Avocado Deviled Eggs

My lovely daughter-in-law has been requesting these, so I had to share!

Ingredients

• 12 hard-boiled eggs
• 2-3 medium ripe avocados
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 TBS lime juice
• 1/4 tsp salt (we like Himalayan salt)
• 1/4 tsp pepper

Directions
1. Prepare the hard-boiled eggs:

Start by boiling your eggs. Once boiling, reduce the heat and let them simmer for about 10 minutes. After that, remove the eggs from the water and let them cool. You can also place them in a bowl of ice water to speed up the cooling process. (you can also make these in an Instapot with the 3-3-3 method!)

Once the eggs are cool enough to handle, carefully peel off the shells. Then, cut each egg in half lengthwise using a sharp knife. Gently scoop out the yolks and place them into a food processor. Set aside the egg whites for later.

2. Prepare the avocado and mix with yolks:

Cut each avocado in half, remove the pit, and scoop out the green flesh with a spoon. Add the avocado pieces into the food processor with the egg yolks.

Add ½ teaspoon of garlic powder, a pinch of salt, and some black pepper to taste. You can start with a little and adjust the seasoning later, depending on your taste.

Blend everything until it becomes a smooth, creamy mixture. If you don’t have a food processor, you can mash everything by hand using a fork for a chunkier texture. Mix until the ingredients are well combined.

3. Adjust the flavors and fill the eggs:

Taste the mixture and, if needed, add a little more salt, pepper, or garlic powder to get the flavor just right.

Now, you’re ready to fill the eggs. Place the creamy mixture into a piping bag. If you don’t have a piping bag, you can use a plastic sandwich bag instead. Cut off one of the corners of the sandwich bag to create a small hole. This will act like a piping bag.

Pipe the avocado and egg yolk mixture into the hollowed-out egg whites. Fill each half generously, but don’t overfill to avoid spilling.

4. Garnish and serve:

Once the eggs are filled, sprinkle a little paprika on top for a bit of color. You can also add some freshly chopped cilantro for a burst of freshness.

Your deviled eggs are ready! You can serve them right away or, if you're not serving immediately, cover the eggs with plastic wrap and refrigerate them until you're ready to eat. They should stay fresh in the fridge for up to a few hours.

Tip: If you want to get creative, you can try adding other seasonings or ingredients, like a squeeze of lemon juice, chopped green onions, or a small dollop of hot sauce, to give your deviled eggs a unique twist!

Tri Tip Marinade

 Ingredients

• 1/3 c soy sauce
• 1/4 c freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 c olive oil
• 1/4 c Worcestershire sauce
• 1 TBS minced garlic
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 TBS brown sugar

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients into a resealable gallon sized freezer bag.
2. Add the tri tip to marinade.  Marinate for 24 hours in the refrigerator
3. Grill the tri tip as desired

Chipotle Rib Rub

If you prefer a dry rub for your ribs, with a sweet and spicy kick, this rub is for you!

Ingredients

• 2 tsp granulated onion (or onion powder)
• 1 tsp granulated garlic (or garlic powder)
• 2 TBS chipotle powder
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/3 c brown sugar
• 2 lbs. pork spareribs 

Directions

1. Preheat grill for low heat
2. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients.  Blend with a fork.
3. Rub spice mixture on the spareribs and refrigerate for 10-15 min.
4. Lightly oil grill grate and arrange ribs on grate.  Allow ribs to slow roast, preferably, for maximum tenderness.

We like to put these in the smoker for a couple of hours, but if you don't have one, you can also slow roast these in the oven for 2-3 hours at 200 degrees to have them fall apart tender!

Grilled Stuffed Jalapenos

Ahem.  I am ashamed to admit I have not posted since October.  How did that happen?!?!  But I'm back, and with an amazingly awesome appetizer!  My kids (yes, the picky ones!) could not get enough of these!!  I already plan to go back to the market tomorrow for more jalapenos.  Enjoy!!

Ingredients

• 2 slices bacon
• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 c. shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/4 c. minced green onions
• 1 tsp fresh lime juice
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1 small garlic clove, minced
• 14 jalapeno peppers, halved lengthwise and seeded
• cooking spray
• 2 TBS chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 small tomato, chopped and seeded

Directions

1. Preheat grill to medium-high heat
2. Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crisp.  Remove bacon from pan and drain on paper towels.  Crumble bacon.  Combine crumbled bacon, cheeses, green onions, lime juice, kosher salt and garlic in a bowl.  Stir to combine.
3. Divide cheese evenly and fill the pepper halves.
4. Place peppers, cheese side up, on grill rack or grill grate coated with cooking spray.  Cover and grill peppers for 8 minutes or until bottoms of peppers are charred and cheese mixture is lightly browned.  Place the peppers on a serving platter
5. Sprinkle with cilantro and tomato.

Grilled Shrimp Scampi

A few weeks ago, my family and I went out to my new favorite seafood restaurant, Pappadeaux's.  While my family dined on an amazing meal, the bill at the end was amazing too (lucky for us, I had a $50 gift card which covered about half the meal).  But I was reminded about how much my family enjoys seafood.  While seafood is a little pricier than chicken, making it at home saves a substantial amount!  I picked up a $5 bag of frozen shrimp at Walmart for this meal.  In the future, I'll spend the money on the larger bag as we all would have enjoyed a little more shrimp, but this was a meal the whole family loved!

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• ground black pepper to taste
• crushed red pepper flakes to taste (optional)
• 1 1/2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

Directions

1. In a large, non-reactive bowl, stir together the olive oil, lemon juice, parsley, garlic, and black pepper. Season with crushed red pepper, if desired. Add shrimp, and toss to coat. Marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
2. Preheat grill for high heat. Thread shrimp onto skewers, piercing once near the tail and once near the head. Discard any remaining marinade.
3. Lightly oil grill grate. Grill for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until opaque.

I used fettuccine noodles for this.  I doubled the sauce except for the garlic and reserved half of it. I then used the leftover marinade and sauteed the garlic, then added just that to the reserve mix.  I then tossed it with the pasta and shrimp, served a fresh green salad and some garlic bread on the side.  This meal with the one bag of shrimp cost me about $9 to make.  For a family of 6!  Even adding an additional bag of shrimp, $11 for a seafood dinner is a great bargain.