What picnic, barbeque or 4th of July party would be complete without deviled eggs?? It just wouldn’t be right to have barbecued chicken and not have deviled eggs with it. I seriously love deviled eggs. I stuff my face with them whenever they show up to a party, and I make them every chance I get. Yummmmmmm. Recently, at Easter dinner, my Uncle Steve (who is an amazing cook – his food is to die for!) was in charge of the deviled eggs. Not only did he bring the deviled eggs – he brought Jalapeno deviled eggs, with chopped, fresh Jalapenos mixed right in. SO GOOD! They were gone in seconds! I know it sounds simple, but even a small change like adding a little jalapeno made these so amazingly good – they’ve stuck with me since then, and I set out to make some of my own!

I wasn’t able to find out exactly how Uncle Steve made them, because the same night I was making them, he somehow managed to break a rib -I didn’t think it would be the best idea to call about deviled eggs when the man had a broken rib…call me crazy… So I just decided to wing it. I ended up just making them the way I normally do, but then adding a handful of fresh jalapeno. I don’t know if he did that or not, but oh well – these were delicious!

Jalapeno Deviled Eggs
(*makes enough for 2)

*Reminder: when I make stuff like this, I don’t measure, so all of these measurements are approximations. If you like more, add more; if you like less, add less! It’s all about personal taste, here!

4-5 large eggs, hard boiled
1 tablespoon mayonnaise (you can use the real stuff or Miracle Whip…whatever you like)
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
splash of white vinegar
small handful of finely chopped dill pickle
handful of chopped fresh Jalapeno pepper
salt, pepper and cayenne pepper to taste
paprika for garnish
*I like to keep some pickle juice handy just in case it’s too thick at the end- then I thin it out with the pickle juice

Slice the eggs in half length-wise and scoop the yolks out into a small bowl. Set the white aside. Mix in all other ingredients with the yolks and mash it all together, making sure to get rid of all the lumps. Taste for seasoning/texture and add extra mix-ins (ex: mayo, pickle juice, salt, etc) if needed. Scoop a small amount into each egg white and arrange on a plate. Sprinkle eggs with paprika. Chill until ready to serve. Enjoy!

I know – no clever title this week – it’s late and my brain just isn’t feeling clever tonight. Oh well – that won’t stop me from sharing these yummy cinnamon squares with you all! Here we go!

This week’s recipe is Dorie’s Cinnamon Squares, chosen by Tracey at Tracey’s Culinary Adventures. I have to admit (with no disrespect to Tracey!), I was NOT looking forward to baking these this week. It’s hot here and we’ve been eating lots of fresh fruits and summery desserts – cinnamon and chocolate isn’t something I really want to eat in the hot summertime (I’m weird like that).  But, since I missed last week (oops), I knew I had no choice but to make them. And good thing I did! I ended up really loving these – I mean really, really. The frosting was by far the best part – a little chocolate, a little butter – YUM. I also love the thin layer of cinnamon, sugar, chocolate and espresso powder hidden in there! I cut the recipe in half and baked it in a loaf pan (it seems like I’m doing that a lot these days- the trusty old loaf pan has been getting a lot of action lately!) and still got eight squares. Just enough for the hubby and me to enjoy!

I’m really glad I didn’t flake out and skip this week – these were a very nice surprise. I know I’ll be making them again and again. Thanks, Tracey, for picking a winner! Head on over to Tracey’s blog if you’d like the recipe – which, you should, because it’s as simple as can be and totally yummy!