Deviled Eggs

Deviled eggs may seem like a lot of work, and they can be, but only if you have to fight to get the shells off of the eggs once boiled. The rest is a snap and makes for a quick side dish to bring to a summer picnic or add some protein to a vegetable plate.

If you don't have a deviled-egg tray or carrier, just cut your eggs horizontally and use your egg carton as the carrier. For that reason, this recipe makes 12, but you'll want to multiply it if serving a group. No one can eat just one deviled egg!

6 eggs

1 T. baking soda

2 T. mayonnaise

1 t. yellow mustard

1 t. white vinegar

1 T. sweet pickle relish

1/4 t. salt

Hard boil your eggs using these tips will not only help ensure a perfectly-cooked yolk, but will also make them easy to peel. Otherwise you could end up with eggs that look like they were peeled by Edward Scissorhands.

• Place eggs in saucepan before adding water to reduce the chance of them cracking. 
• Fill cool or lukewarm water 2 inches above eggs and add baking soda to the water. The baking soda will help the shell separate from the membrane more easily.
• Bring water to a boil over high heat. As soon as water boils, place a lid on the pot and let sit off the heat for 13 minutes.
• Pour water off eggs and transfer eggs to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. it doesn't matter if the eggs get cracked at this point.
• Once eggs are cool, remove from water and begin cracking and peeling them at the wide end. This is most likely where the air pocket is, which will decrease your chances of marring the egg white.
• Use the fleshy part of your thumb (not your fingernail) to gently peel sections of the shell back from the cooked egg. Be careful when you get to the pointed end of the egg. It's easy to inadvertently remove the whole top of the egg when that's the last section you get to.
• After removing all the shell, rinse the egg under cool water to remove any remaining flecks of shell or membrane.

Slice eggs in half and gently pop the yolks out into a bowl, or use a small spoon or spatula if you prefer. 

Mix mayo, mustard, vinegar, relish and salt into egg yolks and stir until creamy. Taste and adjust if needed.

Spoon 1 T. of yolk filling back into egg whites. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

No-Mayo Coleslaw

You don't need mayonnaise or even oil to make a delicious coleslaw. I had been making a slaw dressing with just oil, vinegar and sugar when my husband's aunt introduced me to her mama's recipe that didn't have any fat in it at all. I was skeptical, but it really is very good! Both dressings are included below. Cabbage is really the only vegetable you need for coleslaw, but I like to add carrots and sometimes onion, too. 

3 cups shredded cabbage

1 carrot, shredded (optional)

1/4 cup onion, chopped (optional)

Shred or chop cabbage as finely as you like it.

Add carrot and onion.

Mix up one of the below dressings and toss all ingredients.

Dressing 1

2 T. apple cider vinegar

1 T. vegetable oil

1 T. sugar

salt and pepper

Dressing 2

2 T. apple cider vinegar

2 T. water

2 T. sugar

salt and pepper

Refrigerate 30 minutes prior to serving. 

Kale Slaw

For Memorial Day, if you're looking for a side-dish to bring to the cookout that won't compromise the work you've been doing to get ready for bathing-suit season, this is it! Not only is Kale full of nutrients such as beta carotene, vitamin C and calcium, but this slaw has no mayo or sugar. I have two variations of dressing that I will use depending on what else is being served, but the veggie bases remains the same.

I bunch kale, chopped

1 large carrot, shredded

1/3 cup chopped red onion

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Combine all ingredients and toss with one of the dressings below. Let sit for at least 20 minutes before serving. 

Dressing 1

I make this if we're having a main course/meat that is sweet, like barbecue or salmon, or heavy, like burgers or brats. The mustard provides a nice contrast and holds up to rich foods with bold flavors.

Whisk together:

2 T. Dijon mustart

2 T. cider vinegar

2 T. olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Dressing 2

I make this if we're having something lighter, like fish tacos, shrimp or grilled chicken. The citrus juice brings out the flavor in these lighter meats.

Whisk together:

2 T. olive oil

2 t. lemon juice

1 1/2 T. orange juice

salt and pepper to taste

Fried Potato Patties

Leftover mashed potatoes can be transformed into a new side dish for the next day's breakfast or dinner. Or you can make them up and freeze them for weeks later.

Leftover mashed white or sweet potatoes

Flour

Salt and pepper

Cooking oil or reserved bacon grease

I like these for breakfast with bacon and a poached egg, so I start by cooking my bacon so I can reserve some of the grease to cook my potato patties. Heat either bacon grease or cooking oil in a cast iron or non-stick skillet over medium heat. Since the potates are already cooked, you just need enough grease to form a crust on the outside of your patties.

Form mashed potatoes into patties with your hands. Combine enough flour, salt and pepper to coat the number of patties you made. For 1/4 cup of flour, add 1/4 t. salt and pepper to taste. Coat potato patties in flour on all sides, brushing off the excess. If you are freezing your patties for later, wrap them in plastic wrap and then place them in a freezer bag.

Add coated patties to your hot pan and cook for 5 minutes on each side, flipping only once to minimize the chances of them getting smooshed or breaking apart. Serve hot.

Summer Squash Casserole reconstructed

I'm a purist, I admit it. If I see a recipe with Cool Whip, cream of something soup or Cheez Whiz as an ingredient, I pass it by. I don't keep processed foods in my pantry because I like to really know what's in my meals and be able to control the way they taste. I found myself in a pickle with my mother-in-law's summer squash casserole. It is delicious, of course my husband loves it, and when our garden started mass producing squash this month, there was no better way to get rid of it than a squash casserole. I have made it before, cream of chicken soup, Stoffer's stuffing mix and all, but I kept vowing to find a better way.

I admit that my reconstructed version takes a bit more time and planning, but squash casserole isn't something you just whip up anyway, so the extra time is worth it.

Ingredients

1 box of herbed stuffing mix OR cornbread breadcrumbs using the below ingredients:

• 1 10-inch skillet cornbread
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs (sage, thyme, parsley, rosemary, oregano, tarragon) or 1 1/2 T. dried herbs
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 lbs. yellow summer squash, sliced in 1/4" pieces

2 T. olive oil

1 can cream of chicken soup OR a cream soup roux using the below ingredients:

• 3 T. salted butter
• 3 T. all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1/2 t. garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup sour cream

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 medium carrots, largely shredded 

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Make your skillet cornbread, adding herbs and garlic to the batter. While cornbread is cooking and cooling, prepare your squash and roux (if making)). Add 1 T. oil to a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Sautee half the squash until soft, almost mushy. Repeat with the remaining oil and squash. Smash squash and press the liquid out of it through a strainer. Set aside.

(If you use the box of stuffing mix, stir 4 T. butter into it before adding to the casserole and as the topping.)

To make the roux, melt butter in a saucepan and add flour to form a paste. Combine milk and chicken stock and slowly whisk it into the paste, making a thick creamy sauce. Add garlic powder, salt and pepper.

Once squash and roux are cooled to room temperature, combine them with sour cream, onion, carrot and season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Once cornbread has cooled, cut it into 1/2" cubes. Toast half the cubes until like croutons. You can do this in the oven while it's pre-heating. Stir those in with the squash mixture. Transfer this to a 2 quart casserole dish and top with the remaining untoasted croutons. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes.