A Weekend in Savannah

I sated my desire for a thick tomato sauce with the creamy, luscious arancini with a delicately spicy pepperoni sauce, and then followed it up with a walk on the lighter side, a salad. The cucumber and burrata salad sounded like a nice non-leafy alternative that wouldn’t weigh me down with the heat of the afternoon building outside, and a full day of walking through the city’s historic district in my plans.

Both plates arrived at the same time, thanks to my nonchalance with the server, “Sure, bring out whichever comes first!” I was sipping on a bellini, because I felt I needed something boozy for a weekend brunch in Savannah, a solo trip dedicated to walking, reading, eating, and anything I wanted whenever I wanted without considering anyone else’s wants or needs. In other words, the perfect vacation.

But this salad was about to transform my day. As I thoughtfully ate each bite, I realized how much of a study in contrasts this simple plate was. Here’s the ingredients laid out:

Cucumber, a ball of burrata, wasabi peas, pea shoots, mint leaves, benne seeds, white balsamic chili crisp vinaigrette.

You’ve got the heat from the wasabi peas and the chili crisp. The cool from the cucumbers and the mint. Crunch from the cucumber and wasabi peas. Creamy softness from the split open burrata ball. Sweetness from the light white balsamic. And delicate wisps of pea shoots that probably grew in a small garden behind the kitchen (speculation of course, but you can’t serve pea shoots without cutting your own fresh ones, right?).

I knew as I dragged my fork containing one last cucumber wedge through the remaining chili crisp vinaigrette and the last dregs of mozzarella cream, that this salad couldn’t just be a one thing from this trip to Savannah. It had to be recreated so I could relive this trip over and over every time I made it at home. Tis the season, the mint leaves in my unruly herb garden shooting back up from the mess of crushed dead oak leaves that kept the roots safe from an unusually cold winter for South Carolina.

A note: When you make this, the amounts of ingredients don’t really matter, except for the vinaigrette proportions. I don’t want you out here measuring two tablespoons of chopped mint leaves, use your palate and the photos to guide you!

Print Pin

Cucumber and Burrata Salad with a White Balsamic Chili Crisp Vinaigrette

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Keyword burrata, cucumber

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 1 salad

Ingredients

White Balsamic Chili Crisp Vinaigrette

• 5 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons chili onion crisp (like Trader Joe's or Momofuku brand)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• salt to taste

Salad

• 3 mini cucumbers, diced
• 1/4 cup wasabi peas
• 1/2 cup snow pea microgreens (or freshly cut pea shoots)
• 1 tablespoon white and/or black sesame seeds or a mix
• 2 tablespoons chopped mint leaves

Instructions

Make the Vinagrette

• Put all of the vinaigrette ingredients in a jar. Cover tightly and shake vigorously until emulsified.
• You can make this ahead of time and refrigerate for a day or two. Remove 15 minutes before making the salad so it can come up to room temperature. Shake again before using.

Construct the Salad

• Scatter the cucumber quarters on a plate.
• Use a spoon to drizzle 2-3 tablespoons of the vinaigrette, or to taste, over the cucumbers.
• Scatter the wasabi peas, mint and pea shoots amongst the cucumber.
• Place the burrata ball in the middle of the plate. Sprinkle the sesame seeds, concentrating them over the burrata, then the rest of the salad.
• Finish with a turn of salt and serve immediately.

Some Substitutions and Where to Find These Ingredients

Look, I’m not dumb, I know these ingredients can be a bit lofty and probably not hanging out on the shelves at your local Walmart. So here are some suggestions for where to find and some substitutions when possible.

Wasabi Peas

Guess where they aren’t? Whole Foods Market, Trader Joe’s, Earth Fare. But they are at your local well-stocked Asian market, which is where I found mine. Or Amazon. You can get hot wasabi pas or ones that are roasted and battered but not hot.

Burrata

You can find burrata at Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, Lowe’s Foods, Aldi, Lidl, or any grocery store with a high-quality cheese selection.

Mini Cucumbers

I love the mini cucumbers you can find out these days! But honestly, any cucumber cut into small enough pieces is the same as any other. Smaller just looks cuter.

Pea Shoots

I substituted freshly grown pea shoots with snow pea microgreens. But finding those was a luck of the draw, as my Whole Foods carries locally grown City Roots microgreens and they happened to have snow pea ones in stock. You can substitute these with most types of microgreens but of course pea shoots complement the wasabi peas. Or you know, grow your own.

Chili Crisp

Trader Joe’s has it’s own brand, you can find Momofuku or Fly by Jing brands in Whole Foods and other high-end grocers.

White Balsamic Vinegar

Yeah I am going to ask you to buy a different colored balsamic vinegar. Why? Because white balsamic vinegar is lighter in both color and flavor, bringing a specific sweetness to this dish that regular balsamic vinegar just won’t. Trust me, worth it. Again, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, any high-end grocer.

Trust me, this salad is transcendental. I absolutely feel like I nailed it on the first try with recreating it. I ate it up quickly, too quickly to share with anyone else. Luckily, burrata is generally sold in doubles, and there’s plenty of all of the other ingredients to make it again and again to bring back that feeling of sitting in Savannah, without a care in the world.

If you cannot make it to Veratina, next to the lovely Forsyth Park, rearrange your life to make it happen. Or make this salad, then rearrange your life.

Other Leafless Salad Recipes

Small Batch Fruit Salad

French Lentil Salad with Baked Goat Cheese

Rainbow Corn Salad

The post Cucumber and Burrata Salad with a White Balsamic Chili Crisp Vinaigrette appeared first on The April Blake.

Deviled eggs are the perfect food to eat around Easter time because most people dye hardboiled eggs to celebrate the season. Eggs are also a symbol of spring, plus they are delicious. You can make plain white deviled eggs, but why not make fun deviled eggs for Easter instead?

Over the years I have made several types of deviled eggs, most colored with natural food coloring, before the government got involved, because I like the natural colors that come from natural dyes. If I am eating something florescent, I want it to be candy.

The Difference Between Dyeing the Egg Shell and Hardboiled Egg Whites

Most people dye the shells of hard boiled eggs, but here we are pickling the whites of the hardboiled eggs to get that color we want. This can influence the flavor of the deviled egg, so let’s not use gross combinations just for the color.

Good pickled deviled egg color choices:

• Yellow = Turmeric
• Bright Pink = Beet juice
• Light Blue = butterfly pea flowers (minus the vinegar)
• Purple = Butterfly pea flowers with the vinegar

Decide How Much Color You Want

Do you want the entire egg white to be a color or just the outer edge? This will change your method of preparation.

If you want just the outer edge to be colored, you can pickle the whole egg.

If you want the entire egg to be the color, you’ll need to slice each egg in half longways, and scoop out the egg yolk in another container to save for later. Gently and thoroughly clean all remaining yolk from the hardboiled egg white with water and your fingers, then place in the pickling liquid.

Either way, do not leave the egg whites in the pickling liquid for more than 24 hours or the texture will become rubbery and gross. Ideally, pickle the eggs the night before and make the deviled eggs the next morning or afternoon.

Deviled Egg Options

Print Pin

Turmeric Pickled Pimento Cheese Deviled Eggs

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Southern

Keyword deviled eggs, pimento cheese, turmeric

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 8 egg halves

Ingredients

• 8 eggs
• 1 cup water
• 10 ounces apple cider vinegar
• 5 ounces water
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 3 finger sized pieces fresh turmeric thinly sliced
• 2 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 2 teaspoons mustard powder
• 2 teaspoons whole coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon ground black peppercorns
• 1/4 cup prepared pimento cheese
• 1/4 cup Duke's mayonnaise (maybe up to a tablespoon extra)
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Hardboil the eggs and pickle them

• I prefer the 5-5-5 method in the Instant Pot. To follow this method, place 1 cup of water in the insert. Place the wire insert in the water, and place the eggs atop it. Set the Instant Pot for 5 minutes and let it come to pressure. This takes more than 5 minutes, keep in mind.
• While this is going on prepare the pickling mixture by bringing the apple cider vinegar, 5 ounces of water, white sugar, turmeric, mustard seeds and powder, coriander seeds, and the black peppercorns in the ingredients list to a gentle simmer for 2 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and pour the mixture into a container large enough to hold the liquid and all of the eggs. Let cool completely.
• Once the Instant Pot's 5 minute timer goes off, set a timer of your own for 5 minutes, let the eggs rest in the pressurized Instant Pot for 5 minutes.
• Then release the valve and use tongs to put the eggs in a waiting large bowl of ice and cold water for 5 minutes.
• After 5 minutes in the cold water, dry the eggs and peel them. Place the eggs in the cooled turmeric pickling liquid and cover with a lid. Place in the fridge for UP to 23 hours and no more than that. I like to make the eggs and leave them in the fridge overnight.

Devil the Eggs

• Remove the eggs from the fridge and drain the pickling liquid. Run the eggs under water briefly to remove any clinging seeds or pepper. Dry them.
• Slice the eggs longwise. Clean your knife in between each egg for a clean slice.
• Pop the yolks out into a waiting mixing bowl.
• Mash the yolks with the mayo, pimento cheese, and Dijon mustard. Salt and pepper to taste. Make sure the mixture is fairly smooth so it pipes easily.
• Put the mixture into a piping bag fitter with a star tip (I like Wilton 4B or preferably 6B). Pipe the yolk-chese mixture into the egg halves, and garnish with additional salt, pimento pepper slices, chives, or ground black pepper to taste.

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Deep Purple and Light Blue Pickled Deviled Eggs

Use butterfly pea flowers to naturally dye the outside of deviled eggs blue and purple.

Course Appetizer

Keyword butterfly pea flowers, deviled eggs, eggs

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Marinating time 8 hours hours

Total Time 8 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings 6 servings

Author April

Ingredients

• 6 eggs
• 4 cups cold water
• 2 tbsp white vinegar
• 2-3 tbsp dried butterfly pea flowers
• Mustard
• Mayonnaise
• Salt pepper, and dill weed to taste

Instructions

• Hard boil your eggs using your favorite method. Mine is in the Instant Pot, it makes them much easier to peel.
• Let the eggs cool to the touch and peel them.
• For the light blue eggs, combine water and butterfly pea flowers in a sealable plastic container. The water will become more vivid the longer they soak, so don’t worry if it looks pale for now.
• For the deep purple eggs, combine the water, vinegar, and butterfly pea flowers in a sealable plastic container. The water will become more vivid the longer they soak, so don’t worry if it looks pale for now.
• Once peeled, add the eggs to the water mixture and seal with the lid. Put in the fridge overnight at least, up to 24 hours.
• Remove the eggs from the water, lightly rinse off any flower pieces, and prepare your deviled eggs to your preferred methods.

Print Pin

Blue Cheese Deviled Eggs

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Southern

Keyword blue cheese, cabbage, deviled eggs

Prep Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes minutes

Total Time 2 hours hours 5 minutes minutes

Servings 12 eggs

Equipment

• Instant Pot not necessary but highly recommended
• piping bag and large star tip (optional)

Ingredients

Natural Blue Egg Dye

• 2 cups purple cabbage leaves roughly chopped
• 2 cups water
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

Deviled Eggs

• 12 whole eggs
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise (plus a little extra if needed for a smoother filling)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup blue cheese
• 2-3 chives finely diced (optional)
• 1 pinch hickory smoked salt optional but highly recommended

Instructions

Make the Natural Blue Dye

• Place the chopped cabbage leaves and 2 cups of water into a medium sized pot. Bring the water up to a simmer and cover. Let the leaves simmer for 20 minutes.
• After 20 minutes, use a slotted spoon to remove the leaves and discard.
• Add in the vinegar and salt and stir.
• Then add the baking soda and watch it fizz and change from purple to blue!
• Set aside while you make the eggs.

Make the Deviled Eggs

• These instructions are for making hardboiled eggs with the Instant Pot. If you do not have an Instant Pot, please see note below.
• Place the 1 cup of water in the metal bowl of the Instant Pot. Use the metal rack and place the eggs on top. The water should not touch the eggs at this point.
• Put the lid on and turn the valve to Sealing. Press the Manual button and set for 5 minutes.
• Once the 5 minutes timer goes off (it will take more than 5 minutes for it to get to hot, then begin to count down), set another timer for 5 minutes (not on the Instant Pot, on your stove or phone or watch) and let the eggs sit in the Instant Pot, still sealing, but with no new heat going to it.
• Prepare a mixing bowl large enough to hold your eggs with ice and water.
• After those 5 minutes are up, carefully open the sealing valve to release the remaining steam and heat. Use rubber tongs to bring the eggs from the Instant Pot chamber into the bowl of cold water. Let the eggs cool in the water for 5 more minutes.
• Once cooled, place the eggs on a kitchen towel and gently roll to crack. Peel the shells from the eggs and discard the shells.
• IF YOU'RE DYEING THE EGGS: place the whole, peeled eggs into the blue dye bath for up to an hour. The longer they are in the dye, the more vibrant they become. Once they are the desired color, remove from the dye bath and set aside to dry for a few minutes then proceed.
• Use a sharp knife to slice each egg longwise. Clean your knife in between each egg for clean cuts.
• Gently scoop out the yolks into a separate bowl. Add the mayo, mustard, and blue cheese and mash together with a spoon until very smooth.
• If you're going to be piping the filling, add a little more mayo as needed to make the mixture smoother. You want it to be as lump-free as possible for piping. You can be a bit more rustic if you're spooning in the filling.
• If you're using a spoon, fill each egg half with the yolk-mayo filling. If you're piping, place a large star tip in the narrow end of the piping bag. Fill the piping bag with the yolk-mayo mixture and carefully pipe the filling into the egg whites.
• Top with hickory smoked salt and chives, and serve immediately.

Print Pin

Easter Deviled Eggs

Celebrate Easter with these cross and crown of thorn decorated deviled eggs that came to me in a dream.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

Keyword deviled eggs, microgreens, onions

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 12 servings

Author April

Ingredients

• 6 eggs
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1-2 tablespoons yellow prepared mustard
• salt and pepper to taste
• pickled red onions
• amaranth microgreens (or other microgreens)

Instructions

• Hard boil the eggs using your preferred method. Here's mine: put 1 cup of water in the bottom of the Instant Pot insert. Put the trivet in the bottom. Place the eggs on top of the trivet and put the lid on. Set to sealing. Press Manual and set the timer for 5 minutes. Once the timer goes off, set your stove or phone timer for 5 minutes. After that time has elapsed, carefully release the pressure using the lid valve. Use tongs to remove the hot eggs to an ice water bath. Let rest submerged for 5 minutes. Remove from water, dry off, and peel.
• Slice the eggs in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to scoop out the yolk and place in a mixing bowl. Repeat for all 12 halves. For clean cuts, wipe the yolk off the blade before each cut.
• Mix together the yolks, mayo, and mustard. Salt and pepper to taste.
• Use a spoon to put the yolk mixture back in each egg half. Smooth it out well so you have a flat egg surface to work with. You'll probably have a little leftover yolk mixture here.
• Use a knife as needed to cut the pickled onions into the length needed and make crosses on top of each egg. Lightly press the cross into the yolk mixture with your finger to secure it.
• Sprinkle the top part of the cross with amaranth microgreens in whatever amount you want, but use my photos for reference.
• Serve immediately. These can keep in a tightly sealed plastic container in the fridge for a few days but the onions may discolor slightly due to oxidization.

More Spring Recipes For Your Easter Meal

Fruit Punch Panna Cotta

Dutch Pancakes With Floral Goat Cheese

Watermelon Croissants

The post Fun Deviled Eggs for Easter appeared first on The April Blake.

Come along, let’s discuss why these turmeric pickled pimento cheese deviled eggs just work.

How Many Deviled Eggs Per Person?

It depends what else you’re serving! If the deviled eggs are an appetizer at a sit down dinner, each person generally consumes 2-3 halves. If it’s a side dish for a dinner, plan for 3-4 egg halves to be eaten. At something like a bridal or baby shower, plan for 1-2 halves per person.

The true constraint though, may be your serving platter! Mine holds 12 egg halves, so my recipe below is for eight eggs, with six going to the serving tray, and two as chef’s snacks because you have to make sure they taste right! Always make 1-2 extra to allow for this, trust me.

Pimento Cheese Recipes

For this I went semi-homemade with Sandra Lee and used Trader Joe’s pimento cheese. I also have a Pimento Cheese Made with Grand Marnier, if you want to get a little weird. I also like this classic Southern pimento cheese recipe and have made it myself many times! Now that I think about it I have so many pimento cheese filled recipes on this site I should probably add my own.

How to Get A Cleanly Cut Deviled Egg

Two hot tips!

One: when you’re cutting, gently squeeze the egg together while slicing.

Two: wipe your knife blade on a napkin between each egg.

Print Pin

Turmeric Pickled Pimento Cheese Deviled Eggs

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Southern

Keyword deviled eggs, pimento cheese, turmeric

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 8 egg halves

Ingredients

• 8 eggs
• 1 cup water
• 10 ounces apple cider vinegar
• 5 ounces water
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 3 finger sized pieces fresh turmeric thinly sliced
• 2 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 2 teaspoons mustard powder
• 2 teaspoons whole coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon ground black peppercorns
• 1/4 cup prepared pimento cheese
• 1/4 cup Duke's mayonnaise (maybe up to a tablespoon extra)
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Hardboil the eggs and pickle them

• I prefer the 5-5-5 method in the Instant Pot. To follow this method, place 1 cup of water in the insert. Place the wire insert in the water, and place the eggs atop it. Set the Instant Pot for 5 minutes and let it come to pressure. This takes more than 5 minutes, keep in mind.
• While this is going on prepare the pickling mixture by bringing the apple cider vinegar, 5 ounces of water, white sugar, turmeric, mustard seeds and powder, coriander seeds, and the black peppercorns in the ingredients list to a gentle simmer for 2 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and pour the mixture into a container large enough to hold the liquid and all of the eggs. Let cool completely.
• Once the Instant Pot's 5 minute timer goes off, set a timer of your own for 5 minutes, let the eggs rest in the pressurized Instant Pot for 5 minutes.
• Then release the valve and use tongs to put the eggs in a waiting large bowl of ice and cold water for 5 minutes.
• After 5 minutes in the cold water, dry the eggs and peel them. Place the eggs in the cooled turmeric pickling liquid and cover with a lid. Place in the fridge for UP to 23 hours and no more than that. I like to make the eggs and leave them in the fridge overnight.

Devil the Eggs

• Remove the eggs from the fridge and drain the pickling liquid. Run the eggs under water briefly to remove any clinging seeds or pepper. Dry them.
• Slice the eggs longwise. Clean your knife in between each egg for a clean slice.
• Pop the yolks out into a waiting mixing bowl.
• Mash the yolks with the mayo, pimento cheese, and Dijon mustard. Salt and pepper to taste. Make sure the mixture is fairly smooth so it pipes easily.
• Put the mixture into a piping bag fitter with a star tip (I like Wilton 4B or preferably 6B). Pipe the yolk-chese mixture into the egg halves, and garnish with additional salt, pimento pepper slices, chives, or ground black pepper to taste.

More Egg Recipes

Blue and Purple Deviled Eggs

Blue Cheese Deviled Eggs

Trader Joe’s Soyrizo Frittata

The post Turmeric Pickled Pimento Cheese Deviled Eggs appeared first on The April Blake.

That’s why I decided in 2026 to keep travel simpler and only go to places that are on the continent of North America, should driving back be necessary. And I am only taking direct flights, to reduce any canceled or delayed flight options. My local airport doesn’t have a ton of direct flight options, but Breeze Airways, which operates out of the Charleston International Airport, has some fun destinations as directs flights, so I decided hey, let’s go to New Orleans for a few days.

Timing a New Orleans trip always seemed a bit tricky because I do not want to be there during Mardi Gras. Jazz Fest is another big tourist time. Summer is even hotter and more humid than South Carolina, and autumn is hurricane season. So timing it for early March on a year when Mardi Gras was in February seemed ideal.

Starting off, it was great because while being post-Mardi Gras, the city was still festively decorated with Mardi Gras colors.

Where to Stay in New Orleans

The French Quarter is the heart of the touristy part of the city, and since we are tourists I wanted to stay fairly close to it while avoiding the worst of it for sleeping — Bourbon Street. I chose the Chateau Hotel, a cute boutique hotel about three blocks from Bourbon Street, and starting to border the edge of the French Quarter. It was also only about three or four blocks from the river, and a few blocks from Cafe du Monde. It was a low-frills option that felt right in the heart of the neighborhood. The CC Coffeehouse was one block away, and Antoinette’s was two blocks down Royal Street. I highly recommend this option, and this side of the French Quarter.

Where We Ate in New Orleans

The highlight of our eating adventures was lunch at Commander’s Palace. I had never heard of it until I was watching a Binging With Babish episode on eating in New Orleans. Right after watching, I booked a reservation, which was smart as they fill up QUICKLY. I booked over a month in advance and was only able to get a lunch reservation which ended up being perfect. If you’re there to celebrate, note that on the reservation and they’ll make it special!

The first morning we were there we were up earlier than the rest of the city thanks to being on East Coast time still. It worked in our favor as we got to Cafe du Monde right before 8 a.m. and walked straight in to snag an outdoor table. We were served fairly quickly and enjoyed the lattes and beignets.

Pro tips: TAKE CASH. And don’t wear black.

Beyond those two definite food stops, we just meandered around and ate wherever looked good when we were hungry. Some highlight include The Gumbo Shop, Mona Lisa, Pere Antoine, and the Creole House.

Drinking in New Orleans

There wasn’t a lot to do in New Orleans other than drink and sweat. We did a lot of the latter and a little of the former. We often found ourselves at Lafitte’s the oldest continuously operating gay bar in the country for a drink. Partially because it was closer to our end of Bourbon, and partially because at the time of evening we went (before 10 p.m.) it was much quieter than farther down Bourbon towards Canal.

I also wanted to take a spin at the Carousel Bar in the Hotel Monteleone, so we stopped by during the daytime. There were two seats available so we each ordered a drink. It moves slowly, almost unnoticeably until you do notice it!

One rotation took about one drink. We decided to give other people a turn and continued on our way. But I absolutely recommend giving this a whirl, and during a weekday daytime if you don’t wait to wait too long for a ride.

We also stopped in at Jean Lafitte’s Old Absinthe House one morning (yes, before noon!) for a drink to wait out a rain shower.

Things to Do in New Orleans

This is where we got a little unsettled after a few days there. There’s not a lot to DO activity-wise. We walked a lot, in fact one day we walked 26,000+ steps! That’s over nine miles. There’s a lot of gorgeous architecture and homes to look at, but the walking can be a lot in the humidity. Which is why one of my favorite things to do was the Hop On Hop Off bus tour!

We saw a lot more than we ever would have just on foot, and we got to get out in certain areas to check it out, like the Magazine Street area, which had a lot of shops and restaurants.

We did go to the Southern Food & Beverage Museum which was cool, but pretty small. And we had to Uber there and back because it’s in the Garden District and we would have had to walk under the interstate and through some sketchy areas, also it was quite far to walk and back.

If you do go to this museum, maybe pair it with another in the area. We didn’t do the World War 2 Museum because I feel like we’ve seen enough WW2 stuff on our travels. It looked amazing though and we may have missed out by not going.

Downsides of New Orleans

Obviously it’s humid there most of the time, being built on a swamp.

As I mentioned previously, there’s not a lot to do activity wise. If you’re traveling with a group and want to sit and linger and talk a lot, this would be a great place to do that.

There’s a lot of construction going on. One place we had lunch had jackhammering start as soon as we got out food, so we ate quickly and left. This iconic building was covered up with construction fencing. So it’s something to keep in mind.

Pros of Going to New Orleans

It felt very safe there. I only saw one person who was sketchy. There are tons of public safety officers all over. We did not stay out past 11 p.m. so it may seem a little less safe the later you’re out, but that’s general to everywhere. You could tell each night leading up into the weekend that it was getting busier on Bourbon Street — there was a big difference between Tuesday night and Saturday night!

If you have gone to New Orleans before the past few years, you might remember it smelling awful. They have a new waste management company called IV Waste that scrubs the streets each morning so everything felt fresh and clean.

People were SO nice down there. Every server and tourism related person we came into contact with was wonderful. The people who live there are delightful, we had some great random conversations with locals who approached us to chat and tell us fun stories.

And finally, there’s so much to see. You’ll see all sorts of things you may never see anywhere else! Where else would you see a unicorn mule?

Overall, it was a fun trip, but I am glad we were only there for four days (five nights). I don’t know if I’ll go back with so many other places on my list, but I am glad we did when we did!

The post A Post-Mardi Gras New Orleans Trip appeared first on The April Blake.

I’ve never had deviled eggs with cheese, and the idea intrigued me. Besides pimento cheese what other cheeses would be good in deviled eggs? That brings us here, to the blue cheese deviled egg. Some updates needed to be made to the traditional recipe, such as using Dijon mustard instead of yellow to better complement the blue cheese, and using less mustard overall. Smoky, salty additions like hickory smoked salt or crispy bacon bits enhance the blue cheese flavor as well.

Which Blue Cheese Should I Use?

There are so many different kids of blue cheese, including the plainly labeled “crumbled blue cheese” in the grocery store. Let’s try to avoid those at all costs, and instead go for one that is more specific and better suited for this application. The most important thing here is to only use a blue cheese you like as a cheese on its own — similar to how you shouldn’t cook with wine you wouldn’t drink on its own merits. This article on Serious Eats about the different types of blue cheese says to look for one that tastes like a cheese first, and a blue second.

If you or the people enjoying these eggs aren’t serious blue cheese lovers, go for a milder blue cheese. You can tell it’s milder because it has less blue veining, and is often a softer, creamier texture. Bluer, drier blue cheeses often has more intense flavors.

However, I chose to use one of the best blues in the state, Clemson Blue Cheese, which is a medium-strength blue cheese with a storied history.

Natural Blue Dye For Blue Eggs

And because I can’t leave well enough alone and just make blue cheese deviled eggs, I decided to use natural blue food coloring to make the exterior of the egg whites blue too. It’s not only fun, but it’s a visual cue of what’s to come. Plus, you can use the blue dyed eggs to let people know what kind of filling is in the deviled egg if you have different kinds!

Grab a purple cabbage and some baking soda for some science-y fun. You can skip this part of course, but it’s pretty simple and inexpensive to add a little amusement to your eggs.

Print Pin

Blue Cheese Deviled Eggs

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Southern

Keyword blue cheese, cabbage, deviled eggs

Prep Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes minutes

Total Time 2 hours hours 5 minutes minutes

Servings 12 eggs

Equipment

• Instant Pot not necessary but highly recommended
• piping bag and large star tip (optional)

Ingredients

Natural Blue Egg Dye

• 2 cups purple cabbage leaves roughly chopped
• 2 cups water
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

Deviled Eggs

• 12 whole eggs
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise (plus a little extra if needed for a smoother filling)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup blue cheese
• 2-3 chives finely diced (optional)
• 1 pinch hickory smoked salt optional but highly recommended

Instructions

Make the Natural Blue Dye

• Place the chopped cabbage leaves and 2 cups of water into a medium sized pot. Bring the water up to a simmer and cover. Let the leaves simmer for 20 minutes.
• After 20 minutes, use a slotted spoon to remove the leaves and discard.
• Add in the vinegar and salt and stir.
• Then add the baking soda and watch it fizz and change from purple to blue!
• Set aside while you make the eggs.

Make the Deviled Eggs

• These instructions are for making hardboiled eggs with the Instant Pot. If you do not have an Instant Pot, please see note below.
• Place the 1 cup of water in the metal bowl of the Instant Pot. Use the metal rack and place the eggs on top. The water should not touch the eggs at this point.
• Put the lid on and turn the valve to Sealing. Press the Manual button and set for 5 minutes.
• Once the 5 minutes timer goes off (it will take more than 5 minutes for it to get to hot, then begin to count down), set another timer for 5 minutes (not on the Instant Pot, on your stove or phone or watch) and let the eggs sit in the Instant Pot, still sealing, but with no new heat going to it.
• Prepare a mixing bowl large enough to hold your eggs with ice and water.
• After those 5 minutes are up, carefully open the sealing valve to release the remaining steam and heat. Use rubber tongs to bring the eggs from the Instant Pot chamber into the bowl of cold water. Let the eggs cool in the water for 5 more minutes.
• Once cooled, place the eggs on a kitchen towel and gently roll to crack. Peel the shells from the eggs and discard the shells.
• IF YOU'RE DYEING THE EGGS: place the whole, peeled eggs into the blue dye bath for up to an hour. The longer they are in the dye, the more vibrant they become. Once they are the desired color, remove from the dye bath and set aside to dry for a few minutes then proceed.
• Use a sharp knife to slice each egg longwise. Clean your knife in between each egg for clean cuts.
• Gently scoop out the yolks into a separate bowl. Add the mayo, mustard, and blue cheese and mash together with a spoon until very smooth.
• If you're going to be piping the filling, add a little more mayo as needed to make the mixture smoother. You want it to be as lump-free as possible for piping. You can be a bit more rustic if you're spooning in the filling.
• If you're using a spoon, fill each egg half with the yolk-mayo filling. If you're piping, place a large star tip in the narrow end of the piping bag. Fill the piping bag with the yolk-mayo mixture and carefully pipe the filling into the egg whites.
• Top with hickory smoked salt and chives, and serve immediately.

Why You Should Be Piping Deviled Egg Filling

Because it looks cool and is much easier than spooning the filling in! If you need more convincing, check out this Silicone Piping Bags Review and then buy yourself some of these silicone piping bags and a tip kit.

But seriously, it is much easier to pop a tip into the bag, then fill the bag once and easily control the flow of filling into the egg whites. And again, it looks very cool and fancy, with minimal effort. I’m not saying anything about how easy it is after the eggs are filled to then pipe a little filling directly into your mouth, but that’s also a big bonus of piping your deviled egg filling.

Other Deviled Egg Recipes

Easter Deviled Eggs

Blue and Purple Deviled Eggs (the blue in the recipe above is a little better than the blue from the butterfly pea flowers, but the purple in the recipe in the link is better!)

The post Blue Cheese Deviled Eggs appeared first on The April Blake.

I came across it on Instagram, where Thames Street Kitchen in Newport, RI is making this fun version of a Caesar salad. Since I probably won’t be making it up that way anytime soon thanks to the rising costs of a flight, plus TSA woes, I figured I have a mini springform pan and Caesar salad ingredients so let’s give it a go at home!

Mini Springform Pans

You’ll need a mini springform pan to make one salad (or more to make however many salads you want. I have these 4″ mini springform pans and love them.

If you have other sizes of springform pans and want to try making a larger salad, I’d love to know how it turns out. If you do go bigger I would recommend chilling the salad before adding the breadcrumbs so it has time to congeal a little for a better presentation. Luckily the ingredient amounts below aren’t rigid and can be customized to your tastes.

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Stacked Caesar Salad

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Keyword caesar salad

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 7 minutes minutes

Total Time 12 minutes minutes

Servings 1 serving

Equipment

• 4" springform pan

Ingredients

• 1 head little gem lettuce, very thinly sliced or approximately 1 cup romaine, very thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese grated
• 1/4 cup Caesar salad dressing
• 1/3 cup Panko bread crumbs

Instructions

• Put the bread crumbs in a small frying pan over medium heat. Spread out evenly and let them toast while you prepare the salad. Do not forget, once they start toasting, they'll burn quickly. Set the crumbs aside or in the fridge or freezer to cool down.
• Thinly slice the lettuce. If using romaine, discard any large stem chunks.
• In a bowl, mix the lettuce with the grated cheese and dressing, using a fork, until the lettuce is well coated with dressing.
• Take the bottom out of the springform pan and turn it upside down on a plate where you want your salad to be. Close and lock the springform pan .
• Hold the springform pan in place with one hand if needed. Use the fork to guide the salad mixture into the springform pan. Lightly press it down to take up the entire circle. Place the salad in the fridge to chill for 5 minutes.
• Pour the cooled toasted bread crumbs over the salad mold. Use a spoon to press them down evenly over the salad.
• Gently unlock the springform pan and lift straight up. Clean up any crumbs that may have fallen away and serve immediately.

No Anchovies In This Caesar Salad

You might notice the distinct lack of anchovies in my Caesar salad, both in the salad itself and in the choice of dressing. If you like an anchovy-ful Caesar, please feel free to add them! Mix the anchovies into the salad mixture along with the cheese and dressing.

If you are looking for a great anchovy-free Caesar salad dressing, let me recommend Trader Joe’s vegan Caesar dressing. Whether you’re vegan or not, it’s guaranteed to be fish-free!

Girl Dinner

For a proper girl dinner, serve this salad with fries and a martini! This is how it looks once you start eating it.

More Salad Recipes

Dillicious Feta and Roasted Chickpea Salad

California Dreaming Salad + Honey Butter Croissants

Walnut Oil Salad Dressing

The post Stacked Caesar Salad appeared first on The April Blake.

I wasn’t too familiar with Filipino food because there wasn’t a lot of exposure to the culture here. Until recently, there were hardly any, if any, Filipino restaurants in the state, despite there being a decent amount of people from the area, or whose families are, here in SC.

In Charleston there is a Filipino restaurant that is familiarizing us to Filipino culture within the state and beyond. Kultura, which opened in 2023, stood out quickly and made its food both accessible and elevated.

I went there last summer with some friends and we shared a lot of the dishes. I even tried and liked some of the fish dishes, which is very rare for me! But the standout dish was arroz caldo, a chicken and rice meal. It was a warm August day but I kept going back for bites of the arroz caldo. Since I am not lucky enough to live in Charleston, I knew I’d have to recreate this dish to enjoy at home in between trips to the coast.

Most of the recipes involved dismantling a whole chicken, something that I and many people are just not willing to do. So I used inspiration from what I loved best about Kultura’s, since it was my introduction to the dish, and a few recipes, to come up with an easier version. I have included several shortcut items you can use to make it even easier and more delicious without sacrificing the character of it. You can remove any of the items for toppings listed here if you for example, can’t find or don’t want to make your own fried shallots. I also share what you cannot do without in the dish, and substitutions when possible. Let’s talk about some of the different components of this dish.

Specialty Ingredients for Arroz Caldo

Glutinous Rice

Glutinous rice, also known as sticky rice or sushi rice, is probably not going to be in just every grocery store. Look for it in the Asian section of whole foods, at an Asian grocery, or order it online. You can sub in Arborio rice (used in risotto) if you must, but you will need a rice that’ll release their starches to truly thicken it up to the right texture.

Fish Sauce

As I mentioned, I hate seafood so I buy Ocean’s Halo vegan fish sauce. If you also hate the smell of fish sauce, you may want to go the same route, but if you have no qualms with sea creatures, use any fish sauce that suits your fancy.

Fried Shallots

I got these at Trader Joe’s, they often pop up around Thanksgiving to fancy up a green bean casserole but I have seen them year round too. You can find these other places or get fried shallots online as well. You can make your own fried shallots, especially if you have a deep fryer and aren’t afraid to use it. I like the crunch these add!

Chili Onion Crisp

I wouldn’t skip this as it adds a little kick of heat, and depth of flavor. Trader Joe’s has my favorite version, or Momofuku chili onion crisp is in Whole Foods and online as well.

Calamansi

Unless you have a Filipino friend, a citrus farmer friend, or a well-stocked Asian grocery, or you’re very lucky, you’re probably not going to find fresh calamansi. Calamansi are like small, less tart, Asian lemon-limes. I grew calamansi on a little tree I got from a garden center a few years ago. But it succumbed to my lack of knowledge on proper citrus-growing practices. You can find calamansi juice in most Asian markets with a Filipino section. But I just prefer a fresh lemon over bottled calamansi juice, personally.

Grilled Chicken Breast

I pick up a pre-cooked, grilled chicken breast from the pre-made section at Whole Foods when I am going to make arroz caldo. A half pound is enough for me to enjoy arroz caldo several times with the addition of chicken. If you don’t want to have your last serving of arroz caldo chicken-less, get more. If you grill chicken yourself, you can use that, it doesn’t have to come pre-cooked from the store. You could even substitute rotisserie or any other kind of cooked chicken as well. You can add as much or little chicken as you like, this part is purely preference.

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Arroz Caldo

Course Main Course

Cuisine Filipino

Keyword chicken, rice

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Servings 8 servings

Equipment

• 1 Large pot

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion diced
• 6 cloves garlic minced
• 3 tablespoons fresh or bottled ginger (not powder)
• 1/2 tablespoon turmeric powder
• 3 tablespoons fish sauce (can use vegan, see notes)
• 1 cup glutinous rice
• 1 cup white jasmine rice
• 8 cups chicken broth (can sub in up to 4 cups of vegetable broth if desired)
• salt to taste
• 1 grilled chicken breast (see notes regarding amount)

Toppings

• soft boiled eggs
• scallions chopped
• flash fried shallots
• chili onion crisp
• fresh lemon or calamansi sliced in half

Instructions

• Heat olive oil over medium heat. Once shimmering, add the onion and stir. Let cook for 1 minute. Add ginger and garlic, stir and let cook for 4 minutes. Stirring occasionally. Add turmeric powder.
• Add fish sauce. Stir and cook down 1 minute.
• Pour in the two rices and stir to coat with the fish sauce mixture.
• Add chicken broth (and vegetable broth if using). Stir to mix. Bring to a boil. This can take a few minutes but don't walk away. Stir frequently to keep the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
• Once it reaches a boil, turn down to medium low heat and stir frequently for 15 minutes.
• While the rice is cooking, soft boil a few eggs but only the amount youre eating immediately. Soft boil eggs to order for any reheated leftovers.
• Julienne or cube the chicken breast in small pieces (however much you want, for one serving I like about ⅓ to ½ a cup) and place in the bottom of the serving bowls.
• Once the rice has reached a porridge like texture, or your preference (some people like it soupier, some like it drier), remove from heat. Salt to taste.
• Place about ¾ to 1 cup of the rice mixture over the cubed chicken breast.
• Top with scallions, fried shallots, chili onion crisp, the soft boiled egg sliced in two halves, a squeeze of lemon or calamansi juice, and any additional salt.

Arroz Caldo Toppings To Taste

I add all of the toppings above to mine, and think they are all necessary for the full expression of arroz caldo! However, I’ll forgo the soft boiled egg if I am hungry and not in the mood to add an extra step when eating leftovers.

The post Arroz Caldo – Filipino Chicken and Rice appeared first on The April Blake.

That means it’s time to experiment, which is where this dilly-chickpea-fet combo came from. I saw a rough outline of it on an Instagram post and decided to recreate it and measure out the dressing ingredients at least.

When it comes to measuring out the salad components, I do list approximate amounts below for two salads, but use your taste and judgement for the final product. For example, Patrick likes a ton more cheese on his salads, whereas I like more of the crunchy components.

Ingredient Taste test

And that brings me to an important thing to remember when making salads. Taste your ingredients as you’re adding them. I acquired this fantastic goats milk feta cheese from Three Graces Dairy on a recent cheese run to Greenville, and it was a lot saltier than I realized. Luckily I forgot to salt the salad greens, otherwise this could have been a bit too salty to enjoy!

So don’t make my mistake, snack on your ingredients as you prep and chop them, keeping food safety and stuff in mind. This particular evening I was making salads for Patrick and myself, so sneaking tastes wasn’t off the table.

Print Pin

Dillicious Feta and Roasted Chickpea Salad

Course Salad

Keyword chickpeas, feta, lettuce

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 2 servings

Ingredients

Dill Dressing

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup lemon juice (an extra teaspoon if you like it tangier)
• 1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon dried or fresh dill
• salt and pepper to taste

Salad

• 1 head romaine lettuce thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped
• 2 mini cucumbers diced
• 1-2 scallions finely chopped
• 1/4 cup feta cheese crumbles to taste
• 1 teaspoon fresh or dried dill to taste
• 1 handful roasted chickpeas (as much or little as you want)

Instructions

• If you don't have roasted chickpeas on hand: Preheat your oven to 425 F. Drain a can of chickpeas and use a paper towel to pat dry. Toss the dry chickpeas in 1 tablespoon of olive oil, then a sprinkle of salt, pepper, garlic powder, and smoked paprika, or your preferred spice combo. Pour in a single layer onto a parchment sheet lined baking sheet. Roast for 15 minutes, then agitate the chickpeas and bake for 15-20 more minutes. Watch them closely the las5 5 minutes so they don't burn. Set aside to cool and snack on a few.
• In a jar with a tight fitting lid, shake all of the dressing ingredients together unti emulsified.
• Into two bowls, divide the lettuce, parsley, cucumbers, feta, scallions, dill, chickpeas. You don't need to be exact with these ingredients and can scale up or down to your preferences.
• Dress the salad when you'r ready to eat and serve immediately.

There’s not too much to say about this salad, so give it a try if you like dill, feta, and roasted chickpeas. One cup of chickpeas has 10.7 grams of protein and 9.6 grams of fiber. If you, like myself, are looking to really up your fiber intake after the sad colon cancer-related passing of James van der Beek, chickpeas are a great place to start. In fact, roast two cans of chickpeas at the same time and snack on the ones that aren’t eaten in the salad.

More Salad recipes

Champagne Vinaigrette Salad Dressing for a Garden Salad

French Lentil Salad with Baked Goat Cheese

Walnut Oil Salad Dressing

The post Dillicious Feta and Roasted Chickpea Salad appeared first on The April Blake.

If you are looking for colorful Mardi Gras recipes to ring in the season, I’ve got just the thing for you!

Mardi Gras isn’t just a party, it’s a palette. From the iconic purple, green, and gold to bold Cajun flavors and over-the-top indulgence, this is the holiday where restraint takes a vacation. Whether you’re hosting a parade-watching brunch or just want to bring a little New Orleans magic into your kitchen, these colorful Mardi Gras recipes turn every dish into a celebration.

Grab your beads. Let’s cook.

Fat Tuesday Breakfast

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Mardi Gras Grits

Celebrate Mardi Gras beginning at breakfast with these cheesy, vegetable topped grits that get your day started the right way for Fat Tuesday!

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American, Southern

Keyword bell peppers, cheese, grits

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 1 serving

Author April

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup blue grits
• 4 cups water
• 1/2 tablespoon butter
• 1 dash garlic powder
• 1/3 cup white cheddar, Gouda, or Parmesan cheese grated
• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 yellow bell pepper diced
• 1/2 green bell pepper diced
• 1/4 smal yellow onion sliced into thin slivers
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• Cook the grits according to package directions, but add in the butter and garlic powder at the beginning of the cooking process.
• Once the grits have about 10 minutes to go, heat the olive oil in a saute pan over medium high heat.
• Add the peppers and onions to the pan and stir to coat in oil. Saute for 5-7 minutes, and turn the heat up a little higher if desired. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Once the grits are done, stir in the cheese, and cover pot with lid so the cheese melts easily. Stir to combine.
• Plate the grits in a wide mouthed bowl or plate. Top with the sauteed vegetables. Salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.

Notes

Use a white or light colored cheese, as a yellower cheese will muddy the color of the purple grits and ruin the presentation. 

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Mardi Gras Beignets

Use purple, green, and yellow sanding sugar to create colored powdered sugar to decorate these puffy, delicious, and simple to make Mardi gras beignets!

Course Breakfast

Keyword beignets, doughnuts, fried

Servings 40 beignets

Author April

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 envelope active dry yeast
• 2 eggs slightly beaten
• 1 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup evaporated milk
• 1/4 tsp vanilla paste
• 7 cups bread flour
• 1/4 cup shortening
• Nonstick spray
• Peanut oil for deep-frying
• 2 tbsp each of sanding sugar in green, purple, yellow

Instructions

• Mix water, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl and let sit for 10 minutes.
• In another bowl, beat the eggs, salt, vanilla, and evaporated milk together. Mix egg mixture to the yeast mixture in the mixing bowl of a stand mixer. Add 3 cups of the flour to the yeast mixture and mix on low speed til just combined. 
• Cut in the shortening and continue to mix while adding the remaining flour. Scape the sides with a rubber spatula as needed. 
• Remove dough from the bowl, place onto a lightly floured surface and knead with lightly floured hands until smooth, about 1-2 minutes. Spray a large bowl with nonstick spray. Put dough into the bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a towel. Let rise in a warm place for at least 2 hours.
• While the dough is rising, use this time to turn your sanding sugar into powdered sugar. Use a clean spice grinder to pulse your sugars one at a time until the consistency is powdered sugar, about 5 pulses or 10 seconds of grinding. Set each color aside in a plastic container with a tight fitting lid for later, and clean the grinder between colors.
  
• Preheat oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat.
• Add the confectioners' sugar to three separate plastic containers with tight fitting lids, separated by color, and set aside.
• Roll the dough out to about 1/4-inch thickness and cut sides to form a rectangle. Cut the dough into 1-inch squares.
  
• Deep-fry, flipping once until golden on each side, less than a minute. As the beignets are fried, drain them for a few seconds on paper towels.
  
• Decorate in one of two ways, either by shaking beignets in each individual color of powdered sugar, or by using your fingers to sprinkle a stripe of each sugar color on the beignets. The latter method uses less sugar if that's your goal. 

Not Too Fat of Tuesday Dinner

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Grilled Cajun Kebabs

Celebrate Mardi Gras with traditional colors in this vegetable-filled kebab where you can use real sausage or meat alternatives.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Cajun

Keyword bell peppers, meat alternative, onions, squash

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4 servings

Equipment

• kebab skewers or a grill basket

Ingredients

• 3 yellow squash
• 2 green peppers
• 1/2 red onion
• 1 cup protein of choice (Beyond Sausage, regular sausage, steak cubes, tofu cubes, chunks of chicken)
• 2 tbsp salt
• 1 tsp dried oregano (or 1 tbsp fresh)
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (more to taste)
• 1 tbsp black pepper
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

• Prepare your grill. If charcoal, do this sooner than later. If gas, you can wait til you have the kebabs prepared.
• Put the salt, oregano, peppers, garlic and onion powders together in a small ramekin and stir to mix. Set aside.
• Dice the vegetables and protein into even sized pieces. Toss them all in a large container with a tight fitting lid.
• Pour the oil into the container, put the lid on, and shake to coat.
• Open the lid and sprinkle the seasonings on the vegetables. Put the lid back on and shake to coat.
• Thread the vegetables and protein on the skewer in any order you like.
• Grill over semi-direct heat for 15 minutes, turning every 5 minutes.

Mardi gras for Dessert

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Bundt King Cake

Celebrate Mardi Gras without having to make a whole king cake. Make a bundt style king cake with a pound cake pan, sugar, and traditional Mardi Gras colored sprinkles!

Course Dessert

Keyword king cake, pound cake

Servings 12 servings

Author April

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 cup butter softened
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 5 large eggs
• 2 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1 cup milk

Icing

• 1/3 cup unsalted butter
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 to 4 tbsp hot water

Topping

• purple, green, and yellow sanding sugar

Instructions

Cake

• Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottom, side and tube of 12-cup fluted tube cake pan with shortening; lightly flour.
• In medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt; set aside. In large bowl, beat granulated sugar, butter, vanilla and eggs with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on high speed 5 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Beat flour mixture into sugar mixture alternately with milk on low speed, beating just until smooth after each addition. Pour into pan.
• Bake 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 20 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely, about 2 hours. 

Icing

• Heat butter in a saucepan over medium heat until melted.
• Stir in powdered sugar and vanilla.
• Stir in water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until smooth and the consistency of thick syrup. Pour over the completely cooled cake.
• Immediately decorate with sanding sugar, alternating between the green, yellow, and purple sanding sugars. 

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Mardi Gras Cream Horns

Celebrate Mardi Gras with individually served desserts in the form of cream horns that are filled with chocolate and cream, and drizzled with Mardi Gras colored white chocolate ganache and festive sprinkles!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword cream, puff pastry, white chocolate

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 6 servings

Equipment

• 5" cream horn molds

Ingredients

Cream Horns

• 1 sheet puff pastry thawed per package instructions
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons water

Chocolate Ganache

• 4 ounces chocolate chips
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• multi-colored sprinkles of choice

Multi Colored Drizzle

• 6 ounces white chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• food coloring in yellow, green, purple

Cream

• 2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
• 4 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon powdered milk (good for stabilizing the cream, not needed if these will be served and eaten within an hour or so)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Make the Cream Horns

• Thaw the puff pastry at room temperature until it is flexible (about 20 minutes).
• Use a pizza cutter to cut it into 1/2" inch strips.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Put a small ramekin of water within reach of your work area. Starting at the tip, wrap one strip of pastry around the mold, slightly overlapping as you wind your way up. I needed 2 strips per horn. Use a dab of water on the pastry to adjoin the new strip, and to attach the end of the last strip to the last wind around the pastry. Do not overlap the opening, this will make them difficult to remove.
  
• Set the pastry wrapped horns on a baking sheet prepared with a Silpat or parchment paper.
• Mix the egg and water in a small bowl and brush onto the puff pastry. You don't need to worry about the bottoms.
  
• Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool completely. Gently remove the molds from the puff pastry, they should slide out easily.
• You can put these in an airtight container at this point to finish the next day if you like.

Make the Chocolate Ganache

• Put the the corn syrup and butter in a small pot over medium heat until melted.
• Remove from heat and add in chocolate chips. Stir until melted.
• Put sprinkles in a small, wide plate or bowl.
• Dip the wide end of each horn in the chocolate, then gently dip in the sprinkles. Roll around in the sprinkles if needed. Set aside on a large cutting board in a line.

Make the Multi Colored Drizzle

• Put the white chocolate chips in a heat safe bowl or Pyrex measuring cup.
• Heat the heavy cream over medium heat, watch it carefully it will happen fast with this small amount of liquid. Do not let it boil, and when the first signs of bubbling appear, remove from heat and pour over the white chocolate chips. Stir until smooth, this may take longer than it seems like it should.
• Once smooth, divide into 3 ramekins and use food coloring to make a green, yellow, and purple drizzle. Stir carefully but work fast.
• Use a spoon to drizzle each color on the puff pastry cones. Heat the ramekins in the microwave for 4-5 seconds right before using if it's thickening up. Go in whatever color order you like, and drizzle lightly since you can always add more, but you can't take away what falls off the spoon. At this point, you can put these in an airtight container and finish the last step the following day, or continue on.

Make the Cream

• Mix the cream ingredients together and use the whisk attachment on a stand mixer, or a blender until light and fluffy.
• Spoon the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Gently insert the tip into each cream horn and gently squeeze to fill the cone with cream, pulling out as you feel the horn filling up. Push in gently at the end to attempt to make a pretty star shape. This may not go well, but it might.
  
• The cream horns are now finally ready. If you used the powdered milk, the cream will not deflate and these can be eaten within 4 days. Keep the refrigerated, or eat immediately. Happy Mardi Gras!

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Mardi Gras Jello Shots

The traditional colors of Mardi Gras are yellow, green, and purple are combined into Jello shots without having to use packaged Jello. Choose your own flavors too!

Course Drinks

Keyword gelatin, jello shot, Mardi Gras

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 6 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Servings 20 shots

Author April

Equipment

• Plastic disposable condiment cups

Ingredients

• 2 cups lemon flavored carbonated water
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/8 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 cup Triple Sec
• 1 1/2 cups vodka
• food coloring: purple, green, yellow
• 3 envelopes Knox gelatin
• 24 1 oz. condiment cups with lids
• 3/4 cup water, divided

Instructions

• Set out three equal sized bowls.
• Mix the lemon carbonated water, sugar, lemon juice, Triple Sec, and vodka together in a large mixing down, stirring until sugar dissolves.
• Pour equally into the three bowls. Add food coloring to each bowl: purple, yellow, green. Stir with a spoon to mix. 
• Heat up 1/4 cup water in a 2 cup Pyrex measuring cup with a spout (or something similar with a spout) for 60 seconds. Take the hot water out of the microwave and add in one gelatin package. Use a spoon to stir, let sit for 2 minutes until the gelatin is fully dissolved.
• Add one bowl of what will be the bottom layer color into the gelatin. Stir together well.
• Line up the condiment cups on a baking sheet. Evenly pour the gelatin color mixture into the cups. Pour a little at a time, you can always add more to each cup to make them even. You may not need all of the gelatin mixture for the first layer and can throw it out when done. 
• Refrigerate the first layer for at least 2 hours.
• Repeat steps 3-7 for the next two layers. 

The Colors of Mardi Gras (and How to Eat Them)

Why these colors? They all have a meaning behind them:

• Purple = justice

• Green = faith

• Gold = power

The goal? Get all three on the table, and bonus points if they’re on the same plate. Laissez les bons temps rouler!

The post Colorful Mardi Gras Recipes appeared first on The April Blake.

What is Trader Joe’s Soyrizo?

Trader Joe’s soyrizo is a spiced soy crumble formed into a sausage shape with a plastic casing. You remove the plastic casing when it’s time to use it. There’s 8 grams of protein in 1/3 of a cup of it! Plus there is no cholesterol, like traditional meat chorizos, making this an excellent option.

It’s a staple at Trader Joe’s, meaning it doesn’t leave seasonally. You can find it in the refrigerated section with the tofu, other cold faux meats, lunch meats, and at least at my TJ’s, near the raviolis too.

Vegetarian, Not Vegan

While the soyrizo is vegan, the other ingredients in this dish are decidedly not — eggs, cheese, milk. I haven’t tried to veganize a frittata but I don’t imagine it would taste all that great, so I do not recommend it. This one is for the vegetarians, not the vegans.

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Trader Joe's Soyrizo Frittata

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Keyword cheese, eggs, soy chorizo

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 4 servings

Equipment

• 1 9" pie plate

Ingredients

• 1 package Trader Joe's soyrizo
• 5 eggs
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 cup assorted shredded cheese (cheddar, Parmesan, emmentaler, Swiss, gruyere, etc).
• spray oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 425 F.
• Lightly spray a saute pan (large enough for the package of soyrizo) with cooking oil, I like Trader Joe's avocado oil. Turn the heat to medium.
  
• Once the pan is hot, add the soyrizo and use a spatula to chop into ground meat and stir occasionally, until it's cooked though, about 5 minutes.
• While it's cooking, crack the eggs into a bowl and stir together. Add in the milk, salt, and pepper and stir together to emulsify.
• Once the oven is preheated and the soyrizo is cooked, spray the pie plate with the cooking spray. Use a brush to thoroughly cover the bottom and sides of the pan so the egg won't get stuck.
  
• Evenly spread the soyrizo on the pie plate.
• Pour the egg mixture evenly over the soyrizo.
• Scatter the shredded cheeses evenly over the egg mixture.
• Place in the oven for 15 minutes or until the eggs are set (don't jiggle anymore).
  
• Optional: turn on the broiler for 2-4 minutes to brown the top to your liking.
• Remove from the oven and let sit to rest for 5 minutes.
• Cut into 4 even pieces and serve.
  
• To reheat the next day, place a slice of frittata onto a piece of aluminum foil and put into the oven at 350 F for 5-7 minutes or until heated through.

How to Serve a Soyrizo Frittata

I like to cut it into four even pieces to get a good, full serving. Sometimes I eat it by itself, but it goes great alongside a green salad for lunch or dinner. Serve it for breakfast with a selection of cut fruits or berries to start the day off with a good bang of nutrients.

Other Egg Based Recipes

Hash Browns Eggs Benedict

Easter Deviled Eggs

Savory, Cheesy Dutch Baby with Microgreens

The post Trader Joe’s Soyrizo Frittata appeared first on The April Blake.