Easter is such a festive holiday – it is religious to some and a welcoming of spring to others. In the days past it was a time for new pastel dresses and flowery hats and shiny patent shoes.

The egg hunt is still my favorite! But what to do with all those found eggs?? Egg Salad Sandwiches, Deviled Eggs (my favorite recipe is below!), Cobb Salad, Potato or Pasta Salad.

Follow the egg hunt with a delicious brunch on this special Sunday enjoyed with your favorite friends and family.

For your brunch be sure to pick a menu that includes items you can make in advance so that you can enjoy the day. Buffet is the way to go! Set out a beautiful fruit salad drizzled with fresh lime juice mixed with a little honey and spike with some chopped mint. Accompany with Denver Breakfast Bake for a Crowd (a baked savory bread pudding like dish that you can prep the day beore and bake the morning of your party) and some grilled, fresh, first of the season asparagus. Quick, easy and delicious! Then move on to an afternoon of lounging conversation – what a way to welcome the coming of spring.

And for those celebrating the Jewish holiday of Passover this week my friend Jamie Peha has these suggestions for brunch: Matzo Brei (said Bry) A traditional dish for Passover brunch, this easy egg and matzo fry can be made sweet, topped with cinnamon sugar or jelly, or savory, with additions of your favorite vegetables and fresh herbs or or Farfel (Matzoh and egg dumplings – deep fried and served with Syrup or cinammon/sugar). Check out Martha Stewart for some great passover brunch ideas on her site.

“Denver” Breakfast Bake for a Crowd
serves 6 – 8

2 Tbsp. butter or olive oil
3/4 cup diced onion
1 1/2 cups chopped, mixed red and green bell peppers
1 Tbsp. minced fresh garlic
8 eggs
3 cups half & half
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
8 cups 1-inch-diced hearty French bread
1 1/2 cups chopped ham
2 cups (8 ounces) coarsely grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a large sauté pan heat the butter or olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and peppers and sauté until three-quarters cooked, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, half & half, salt and pepper until well combined. Add the bread, ham, cooled vegetable mixture, cheddar cheese and half of the Parmesan cheese. Place in an 11 x 13-inch baking pan. Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan over the top, and let sit, refrigerated, at least 1 hour or preferably overnight, so that bread soaks up egg mixture.

When ready to serve, bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for approximately 45 – 50 minutes or until puffy and golden and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
© 2009 Kathy Casey Food Studios

Chipotle Deviled Eggs
Makes 24 stuffed eggs

1 dozen large eggs

3 tablespoons regular or low-fat sour cream

3 tablespoons mayonnaise

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard, optional

1 to 2 tablespoons chipotle chile purée*

1 teaspoon minced garlic

2 tablespoons very thinly sliced green onion

Topping

1/2 cup diced (1/4-inch) tomatoes

1 tablespoon minced white onion

2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro

1 to 2 teaspoons chipotle chile purée*

Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with cool water to 1 inch above eggs. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then 10 minutes. After eggs have cooked for 10 minutes, remove from the heat and run cool water over them. When eggs are cool, carefully peel under running water.

Cut the eggs in half lengthwise and remove the yolks to a mixing bowl. Set the egg white halves on a platter, cover, and refrigerate.

Mash the yolks to a smooth consistency with a fork or potato masher. Mix in the sour cream, mayonnaise, salt, mustard, 1 to 2 tablespoons chipotle purée, and garlic until smooth. Stir in the green onions. Spoon the yolk mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a plain or large star tip and then squeeze (pipe) the mixture evenly into the egg white halves.

To make the topping: In a small bowl, mix together tomatoes, onion, cilantro, and chipotle purée. Top each egg half with 1 teaspoon of the tomato mixture.

*To make chipotle purée: Place 1 can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce in blender and purée until smooth. Freeze any remaining purée for another use.

Recipe from Dishing with Kathy Casey: Food, Fun & Cocktails from Seattle’s Culinary Diva, Sasquatch Books, Seattle. Copyright © 2002 by Kathy Casey.

Awaken to bacon and the day just starts off great! There is nothing better than the alluring aroma of bacon frying in a skillet and the smell of fresh coffee wafting through the air. Breakfast offerings just seem incomplete without a little bacon in the mix. 

From breakfast to dinner, bacon is an all-American favorite! Now it’s even the hip trend in cocktails. Yes, that’s right: bacon-infused bourbon is all the rage! At New York’s PDT bar they are serving an Old Fashioned made with bacon-infused bourbon. And it is yummy!!!!

Now if you’re inviting guests for cocktails and don’t want to infuse your booze with bacon, you can always whip up a batch of my Kinda Retro Bacon-Wrapped Ginger Shrimp with Spicy Thai Cocktail Sauce, a modern-day twist on this old-time appy favorite. And then there are those yummy bacon-wrapped dates everyone is taking to parties lately … love those, too.

It seems men especially love bacon—they are always cruising around the kitchen for it and I swear can smell it a mile away!  My husband John, a true bacon’noisseur, was thrilled when he heard I was doing a Dishing item on bacon and was quick to volunteer as a taste-tester. 

But gals love bacon, too. Maybe I don’t sit down to a big stack of bacon very often but, when I do, I want it to be quality.

So, if you want to indulge in some super-sexy, high-end, and darn right fun bacon, there are some exciting options! For the ultimate “eveything bacon,” check out Bacon Freak, where they open up with: Welcome To Bacon Freak’s “Bacon Is Meat Candy” Gourmet Bacon Club Where “Baconism” Is Much More Than A Mere Philosophy, It’s Our Very Way Of Life! I love it! Their products are super-fun and tasty. From the Boss Hog Hickory and Brown Sugar Smoked Bacon to Rocco’s Country Pepper Bacon to Bourbon Street Cajun Country Bacon, Bacon Freak is a bacon lover’s dream—and it’s just a darn right fun site, too!

Kinda Retro Bacon-Wrapped Ginger Shrimp with Spicy Thai Cocktail Sauce
Makes 6 – 8 cocktail appetizer servings

1 pound peeled, deveined, raw large shrimp
Half-slices of regular bacon for wrapping shrimp
—————
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
2 tablespoons minced fresh lemongrass
1 1/2 teaspoons minced lime zest
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon peanut oil or other mild vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon crushed red chile flakes
1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Remove tail-section shells from shrimp if necessary. Count the shrimp and cut that many half-strips of bacon. Reserve shrimp and bacon.

Combine remaining ingredients and grind in a blender or mini-processor. Transfer the mixture to a bowl, add the shrimp, and mix well to coat shrimp thoroughly.

Leaving on as much rub as will stay, wrap each shrimp in a spiral with a half-strip bacon, beginning at the head end of the shrimp and ending at the tail. All or almost all the shrimp should be covered by bacon. Secure the bacon snugly with a bamboo or decorative metal skewer as follows: Thread the skewer first through the bacon at tail end of the shrimp, then into the shrimp body near the tail; then push the skewer out near the head end of the shrimp and through the remaining bacon end.

Lay shrimp out, spaced apart, on an ungreased, low-rimmed baking sheet. (Shrimp can be prepared to this point up to a day in advance. Wrap securely and store refrigerated.)

When ready to cook and serve shrimp: Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Bake shrimp in preheated oven 12 – 15 minutes or until bacon is just done to your liking (the shrimp will be done). Accompany with Spicy Thai Cocktail Sauce.

Spicy Thai Cocktail Sauce
Makes about 3/4 cup

1/2 cup tomato-based chili sauce, such as Heinz
1/4 cup Thai sweet chili sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
3/4 teaspoon minced lime zest

Mix all ingredients well. Can be made up to 3 days in advance. Store refrigerated.
Copyright © 2009 Kathy Casey Food Studios ®

Now is the time to get started on your holiday party planning because, before you know it, the big day will arrive and you want to be prepared!!! Even if you aren’t having a big holiday get-together, it pays to keep a back up handy for those merry visitors who pop by unexpectedly.

First and foremost, let’s do away with the tired spread of chips and dips, spinach dip and teriyaki meatballs. Now I’m not saying that these aren’t delicious, quite the opposite—I love a good meatball! But likely you will be running into these go-to appetizers over and over again this holiday season; why not try something sure to dazzle the taste buds?

One tip for sure holiday success is to make appetizers ahead or buy quick-assemble ingredients ahead for easy weekday entertaining—cheese, fruit pastes, marcona almonds served with crostini or pita chips. Dish D’Lish tomato jam with cambozola is my favorite on rustic crackers like Essential flat breads. And don’t be afraid to dress up store-bought items and make them look like your own.

Keep appetizers simple and down to three steps if possible (no little smokies in the Crock-Pot with mustard and grape jam please!) Pick up a jar of Peppadew Peppers available at most deli olive bars or at Dish D’Lish in Ballard, and stuff with creamy goat cheese and a marcona almond — sprinkled with chopped parsley… so very festive!

Recipes follow for a couple of my favorite apps –ones quick and easy the other is a bit more labor intensive — but worth the work!

PARMESAN POPPYSEED PUFFS
Makes about 50 puffs

1/2 cup water
1/2 cup whole milk
6 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 cup flour
4 large eggs
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon grated high-quality Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons poppy seeds

Place the water, milk, butter, salt, and garlic in a heavy, medium-sized saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

All at once, add the flour, stirring it in quickly with a wooden spoon. Keep stirring—the mixture will come away from the sides of the pan and become thick and stiff. Continue stirring and turning over for about 1 minute. (You want to dry the mixture out a bit.)

Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl and, with a hand-held or standing mixer, beat on medium-high speed. Add 1 of the eggs.

As soon as the egg is partially incorporated, increase the mixer speed to high. Add the remaining eggs, ONE AT A TIME, when each previous egg is well incorporated. (THIS IS IMPORTANT) The mixture should be smooth.

Set the dough aside for 5 minutes, then stir in 3/4 cup of the Parmesan.

Let the dough cool for about 15 minutes before piping or shaping.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. You will need 2 or 3 baking sheets, or work in batches. (If you don’t have parchment, lightly spray baking sheets with nonstick vegetable spray and watch the bottoms of the cheese puffs closely to prevent over browning.) Drop the dough by heaping teaspoonfuls—they should be the size of large marbles—onto the parchment. (You can also pipe the dough using a pastry bag and a large plain tip.)

Mix together the poppy seeds and remaining 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan. Sprinkle the top of each dough ball with a little of the mixture.

Bake on the upper rack of the oven for 22 to 25 minutes, or until puffs are golden. Serve warm. You can make these a few hours in advance, keep at room temperature, then reheat in a hot oven for a few minutes.

Chef’s Tips: If you’re short of baking sheets, have more dough balls ready on sheets of parchment. When a batch of puffs is done, remove the baking sheet from the oven, pull off the parchment filled with cooked puffs, and quickly place a waiting parchment sheet of dough balls onto the baking sheet.

Recipe Copyright © 2008 by Kathy Casey.

GOAT CHEESE, CHIVE, AND BLUEBERRY LAVENDER CHUTNEY CROSTINI

6 ounces fresh goat cheese (chèvre)
2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh chives
1 jar Dish D’Lish Blueberry Lavender Chutney
Crostini (recipe follows) or rustic crackers
Garnish: tiny sprigs of fresh thyme
In a small bowl, mix the goat cheese and chives. Spread your favorite crostini or crackers with the mixture and top with dollops of Blueberry Lavender Chutney. Garnish each piece with a tiny sprig of fresh thyme.

CROSTINI
Makes about 40 crostini
1 long, skinny French baguette, sliced on bias into 1/4-inch slices
Olive oil, as needed
1 teaspoon Dish D’Lish French Seasoning Salt or kosher salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Lightly brush baguette slices with olive oil. Place bread in a single layer on baking sheets, sprinkle with French Seasoning Salt, and toast until just crispy. Let cool before storing.
Chef’s Tip: Crostini can be made in advance, cooled THOROUGHLY, and stored in airtight containers for up to 3 days. If necessary, re-crisp in a hot oven for a couple of minutes.

Everyone loves a good “Q”—once the warm weather’s warming our patios, we flock to stoke the coals and flip the fare. Everything tastes better cooked on the grill.

It’s nice to start your meal with a little grilled rustic bread—crusted over the coals then served with a selection of tasty toppings. These provide a wonderful assortment of color and texture, and their flavors come together perfectly. Artichoke & Garlic Jumble is zesty and and Goat Cheese & Chive Smear is smooth and creamy.

Then move on to the main course—an array or whatever your pleasure, be it meat, fowl, fish or veggies. I love to use Callison’s Seasoned Skewers—they season from the inside out! Just skewer your fish, meat, poultry or vegetables for big flavor in mere minutes. My favorites are their Citrus Rosemary, Thai Coconut Lime and Indian Mango Curry. The skewers are available through my website; in the Northwest at Thriftways, Fred Meyers and Metropolitan Markets; and nationally at Sur La Table and Williams-Sonoma.

I’ve included a recipe for Citrus Rosemary Chicken & Veggie Skewers. Served alongside Grilled Rustic Bread with spreads and a Big Green Salad, it’s a great summer meal.

The Menu:

Grilled Rustic Bread
with Artichoke & Garlic Jumble and Goat Cheese & Chive Smear

Big Green Salad from your Farmers Market!

Citrus Rosemary Chicken & Veggie Skewers
—————————————————————————-

Grilled Rustic Bread
Makes 8 servings

24 slices rustic Italian bread (about 1 large loaf, sliced)
extra-virgin olive oil for brushing
Artichoke & Garlic Jumble (recipe follows)
Goat Cheese & Chive Smear (recipe follows)

Prepare toppings in advance. When ready to start grilling, brush the bread slices lightly with oil. Grill bread on each side until lightly grill-marked and toasty, and serve with a choice of toppings.

Artichoke & Garlic Jumble
Makes 1 1/2 cups

1 (13.75-oz.) can artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped
2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons minced lemon zest
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt

Toss ingredients together well.

Goat Cheese & Chive Smear
Makes 1 1/2 cups

4 ounces chevre-style, soft goat cheese
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh chives

Place chevre and cream cheese in a mixer with a paddle attachment and whip until fluffy. Gently fold in chives.  Copyright © 2003, Kathy Casey Food Studios®

Citrus Rosemary Chicken & Veggie Skewers
Serves 4

4 Citrus Rosemary Seasoned Skewers
1/2 cup white wine
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 12 pieces (1 1/2-inch chunks)
8 cherry tomatoes
8 slices (about 1-inch thick) zucchini or 8 tiny baby squash
Salt and pepper to taste

Soak skewers in white wine for 10 to 15 minutes.
Thread onto a skewer in the following order: chicken-tomato-zucchini, using 1 piece of each. Repeat 1 more time and then add 1 more piece of chicken to secure the vegetables. Repeat with remaining skewers.
Let sit for 10 to 20 minutes in refrigerator.
Lightly brush skewers on each side with olive or vegetable oil and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Place on a preheated medium-high grill and cook skewers until chicken is cooked through, about 4 to 5 minutes per side.
Recipe © Callison’s Seasoned Skewers – created by Kathy Casey

For more great recipes that I created with Seasoned Skewers visit www.seasonedskewers.com

The morel is a spring delight and one of the richest tasting mushrooms. Just a little will do you in a recipe for their flavor is intense. One year while pulling out of the driveway, I almost leapt from the car as I spied a big fat morel popping out of the neighbor’s new grass. Morels fruit in dirt and are saprophytic (meaning they eat dead plant material), so they can often be found growing out of soil that has been disturbed, such as a new lawn, new garden beds or forest burns. If you’re lucky, you may even find them growing around campfire pits.

If you’d like to try your luck at picking wild morels, ask an experienced mushroom-hunting friend to take you (be cautioned, they may want to blindfold you before the road trip to their secret picking spot!), or join your local mycological society for a spring field trip.

Or if that’s not your style, try a trip to your well-stocked produce department or farmers’ market. Be sure to look for fresh morels (not too wet) without any little friends hiding in the caverns of their brain-like caps, that are not wet and wiggly. The first morels to appear in the markets are Verpa bohemica, which are often referred to as early morels but are really not morels at all and are definitely in my opinion not as tasty. Look for true morels; their caps are attached all along the stem. Verpas are like a thimble sitting on a chopstick.

Always cook any fresh morels; raw morels sometimes cause an upset stomach.

EARLY SPRING – Morel Mushroom Madness overtakes local fungi enthusiasts and fungi hunters scope their secret spots, looking for the first signs of this delicacy. Morels fruit usually around the mid/end of April in the Northwest lowlands, depending on the weather, and peak the last two weeks of May on the east side of the Cascades. The season can shift depending upon weather.

LEARNING TO HUNT – Before I go any further, however, I must warn you that, if you are not an experienced picker, then you need to join a mushroom interest group or find an experienced picker to go with. I suggest you join one of the local mycological societies. Membership pluses are:
* Field trips to fruiting areas
* Members are very generous about teaching the habitat and getting people started; as you learn the habitat, then you can find your own secret spots.
* Members will also get you on the right track for the do’s and don’ts of mushrooming

Puget Sound Mycological Society: Telephone (206) 522-6031 www.psms.org
Their Web site also has links to mushroom interest groups on the Kitsap Peninsula, in Snohomish County, South Sound, Spokane and the Palouse, as well as in Oregon, British Columbia, and Idaho.

MOREL HABITAT- in the Northwest morels can be found anywhere. They grow near trees in conifer forests, open grasslands, bare dirt area and even out of needle duff. If it is a dry season, look in gullies and other areas of water runoff and under logs. But MOST of the dense fruiting morels I have ever seen are in large clear-cut areas or burn outs.

THE TWO MOST TYPICAL HABITATS ARE – Where they are naturalized — usually a grassy area where natural composting occurs or along a water run off or stream where leaves drop to give them food. Where they are naturalized, they fruit every year. Disturbed ground – such as logged or burned areas, here morels will come up only once because they have no continuous food source

PICKING PROTOCOL – Good mushrooming protocol is cutting your mushrooms with a knife at ground level rather than pulling them up. This way you are not disturbing the mushroom-producing organism, called the mycelium. (A mushroom is to the mycelium as an apple is to the tree.) By cutting your mushrooms you are also doing it the clean way–leaving the dirt and sandy bottoms in the ground. Also bear in mind that mushrooms need to release spores to keep the species alive, so leave a couple in the ground. Place your prizes reverently in a basket or bucket, never a plastic bag! They sweat and suffocate in plastic since they are 90-95% water.

DO NOT EAT MORELS RAW – It’s always best to cook morels (or any type of mushroom) thoroughly because:
*it enhances their flavor
*drives off some harmful substances (hydrazines) found in edible mushrooms
*destroys bacteria which may be present on raw mushrooms
However, cooking does NOT make POISONOUS mushrooms edible

TRAILHEAD SNACK – Take along a big ol’ cast iron skillet, wine, a baguette, a camp stove and a few sautéing goodies like a little olive oil or butter, some garlic, a few fresh herbs—such as chives, lemon thyme, and, yes, for this occasion—cream. (You will probably have already burned off the calories!). Morels marry with cream like no tomorrow. Sauté morels till tender and soft, then reduce with a little the cream till thick and luscious. Top thin, crusty slices of hearty bread and you’ll have the outdoor “snack” of your life.

COOKING MORELS AT HOME – Sautéed morels are great in herbed scrambled eggs. If you really hit the jackpot then save the big ones to stuff and bake — such as with seasoned crabmeat. Morels also make a divine sauce — sauté them with herbs and then reduce with cream – and spoon the sauce over grilled steak or halibut. Yum!

PASTA WITH FRESH MORELS, SPRING PEAS & MINT
This recipe calls for 1/4 cup thin sliced morels – but if you find more by all means use more! Also you can substitute pancetta for the bacon – if you like more delicious bacon flavor you can always double the amount.

Yields: 2 servings as an entree or 4 as an accompaniment

2 cups cooked orecchini (“little ears”) pasta (1/4 lb dry), or substitute bow-tie pasta
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
——————————————————-
1 thick slice bacon, diced 1/4 inch
1/2 small shallot, minced
1/3 – 1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh morel mushrooms, or substitute 1/4 oz wt. dried (about 6 medium mushrooms), covered with cool

water and soaked about 40 minutes or until soft and rehydrated; strain juice to use in soups or pasta dishes
10 snap peas, optional
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons white wine
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 cup fresh shelled peas, quickly blanched
2 tablespoons high quality, grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 – 2 teaspoons chopped fresh mint leaves
freshly ground black pepper to taste
*pea vines for garnish, optional

To cook pasta: Stir pasta into a large pot of rapidly boiling, lightly salted water. Cook as per package directions, or until al dente. Drain pasta well then toss in a bowl with 1/2 teaspoon olive oil. Cover with plastic wrap to keep warm and set aside. (Do not rinse pasta with water; the olive oil will keep it from sticking together.)

Over medium-high heat, sauté bacon until about half done [about 2 minutes] then add shallots, mushrooms and sugar snap peas. Sauté for 2 minutes or until mushrooms are just soft, then deglaze pan with lemon juice and wine. Add chicken broth and cream, then immediately fold in reserved pasta and peas. Season with salt. Reduce until the sauce is just becoming thickened and just coating the pasta — about 5 – 10 minutes. Fold in cheese and mint. Divide between warm bowls and garnish with pea vines. Pass extra Parmesan if desired.

Vegetarian: Substitute 2-3 teaspoons olive oil for the bacon and use vegetable or mushroom broth to replace chicken broth.

Note: *Pick tender young vines from your pea patch or look for them in Asian markets or well-stocked produce markets. [Do not use vines from ornamental sweet peas.]
Copyright © 2008 by Kathy Casey

Morels in Cream Sauce
This recipe is from my friend Patrice Benson, an avid mushroom hunter and great cook. She says “if you are new to morels, this is a good recipe to acquaint you with their true taste”. I also like to add a little snipped chives and/or a pinch of lemon thyme and sometimes a splash of dry sherry to her recipe.

Serves 4

2 tablespoons oil or butter
1/2 lb. fresh morels, cleaned and sliced
1 chopped shallot
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons butter (optional)
salt & pepper to taste

Heat skillet on medium-high to high, add oil, then mushrooms and shallot. Saute for 1 minute, then add the wine. Continue

cooking over high heat until the wine is reduced by half. Then add the cream and reduce by half. Reduce the heat to low, add the

butter, salt and pepper if desired.

Serve as an appetizer with fresh, crusty bread for dipping, or serve atop sautéed or grilled chicken breast or halibut.
Recipe by Patrice Benson.