Deviled Eggs Ingredients

13 extra large eggs

mayonnaise

ginger vinegar

chipotle powder

pepper

Deviled Eggs Recipe

1.     Boil the eggs for 10 minutes in salted water. The salt helps the eggs peel easier later on.

2.     Cool and peel the eggs. Slice neatly in half and remove the yolks. I always boil one more egg than I need so I have a bit of extra yolk. Just discard the extra white part.

3.     Combine the ingredients in a bowl and blend. I do it by taste and texture, which is why there are no precise measurements. You want the mixture to be a thick, smooth paste. I don’t like them too spicy, but I love the combination of chipotle and eggs, so I just added a pinch.

4.     Using two spoons, add the filling back to the white part of the egg. Cover with plastic wrap (making sure it doesn’t touch the filling) and refridgerate until you’re ready to serve.

Guacamole Ingredients

4 large soft avocados

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp ground sesame seeds

1 squeeze of lime juice

1/4 cup cilantro leaves

salt and pepper

Guacamole Recipe

1.     Remove the meat of the avocado from the skins and mash.

2.     Add the rest of the ingredients, combine, and serve. Simple as that!

Well, New Years Eve has come and gone again. Last year we had a fancy party and I ran myself ragged because I’d worked the day before, the day of, and when I got home, the sink was backed up, so I really didn’t have much time. This year was muuuuch better! Aside from no technical issues or other demands on my time, I also have a much nicer (and larger) kitchen now, so it is much more relaxing a place to cook.

I don’t go in for massive NYE parties, and I don’t think I’ve been out to a bar on the day in years. The party last year was so much fun (despite the headaches) that we decided to have another one this year. A few friends came over, we all wore our jammies, and I knocked out a few tasty treats for our guests, including Asian chicken tarts, guacamole, and deviled eggs. Aside from the stuff I made myself, we also had some lovely Canadian cheeses (Quebecois goat cheese, Ontario Oka with mushrooms, cheddar, and smoked gouda).  The tart recipe is really versatile, since you can put just about anything in the shell.

Oh, and you’ll have to pardon the lack of pictures. I started drinking around breakfast, so I wasn’t exactly firing on all cylinders by the time the guests began rolling in.

Asian Chicken Tarts Ingredients

1 pkg lean ground chicken (about 3 cups, I believe)

1 1/2 cups mushrooms

1 yellow onion

1 tbsp hoisin sauce

1 tbsp soya sauce (I like the reduced sodium kind)

1 garlic clove

28 wonton wrappers

pinch Chinese five spice

cilantro leaves

salt and pepper to taste

Asian Chicken Tarts Recipe

1.     Pulse the mushrooms in a food processor a few times so they’re about the same size as the chicken. Dice your onion the same size.

2.     Sweat the onions and mushrooms until they get just a bit of color, then add the chicken. Add the other ingredients. The filling can be made a while in advance, just reheat before you serve.

3.     Press the wonton wrappers into a muffin tin and bake in an oven for 15 minutes at 325 degrees, or until brown and crispy.

4.     When ready to serve, spoon the filling into the wrappers and garnish with a cilantro leaf.