Tuna Salad Deviled Eggs

 Easter is sneaking up on us quietly.

And what a better time to start planning your deviled egg recipe?

Deviled eggs are one of those foods that can be found with so many odd ingredients.

I have a recipe sitting on my desk for Crab Stuffed Deviled Eggs,

and I hope to get to that recipe before Easter.

 But this one (Tuna Salad Deviled Eggs) is one that I created myself.

I had it all planned out in my head,

head to the kitchen and start tearing into the preparation....

I was so involved in creating this masterpiece that I forgot to write down

the ingredients, measurements, and instructions.

Are you kidding me?

I've been blogging since 2008 and I still can't get fully into bloggy mode.

But I sat down and put together a recipe from memory (I hope).

Deviled Eggs is one of those foods that is best created by taste.

So if my ingredients and instructions don't come together for you,

just make your own changes.

These went to a church potluck and were a huge hit.

Tuna Salad Deviled Eggs

12 eggs, hard boiled

1 celery heart stalk, finely chopped

2 TBS minced purple onion

1/4 c. Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing

1 TBS mustard

1 TBS green olive juice

Fresh ground pepper

2 regular sized cans tuna in water, drained

Paprika for sprinkling on tops

Hard boil eggs, peel, cut in half and place yolks in a medium sized bowl. Once yolks are in the bowl take a pastry blender and blend until fine. Add celery, onion, ranch dressing, mustard, olive juice, and pepper. Stir together well. Add flaked tuna last. Stir in tuna just until combined. You want the tuna to remain flaky. Fill hallowed eggs and sprinkle with paprika.

This recipe is linked to:
Foodie Friends Friday

Those Little Fried Chinese Rangoons: Crab Rangoon Dip

My daughter put this together one day when she was bored.

Can you believe an 18 year old would be bored?

But she put to work her best talents,

cooking,

baking,

and chef-ing.

Don't you just love those little fried crab rangoons that they serve

in Chinese restaurants?

I could sit and eat a whole plateful.

Well folks, now you can eat as much as you want at home.

Thanks to my bored 18 year old daughter.

Which by the way, she wants to attend a culinary school

when she graduates from high school.

She is even talking pastry chef.

Wowza!! Can you believe that?

But getting back to the rangoon dip....

This is how Randi did it.

Crab Rangoon Dip

2 cans crab meat (the same size as a regular tuna can), (drained)

16 oz. cream cheese, soft

1/2 c. sour cream

4 green onions, chopped fine

1 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 TBS powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. lemon juice

6-12 drops of hot sauce (depending on your preferred spice temp)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Add the chopped onions with the crab meat. Place the soft cream cheese in med size bowl. Add all ingredients to the cream cheese. Stir until well mixed. Pour into (I used a round cake pan) a pan and bake for 30 minutes. Serve hot with chips.

You could probably place this in a crock pot after it's baked to take to get-togethers and parties.

This recipe is linked to:

Miz Helen's Country Cottage ~ Full Plate Thursday

Foodie Friends Friday

The Better Baker ~ Weekend Pot Luck
This recipe was featured at Weekend Potluck

Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party & Fish Tacos: I'm Hooked!

Have you ever had a fish taco?

Oh my heavens! If you haven't, you are truly missing out.

Do you know where I was first introduced to fish tacos?

Alaska!

I ate at a restaurant in Anchorage, Alaska called Humpys Great Alaskan Ale House. And yes, the same Humpys that man vs. food performed at on the Food Network Channel.

The only plus that the fish tacos in Alaska holds over mine.....Fresh Halibut!
Mine are frozen breaded cod fillets......HA!!

But, I can still pretend I am at Humpys enjoying that fresh catch.

This is what I did to put together my (think Humpys) fish tacos:

I baked the cod fillets according to package directions
Placed two fillets (they were small) on a spinach vegetable tortilla
Topped the fish with chopped tomato
Heated black beans
Arugula
Shredded cheese (mine is pepper jack)
Topped it off with awesome chipotle salsa
And folded it in half
This recipe is linked to:


So, to leave you with that bit of info, it is now time to move forward with my very first LINKY PARTY.
I am sitting here in front of the computer just staring at the screen, mouth hanging open, and not one single clue at how to begin this.
I am used to posting recipes and pictures. And I've recently accomplished sharing other blogs (and I think I'm pretty darn good at it). Through the almost four years of blogging I've been doing, I have realized that blogging is not about me.....It's about a whole community of bloggers, a whole cyber space of foodies, food lovers, bakers, chefs, and everyday moms, or dads that are searching for that ever perfect recipe, or meal.

Now to GET THIS PARTY STARTED......Let me introduce you to some of the hard working bloggers that I have grouped with and are hosting this party:
The group is called Foodie Friends Friday, and you can pick up our blog button over there ---------->
See it? It's right there on the right hand side of the computer screen. Yup, the button with the oranges. An orange sliced in half to share with a friend. It's good to share with friends. Grab some friends (and recipes), and maybe share your own.

Here is some of the Foodie Friends Friday family:
The Chief and creator of Foodie Friends Friday - Tracy Iseminger (Busy Vegetarian Mom)
http://www.robynsviewathome.blogspot.com/
http://www.saucygirlskitchen.com/
http://www.passionepercucina.blogspot.co.uk/p/welcome.html
http://everythingkitchensink.blogspot.com/
http://whatscookingintheburbs.blogspot.com/
http://www.fromcalculustocupcakes.blogspot.com
http://marlys-thisandthat.blogspot.com/
http://cookiescakesandbakes.wordpress.com/
http://www.fromcalculustocupcakes.blogspot.com
http://cupcakesandkalechips.com
http://wifeofthecolonel.blogspot.com/
http://www.CafeBlueRidge.blogspot.com
http://chefpickykid.com
http://www.familyfoodfinds.com
http://www.bringingpleasuretothekitchen.com/
http://www.cindysrecipesandwritings.com
http://www.djssugarshack.com
Now, let's link up cyber world bloggers.......Show us what you got (or cooked), (or baked), (or created).....

Here are a few directions and rules for the Linky Party:

Why Is It Called.....Neptune Salad

Can you believe it's June 1st already? Where has the time gone? We are almost half way through the year 2012!!

My granddaughter left two packages of imitation crab meat in my frig when she stayed with me over the weekend. Imitation crab is one of her favorite foods. She knows what she likes already and she's only 4.
So, the only thing I could do with that crab meat is make Neptune Salad.
How do you like to eat Neptune Salad?
I came up with three different ways (a wrap, stuffed in a celery heart stalk, and mounded in the middle of a tomato), but I know there are more.....

I made my salad a little different than the norm. I added chopped green pepper.
But Neptune Salad is so easy to make and oh so versatile..... And tastes great!! And I would imagine is low calorie.

If there are any professional photographers out there......I am really getting frustrated with my food pictures. Since I have moved, the only lighting I have are florescent lights....UGH!! They kind of wash out all the color. Advice?

This recipe is linked to:



Neptune Salad

2 (8 oz.) pkg imitation crab or lobster meat
1/2 c. diced red onion
1/2 c. diced green pepper
1 celery heart stalk, diced
1 tsp. dried dill weed
1/2 c. mayonnaise
Lots of crushed black pepper

Flake the imitation crab pieces and place all ingredients in a bowl. Stir well.

I Tried.....Cod Cakes

What can I say?

I tried....

I love crab cakes

tuna cakes

shrimp cakes

lobster cakes

salmon cakes

and now I love cod cakes, and you will soon see what happened.....

Do I sound a little bit like Bubba?

One thing that I did accomplish is, I made hollandaise sauce for the very first time.

I want to be a cheerleader, run through the house jumping up and down, performing cartwheels, and acting all giddy....

I have heard that it is very hard to make a good hollandaise sauce.

This recipe I found at Back Porch Spice, and I followed his directions exactly because I have never made it before.

I chopped up my cod in small pieces.

Mixed it with Panko crumbs, minced onion, brown mustard, lemon zest, lemon juice, salmon seasoning, and eggs.

Now here is where everything fell apart....literally.

I ruined the teflon coating in my skillet a few weeks ago. I didn't want to admit it, so I ignored it and tried to make my cod cakes in it anyway.

Want to see what happened?

Yeah, I'd say that is very much ruined. That was my favorite skillet too. I cried a little when I had to throw it away. I had to face the truth, it would never work right again....

But the hollandaise sauce and the cod cakes that I saved were very, very good.

I will definitely attempt these again.

Hollandaise Sauce

1/4 c. butter

1/4 c. cream

2 egg yolks (don't throw out the whites, you can use them in your cod cakes)

1 TBS freshly squeezed lemon juice

salt to taste

pinch of cayenne pepper

pinch of paprika

Melt butter in the top if a double boiler. Stir in cream and beaten egg yolks. Whisk together. Add salt and lemon juice. Cook over boiling water in double boiler until mixture thickens, stirring constantly (I used a whisk). Remove from heat and beat with a whisk until light. Stir in cayenne pepper and paprika if desired.

Cod Cakes

1 TBS olive oil

1 c. panko breadcrumbs

1/2 c. minced onion

2 cod fillets, chopped

1 TBS brown mustard

1 whole lemon, zested

1 TBS fresh lemon juice

1 tsp salmon seasoning

2 egg whites

1 whole egg

Preheat a large skillet with one tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Combine breadcrumbs, onion, and cod in a bowl. Add mustard, lemon juice, lemon zest, salmon seasoning, and eggs, stirring to combine.

Divide the mixture into 4 even portions, shaping each into a 1 - inch thick cake.

Add cakes to skillet, cooking until brown - approximately 4 minutes per side. Be very careful when flipping the cakes to prevent them from breaking.

Serve cod cakes with hollandaise sauce, and some fresh lemon if desired.

"What man can live and not see death, or save himself from the power of the grave?"

Psalm 89:48