Deviled Eggs with Honey Mustard

It seems that most BBQ's and spring/summer picnics have deviled eggs at them, making them a staple for most summer parties; so, why not try a new recipe. That is what I did today, I found a recipe on Ohsweetbasil.com and decided it was definitely worth a try. This recipe calls for honey mustard instead of the normal yellow mustard that most traditional deviled eggs call for. Let me tell you, I was impressed with the flavor, it didn't stray to far from the normal flavor of deviled eggs I am use to, but it definitely stepped it up a level. The flavor is coherent, having the perfect balance of sweetness, tang, and saltiness that I think a deviled egg should have. Definitely give these a try.

Ingredients

- 6 hard boiled eggs

- 3 tbsp of mayonnaise

- 1 tbsp of sugar

- 1 tsp of white vinegar (I opted to leave this out)

- 1 tbsp of honey mustard (I used Bolthouse honey mustard yogurt dressing)

- Salt and pepper, to taste

- Paprika for garnish

1) Cool and peel your hard boiled eggs, then cut them in half and remove the yolk with a spoon. 

2) Place the yolks in a mixing bowl and set the egg whites aside on a plate to be filled.

3) Add the mayonnaise, sugar, honey mustard, salt and pepper, and vinegar (if using) in the mixing bowl with the egg yolks. Mix every thing together until smooth, then taste to see if you want to add more salt and pepper.

4) After your have mixed your ingredients together you can use a spoon or pastry bag with tip to fill your egg whites. Then chill them in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve them.

A rather simple recipe for a favorite at parties. One note that I do want to point out is that if you chill your egg yolk mixture before filling the egg whites it will be easier to use a pastry bag with tip to fill your egg whites, giving them a prettier presentation. I hope you enjoy these as much as I did. Next time I think I am going to try buffalo deviled eggs, what do you think about that?

Enjoy!!

Maple and Brown Sugar Muffins

My kids love Cream of Wheat or any brand of hot wheat cereal, and yesterday when I bought a box for them there was a recipe for what they call Maple and Brown Sugar Magic Muffins. It of course uses the wheat cereal; I found the recipe intriguing and it sounded quite tasty, so I made the muffins. I will have to say these muffins are the perfect breakfast muffins; they are filling, yet not to sweet. They actually remind me a little of a corn muffin, texture wise, but obviously a totally different taste. I hope you give these a try, and hey if you are in the area I can bring you some to try.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit

Ingredients

- 1 1/4 cup of flour (I used All-purpose because that is all we had, but wheat flour works too)

- 1 cup of maple and brown sugar wheat cereal, dry (I used Malt-O-Meal brand)

- 1/3 cup of sugar

- 3/4 cup of milk (I used skim milk)

- 1/4 cup of vegetable oil (You can substitute this for 1/4 cup of applesauce or fruit puree)

- 1 egg

- 1 tbsp of baking powder

- 1/2 tsp of salt

- 1 tsp of vanilla extract (optional)

1) Add all the ingredients to a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.

2) Mix the ingredients together until well blended.

3) Fill the cups of a muffin pan 3/4 full; use either paper cups or grease the cups of the pan. And place in your preheated oven, bake for about 15-20 minutes or until the tops of the muffins are firm to the touch.

4) Once the muffins are finished baking remove the pan from the oven and allow the muffins to cool slightly in the pan, about 5 minutes, then remove them from the pan and allow to cool completely on a cooling rack.

There you have it, 12 delicious muffins, waiting to be consumed for breakfast. One thing that I think will go nicely with these muffins is a spoonful of fruit preserves and a glass of milk. I hope you get a chance to try these, they are quite delicious.

Enjoy!!!

Fresh Salsa

Today I was looking for some thing light and fresh to make, since the temperature was pushing the mid 90s. I did not really want to bake or cook a large meal, so I saw the tomatoes my Mother-in-law gave me the other day (since she had so many and did not want them to go bad) and my first thought was salsa! I did not have all the ingredients that I would normally want when making salsa, but I thought I would improvise and make my own version of salsa with what I had on hand. I am pretty pleased with the result and I hope you will be to, give it a try.

Ingredients

- 1 large tomato, diced (no need to remove the pulp of the tomato, it will make a nice juice for the salsa)

- 1 red bell pepper, diced (This is what I had, you can use green, jalapenos, or chiles if you prefer)

- 1/4 of a onion, finely diced (I used a sweet onion, red onions work well too)

- 1 tsp of minced garlic

- 1 can of whole kernel corn (drain only half of the liquid from the can)

- 1/3 cup of Verde sauce (it is sold in the aisle with salsas at the grocery store)

- sprinkle of salt and pepper, to taste

1) Dice your tomato, pepper, and onion and place in a large bowl. Then add the corn, minced garlic, salt and pepper, and the Verde sauce.

2) Mix every thing together and chill it in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve.

When I tasted the salsa after making it I have to admit I ate a couple of spoonfuls, it was so fresh and delicious that I just had to. Next time I make this salsa I will most likely add some jalapenos to add a kick and some cilantro and lime. Tonight we are going to be enjoying this salsa over a filet of Tilapia, they go great together (if you haven't tried fresh salsa over fish, I would definitely recommend it).

Enjoy!!

Crockpot Bread Pudding

After this past weekend of Bar-B-Ques and get togethers to celebrate the fathers in our lives there were some left over hamburger buns (a lot of them) and I had no idea what we were going to do with all of them.  So, today I was searching Pinterest for an idea of what to do with them; I decided I was going to make a bread pudding. Most bread puddings call for day old French bread or cinnamon rolls/bread, but I decide to try these hamburger buns and see how it turns out. I was pleasantly surprised, this is a very tasty recipe and it is no fuss because it is made in the crockpot. Give this one a try.

Ingredients

- 8 cups of cubed bread (I used 8 hamburger buns, which totaled 8 cups)

- 4 eggs (I used large eggs)

- 2 cups of milk (I used skim milk)

- 1/4 cup of sugar

- 1/4 cup of butter, melted (I used salted butter. FYI 1/4 cup is 1/2 of a stick)

- 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract

- 2 tbsp of cinnamon

1) Cube the hamburger buns and set them aside in a large bowl or large measuring cup. In a separate large bowl combine eggs (I beat mine before add the rest of the ingredients), milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and melted butter, then beat until smooth. Note: make sure the melted butter is not hot when you add it to your mixture, it will set your eggs.

2) Pour your cubed bread into the bottom of the crockpot and then pour your wet mixture on top. Gently mix to combine, then place the lid on the crockpot.

3) Cook on low for 2-3 hours. (I cooked mine for almost 3 hours). Divide and serve.

Before serving mine I sprinkled it with cinnamon and powdered sugar. My daughter loves this recipe and it looks like we will be making it a lot more at this house. Two other ingredients that are optional, both of which I did not use, are 1/4 tsp of nutmeg and 1 cup of raisins (both are added to the wet mixture before pouring over the bread). I found this recipe on Lynnskitchenadventures.com through Pinterest.

Enjoy!!

Chocolate Protein Balls

I have been searching on Pinterest for different recipes to make using the chocolate protein powder I have. I love using it for the normal shake that it is designed for, but I am super excited about this recipe for protein bars or balls (which ever you prefer to make). (I found the recipe on Make 1 Kaday Blog on Pinterest.) They have the right amount of sweetness when I am craving a sweet snack and they also help to give me the energy I need to keep up with my little ones, not to mention they are on the healthier side. Give them a try.

Ingredients

- 4 Scoops of chocolate protein powder

- 2 cups of rolled oats

- 1 cup of almond milk (I didn't have almond milk so I used skim milk)

- 1/2 of a nut butter (I used peanut butter)

1) Add all the ingredients to a large mixing bowl and mix together.

2) Continue to mix until all the ingredients are well combined.

3) Once the ingredients are combined, make sure your hands are washed and start rolling small balls out of your mixture and placing them on a wax paper lined baking sheet. 

4) Lastly, place the protein balls in the refrigerator until you are ready to eat them.

You can also make these into protein bars by pressing all of the mixture into a baking sheet and chilling, then cutting into bars. Another thing that you can do to add more variety is to use some add ins, such as: chocolate chips, chia seeds, flax, craisins, or coconut flakes.

Enjoy!!

Frozen Yogurt Popsicle with Fruit

I know my kids get super excited when I let them have a popsicle, which is probably not as often as they would like; so, I decided to make some popsicles that aren't filled with excess dyes and sugars. They loved them and so did I, not only for the taste, but for the possibilities of varieties that can be made. Give them a try.

Ingredients

- 1 1/2 cups of yogurt (I used low fat vanilla yogurt)

- 1 1/2 cups of a frozen fruit (I used a blend of raspberries, blueberries, and black berries)

1) Add your fruit and yogurt to a food processor or blender.

2) Blend on low until smooth. There may be some small chunks of fruit, it doesn't need to be completely smooth (I know we prefer small bits of fruit in our popsicles). This is the time that if you would like you could add some sugar and blend; we decided not to add sugar, I didn't think it needed it.

3) Fill your popsicle mold and place the sticks in and place in the freezer for 2-3 hours or until frozen.

4) Once frozen, remove a popsicle from the mold and enjoy. 

One note I do want to make, do not run the mold under hot water to remove the popsicle, for the fact that frozen yogurt popsicles tend to melt a lot fast when you run the mold under hot water. You can use what ever fruit or even vegetable blend you prefer. With this method you can change up what kind of popsicle you have all summer and you can be more confident about what you are feeding your kids.

Enjoy!!