Cooking Light ~ April Fool's Day

This month for our Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club we are playing a little Aprils Fools with our menu. I am in charge of the appetizers, but I plan to bring an egg souffle.
I found  THIS Recipe in the volumes on the Cooking Light My Recipe search.

Creamy Baked Eggs with Asparagus
Butter for ramekins
6 thin asparagus spears, ends trimmed
4 large eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup lightly packed shredded pecorino
Pinch of sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

 Preheat oven to 275°. Lightly butter two 4-oz. (1/2-cup) ramekins or ovenproof bowls and set in a baking pan just big enough to hold ramekins.
Slice asparagus thinly on the diagonal. Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add asparagus; cook until just tender-crisp, 1 to 2 minutes, and scoop out into a colander. Keep water boiling, covered. (I skipped this step . . . I sauted my asparagus in olive oil with a little salt and pepper.)
In a bowl, beat eggs with milk until smooth. Stir in cheese and salt. Divide mixture between prepared ramekins. (I made three) Top each with half the asparagus and sprinkle with pepper.
Set ramekins in baking pan and put in oven. With oven door open, carefully pour hot water into baking pan up to the level of the eggs in ramekins. Bake until eggs are set in centers (touch to test), about 45 minutes. To remove ramekins, carefully pull oven rack out partway; lift ramekins from pan with tongs and set aside. Push rack with pan back into the oven to cool. Serve eggs immediately

I thought they were just the right little appetizer . . . but also worked for breakfast the next day.


 
Now . . . let's see what everyone else has brought for our April Fool's Supper.
Jerry has made Shrimp and Grits . . . April Fools. Where is he going to find real grits?
Val is making a Chicken BLT salad.
Susan is going to surprise us with her dish.
Sara is sailing in with Zucchini Boats and Ricotta Basil Mousse
Shelby is bringing a Rhubarb Trifle
Y'all enjoy ~
Sandi

Cooking Light ~ Celebrating Easter

For our Virtual Supper Club this month, we decided to get a jump and Celebrate Easter a little early . . . The Cooking Light way. I decided that the best thing to do with all of those colored eggs would be to whip up a plate of deviled eggs. I went searching on Cooking Light and found This Recipe.

This is a deviled egg recipe that is kicked up a knotch with some pickled red onions and sriracha for spice.

Deviled Eggs with Pickled Onions
8 large eggs
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoons plain 2% reduced-fat Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons canola mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon Sriracha (hot chile sauce, such as Huy Fong) or hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
  2 tablespoons finely chopped chives

Preparation (according to the Cooking Light instructions)
Add water to a large saucepan to a depth of 1 inch; set a large vegetable steamer in pan. Add eggs to steamer. Bring water to a boil over medium-high heat. Steam eggs, covered, 16 minutes. Remove from heat. Place eggs in a large ice water–filled bowl for 3 minutes.
While eggs steam, combine 1/4 cup water, vinegar, and sugar in a medium microwave-safe bowl; microwave at HIGH 2 minutes or until boiling. Stir in onion. Let stand at room temperature 15 minutes. Drain.
Combine yogurt, mayonnaise, mustard, Sriracha, pepper, and salt in a medium bowl, stirring well to combine.
Peel eggs; discard shells. Slice eggs in half lengthwise. Add 6 yolks to yogurt mixture; reserve remaining yolks for another use. Mash with a fork until very smooth. Stir in 2 tablespoons red onion. Spoon mixture into egg white halves (about 1 tablespoon in each half). Garnish egg halves with remaining red onion and chives.

Only Cooking Light could turn deviled eggs into such a difficult process...
Actually, I hard cook my eggs In The Oven Like In This Post (Fool proof every time)
Then peel and half them, I smish all the yolks with the other ingredients (who has ever complained about over-filled eggs?)
To fill them I use a zip-loc baggie with a hole snipped in the corner. 

I Love me some deviled eggs ~ so I have turned it into a simple process.
Believe me . . . I will be making this again with those colored eggs in a couple of weeks.

 
Now . . . let's see what everyone else has brought for our Virtual Easter Supper.
Jerry has Ham with Bourbon Glaze
Val is making Spring Pea Soup with Crab Flan
Susan is bringing Smashed Potatoes with Goat Cheese
Sara has a dessert of Ricotta Semifreddo
Shelby is back and she is bringing Shrimp and Bacon Deviled Eggs (Yea ~ more deviled eggs)
Y'all enjoy ~
Sandi

Hard 'Boiled' Eggs

Y'all are going to love this!

A newer and easier way to hard 'boil' eggs . . . Thanks to Pinterest.

Place eggs in muffin tins or in paper cups ~ just to keep them from rolling around.
Put them into a cold oven and turn it to 325°  , Bake for 25-27 minutes.

Put them back in the fridge to cool.
Perfect every time!

I will never stand over a boiling pot of water wondering if my eggs are hard or soft boiled again.

What is your favorite today?
I'm also linking up at The Shabby Nest with this Frugal Friday idea.
Y'all enjoy~
 Sandi

Blue Monday's ~ Fritatta di Verdura

I'm glad my blue teapot was in the photo ~ So I can post this on Blue Monday.
This is our traditional sunday morning breakfast. ~ Call it a 'clean out the fridge fritatta'. Fritatta di Verdura in Italiano . . . doesn't that sound so much better? It does when David Rocco says it.

So . . . in cleaning out the fridge I found ~ A hand full of spinach, 4 mushrooms, diced onion, bell pepper and pepperoni. 6 eggs and some parmesean cheese. This is his recipe, although I make it my own from week to week.
Fritatta di Verdura
5 large eggs
thinly slice 1 potato
thinly slice 1 red pepper,
thinly slice 1 onion
1 cup freshly grated Grana Padano cheese
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
In a bowl, beat eggs with freshly grated cheese. Salt & pepper to taste.
Heat olive oil in a non-stick pan. Add veggies.
Cook for 5 minutes, or until vegetables are soft.
(consider that some things will need to cook a little longer than others. Add fresh spinach toward the end)
Pour egg mixture into frying pan. With a fork, evenly distribute egg mixture.
Cook over medium head for approximately 3 - 4 minutes without stirring.
Place under the broiler to finish the top.

Bene, Bene, Bene
Don't forget to check in at Smiling Sally for more blues.
y'all enjoy~
Sandi

Small bite ~ Sun Dried Tomatoes

The Sunday Small Bites has been so much fun and here we are in our 3rd week. We have taken one ingredient, and everyone comes up with their own favorite recipe.
Mercy~ this has become a real challenge!
Our secret ingredient this week is Sun Dried Tomatoes. This was not easy to find at the Piggly Wiggly... they carry one variety in the produce department. I'm sure Jerry will probably dry his own tomatoes :-)
I used my sun dried tomatoes to make some small bites of frittattas from a recipe similar to one I found in 'Healthy Cooking'. These would be perfect for a light breakfast, brunch with grits, or even as an appetizer.
Italian Mini Frittatas
2 tablespoons chopped sun-dried tomatoes
2 thin slices prosciutto, finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped shallots
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups milk
2 egg whites
3 eggs
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup shredded Asiago cheese
1/2 cup artichoke hearts, rinsed, drained and chopped
2 tablespoons minced fresh basil
salt & pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350°
Place tomatoes in a small bowl; add 1/2 cup boiling water. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
In a skillet, saute the prosciutto, shallots and garlic in butter until shallots are tender. Remove from the heat; set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk flour and milk until smooth; whisk in the egg whites and eggs until blended. Stir in the cheeses, artichokes, basil, salt, pepper, and reserved tomatoes and prosciutto mixture.
Coat 12 muffin cups with cooking spray; fill with egg mixture. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Carefully run a knife around edges to loosen and remove from pan.
Now, let's see what small bites we get from the other 'nibblers'.
Leave your link on Mr Mcklinky.
Y'all enjoy!
Sandi
Next week's secret ingredient ~~~Avocado ~~~