Name: Classic Deviled Eggs
Prep time: 15 min
Yield: 12
Ingredients: 6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and halved; 2 tablespoons mayonnaise (or sour cream, if you don't like mayo); 1 teaspoon mustard (I used Creole mustard, but you can use whatever variety you prefer); 1 teaspoon dill pickle relish (optional); salt and pepper, to taste; Paprika, optional

Classic Deviled Eggs (Quick and Easy!)

July 1, 2019

These classic deviled eggs only have six ingredients that you probably have in your house right now. They are a perfect easy appetizer or side dish! All you need for this easy recipe is boiled eggs, mayonnaise, mustard, relish, salt, and pepper. You can use sour cream if you don’t like mayo! So easy and so good!

Deviled eggs are a classic side dish and appetizer, and they are so easy to make. Believe it or not, though, it’s only been in the last few years that I started eating them at all.I liked eggs, I liked boiled eggs, I just didn’t like deviled eggs. I don’t even know what my aversion to them in the past was.

To be honest, though, I don’t think I ever even tried them. I just decided one day, as a kid, that I didn’t like deviled eggs. And then one day, I decided that I was going to eat one and guess what? I decided that I liked them.

Classic Vs. Fancy

I like deviled eggs when they are fancied up, but truth be told, a classic deviled egg is all I need. And really, all you need for an easy deviled egg recipe is boiled eggs, mayonnaise, and salt and pepper. I add just a little mustard and some dill relish to mine. Super simple.

I make these classic deviled eggs most often to pack in lunches, but they are perfect for holiday potlucks or an easy snack or appetizer. There really couldn’t be an easier recipe to make, and I almost feel like I am cheating a little bit by calling this a “recipe”.

Five Tips for the Best Easy Deviled Eggs

For perfectly centered yolks, place a rubber band around the center of the egg carton and turn the carton on its side on the refrigerator for 24 hours. This will help the yolks to migrate to the center of the eggs. Thanks to Alton Brown for this tip!
When slicing the eggs in half, wipe your knife off with a paper towel after each egg. This will help the eggs to be less messy.
Mash the yolks thoroughly to avoid lumpy filling.
Use enough mayonnaise. Don’t think that you can reduce the amount of mayo to cut the fat and get the same results. For the filling to be creamy enough, you have to have enough mayo! If you don’t like mayonnaise, you can use sour cream instead.
Use a plastic storage bag or a piping bag (like you would use for piping cake icing) for piping the filling.

Mary

Yield: 12

Classic Deviled Eggs

15 minPrep Time:

15 minTotal Time:

Save Recipe

Print Recipe

My Recipes My Lists My Calendar

Ingredients

6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and halved
2 tablespoons mayonnaise (or sour cream, if you don't like mayo)
1 teaspoon mustard (I used Creole mustard, but you can use whatever variety you prefer)
1 teaspoon dill pickle relish (optional)
salt and pepper, to taste
Paprika, optional

Instructions

Remove the yolks from the halved eggs. Use a fork to mash the yolks until no lumps remain.
Add the mayonnaise, mustard, relish, salt, and pepper to the mashed yolks and stir until well-combined. Check seasonings and adjust to taste.
Use a spoon to scoop the filling into a quart-sized storage bag. Cut a corner off of the bag and carefully pipe the filling into the eggs. You may have just a tiny bit of filling left.
Sprinkle the eggs with paprika if desired. Serve immediately or cover and chill for up to three days.

Notes

This recipe can be easily scaled up or down. You can leave out the relish or the mustard if you wish. If you do so, you may need to add a touch more mayonnaise to adjust the moisture levels.

https://chattavore.com/classic-deviled-eggs/

White Lily Biscuits & Gravy

December 16, 2018

These White Lily biscuits are a Southern tradition. They’re based on my Granny’s baking powder biscuits and they’re perfect with creamy sawmill gravy!

When you order anything other than breakfast at Cracker Barrel, there is a very important question that they ask you:

“Biscuits or cornbread?”

Biscuits, duh. Ah, biscuits. Though I’ve developed a much greater appreciation for cornbread since I developed my own method of making it, I would never, ever choose cornbread over a biscuit. NEVER.

I remember as a kid asking my mom to make biscuits from scratch, or to make biscuits from scratch with me, or something. I don’t recall that it ever happened. My mom is a great cook but was never much for baking from scratch, which is a shame since her mom made some famous-in-these-parts yeast rolls (she was the cafeteria manager at the elementary school near their home and made the rolls from scratch. People from the community would come to the school to buy her rolls). I never met my mom’s mom (Mamaw) but wish I knew how to make those rolls. The biscuits in our house back in those days were poppin’ fresh, probably with flaky layers.

My first experience with homemade biscuits? NOT GOOD. Don’t ever try to make biscuits from scratch for the first time on Thanksgiving. Take. My. Word. Why I decided to make biscuits on Thanksgiving anyway I’m not quite certain (Thanksgiving doesn’t generally make me think, “Mmmmm, biscuits….”) but I did. It was the very first Thanksgiving-the very first anything-that we hosted in our house, with Philip’s family and my family jammed into our not-very-big house. Philip’s sister put the sweet potato casserole into the teeny little broiler drawer in our ancient stove (yes, you read that correctly. A broiler drawer. It was wide enough to fit a broiler pan into and it was on the bottom of the stove because what could possibly go wrong with fire shooting out of a broiler that’s four inches from the floor?????) and set the marshmallows on fire. But that’s not the point here.

The point is this: I set out to make biscuits. They involved flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, shortening, and milk. The directions stated that the biscuits should be rolled to 3/4″ thickness. Those jokers at Better Homes and Gardens actually showed someone measuring the biscuit dough with a ruler. I don’t think Philip and I got out a ruler, but we were definitely all like, “No, we definitely need to roll it more.” The directions said not one thing about not overworking the dough or any of that important stuff.

So. I pulled those babies out of the oven, expecting big, beautiful, puffy biscuits. Instead? Hockey pucks. Freaking disks of baked biscuit dough. Philip’s sister called them “biscuit cookies”.

My ego was bruised. For several years, I bought my biscuits from the freezer section, till I found the book Small Batch Baking at a bookstore. My interest was piqued and while I didn’t make very many of the recipes (mainly because they required specialized small equipment) I immediately glommed on to a recipe for southern-style biscuits, supposed to be similar to Hardee’s. I made them from the book until I eventually committed the recipe to memory, then I started experimenting with my own methods, using all-purpose flour with baking powder, soda, and salt instead of self-rising. Eventually I started using more baking powder a la my Granny Reese, who used shortening in her baking powder biscuits, but you know I just can’t do that so I use unsalted butter. Then I started folding the dough to make layers. I make my White Lily biscuits every Saturday. Sometimes I serve my White Lily biscuits with gravy, sometimes with jam. But regardless what I serve with them, one thing’s for sure…

I’ll never choose cornbread over a biscuit. And if you try these White Lily biscuits, you may never either.

Mary

Yield: 10-12 biscuits

White Lily Biscuits & Gravy

15 minPrep Time:

12 minCook Time:

27 minTotal Time:

Save Recipe

Print Recipe

My Recipes My Lists My Calendar

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour (a soft wheat brand like White Lily will turn out the best biscuits)
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
6 tablespoons unsalted butter (cold, cut into chunks)
1 cup buttermilk (can also use milk, cream, or half-and-half or splash a little vinegar into the bottom of a measuring cup and fill it the rest of the way with milk to approximate buttermilk)

For the Gravy

4 tablespoons bacon or sausage drippings
4 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
salt and pepper (to taste)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Put a baking stone or baking sheet in the oven to preheat.
Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl. Use a pastry blender or your fingertips to work the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Add buttermilk a little at a time, stirring after each addition, until the mixture comes together into a sticky dough. Turn out onto a floured surface and lightly coat the outside with flour. Flatten and fold into thirds. Repeat the flattening and folding twice, adding flour as needed but being careful not to add too much flour, which will toughen your biscuits.
Lightly press the dough into a rectangle about an inch thick. Use a biscuit cutter or knife to cut into the desired number of biscuits. I use a knife and don't worry about the shape of my biscuits. Not using a biscuit cutter prevents me from having to re-roll the scraps, which will also toughen it.
Place the biscuits on the preheated pan barely touching one another. Bake until lightly golden brown, about 12 minutes. Serve with butter, jelly, gravy, etc.
To make the gravy: While the biscuits are baking, Preheat a 10-inch skillet (cast iron works great) over medium heat. Add the drippings and heat until the fat starts to shimmer. Whisk in the flour and cook for about 1 minute, until it just begins to brown. Add the milk a little at a time, whisking and allowing to thicken after each addition. Continue adding until the gravy reaches the consistency that you like (you may need a little more or a little less than the recipe calls for). Salt and pepper the gravy to taste and serve with biscuits. It's also delicious on toast, chicken-fried steak, mashed potatoes, fries....the list goes on and on!

Notes

This recipe makes 10-12 biscuits, but I usually cut the recipe in half to make 6. Also, to make the biscuits pictured here I used self-rising flour and omitted the salt, baking soda, and half of the baking powder.

https://chattavore.com/white-lily-biscuits/

These White Lily biscuits are a Southern tradition. They're based on my Granny's baking powder biscuits and they're perfect with creamy sawmill gravy! | recipe from Chattavore.com

Six-Ingredient Homemade Eggnog

December 6, 2018

This homemade eggnog is easy and only includes six ingredients, so you’ll know exactly what you’re drinking this holiday season.

Beverages can be polarizing, no? If you remember the cola wars of the Eighties, you know what I’m talking about. I mean, not even Billy Joel could take it any more. It really was the biggest issue of the decade. Coffee is another. You either ARE a coffee drinker, or you aren’t. Or you throw back Diet Coke and would never consider drinking regular, or vice versa (I happen to be a full-sugar kind of girl, though I prefer Blue Sky or, better yet, Pure Sodaworks these days). Wine? Love it or hate it. Beer? You’re a beer drinker or you think it tastes like….well, never mind. Even water can fall into the trap. While, besides my morning coffee, it’s pretty much the only thing I drink (on a daily basis, anyway), I know people who never let a drop of plain, unadulterated water pass their lips (too boring, they say). However, one cannot argue that water is, well, the basis of matter, pretty much.

Then there’s eggnog. I have found that eggnog evokes one of two reactions: “Oh, I LOVE eggnog!” OR “I HATE eggnog! (followed by gagging noises, crumpled faces, etc.)” I happen to fall in the former camp. I was raised on Mayfield eggnog, which appeared in the grocery store in late October or early November. My dad and I drank the stuff like water and somehow managed to escape the holiday season without resembling Violet Beauregarde after she turns into a giant blueberry and has to be rolled out of Willy Wonka’s factory.

Thank goodness I married someone who shares my feelings about eggnog (perhaps his shared affection was part of our connection, although we’d been dating for nine months when eggnog first entered our relationship, so probably not). We wait as long as we can possibly force ourselves too, because once it’s on….IT’S ON. My mother-in-law serves eggnog at Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners in glasses so small I can’t imagine what they were actually intended for (juice, I’m assuming, but I can’t be sure) which makes me and Philip laugh because we chug our eggnog from 12-ounce tumblers that sometimes we only fill 3/4 of the way, you know, when we’re feeling virtuous.

I was so happy when I found the inspiration for this homemade eggnog recipe on Carrie Vitt’s wonderful website, Deliciously Organic. As delicious as the storebought stuff is, even the organic varieties contain stabilizers and are pasteurized to death to extend the shelf life (and really, there’s no need for an extended shelf life when you’re going to drain the eggnog in a couple of days anyway, you know, drinking it from our tumblers and all). I couldn’t even find ingredient lists for any regular store brands online. Hmmmm. Carrie’s recipe has five ingredients: whole milk, eggs, vanilla (yes, I make my own. It’s easy.), maple syrup, and nutmeg.

I’ve changed my recipe up a bit, using regular sugar instead of maple syrup, mainly for the flavor factor (the maple syrup does tend to dominate the flavor a little bit). You could totally use maple syrup or even palm sugar here, though. Unlike many homemade eggnog recipes, it’s cooked, so the integrity of your eggs is not quite as crucial as it may be otherwise (but I do try to buy the best eggs I can anyway). The most difficult part is waiting for it to heat to 160 degrees and stirring frequently. Well, really, the waiting is the hardest part (thanks, Tom Petty) because you have to let it chill for several hours before drinking it. But when the wait is over, you’ll declare it totally worth it.

Promise. You’ll love this 6-ingredient homemade eggnog (assuming you’re one of those eggnog lovers, anyway).

Shared on Meal Plan Monday on Southern Plate.

Mary

Yield: 6 cups

Six-Ingredient Homemade Eggnog

This recipe is adapted from Deliciously Organic by Carrie Vitt.

10 minPrep Time:

45 minCook Time:

55 minTotal Time:

Save Recipe

Print Recipe

My Recipes My Lists My Calendar

Ingredients

6 Large eggs
2 Large egg yolks
3/4 cups sugar (if you don't want to use white sugar, you can use an equal amount of maple syrup or palm sugar)
3 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream (you can leave out the cream and sub in another cup of milk for a slightly less rich nog)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (plus more for sprinkling)

Instructions

Whisk the eggs, yolks, and sugar together in a large saucepan until well combined.
Gradually whisk the milk into the egg mixture until fully incorporated. Heat over medium-low, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens and reaches 160 degrees (measure using a candy thermometer or, in a pinch, an instant-read thermometer).
Strain the eggnog through a fine-mesh strainer. Stir in the vanilla and the nutmeg. Chill thoroughly before serving (four hours, at least). Serve with additional nutmeg sprinkled on top, if desired (we use only fresh nutmeg, which isn't even in the same category as the preground stuff. Really.).

Notes

This takes a long time to cook because you want to heat it gradually to make sure you don't scramble the eggs. However, you don't have to stir it every second, so you can get other things done while it cooks.

https://chattavore.com/six-ingredient-homemade-eggnog/

This homemade eggnog is easy and only includes six ingredients, so you'll know exactly what you're drinking this holiday season. | Recipe from Chattavore.com

Santa’s White Christmas Wacky Cake

November 28, 2018

This post was sponsored by Barnie’s Coffee as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.

Santa’s White Christmas Wacky Cake is super-easy-mixed in one pan-and so delicious with coconut, caramel, and vanilla flavors! Wacky cake is a classic dessert and this one is full of holiday flavors. Everyone will love it! Everything you need is in your pantry – flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, oil, vinegar, and coffee. Santa’s White Christmas coffee from Barnie’s Coffee makes it even more tasty, especially with that coconut cream cheese icing!

Click here to save this recipe on Pinterest!

Coffee = Life

What is your coffee-drinking style? For me, coffee is a ritual…it’s not as much about the caffeine as it is about the smell of coffee wafting through the house, the warm coffee, and a hot cup in my hands. Now, I am a coffee drinker 365 days a year, usually two cups a day: one in the morning and one when I get home in the afternoon.

Coffee Baked Goods

I love an iced latte but this time of year it’s all about warmth…not that it’s cold here yet, but it’s getting closer. When the holiday season hits I love all the scents of the season – cinnamon, nutmeg, chocolate, and coconut. Fresh baked goods always call for a cup of coffee, and if I can find a way to squeeze some coffee into the baked goods, even better.

Santa’s White Christmas Coffee

Honestly, I can’t think of a better coffee to drink this time of year than Santa’s White Christmas from Barnie’s. I remember when there was a Barnie’s Coffee at our local mall, smelling the caramel-coconutty-vanilla scents at the holiday season and getting a Santa’s White Christmas granita. Always a treat!

Barnie’s Coffee has been making Santa’s White Christmas for 37 years (almost my whole life!) and this coffee is much-beloved around the country…not just for it’s delightfully festive flavors but also for the fabulously high quality that you can always count on from Barnie’s Coffee.

Wacky Cake!

Santa’s White Christmas coffee is the perfect coffee to make this wacky cake. This chocolate wacky cake is mixed right in the pan and topped with a cream cheese frosting. The cream cheese frosting has just a touch of coffee mixed in and a sprinkle of coconut.

My wacky cake is simplicity and flavor in under an hour with minimal dirty dishes! If you sift the powdered sugar and make sure the butter and cream cheese are super-soft, you don’t even need to use a mixer to make the icing!

You can find a variety of Santa’s White Christmas products in stores or on the Barnie’s Coffee website. Use the promo code CHATTAVORE30 to get 30% off of Barnie’s Coffee products!

How do you like your Santa’s White Christmas from Barnie’s Coffee? Show us your Santa!
Shared on The Weekend Potluck on The Country Cook!

Click here to save this recipe to your holiday and Christmas baking boards on Pinterest!

Santa’s White Christmas Wacky Cake

Save Recipe

Print Recipe

My Recipes My Lists My Calendar

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
heaping 1/4 cup natural cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
1 cup brewed Barnie's Santa's White Christmas coffee

For the Icing

4 ounces (1/2 block) cream cheese, room temperature
4 ounces (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup powdered sugar, sifted
Pinch salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons brewed Santa’s White Christmas coffee
Sweetened, shredded coconut (optional, for topping)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350? Fahrenheit.
Place the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in an 8-inch ungreased square glass or ceramic pan and use a fork to combine.
Create 3 wells in the dry ingredients. Place the vinegar in one, the vanilla in another, and the oil in the third. Pour the coffee over the top and use the fork to combine the ingredients completely.
Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 25-30 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack before icing.
To make the icing: in a large bowl, mix together the cream cheese and butter with a wooden spoon or an electric hand mixer until smooth and well-combined. Add the sifted powdered sugar, salt, vanilla extract, and coffee. Stir or cream together until well-combined. If you mix it by hand there may be a few lumps but it will not affect the flavor. Spread the icing over the cooled cake. Top with shredded coconut, if desired.

https://chattavore.com/santas-white-christmas-wacky-cake/

Easy Sausage Balls from Scratch + Video

November 27, 2018

These easy sausage balls from scratch are a classic party favorite without the need for boxed mixes! Everyone at your holiday party or potluck will love them, and they are also perfect for a Christmas breakfast treat! Your family won’t be able to get enough. Sausage, cheddar cheese, flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, butter, and a little milk…so easy and delicious! Scroll down for video!

Click here to save this recipe on Pinterest!

Christmas Food is the Best Food!

There are so many things to eat at Christmas. I could never pick a favorite. I mean, ranch Goldfish? My grandmother’s egg soufflé? All the cheese balls?? For Christmas dinner, we eat prime rib and twice baked potatoes. Can you see why I❤Christmas?

At every Christmas gathering (including my family’s Christmas breakfast) you are likely to find sausage balls. Little nuggets of breakfast sausage, cheese, and biscuit mix (aka Bisquick), these things are addictive. They’re low-calorie too, so you can eat as many as you like (⬅that’s a total lie). Truth be told, though, I don’t wait for Christmas to make sausage balls.We love to eat them for breakfast or for an occasional Saturday night snack (Saturday night is snack night in my house).

No-Bisquick Sausage Balls

I have nothing against Bisquick. My mom makes her sausage balls with Bisquick and Cheez Whiz (because Cheez Whiz helps them to mix up more easily) and those things are goooood. I’m a biscuit purist, though, so I don’t keep Bisquick or any other type of baking mix in the house, so I’d rather just make my own than go buy a box when I want to make sausage balls.

Easy Sausage Balls from Scratch!

These take approximately one minute longer to make than sausage balls made with a baking mix (that minute being used, of course, to measure the ingredients) and they are every bit as delicious.

Yummy Christmas Treat!

So, whether you want to go the traditional route and use a baking mix or make these easy sausage balls from scratch, just make some sausage balls. It’s Christmas! They are perfect for a holiday potluck or party or for serving for Christmas breakfast. Everyone in your family will love them, and you don’t have to buy a box of mix to make them!

Shared on Meal Plan Monday on Southern Bite!

Click here to save this recipe to your Christmas and breakfast boards on Pinterest!

For more videos, click here to subscribe to my YouTube channel!

Yield: about 60 sausage balls

Sausage Balls from Scratch

20 minPrep Time:

20 minCook Time:

Save Recipe

Print Recipe

My Recipes My Lists My Calendar

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into cubes and chilled
1 pound breakfast sausage (mild or hot, your choice)
1 pound cheddar cheese (2 8-ounce blocks), grated
milk

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. If desired, spray 2 sheet pans with cooking spray (I actually never bother).
In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Using a pastry blender or your fingertips, work the butter into the flour mixture until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Add the sausage and cheese to the bowl along with a couple of tablespoons of milk. Using your hands, work the ingredients together until well-combined, adding milk a tablespoon at a time to moisten the mixture so that you can get all the dry flour (you can also use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment to do this, but I just prefer to use my hands).
Portion the sausage ball mixture into tablespoon size pieces (I use a cookie scoop to do this) and roll into balls using your palms before placing them onto the baking sheets.
Bake the sausage balls until lightly browned, about 20-25 minutes. Stack on paper towels for a few minutes to absorb excess butter. Serve immediately or at room temperature.

https://chattavore.com/easy-sausage-balls-from-scratch/