their food with their favorite things.

My husband chose salsa, cheese, lettuce, tomato, jalapeno slices and avocado slices with some sour cream on the side.

I love creamy and cheesy sauces, so I made a creamy cheese sauce with a kick from a special spice blend that my friend makes. It has so much heat and the best flavor! I also topped mine with jalapenos, tomatoes and cilantro.

I was so excited to cut into these. The meat had such a robust flavor from simmering in the salsa and spices, and the cheese sauce combined with everything for such an amazing, flavorful bite.

Give these a try and let me know how you like to top yours!

Beef and Bean Burritos
Original Recipe by Mary Ellen of Mary Ellen's Cooking Creations

Ingredients

• 1 lb of lean ground beef (I prefer 96%)
• 1/2 of a medium yellow onion, chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 24-oz jar of your favorite chunky salsa 
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 can pinto beans (or black beans if you prefer)
• 6 burrito sized tortilla shells
• Cooking spray
• Toppings: cheese (cotija or queso blanco would be my choice), tomatoes, lettuce, jalapenos, sour cream, cilantro, avocado, cheese sauce (recipe follows)

Directions

• Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and top with a rack. A cooling rack works perfectly for this. 
• Heat a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add your ground beef and brown, breaking it up into smaller pieces. 
• Once browned, add the onions and garlic; stir 1 minute. 
• Add the salsa, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. Stir and let simmer, uncovered, for 15-45 minutes, depending on how much time you have. Stir occasionally.
• Place a tortilla on a flat surface. Spoon 2 spoonfuls of the meat mixture below the center of the tortilla. Fold in the bottom to cover the mixture, fold in the 2 sides, roll away from you. Roll in the sides again and roll until everything has been tucked in. Place seam side down on the rack and spray quickly with cooking spray. Repeat to make all of the burritos.
• Bake for 20 minutes, turning the broiler on for the last 2 minutes. 
• Plate and top with your preferred toppings. Serve immediately.

Creamy Cheesy Sauce

• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 1 c whole milk
• 1 Tbsp of your favorite chili/spicy spice blend OR chili powder/salt/ground cayenne pepper/black pepper mixture
• A few dashes of your favorite hot sauce
• 1/2 c shredded Mexican blend cheese

Melt the butter and oil in a small pot. Whisk in the flour until completely combined. Slowly whisk in the milk and add your spices and hot sauce; continue to stir. Once the milk comes to a light but steady simmer, remove it from the heat and add in your cheese. Adjust seasoning to taste. Serve over the baked burritos. 

Classic Chicken Pot Pie

Classic Chicken Pot Pie - comforting, traditional home cooking from scratch. 

When Jon and I got married I really didn't cook much at all. I was a vegetarian at the time, so I had the tofu and vegetable stir fry meals perfected, and could make stuffed peppers and tacos using both real and "fake" ground meat, but that was about it.  Jon loves to tell the story of the first time we hosted dinner for friends and I decided to make a roast pork tenderloin. I wanted to infuse it with some garlic flavor, so instead of marinating or rubbing it, I decided to put full cloves of garlic in the pork. Well, that's fine and all, but I didn't push the cloves all the way in, so they were all sticking up all over the pork. Jon jokes that I made porcupine pork.  Not my proudest moment, but I was inspired to learn more and keep trying. I started reading recipes like crazy, but never liked to cook from them exactly, not even the first time making something new. That is what started my love of experimenting and cooking, and is a big part of why I don't like to bake - too much measuring!! I'd rather wing it and go on flavors.  I started this blog almost 10 years ago when I was still very much a beginner. I look back at some of my recipes from 10 years ago and besides being horrified at the pictures, they make me laugh but also smile because I see how much I have learned. And I'm so glad that I truly LOVE to cook and that my daughter thinks I am the best cook ever :)  It is for that reason that I have started to revisit some of my much older posts not only to take updated pictures, but to make some changes to the recipes. Most recently I updated a Chicken Pot Pie recipe. 

Chicken Pot Pie is such a comforting and traditional dish. And really, it's not that hard to make, even completely from scratch. Ok, I can't lie - you know that I didn't make the crust from scratch. But with so many good store bought pie crusts out there, I don't see a reason. What is important to me is a good stock as the base. You won't find any cream soups in this recipe. 

So here it is - my updated Classic Chicken Pot Pie based on my old adaptation of a Martha Stewart Recipe. 

Don't be overwhelmed by the list of ingredients and steps. I'll break it down like this for you -  Step 1 - cook your chicken which also is the stock making step.  Step 2 - chop and saute your veggies.

Step 3 - add liquid to make the sauce.  Step 4 - put in a dish, cover with pie crust and bake. Enjoy!!!

One final tip before we get to the recipe. Look at that picture above - see how some of the sauce bubbles out and down the sides of the dish? To avoid making a total mess of your oven, place a large piece of foil or a cookie sheet on the rack below the rack the pot pie is on to catch any drips. 

Classic Chicken Pot Pie Loosely adapted from Martha Stewart Ingredients
For Step 1: 

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 1 tsp whole black peppercorns
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 stalk of celery cut into chunks
• 1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
• Salt and pepper
• 2 c low sodium chicken broth
• 1 c water

For Step 2: 

• 4 Tbsp butter
• 1 brown Russet potato, diced into small bit sized pieces (if you do this ahead of time, just store the diced potatoes in a bowl covered with water)
• 1 large carrot, peeled and diced (same size and potato pieces)
• 1/2 red pepper, chopped
• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
• 4 large white mushrooms, chopped
• 1/4 c frozen corn
• 1/4 c frozen peas
• 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper

For Step 3: 

• 4 Tbsp flour
• 2 cups of reserved stock (from step one, cooking the chicken)
• 1/2 c heavy cream

For Step 4: 

• 1 refrigerated pie crust

Directions

• Step 1: Place the chicken in a pot with the thyme, peppercorns, bay leaves, celery, onion, pinch each of salt and pepper. Add the chicken broth and then add water slowly until your chicken is just covered. Bring to a boil and then let simmer until the chicken is cooked through (180 degrees), about 15-20 minutes. Remove the chicken to a plate. Pour the contents of the pot through a colander into another pot; discard what is left in the colander and reserve the stock. Cut chicken into bite sized cubes.
• Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. 
• Step 2: Melt the butter in a large saute pan. Add the potatoes and saute for 5 minutes, until turning translucent. Add the carrots, red pepper and onion and saute for 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms, peas and corn and stir. Season with salt and pepper. 
• Step 3: Add the flour to the pan and stir, coating all of the veggies. Slowly add the stock, stirring as you add it to thicken the sauce. The slower you add the sauce, the thicker you will be able to make your sauce. Once you have added all of the stock, add the cream and stir. Bring to a simmer, stirring often, and let simmer 5 minutes. Stir in the chicken. 
• Step 4: Transfer the chicken-veggie mixture to a deep dish pie plate. Top with the pie crust, cutting off anything hanging over the edges. Cut a few slits in the top. Bake until the crust is golden, about 30 minutes. Make sure you put a piece of foil or a cookie sheet on the rack below the pie as it may bubble over. 
• Let the pot pie sit for several minutes before serving. 
• Tip: makes great leftovers! 

Shredded Flank Steak for Tacos (Slow Cooker)

The main thing I use my crock pot for is making shredded meat - pulled pork, shredded chicken, and shredded beef. And most of those things get used for tacos because tacos are awesome! I may have a slight taco obsession...

But in all seriousness, taco night is a great night in our house. The only thing we all need to agree on is the meat. After that, everyone can choose their own tortilla - I prefer corn, Jon prefers flour and the little one prefers crunchy. Same goes for the toppings - we all dress our tacos differently. My favorite toppings are pickled red onions, cilantro, queso fresco and some fresh lime juice - how about you?

On this taco night I chose to go with beef and picked up a nice flank steak. The preparation is easy - just rub it up with a nice spice mixture and put it in the slow cooker with a few more ingredients. Let it cook for several hours, shred with a fork and serve.  When I make shredded meat I always make enough for at least 2 nights. One night we'll have tacos, and then we can have tostadas, nachos, sandwiches, or something completely different all together, like a pasta or rice bowl.  I can check off so many boxes with this recipe - prep ahead, easy, weeknight meal, makes great leftovers, and makes everyone happy!  Shredded Flank Steak for Tacos Original Recipe by Mary Ellen of Mary Ellen's Cooking Creations
Ingredients

• One 2-lb flank steak
• Spice mixture - 1 Tbsp each chile powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder; 1 tsp each oregano (or Mexican oregano), salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper. 
• 1 can chopped tomatoes with juices
• 1 jalapeno, chopped
• 1/2 white onion, sliced
• Handful of fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
• Juice of 1/2 of a lime
• 8 oz low sodium beef broth or cooking stock

Directions

• Mix all of the spices and rub all over the beef
• Put the beef in your slow cooker and add the tomatoes with juices, jalapeno, white onion, cilantro, lime juice and broth.
• Cook on high for 4 hours and turn to low for 4 more. 1 hour before serving, shred the beef with 2 forks. Keep on warm until ready to serve. 

Sweet Garlic-Lime Shrimp with Spicy Cilantro-Lime Quinoa

As we start a new school year (my baby girl is going to first grade!!), I'm all about planning quick and easy meals that are delicious and healthy. If I can do some prep ahead, even better. And if it gives me leftovers for lunch the next day, it is perfect in my opinion!

This meal has so many things going for it - it is healthy, quick, full of flavor, some of it can be prepped ahead of time, and the quinoa makes great leftovers both hot or cold. You could also eat the shrimp on its own with some grilled veggies, or you could eat the quinoa on its own or with some other protein, like grilled chicken. Oh, and did I mention it is delicious?

Shrimp is something you can grill or pan fry in less than 10 minutes so I always have a bag of frozen shrimp in my freezer for quick meals. I'll watch for when the store has the 2lb bags of 21-25 or 26-30 count shrimp on sale for $9.99 - you really can't beat that deal.

For this dish I wanted the shrimp to be sweet, sticky and bright. Using sweet hoisin sauce and zesty lime along with a bunch of garlic gave me exactly that.

To balance out the sweetness of the shrimp, I made a spicy quinoa with jalapenos, tomatoes, peppers, cilantro and lime, and to keep it easy I did all of my chopping ahead of time. We were so happy with the flavors in this, and the shrimp and quinoa worked so well together.

As far as timing goes, start your quinoa right away. Once it gets simmering for several minutes you can start your shrimp and everything will finish at the same time.

Enjoy!

Sweet Garlic-Lime Shrimp
Original Recipe by Mary Ellen of Mary Ellen's Cooking Creations

Ingredients

• 1 lb shrimp, peeled
• 1 tsp hoisin sauce
• Juice of 1/2 of a lime
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional; omit if you don't want any heat)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tsp olive oil

Directions

• Mix the hoisin, lime juice, red pepper flakes and garlic. Pour over the shrimp and marinate 30 minutes to 2 hours. 
• Heat the oil in a stainless saute pan. Remove the shrimp from the marinade and season lightly with salt and pepper.
• Saute the shrimp approximately 6 minutes until cooked through. 
• Serve immediately.

Spicy Cilantro-Lime Quinoa

Original Recipe by Mary Ellen of Mary Ellen's Cooking Creations

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 each of a red and green bell pepper, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 of a white or sweet yellow onion, minced
• 4 sm tomatoes, diced (1c)
• 1/2 of a jalapeno, minced (more for more heat)
• 1 c quinoa, rinsed
• 2.5 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• Handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
• Juice of 1/2 of a lime
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

• Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan
• Add the peppers, garlic, onion, tomatoes and jalapeno; saute 2-3 minutes
• Add the quinoa and stir until everything is combined
• Add the broth and simmer, covered, approximately 10 minutes.
• Remove the lid and simmer another 3-5 minutes until the quinoa is cooked (mostly tender with some bite) and most of the liquid has absorbed.
• Stir in the cilantro and lime juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Orange-Teriyaki Grilled Chicken and Vegetable Kabobs

My husband is the marinade guy. I think he has come up with 90% of the marinades we have tried over the past 10+ years. He is really creative, tries anything, and has made us some amazing meals. I keep telling him he needs to write a marinade cookbook! Last night I took over and tried something new (but yes, I did ask his advice as I was mixing and creating!).

I planned on grilled chicken kabobs, and after creating and smelling the marinade, it was an easy decision that I'd be including pineapple and red onions on those skewers. There are so many flavors in this - bright citrus from the orange juice, sweet and salty flavors from the teriyaki, and so many other layers from the garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes.

My favorite thing about this marinade, besides the flavor it gave to the chicken, is how it caramelized when grilled. Look how beautiful these are with all of those colors and caramelization -

You can use any veggies you want, but I highly recommend including pineapple and red onion. Everything else is up to you, but in my opinion, the more colors the better! I just love pretty food.

This is easily a weeknight meal. The chicken marinates all day or overnight, you can chop all your veggies ahead of time, and then it's the 5 minute task of assembling the skewers while your grill heats followed by 15 minutes of grilling. I think brown rice would go nicely with this, but we had plenty just with the chicken and all of the veggies.

Before we get to the recipe, I have to share these 2 pics. I took advantage of the filtered sunlight in my backyard to snap some pics before bringing the food in the house. First, my wiry little puppy got in a shot, so of course my daughter had to get in one as well!

My 2 sweet girls :)

Orange-Teriyaki Grilled Chicken and Vegetable Kabobs
Original Recipe by Mary Ellen of Mary Ellen's Cooking Creations

Ingredients (for 4 large skewers)

• 1/4 c teriyaki sauce
• 1/4 c orange juice
• 1/8 c olive oil
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp ginger (I buy the jarred ginger, but fresh would be great as well!)
• Optional: 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, for heat
• Dash of black pepper
• 2 chicken breasts cut into cubes
• Veggies, chopped into cubes of similar sizes; I used several pieces of pineapple, 1/2 of a red onion, 1 zucchini, 1 yellow squash, 1/3 each green and red pepper
• Salt and pepper
• 4 long skewers (I use metal skewers; if you use wood, soak them in water for 30 minutes first to avoid burning/scorching)

Directions

• In a bowl, mix the teriyaki, orange juice, oil, garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes and salt. 
• Pour over the chicken in a ziploc bag. Marinate in the fridge for at least 8 hours (overnight ok). 
• Heat your grill to high.
• Assemble the skewers using 4-5 pieces of chicken per skewer and alternating veggies. You want to pack them tightly so they don't spin when you turn them on the grill. Season lightly with salt and pepper. 
• Grill until cooked, approximately 15 minutes, turning every few minutes.
• Let rest 5 minutes before serving.

Korean Pulled Pork Tacos with a Creamy Sriracha Slaw

This meal combines so many great flavors and textures - tender pulled pork slow cooked in sweet and salty ingredients. A crunchy slaw tossed in a creamy, spicy dressing with bright cilantro. A sticky, sweet and salty sauce to pull it together, and all wrapped in a soft corn tortilla.

As soon as I took my first bite I was in love. These tacos really do have everything. And once I was done eating I couldn't wait for the next night to have leftovers.

 It's a super easy dish to pull together since the pork cooks all day in your slow cooker. I bought a bag of broccoli slaw and tossed it with a homemade sriracha mayo at the last minute. And the sticky sauce can be made ahead of time and then warmed up when you are ready to eat. It doesn't get any easier!

Do yourself a favor and put these on your menu now!

Korean Pulled Pork Tacos with a Creamy Sriracha Slaw
Loosely adapted from: Eating Richly

Pork Ingredients

• 2 lb pork - I actually prefer to use a pork loin for pulled pork instead of a fatty shoulder or butt.
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 yellow onion thickly sliced
• 2/3 c Hoisin sauce
• 1/2 c soy sauce
• 1/2 c water
• 1/4 c mirin
• 1 Tbsp sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 2 Tbsp worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp ginger powder
• 4 cloves garlic, minced

All other ingredients

• 1/2 bag broccoli slaw (mixture of broccoli, carrots, green and red cabbage)
• 3 Tbsp mayonnaise
• 1 Tbsp Sriracha sauce
• Handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
• Lime slices
• Optional: picked radishes or pickled red onions
• Corn tortillas

Directions

• Prep and cook the pork: Mix the hoison, soy sauce, water, mirin, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, ginger and garlic. Place onions in the bottom of your crock pot. Season the pork with salt and pepper and place on top of the onions. Pour half of your cooking liquid all around the pork, reserving the rest of the liquid. Cook on high for 2 hours and turn to low for 4-5 hours. Flip the pork halfway through cooking. Shred with 2 forks. 
• Pour the rest of the cooking liquid into a small sauce pan. Heat over low heat for 30 minutes, stirring often, reducing it to a sticky sauce. Store in the fridge until ready to eat. Reheat slowly on the stove before serving.
• Mix the mayo and sriracha. Toss with the slaw. 
• Soften your corn tortillas by placing them in a hot, nonstick pan for 30 seconds per side.
• Layer your taco with the pork, sticky sauce, slaw, cilantro, and lime juice.