Tag: bacon

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Appetizers Featured Recipes

Bacon Pimento Cheese Puffs

Bacon Pimento Cheese Puffs from www.jasonscooking.com
Temperature425° then 375°Time10 mins and 10 mins

Bacon Pimento Cheese Puffs from www.jasonscooking.com

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I came up with this idea because I liked the name Bacon Pimento Cheese Puffs. The fact that these bite size apps are delicious is just a happy coincidence. These puffs are basic choux pastry puffs that are filled with my tasty baconey pimento cheese. They are the perfect appetizer for a classy party and are a twist on the traditional Pimento Cheese Sandwiches that are served at teas, brunches, and showers all over the south.

Choux pastry can be intimidating because it’s unlike any other pastry dough you’ve ever made. My motto is “if other people can do it, so can I,” so I encourage you to give it a shot. They’re sure to impress everyone at your next gathering.

The RecipeRecipe
Bacon Pimento Cheese Puffs
 
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Recipe type: Appetizer
Serves: 30 - 35
Ingredients
For the Puffs
  • 1 Cup Water
  • 6 Tbs Butter
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1⅓ Cup All Purpose Flour
  • 5 Eggs

For the Bacon Pimento Cheese Filling
  • 4 oz Cream Cheese, Softened
  • ½ Cup Mayonnaise
  • 1 tsp Cayenne Pepper
  • 1 4 oz Jar Chopped Pimentos, Drained
  • 8 oz Cheddar Cheese, Shredded
  • 4 oz Swiss Cheese, Shredded
  • 6 Pieces of Bacon, Cooked Crisp and Crumbled
Instructions
Make the Puffs
  1. Preheat the oven to 425° and line 2 baking pans with parchment paper.
  2. In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the water, butter and salt to a boil.
  3. Dump in all of the flour at once and stir the mixture with a wooden spoon until it forms a smooth dough ball.
  4. Remove from heat and transfer the dough to the work bowl of a stand mixer and let it cool for 5 – 10 minutes.
  5. Once the dough has cooled a bit, turn the mixer on low and add the eggs one at a time, waiting into the egg is fully mixed in before adding another one. It’ll look weird for a bit and then turn into a smooth batter/dough mixture by the time you’re done.
  6. Transfer the batter/dough to one of the bottom corners of large zip-top bag and press it all into one corner to make a piping bag.
  7. Snip the tip of your make-shift piping bag about ¼ of the way up and pipe the dough into 1” blobs onto the prepared baking pans.
  8. Bake for 10 minutes at 425°, reduce the heat to 350°, and cook for another 10 minutes or until they are golden brown and delicious.
  9. Cool completely on a rack.

Make the Cheese
  1. Mix cream cheese, mayonnaise, and cayenne pepper until thoroughly combined.
  2. Fold in the remaining ingredients and mix until everything is evenly distributed.

Fill the Puffs
  1. Open the puffs by splitting the tops off like a biscuit.
  2. Fill the puffs with 1 – 2 teaspoons of the Bacon Pimento Cheese.
Tips and TricksTips and Tricks

You can make the puffs the day before and store them, loosely covered, at room temperature. When you’re ready to assemble the puffs, pop them in a 375° oven for about 5 minutes to refresh them. Just make sure you assemble them immediately before service.

Feed the FreezerFeed the Freezer Make Ahead

You can make the components for these treats a day before your event. Store the cheese and the puffs separately and put them together right before service (see tips and tricks).

Fun FactsFun Facts

The pâte à choux pastry in this recipe is the same pastry that is used for éclairs and beignets. It’s actually the starting point for many of the world’s finest desserts!

Categories
Appetizers Featured Recipes

Prosciutto and Cantaloupe

Prosciutto and Melon from www.jasonscooking.com

Prosciutto and Melon from www.jasonscooking.com

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It’s #PartyWeek! at Jason’s Cooking! Every day this week, we will feature recipes for appetizers and snacks that are a great addition to your party menu. Whether you’re hosting a tailgate, shower, or book club these recipes are a classy twist on some southern party food staples.

Prosciutto and melon is a quick and easy appetizer that is often overlooked but almost universally enjoyed. I use cantaloupe, but you can use any sweet melon you’d like and get the same effect. What you’re going for is the juxtaposition of the sweetness of the melon next to the saltiness of the prosciutto. This combination of salty and sweet is featured in favorites such as chocolate and peanut butter, salted caramel, and grapes and popcorn (trust me).

When shopping for this recipe, look for prosciutto behind the deli counter and pick a cantaloupe that is heavy for its size. What does heavy for its size mean? When you pick it up you should think to yourself, “Wow! That’s heavier than I thought it would be.”

The RecipeRecipe
Prosciutto and Cantaloupe
 
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Recipe type: Appetizer
Serves: 48
Ingredients
  • 1 Cantaloupe
  • ½ lb Prosciutto, Thinly Sliced
  • Toothpicks
Instructions
  1. Cut the cantaloupe in half and scoop out the seeds.
  2. Using a melon baller, scoop out the cantaloupe until you have about 48 balls. Be careful not to get any of the rind.
  3. Stack the slices of prosciutto and then cut them into 4 equal rectangles.
  4. Fold a piece of prosciutto in half and then in half again.
  5. Skewer the prosciutto to the ball of cantaloupe and place on a platter for serving.
Tips and TricksTips and Tricks

If you don’t want to use (or can’t find) prosciutto, cook up some bacon and use that instead. The idea is the same and the crispiness of the bacon goes great with the softness of the melon.

Feed the FreezerFeed the Freezer Make Ahead

You can make these simple appetizers the day before your party. Just cover and store them in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve.

Fun FactsFun Facts

A lot of people think that bacon and prosciutto are similar but, aside from the fact that they are both delicious and come from pigs, they’re not. When looking for a substitute for prosciutto, choose thinly sliced ham. When looking for a substitute for pancetta, reach for the bacon.

Categories
Featured Jason's Favorites Main Dishes Michael's Favorites Recipes

Bacon, Apple and Brie Burger

Bacon, Apple and Brie Burger from www.jasonscooking.com
Bacon, Apple and Brie Burger
TemperatureHighTime10 mins

Bacon, Apple and Brie Burger from www.jasonscooking.com

BackgroundBackground

Generally, I’m not a huge fan of fancy burger toppings. At some point, a burger becomes something else when you add truffle oil, shaved pistachios and the tears of a virgin emulsified in unicorn oil. I’ve never gone wrong with salt and pepper, a slice of pepper jack, mustard, mayo, ketchup, and pickles. You, friends, do seem to like fancy burgers so I thought I’d give some a chance and I am so glad I did.

In August, Michael and I went to the North Georgia Mountains and picked a peck of apples. Obviously by “picked,” I mean that we picked a peck of apples up off of the table in the store and took them to the register to pay for them. When I was making the list of things to cook last week, I wanted to use some of the apples and so I thought, “apples and brie go together, why not make something based on that?” Add some bacon and slap it on a burger and you get a pretty darn amazing Bacon, Apple, and Brie Burger.

The RecipeRecipe
Bacon, Apple and Brie Burger
 
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Recipe type: Mains
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 1⅓ lb 90/10 Ground Beef (see Tips and Tricks section)
  • 3 - 4 Apples, Cores Removed and Sliced into Rounds
  • 4 Slices Brie Cheese, Rind Removed
  • 4 Hamburger Buns (I use the French buns from the Bakery)
  • 8 Slices Bacon, Cooked Crisp
  • Mayonnaise
  • Dijon Mustard
Instructions
  1. Preheat the grill to high heat.
  2. Evenly divide your ground beef into 4 equal portions that are about ⅓ lb each. Flatten the portions into patties that are a little bigger around than the diameter of your buns.
  3. Season each of the patties with salt and pepper on both sides and grill for 4 – 5 minutes per side, turning once (see Tips and Tricks section). When the burgers are almost done, put some cheese on them, close the lid and let the cheese melt a bit.
Meanwhile…
  1. While the burgers are cooking, grill the apples for about 1 – 2 minutes per side. You want grill marks but you don’t want to turn them into mush.
  2. Also while the burgers are cooking, spread a little bit of mayo onto each half of the bun and toast those on the grill for 1 – 2 minutes, being careful not to burn them. If you have a gas grill, you can turn off one of the burners and use that area to toast the buns.
  3. Stack the burgers thusly: bottom bun, burger with cheese, 1 or 2 slices of apples, 2 slices of bacon, a wee bit of Dijon, top bun.
  4. Enjoy!
Tips and TricksTips and Tricks

The secret to juicy hamburgers is to leave them alone not overcook them. When cooked properly, even a burger made of very lean ground beef can be juicy and delicious.

Leave your burgers alone! Don’t press down on them or move them around while they’re cooking. You should only touch the burgers twice during cooking, once to flip and once to remove from the grill.

Feed the FreezerFeed the Freezer

A great way to save money is to buy your ground beef in bulk and then freeze it for up to 6 months. I like to form burger patties out of some of the beef and leave some in 1 lb blocks.

When you patties, make sure you put some parchment between them or freeze on a sheet pan before transferring them to a bag to prevent them from sticking together.

Fun FactsFun Facts

According to BurgerFi, Americans eat 14 billion hamburgers a year. That means you ate about 45 burgers last year and have already had about 30 this year.

Categories
Featured Recipes Side Dishes

Loaded Baked Potato Casserole

Loaded Baked Potato Casserole
Temperature375°Time30 mins

Loaded Baked Potato Casserole

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This casserole is the result of me attempting to mix up some loaded potato salad while the potatoes were still too hot. When I added the sour cream and butter to the mix, the potatoes got smoother than I wanted and thus the Loaded Baked Potato Casserole was created!

If you like bacon, cheese, sour cream, butter, and green onions in your baked potato, you’ll love this creamy and delicious Loaded Baked Potato Casserole. This recipe is what would happen if baked potatoes, twice baked potatoes, and mashed potatoes had a tasty casseroley baby. Give it a try for your next big gathering of friends and family.

The RecipeRecipe
Loaded Baked Potato Casserole
 
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Recipe type: Sides
Serves: 12+
Ingredients
  • 5 lb Baking Potatoes
  • 2 1⁄2 tsp Kosher Salt, Divided
  • 2 Cups Chicken Stock
  • Water
  • 6 Slices Bacon, Cooked Crisp and Crumbled
  • 3 Green Onions, Chopped
  • 1⁄2 Stick Butter
  • 16 oz Sour Cream
  • 1 tsp Black Pepper
  • 2 Cups Cheddar Cheese, Shredded
Instructions
Cook the Potatoes
  1. Peel the potatoes and dice them into 1-inch cubes.
  2. In a large pot, combine the potatoes, 1 tsp salt, chicken stock and enough water to cover the potatoes by about 1 inch. Bring the potatoes to a boil and cook until they are tender (about 10 – 15 minutes).
  3. Drain the potatoes and place them in a large bowl.

Make the Casserole
  1. Preheat the oven to 375°
  2. Add the crumbled bacon, chopped green onions, butter, sour cream, 1 1⁄2 tsp salt, and pepper to the bowl and mix until everything is well combined and the mixture is mostly creamy with a few chunks.
  3. Spray a 9 x 13 casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray and spread the potato mixture into it.
  4. Sprinkle the casserole with the shredded cheese and cook in the preheated oven for 30 minutes until the cheese is melted and the sides are bubbly.
Tips and TricksTips and Tricks

If you like other things on your baked potato, add them to the casserole! We won’t judge you.

Feed the FreezerFeed the Freezer

Trying to make your Thanksgiving casseroles early? Freeze this baked potato in a casserole dish for up to 6 months. Defrost overnight and cook as directed above. If you’re cooking from frozen, add about 15 minutes to the cooking time. The casserole is done when it reaches 160°.

Fun FactsFun Facts

The Russet Potato’s dry and mealy flesh makes it perfect for baking and mashing.

Categories
Appetizers Featured Recipes Snacks

Bacon Pimento Cheese

Bacon Pimento Cheese

Bacon Pimento Cheese

BackgroundBackground

Growing up in the south, pimento cheese was always around but I never tried it because I thought it was like pimento loaf which is gross looking. Needless to say, I was super upset that I’d eschewed this tasty treat when I finally tried it a couple of years ago at Empire State South.

This creamy, cheesy, bacony spread is as good on crackers as it is on a sandwich. If you’ve never tried pimento cheese, I highly recommend you take a few minutes to mix up a batch. Your taste buds will thank you regardless of what your belt may say.

The RecipeRecipe
Bacon Pimento Cheese
 
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Recipe type: Appetizer
Ingredients
  • 4 oz Cream Cheese, Softened
  • ½ Cup Mayonnaise
  • 1 tsp Cayenne Pepper
  • 1 4 oz Jar Chopped Pimentos, Drained
  • 8 oz Cheddar Cheese, Shredded
  • 4 oz Swiss Cheese, Shredded
  • 6 Pieces of Bacon, Cooked Crisp and Crumbled
Instructions
  1. Mix cream cheese, mayonnaise, and cayenne pepper until thoroughly combined.
  2. Fold in the remaining ingredients and mix until everything is evenly distributed.
Tips and TricksTips and Tricks

Shred your own cheese! It’s quick and easy and you need the oil from freshly shredded cheese to help bind this together. The pre-shredded stuff is engineered to not bind together. Mmmmmm…engineered cheese.

Feed the FreezerFeed the Freezer

The longer this spread hangs out in the refrigerator, the more time the flavors get to mingle. Don’t go crazy (and if you see mold toss it out) but this spread will last for a while in cold storage.

Fun FactsFun Facts

Pimento cheese sandwiches were a very popular lunch staple for working-class southerners because it was easy to make and the ingredients were inexpensive and readily available.

Categories
Featured Jason's Favorites Main Dishes Michael's Favorites Recipes

Loaded Potato Soup

Loaded Potato Soup

Loaded Potato Soup

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I love potato soup but I always seem to miss potato soup day at restaurants. I decided that would not stand so I that I needed to make my own. This loaded potato soup recipe is filled with bacon and cheese and sour cream and is essentially mashed potatoes turned into soup. What’s not to like?!?

It’s almost August in Georgia so the last thing anyone is thinking of is hot potato soup. Normally I would wait until the fall to post this but my friends are having twins in a couple of months and I’m making this to feed their freezer for when the babies arrive. This is one of my favorite recipes and is the first thing I made for Michael – it’s also the first recipe of mine that I ever wrote down. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

The RecipeRecipe
Loaded Potato Soup
 
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Recipe type: Main
Serves: 4 - 6
Ingredients
  • 2 Tbs Olive Oil
  • 1 Medium Sized Leek (about 2 cups sliced)
  • 2 Cloves Garlic, Minced
  • ¾ tsp Salt, Divided
  • ½ tsp Cracked Black Pepper
  • 3 ½ lbs Baking Potatoes, Peeled and Cubed
  • 5 ½ Cups Chicken Stock
  • 4 Tbs Butter
  • 1 ½ oz Shredded Parmesan Cheese
  • ¾ Cup Sour Cream
  • 1 ½ Cups Buttermilk
  • 4 Pieces of Bacon, Cooked Crisp and Crumbled
  • 4 oz Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Shredded
  • 2 Green Onions, Sliced Thin
Instructions
  1. Cut the leek down the center and wash each layer under running water and thinly slice into small pieces.
  2. In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the leeks, garlic 2 pinches of salt, black pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until they are bright green – about 2 – 3 minutes. Add the potatoes and stir to combine.
  3. Add the chicken stock, butter, and remaining salt to the pot. Cover and cook until the potatoes are soft.
  4. When the potatoes are soft, use a slotted spoon to transfer them to the work bowl of a stand mixer. Do not discard the liquid.
  5. Turn the mixer on low to begin to smash the potatoes. Add the parmesan cheese and sour cream and mix thoroughly. You should have creamy potatoes.
  6. While the mixer is running, slowly add the buttermilk until it’s all combined. You should now have runny potatoes.
  7. Pour the potato mixture back into the pot with the reserved cooking liquid and mix thoroughly. You now have potato soup! If you want to thin it out more, add some chicken stock.
  8. Serve with a sprinkling of bacon, a bit of shredded cheese, and a smattering of green onion.
Tips and TricksTips and Tricks

If you don’t have a stand mixer, use a hand mixer or a hand-held potato masher. If you don’t have a potato masher, you should grab one at the grocery store while you’re shopping for ingredients.

Feed the FreezerFeed the Freezer

This soup freezes really well (see the background comments above). Simply thaw and reheat in a pot over medium heat. If the soup gets too thick, add chicken stock to thin it out.

Fun FactsFun Facts

If you serve this soup cold, you have something very similar to vichyssoise. It’s better hot with cheese and bacon though!

Categories
Appetizers Featured Michael's Favorites Recipes

Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts

Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts
Temperature375°Time20 mins

Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts

BackgroundBackground

My friend Lisa and I have been throwing parties together for almost 15 years now. We have a menu that we (or  maybe just I) call “Party Pattern Alpha” that consists of crowd pleasing dips, appetizers, and hors d’oeuvres. Our menu because pretty standard and we could throw it all together in a couple of hours.

One evening, probably 10 years into our friendship, Lisa pulled these bad boys out of the oven and set them on the counter at a party (I believe this was a bacon-themed party). Our gathering examined the new offerings, tasted them, immediately feel in love with them, and devoured these salty, crispy, bacony treats with reckless abandon. When we asked Lisa where she got the recipe, she nonchalantly replied, “Oh my dad’s been making them for all of my life.”

That was the day we all found out that our own Lisa had been keeping secrets from us all – bacony secrets.

The RecipeRecipe
Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts
 
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Recipe type: Appetizer
Ingredients
  • 1 Cup Soy Sauce
  • 3 Cans Whole Water Chestnuts
  • 1 lb Bacon
  • Toothpicks
Instructions
  1. Strain the water chestnuts and put them into a quart sized zip-top bag.
  2. Add the soy sauce to the bag, squeeze out all of the air, seal and place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.
  3. Preheat the oven to 375° and line a half-sheet pan with parchment paper.
  4. Cut the bacon into thirds.
  5. Strain the water chestnuts and discard the leftover soy sauce.
  6. Wrap one piece of bacon around each of the water chestnuts and secure with a toothpick.
  7. Place on the pan and cook for about 20 minutes until the bacon starts to look crispy and delicious.
  8. Remove from pan and serve hot.
Tips and TricksTips and Tricks

To avoid skin irritation from the soy sauce, wear hospital-type gloves when you’re wrapping and skewering. We keep a box of gloves in the kitchen for this and similar procedures.

Feed the FreezerFeed the Freezer

These amazing appetizers will freeze so that they’re ready to party when you are. After wrapping the chestnuts in bacon and securing with the toothpick, freeze them on a sheet pan. Once they’ve frozen, transfer them to a plastic container for their long-term storage. Steer clear of bags for this one…those toothpicks are pointy!

Fun FactsFun Facts

The water chestnut is not a nut at all – it’s a vegetable that grows under water in the mud.  Mmmmm!

Categories
Featured Main Dishes Michael's Favorites

Shrimp and Grits

Shrimp and Grits
TemperatureN/ATime15 mins

Shrimp and Grits

BackgroundBackground

Shrimp and Grits is one of the quintessential southern dishes – right along with fried chicken, biscuits and collard greens. This combination of creamy grits and perfectly cooked shrimp evokes fond memories of Charleston or Savannah and is the perfect main event for brunch, lunch and dinner!

There are lots of variations of Shrimp and Grits – sometimes there’s a thick sauce, sometimes there’s smoked sausage, or peppers and onions, or garlic. I prefer to keep my version simple and let the shrimp and the grits speak for themselves.

A note about cooking shrimp: homemade shrimp is often tough and fishy so people shy away from it. The solution to tough and fishy shrimp is to take it off of the flame when it firms up a bit and turns a pale pink. Shrimp turns tough and rubbery when it’s overcooked.

The RecipeRecipe
Shrimp and Grits
 
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Recipe type: Brunch
Serves: 4
Ingredients
For the Grits
  • 2 Cups Milk
  • 1 Cup Water
  • 1 Cup Chicken Stock
  • 2 Tbs Butter
  • 1 ¼ Cup Quick Grits
  • 1 ½ tsp Salt
  • 1 tsp Freshly Cracked Black Pepper
  • 1 ½ Cup Cheddar Cheese, Shredded

For the Shrimp
  • 2 Slices Thick-Cut Bacon, Cooked and Crumbled
  • 1 Tbs Reserved Bacon Grease
  • 1 Tbs Butter
  • 1 lb Medium Shrimp, Peeled, Deveined, Tails Removed
  • 1 Green Onion, Sliced into Thin Rings
  • Juice of 1 Whole Lemon
Instructions
Make the Grits
  1. In a medium pot, bring milk, water, chicken stock, and butter to a boil over medium high heat. The milk will overflow the pot when it boils if you let it so keep an eye on it and use a 3 quart pot for this.
  2. As soon as the liquid comes to a boil, add the grits, salt, and pepper and reduce heat to medium low.
  3. Stir the grits pretty much constantly until they are thick and creamy – about 5 – 10 minutes. The grits will thicken more when you add cheese and as they cool.
  4. Once the grits are thick and creamy remove from heat and add half of the cheese.
  5. Stir the cheese into the grits until it melts fully and then repeat with the remaining cheese.

Make the Shrimp
  1. Heat the bacon grease and butter in a non-stick skillet over medium heat.
  2. Once the pan heats up, add the shrimp, season with salt and pepper, and toss frequently until they are pale pink all the way through. Be careful not to overcook the shrimp
  3. Squeeze the lemon juice over all of the shrimp and remove from the heat.

Put it All Together
  1. Place grits on a plate and top with shrimp. Finish with a sprinkling of green onions and crumbled bacon!
Tips and TricksTips and Tricks

To quickly defrost shrimp, place it in some cold water for about a half an hour. There’s no need to buy the more expensive defrosted shrimp as frozen shrimp defrosts under cold water in a flash.

Feed the FreezerFeed the Freezer

Buy frozen shrimp for this meal. It’s less expensive and the shrimp at your grocery store’s seafood counter was almost definitely frozen before they thawed it and put it in the window.

Fun FactsFun Facts

While there are slight differences, southern grits and Italian polenta are essentially the same thing – they’re coarsely ground corn meal. If you like polenta, give grits a chance!

Categories
Appetizers Featured Jason's Favorites Michael's Favorites Side Dishes

Bacon and Green Onion Deviled Eggs

Bacon and Green Onion Deviled Eggs
Bacon and Green Onion Deviled Eggs

Bacon and Green Onion Deviled Eggs

BackgroundI saw Lizzy Proctor eating eggs with the Devil!

I love deviled eggs! For as long as I can remember, they’ve been a staple at holidays and family gatherings. They are also one of the first things that Nanny let me make by myself for said holidays and family gatherings when I was a kid. Looking back, that could have a lot to do with her not wanting to peel the eggs, but I digress.

A couple of years ago, Michael and I went to a great southern place in Atlanta called JCT Kitchen and ordered the deviled egg appetizer. Their eggs came with shaved ham on top and that’s when I decided it was time to tinker with my deviled egg recipe. I changed the yellow mustard to Dijon and added bacon and green onions and came up with the best deviled eggs in the history of deviled eggs – in my humble opinion.

Also – you should eat at JCT Kitchen when you’re in Atlanta.

The RecipeRecipe
Bacon and Green Onion Deviled Eggs
 
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Elevate your deviled eggs with bacon and green onions!
Author:
Recipe type: Sides
Serves: 8 - 10
Ingredients
  • 5 Eggs
  • ¼ Cup Mayonnaise
  • 2 tsp Dijon Mustard
  • 1 tsp Sweet Pickle Relish
  • ¼ tsp Black Pepper
  • 2 Slices of Bacon, Cooked Crisp and Crumbled
  • 2 Tbs Green Onions, Sliced into ¼ in Rounds (see picture)
Instructions
Boil the Eggs
  1. In a large pot, bring enough water to fully cover the eggs to a boil.
  2. Once the water is boiling, take the eggs out of the refrigerator and gently lower them into the boiling water
  3. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 12 – 14 minutes.
  4. Fill a large bowl with ice and water to create an ice bath. Once the eggs are done, move them directly into the ice bath too cool completely (at least 15 minutes).
  5. Once the eggs have cooled, peel them under cool running water.

Devil the Eggs
  1. Slice the peeled eggs in half and put the yolks in a medium bowl.
  2. Using the back of a fork, break up the yolks into a powder
  3. Add in the mayonnaise, mustard, pickle relish, and pepper and mix thoroughly to combine.
  4. Fold in the bacon and green onions, reserving a bit to sprinkle over the top of eggs.
  5. Put the filling in a zip-top bag and move it down to one of the bottom corners. Snip off the corner to create a piping bag and pipe into the reserved egg halves.
  6. Top the finished eggs with a bit of the reserved green onions and crumbled bacon.
Tips and TricksTips and Tricks

Serious Eats did a great Food Lab about the best way to boil an egg so that it’s easy to peel and I can tell you it work.  Basically, you want to take the egg out of the refrigerator and put it directly in the boiling water to cook. This does a bunch of sciency stuff that you can read about here and makes the eggs a lot easier to peel. They won’t all be perfect but most of them will be.

Feed the FreezerFeed the Freezer Make Ahead Tips

These aren’t really suitable for freezing but you can boil the eggs, and mix up the filling (minus the bacon and green onions) a day or two ahead and storing in the fridge. When you’re ready to serve, mix in the crumbled bacon and green onions, pipe the mixture in the eggs, and serve.

Fun FactsFun Facts

Very fresh (less than a week old) eggs are harder to peel than eggs that have been sitting around for a while – it’s true. The eggs in your grocery store, however, take up to 30 days to be packaged and shipped so you should feel free to boil them without aging them. Looking for an earlier expiration date is not going to hurt anything but it’s not really necessary.