DEVILED EGG SPREAD

I love deviled eggs...who doesn't! This recipe combines all the wonderful tastes of deviled eggs but adds a little flair with the nice crunch of the toast. It makes a perfect hors d'oeuvre for any party, not just a brunch.

Ingredients:

1 dozen large eggs (I use organic)
2 tbl white vinegar
1/2 pound sliced white sandwich bread
1 cp mayonnaise
1 tbl yellow or dijon mustard
salt
pepper
paprika for garnish

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

In a large saucepan cover the eggs with water and add the vinegar. Bring to a rapid boil. Cover the pan and remove it from the heat. Let stand for 15 minutes. Drain and cool under running cold water.

Quarter the bread slices and layer on a baking sheet. Toast in the oven for about 6 minutes turning once until browned.

Peel the eggs and halve lengthwise. Coarsely chop half the egg whites and transfer to a bowl. Add the remaining whites and all the yolks in a food processor. Add the mayonnaise and mustard and pulse until smooth. Add this mixture to the chopped egg whites. Season with salt and pepper.

Top each toast point with the egg spread and dust lightly with paprika. Arrange on a platter and serve. You could serve the spread in a bowl surrounded by the toast points and have your guests make their own.

How easy is this....thanks to Katie Lee

ENJOY!

BELATED FRIDAY COCKTAIL - RASPBERRY FRENCH 75

YES it's catch up time for me...took a little hiatus to spend time with my kids and lots and lots of family and friends.

We all had a great time and I am now looking forward to a fun visit with more family.

As promised I am going to post a few recipes tonight to catch up. A big fireworks show too tonight so I have to hurry....

The Raspberry French 75 cocktail comes from the book titled "Market-Fresh Mixology". Great book incorporating luscious tasting drinks with a lot of fresh ingredients. This makes just a single cocktail so of course start multiplying this recipe!!!

Ingredients:

5 fresh sage leaves
5 fresh raspberries
1-1/2 ounces gin or vodka
fresh sour mix (see below)
sparkling wine

Muddle 4 of the sage leaves and 4 of the raspberries and sour mix in a mixing glass or cocktail shaker. Add gin or vodka and shake well. Add some sparking wine. Gently shake the cocktail and strain into a champagne flute. Garnish with the remaining sage leaf and raspberry.

Sour Mix: first make a simple syrup (heat 1 part water and 1 part sugar until the water boils and the sugar dissolves). Let cool. Combine 1 cup of the simple syrup with the juice of 8 lemons. Stir well. If you don't want to go through this step, you can buy sour mix at most groceries and liquor stores. You can refrigerate the remaining sour mix.

Wonderful flavor
ENJOY!

LAST DAY ON THE BEACH WITH THE KIDS

Sorry no time to blog...be back with three entries tomorrow night! ENJOY!

WITH MY BABIES

With my kids.....having fun....at the beach...bouy bell and fog horn...life is very good

See you tomorrow
ENJOY!

ELANA'S BUFFALO CHICKEN DIP

Today is a special day on Year of the Blog. We have a guest blogger! Since my mom is cooking away in the kitchen this morning I, Rachel am going to blog for her. One of my dearest friends, Elana and I are sitting in the York Beach Maine house trying to think of something to blog. For those of you who don't know... Elana and I met in Scotland when we studied abroad and just clicked right from day one. We had many amazing adventures and helped each other learn and grow so much throughout the whole experience. Elana is here this week with me in Maine and it is the first time we have seen each other since that trip almost 2 years ago...

So back to the food. Elana has a special party dip that is always a huge favorite. Buffalo Chicken Dip is today's recipe... and here's how you do it.

1 large can of canned chicken (next to the canned tuna)


1/2 Franks Red Hot sauce (pepper sauce)


1 (8 oz) package of cream cheese


1/2 cup of bleu cheese or ranch salad dressing


add all ingredients into a large bowl and whisk together, then pour mixture into a slow cooker on medium heat. Cook for about 30-45 min.

Serve hot with tortilla chips and fresh veggies!!
I hope everyone is having a great summer! Love, Rachel and Elana

As my Mom would say...ENJOY!

SALMON AND BREAD SALAD

Another great recipe from Grace Parisi. This salad is another terrific use of salmon. It's light with the lemon and capers and an all in one meal with salmon, tomatoes and bread. No need for any side dishes..only a nice glass oif white wine.

Ingredients:

5 tbl olive oil

2 pints grape tomatoes halved

2 large garlic cloves

2 tbl capers chopped

loaf of ciabatta bread cut into chunks

1 lemon halved and very thinly sliced

1/4 cup Italian parsley chopped

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

2 lbs salmon, skinned and cut into large chunks

salt

pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

On a baking sheet toss the ciabatta chunks with 2 tbl olive oil and roast in the oven for about 5 minutes until the bread is toasted.

In a bowl, mix tomatoes, garlic, capers, lemon, parsley, red pepper and 2 tbl olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Stir the tomato mixture with the bread and roast for about 10-15 minutes until tomatoes begin to soften and blister.

In the same bowl toss the salmon with remaining olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Combine salmon with the bread and tomatoes and roast for about 6-8 minutes until salmon is cooked through.

Try to serve immediately! So much wonderful flavor and so simple!

ENJOY!

SPICY PEANUT NOODLES

While this dish traditionally is made with Chinese noodles and other ingredients somewhat hard to find even in American Asian markets, Boston chef Joanne Chang substitutes spaghetti noodles and peanut butter. You just need to cook the spaghetti a few minutes longer than package directions to give it the texture of Chinese noodles. Since I am not a big cilantro fan, I substitute parsley.

You can make this dish as spicy as you want by adjusting the amount of red pepper flakes you add.

Ingredients:

1 lb spaghetti
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
3 tbl + 1 tsp sugar
6 tbl soy sauce
1/4 cup water
1 tbl Asian sesame oil
2 tsp crushed red pepper
1-(2 in) piece of ginger peeled and chopped
1 large garlic clove
3 celery ribs, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped cilantro (or parsley)
lime wedges for garnish

Cook spaghetti according to package directions but a few minutes longer. Drain and rinse under cold water. Drain well!

In a blender, puree peanut butter, 6 tbl vinegar, 3 tbl sugar, soy sauce, water, sesame oil, red pepper, ginger and garlic. Transfer 1/2 cup of this mixture to noodles and toss.

In another bowl, toss the celery with the cilantro and remaining 2 tbl vinegar and 1 tsp sugar.

Transfer noodles to serving bowls and drizzle with remaining peanut dressing. Top with the celery mixture and garnish with lime wedges.

Only takes as long to make as the noodles to cook!!!
ENJOY!