Anyone who knows me knows that I love deviled eggs. Whenever I show up to a party with a full party platter of them, they are the first thing to fly off the table!

How much do I love them? Well, I wrote a whole book about them – my new book D’Lish Deviled Eggs features more than 50 classic and creative variations!

Everyone has their favorite way of making them. I know that grandma’s classic recipe is always a go-to for most people, but these one-bite (maybe two-bite!) apps are the perfect platform to get inspired with!

From California Roll Deviled Eggs with a filling made with avocado and wasabi topped with crab and cucumber – to sassy Chipotle Eggs to Cheddar and Bacon—there are tons of different takes on the classic and some fun and kitschy variations too. What better way to use up all those hard-boiled eggs after Easter?

D’lish Deviled Eggs is available in books stores, online and digital. Just think, you’ll have over 50 new ideas for your next party appetizer!

Web: www.dlishdeviledeggs.com for more fun deviled egg tips and recipes.

Tweet Tweet: @chickytweets on Twitter!

So get crackin’ and enjoy some d’lish deviled eggs! –Kathy

Chipotle Deviled Eggs—yum!
(Photo © Kathy Casey Food Studios from D’Lish Deviled Eggs)

Chipotle Deviled Eggs

I’ve been making these for years and they have become a cocktail-party staple. The spicy tomato topping adds textural and visual pizzazz. Serve these with your favorite margarita for a perfect pairing.

Makes 24

1 dozen hard-cooked eggs (recipe follows)

Filling
3 Tbsps mayonnaise
3 Tbsps regular or low-fat sour cream
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 to 2 Tbsps chipotle chile purée (see tip)
1 tsp minced fresh garlic
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsps thinly sliced green onion

Topping
1/2 cup small-diced tomatoes
1 Tbsp minced white onion
2 Tbsps chopped fresh cilantro
1 to 2 tsps chipotle chile purée (see tip)

Halve the eggs lengthwise and transfer the yolks to a mixing bowl. Set the egg white halves on a platter, cover, and refrigerate.

With a fork, mash the yolks to a smooth consistency. Add the mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, chipotle purée, garlic, and salt, and mix until smooth. (You can also do this in a mixing bowl with a whip attachment.) Stir in the green onion.

Spoon the mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a plain or large star tip, then pipe the mixture evenly into the egg white halves. Or fill the eggs with a spoon, dividing the filling evenly.

To make the topping, in a small bowl, mix together the tomatoes, onion, cilantro, and chipotle purée. Top each egg half with about 1 tsp of the topping.

Tip: To make chipotle chile purée, place canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, with the sauce, in a food processor or blender and purée until smooth. Freeze any extra purée for another use.

Hard-Cooked Eggs

1 dozen large chicken eggs

Place the eggs in a large nonreactive saucepan and add cold water to 1 inch above the eggs. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Turn off the heat and let the eggs sit for 10 minutes. Remove from the stove and run cool water over the eggs in the pan until they are cooled. When cool, carefully peel them under running water.

Recipe from D’Lish Deviled Eggs by Kathy Casey, Andrews McMeel Publishing

Northwest Distillers are gathering on March 21st at Liberty Bar on Capitol Hill to sample some micro batch gins. Three unique, new gins will be sampled and compared to a famous British Gin. Perfect for the gin lover! For more info, check out their site.

Every year I look forward to the last weekend in March. Why? Because it’s the Annual Razor Clam Festival!

Taking place in Ocean Shores (Washington), this fun event is going to be bigger than ever this year. They’ve even added an extra day, and a new seafood cooking competition!

The festival runs from 9am to 6pm on Saturday, March 23 and 9am to 4pm on Sunday, March 24 at the Ocean Shores Convention Center.  It is an event for the whole family; with live music, craft vendors, cooking competitions and demonstrations, gift giveaways, and so much more. Kids 12 and under get in free.  Adults are $3.00 for each day or $5.00 for both days. There will be lots of great food and chowder samples of course!  Don’t forget to stop at the various Bloody Mary and beer booths to wash down all that great chow.

The KCFS Crew doing the “Official” Razor Clam Dance!

But the true headliner event is the Clam Chowder Cook-Offs for both the pro and amateur chefs. Each year the festival has an array of contestants enter the Amateur Chowder Cook Off and compete for the best of the best on the Northwest Coast. (My chef team will be judging again this year!) The First Place Winner gets bragging rights for a whole year and will be one of the judges for the Professional Clam Chowder Cook Off at the Festival in 2014. How cool is that!

If you like to forage for your own clams, make sure to check out the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife for more info on this year’s dig…and don’t forget your clam license and essentials.

Once you’ve reached your razor clam limits, check out this video that my friend Scott Surdyke and I made on how to clean them properly. And for a super tasty way of cooking this bi-valve, try our recipe for our Clam-tastic Razor Clam Fritters with my Rock-the-World Tartar Sauce below.

So pack up your clammin’ gear (including you razor clam license) and head down to Ocean Shores – it’s the clamtastic place to be! –Kathy

Scott & Kathy’s CLAMTASTIC Razor Clam Fritters
Makes 24 – 26 fritters

3 cups chopped/diced razor clams
3 cups Krusteaz Buttermilk Pancake Mix with buttermilk
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp lemon pepper
1 Tbsp minced lemon zest
2 tsp sea salt or kosher salt
Fresh-ground pepper to taste
1 Tbsp minced garlic
3/4 cup clam nectar (or reserved clam juice)
1/4 cup Northwest amber beer, flat
2 eggs, whisked
1/2 cup minced celery
3/4 cup fresh corn kernels
6 scallions/green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped orange or red bell pepper (about 1/2 pepper)
—————————————————
Crisco shortening for frying
Lemon wedges for garnish/squeezing
Kathy Casey’s Ultimate Rock-the-World Tartar Sauce (recipe follows)

Drain the clams and save any juice for use in recipe.
In a large bowl combine the Krusteaz, corn meal, baking powder, lemon pepper, zest, salt and pepper. Stir in the garlic, clam nectar/juice, beer and eggs to combine.
Then fold in the celery, corn, green onions, bell pepper and drained clams.

Heat 2-inches of Crisco in a large cast iron skilled till hot – about 375 degrees. Scoop out fritters a few at time – I use a 1/4 cup measure – they should be kind of spread out and not too thick. Fry on first side till golden and then flip over. Continue frying till golden and cooked through. Drain on paper towels. Cook fritters in batches being sure oil stays hot. Keep fritters warm in a 300 degree oven on a rack if needed – but they are best served right away – the fritter cook will just have to keep cooking! Serve with Rock the World Tartar Sauce and fresh lemons.

Recipe by Scott Surdyke and Kathy Casey

Kathy’s Rock-The-World Tartar Sauce
Makes 2 cups

1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
1/4 cup finely chopped dill pickle or dill pickle relish
2 Tbsps drained capers, chopped
1 green onion, very thinly sliced
1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp Tabasco sauce
2 Tbsps chopped parsley
1/4 tsp celery seed
2 Tbsps fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp granulated garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

In a medium bowl, mix all the ingredients.

Recipe adapted from Kathy Casey’s Northwest Table, Chronicle Books

Our favorite “green” celebration is just around the corner! Celebrated for hundreds of years, St. Patrick’s Day certainly calls for a d’lish meal!

Here’s a four leaf clover for a ‘lil luck!

Slow simmered corned beef with tender carrots, onions and cabbage is always traditional fave. Colcannon is a favorite side dish, consisting of sautéed green cabbage, stirred into fluffy mashed potatoes. For another tasty side, serve it up alongside caraway-roasted carrots.

Soda bread is another traditional Irish staple. It is super easy to make, as it is leavened with baking soda instead of slow-rising yeast.

I like to dish my corn beef dinner with a variety of mustards. Try herbed mustard, cassis mustard or country mustard mixed with creamed horseradish – yowza!

For dessert, try a Guinness float: ice cold stout with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream!

Have enough corned beef for leftovers? Perfect! Because after all that “green” beer, stouts, and Black & Tans , there’s nothing better the next day than a corned beef hash topped with a poached egg!

Make sure to leave a comment and fill us in on your St. Patty’s Day traditions, too.

So a toast to St. Patrick’s Day and may the luck ‘o the Irish bring you all good cheer! -Kathy

Ahh, coffee! That first cup o’ joe usually sets the tone for the rest of the day. And certainly the Pacific Northwest is known as the mecca for coffee drinkers and connoisseurs alike. Some think of us as coffee snobs…maybe some of us are!

After all, we do love our coffee, as much as we cherish our wines. Many independent coffee shops and cafes (frequented by the true coffee geeks) often hold coffee “cuppings” – picture a wine tasting, but for coffee!

I love the scent of fresh roasted coffee beans!
(Photo courtesy of Fontee Coffee)

While dark chocolate and coffee are a match made in heaven, it pairs well with other flavors and other applications too. Add ground espresso to spice rubs for a flavor pop – excellent on steak or Alaskan salmon. Brewed coffee is great in baked beans, hearty stews and in d’lish in my Red Eye BBQ Sauce – try slathering over grilled chicken or ribs…yum!

On the sweeter side of things, try adding a little ground espresso to chocolate cupcake batter for a mocha-licious treat. For a zippy twist on zucchini cake, work in a little strong brewed coffee for a Northwest take on this perennial favorite.

So put a little pick-me-up into your next dish. -Kathy

Red Eye Barbecue Sauce
Makes 2 1/4 cups

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/3 cup 1/4-inch-chopped yellow onion
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon celery seed
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup brewed coffee
5 tablespoons Worcestershire
3 tablespoons molasses
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 cup ketchup
3/4 teaspoon Tabasco
1 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce
1/8 teaspoon salt

Heat the oil in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sprinkle the black pepper and other dry spices on top. Stir and sauté until the onions are glossy, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to sauté about 1 more minute.

When the onions are translucent, whisk in the remaining ingredients. Bring to a low boil, then reduce the heat and simmer 30 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent scorching. If not using the sauce right away, cool and store, refrigerated, for up to 10 days.
Recipe by Kathy Casey Food Studios®

Seattle has always been on the cutting edge of culinary and drink trends – and we sure love to celebrate it! There’s almost always a festival or event going on. Take for example the Seattle Food and Wine Experience, which will be this Sunday (February 24^th) at the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall from 12pm – 5pm – it’s definitely one of my faves!

Held annually, this year’s event is going to be as exciting as ever. Its jam packed with tons of chefs, demos, expert speakers, and lots of wine to taste (featuring cellars from Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho and more!). Don’t forget to make room for all the available gourmet bites as well as Pacific Northwest distilled spirits, coffees, and brews, too. Yum!

Tons of exhibitors will be selling their wares, so keep your eyes out for any gifts you may need to buy, or even take something home for yourself! Make sure to buy  your tickets soon.

So raise a glass and toast to the Seattle Food and Wine event! -Kathy

The beginning of 2013 marked the start of Vinum Importing’s monthly cocktail competitions and for March, the theme is anise. Native to the Mediterranean and Southwest Asia, anise-flavored spirits have already made appearances in plenty of cocktails, but Vinum’s competition challenges bartenders to put anise in the spotlight. If you’re a fan of anise then this is the event for you!

(Photo Courtesy of World Spice Merchants)

The competition will take place at Vessel on March 4^th at 6:30pm. The guest judges include Imbibe Magazine’s Jen Boelts, 5th generation distiller Matteo Meletti, and Cocktail Chronicles’ Paul Clarke.

For more information on the Vinum Cocktail Competitions and the schedule, check out the competition website.

Do you ever stop to think about the garnishes, liqueurs and syrups you put in your favorite cocktails? Amy Stewart, author of The Drunken Botanist, definitely has! She has uncovered some seriously cool history on some common, and some not-so-common cocktail ingredients

I heard Amy speak this last summer at Tales of the Cocktail – it was one of my favorite seminars of all times. Not only was the content interesting but Amy is a fun and engaging speaker. If you love booze and you love geeky stuff – you will love her book!

From oak trees to lemon verbena, Amy gives a detailed and intriguing account of the various herbal ingredients we use in cocktails and liqueurs. With over 50 recipes, chemistry of over 150 plants, and growing tips for gardeners, this is the perfect gift for those with a green thumb and love to imbibe.

Amy is an award winning author of 6 books detailing the delights and dangers of Mother Nature. Living in sunny California, her backyard is one big herbal experiment, and the bookstore she and her husband own is a veritable maze of fascinating finds.

The Drunken Botanist: “The plants that create the world’s great drinks”, by Amy Stewart is coming this March. Available for pre-order now at drunkenbotanist.com and on Amazon. Make sure you check out her funny promotion video!