Mardi Gras Deviled Eggs - Recipe Theme

Today is Fat Tuesday - It snuck up on me when I was not paying attention, but I did make these great Deviled Eggs to celebrate. And it kinda keeps with the breakfast theme with an interesting twist.  Deviled eggs are a perfect southern food, a wonderful addition to a Mardi Gras Brunch and if you make them, a great way to celebrate Fat Tuesday from home since a trip to New Orleans is not recommended this year.

This recipe was inspired by a post by Deep South Dish where they admitted that a basic deviled egg recipe is preferred in many southern homes but dressing it up is also fun!

Each variation below is calculated for use with a dozen hard boiled eggs.

Deviled Eggs for Mardi Gras Brunch

12 large eggs

1 tablespoon salt (for the boiling water only)

 

For the Deviled Eggs:

1/4 cup regular mayonnaise, more or less to taste

1 tablespoon Creole, Dijon or yellow mustard

1 tablespoon sweet or dill pickle relish

Pinch kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, or to taste

1/4 teaspoon of Cajun seasoning (we recommend BYP N’Orleans Spirit Herb Mix)

Paprika, for garnish, optional

Directions:

Place eggs in a sauce pan so that they are crowded with little room to move around. Cover with water and add the 1 tablespoon of salt. Bring to a full, rolling boil (about 10 minutes on high), then immediately cover the pot and turn off heat, but leave the pot on the stove. Allow to sit covered for 15 minutes. Carefully drain the pot and place under the faucet, fill the pot with a steady stream of water, emptying and refilling the pot with cool water until the water is no longer hot. Let the eggs rest for 10 minutes in the cool water.

Peel the eggs and split in half lengthwise, removing the yolks and setting aside the whites. Using a fork or pastry blender, mash the yolks well. To the yolks, add mustard, pickle relish, a pinch of salt, pepper and Cajun seasoning and stir together, adding only enough of the mayonnaise for desired consistency. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Pipe the yolk mixture into the egg whites using either a pastry bag and tips or place in a plastic storage bag and snip off the corner. Serve immediately or refrigerate filled eggs in a covered bowl that leaves room so the stuffing is not disturbed.

Instant Pot Boiled Eggs: For 6 to 12 large eggs, pour 1-1/2 cups water in bottom of pot and use a rack or basket to place eggs. Cook eggs on high for 6 minutes, quick release and use tongs to immediately transfer eggs into a bowl of iced water.

Variations:

This perfect southern specialty – Pimento: Substitute 1/4 to 1/2 cup of homemade or commercial pimento cheese for the mayonnaise; adding additional mayonnaise only as needed.

Dilly Deviled Eggs: Add 1 to 2 Tbls Marcy’s Dill Dip Mix into the mayonnaise and mix as usual. Garnish with a sprinkle of fresh dill.

Jalapeno and Bacon Deviled Eggs: Combine 1/8 cup mayonnaise with 2 ounces cream cheese, softened at room temperature. Add remaining ingredients, along with 1/4 cup of finely chopped bacon, 1 tablespoon chopped, pickled jalapeno and 2 tablespoons finely shredded Cheddar cheese. Garnish each egg with a slice of jalapeno and scatter more minced bacon on top.

BBQ Ranch: Mix in 1 Tablespoon BYP Ranch Dressing Mix and an optional dash of Liquid Smoke. Stuff eggs. Just before serving, drizzle each stuffed egg with barbecue sauce (you can make that with BYP BarBeQue Seasoning) and garnish with chives.

Avocado Deviled Eggs: Combine 1/2 cup finely mashed avocado with juice of one lime and mix well. Add egg yolks and continue to mash, adding enough mayonnaise to make smooth. Omit mustard and pickles.

Adapted from the perfect southern source: http://deepsouthdish.com

Chicken Gumbo - Weekend Recipe

Gumbo

1 2-3 pound whole chicken

3 tablespoons butter

2 medium onions, diced

1 cup chopped celery

2 medium bell pepper, deseeded and diced

2 cups sliced okra

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound smoked Polish sausage, cut into 1-inch slices

1 cup diced smoked ham

1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with juices

1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes with peppers, with juices

1 (10-ounce) can Navy beans

2 tablespoons Old Bay Seasoning or Backyard Patch Do-It-All Seasonings

2 bay leaves

2 cups chicken stock

1 pound raw small shrimp, peeled, deveined, and cleaned

4 cups cooked rice (optional)

Directions:

Wash chicken and place into a large Dutch oven. Cover with water plus about 2 inches. Bring to a boil over medium heat and simmer for about 2 hours. Remove chicken from water and set-aside to cool. Add butter, onion, celery, bell pepper, okra, and garlic to chicken stock.

Pull chicken from the bone and add back to the stock. Add in Polish sausage, and ham. Cook for about 10 minutes to allow all the juices to incorporate.

Pour in diced tomatoes and diced tomatoes with peppers. Smash Navy beans with a fork while in the can and then pour into the Gumbo along with Ole Bay seasoning and bay leaves.

Bring Gumbo to a boil and stir in additional chicken stock. Cook for 10-15 minutes and then stir in shrimp. Cook until shrimp has turned pink, about 5 more minutes.

Remove bay leaves from the Gumbo and the Dutch oven from the heat. Serve Gumbo over rice (optional) or by itself. Serves 10.

Notes

Alternately, you may use a rotisserie chicken rather than cooking a whole chicken, if desired. If doing so, I recommend the following changes to recipe: Heat Dutch oven over medium heat. Melt butter and add onion, celery, bell pepper, okra and garlic. Sauté until tender, about 3-5 minutes. Continue with remaining steps of the original recipe and add 4 cups of chicken stock to Gumbo when recipe calls for 2 cups. Using rotisserie chicken will reduce cooking time by 2 hours.

Each month a theme is chosen and a number of recipes on that theme from my massive archive will be shared.  This year we have 12 new topics, different from the topics of last year.  To find the recipes of last year, check out this recipe link or search the blog with the topic Recipe2018. 

You can search the monthly theme by looking for the theme keyword in the search box and it will pull up the recipes on that theme as posted, so look at the bottom of the recipe in each posting for the KEYWORD in the () to search for each  month.  All recipes this year will be tagged Recipe2019 so you can find them all.

The themes are:

Jan 2019 – Chicken and Dumplings (CDumpsJan)

Feb 2019 - Pasta Dishes (PastaFeb)

March 2019 - Edible Flowers (FlowerMar)

April 2019 - Seafood Recipes (SeafoodApr)

May 2019 - Cajun And Creole (C&CMay)

June 2019 - Vegetarian Dishes

July 2019 - Zucchini Recipes

August 2019 - National Mustard Day – mustard recipes

September 2019 - Quiche

October 2019 - Crock Pot meals

November 2019 - Pies

December 2019 - Mocktails

May Recipe theme - Cajun and Creole Recipes

This month the recipe theme is Cajun or Creole. (see below recipe for more.) I have a few easy to prepare recipes in this category, but if you are looking for a great red beans and rice check out this one on amazingribs.com.

Cajun Chicken & Rice

1 cup uncooked rice

2 cups water or chicken broth

1 teaspoon salt

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Cajun or Creole Seasoning (I recommend Backyard Patch N’Orleans Spirit)

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 cups diced onions and bell peppers

1 (10-oz) can Ro-Tel Diced Tomatoes and Green Chiles

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

Combine rice, water (or broth) and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 14 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside when done. Keep covered.

Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces, about 1-inch cubes. Season generously with Cajun seasoning. Add one tablespoon of the olive oil to a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When the oil is very hot, add the chicken in a single layer. Brown on one side, about 2-3 minutes, then flip and brown on the other side. Remove chicken to a plate and set aside.

Add the remaining olive oil to the pan, increase heat to high, and when the oil is hot, carefully add the onions and bell peppers. Add more seasoning and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened and browned.

Add the tomatoes to the onions and bell peppers, then add the chicken back in, along with any juices that may have collected on the plate. Add the cooked rice and stir until well combined. Add the cheese if desired and stir well to combine. Makes: 4 servings.

RECIPE THEME:

Each month a theme is chosen and a number of recipes on that theme from my massive archive will be shared.  This year we have 12 new topics, different from the topics of last year.  To find the recipes of last year, check out this recipe link or search the blog with the topic Recipe2018. 

You can search the monthly theme by looking for the theme keyword in the search box and it will pull up the recipes on that theme as posted, so look at the bottom of the recipe in each posting for the KEYWORD in the () to search for each  month.  All recipes this year will be tagged Recipe2019 so you can find them all.

The themes are:

Jan 2019 – Chicken and Dumplings (CDumpsJan)

Feb 2019 - Pasta Dishes (PastaFeb)

March 2019 - Edible Flowers (FlowerMar)

April 2019 - Seafood Recipes (SeafoodApr)

May 2019 - Cajun And Creole (C&CMay)

June 2019 - Vegetarian Dishes

July 2019 - Zucchini Recipes

August 2019 - National Mustard Day – mustard recipes

September 2019 - Quiche

October 2019 - Crock Pot meals

November 2019 - Pies

December 2019 - Mocktails