Bacon Ranch Deviled Eggs

{originally published in 2017 and updated in 2022}

The twists on deviled eggs are endless. I whipped up these bacon ranch deviled eggs the first time for a holiday party. The hostess has a revolving door of party-goers, kiddos, and lots of food. I thought it’d be best to bring a ready-to-eat item. The ideal app for a busy party is one that needs nothing from the host and no oven-reheating time! We’ve had them a few more times and they’re always a hit.

I had all the ingredients on hand which is even better annnnd you can prep these in advance or in stages.

The Three Bite Rule - Bacon Ranch Deviled Eggs

Ingredients:

6 eggs
3 strips of bacon
1/4 cup mayo
2 tbs yellow mustard
2 tbs ranch dressing
1/2 packet ranch dressing mix

Directions:

Boil water for the eggs and cook for 12 minutes. Then allow them to cool and peal them.
Pan fry the bacon until crisp. Then remove and drain.
Slice eggs in half, carefully popping the yolks into a food processor or a bowl. Then add in mayo, mustard, ranch, ranch mix, and half the bacon.

The Three Bite Rule - Bacon Ranch Deviled Eggs

Blend in the food processor until totally mixed (or use a hand mixer).
Open a zip top bag into a cup to stabilize it. Spoon the yolk mixture into the bag.

The Three Bite Rule - Bacon Ranch Deviled Eggs

Store the filling in the bag, then when serving, snip one bottom corner and fill each egg half.
Top with the remaining bacon.
Enjoy!

The Three Bite Rule - Bacon Ranch Deviled Eggs


I looooved these. They are always gone quickly at a party or are just fun at home. The bacon on top makes for no surprises (esp since these are type of eggs are normally vegetarian).

Caramel Apple Cheeseball

We went apple picking and now are eating 10,000 apples. I mixed up a caramel apple inspired cheeseball and it was a hit! I initially wanted it to be cutesy and look like an apple but was stuck on what I could roll it in that’d be green or red. It is tasty – but it doesn’t look like an apple.

The Three Bite Rule - Caramel Apple Cheeseball

I already had a request to make it again. We had it as an apps for dinner night then snacked on leftovers a few times.

Caramel Apple Cheeseball
Ingredients:

1 brick of cream cheese
1/4 cup confectioners sugar
1/4 cup caramel ice cream topping
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup butterscotch chips

Directions:
Let cream cheese come to room temperature.
Add cream cheese, powdered sugar, caramel sauce, and cinnamon.

The Three Bite Rule - Caramel Apple Cheeseball

Beat with a hand mixer (or in a food processor) until completely mixed.

The Three Bite Rule - Caramel Apple Cheeseball

Chop the chips and spread them in the center of a piece of plastic wrap. Then spoon the cheeseball mixture onto the chips. Roll it around to cover it, then gather up the plastic by the corners and twist together.
Refrigerate for at least an hour (or for a few days).
Serve with apples, pretzels, graham crackers or anything you like! Add some whole chips before serving.
Enjoy!

The Three Bite Rule - Caramel Apple Cheeseball

This keeps well so make it and snack all week or spread it onto a bagel. Nuts would be good to roll on the outside but they don’t keep as well if eating it again later.

Pssst! Extra butterscotch chips? They’re great in pancakes & waffles so I use them to make McGriddles and Apple Cider Cookies! They’re fun on yogurt or in your trail mix or granola too.

Peach & Ricotta in Phyllo Cups

Phyllo cups + cheese + fruit + herb = perfection. Last time I did brie & cranberry & rosemary and now this got a summery twist with ricotta & peach & basil. My peach could have been more ripe, but I was excited and gave it the benefit of the doubt. 

The Three Bite Rule - Peach & Ricotta Phyllo Cups

Peach & Ricotta Phyllo Cups
Ingredients: (serves ~6)

1 package of phyllo cups (usually ~15 per pkg)
1 peach (or plum or cherry)
1/4 cup ricotta cheese
~6 basil leaves
1-2 tbs olive oil

Directions: 
Crisp the phyllo cups according to the package (~4 minutes @ 350 degrees, I used the toaster oven)
Chop the peach into small cubes, chiffonade the basil (roll & slice into ribbons) and toss together with a little olive oil and a dash of pepper
Spoon ricotta into each cup and top with the peach & basil mixture. 
Enjoy! 

The Three Bite Rule - Peach & Ricotta Phyllo Cups

I do wish the peach were more ripe – I mistook ripeness on one side with a bruise. This combo was light and was great together. I threw a few tomatoes & basil into a few too. The kids ate them but might not request them specifically. I honestly thought they’d go more for the tomato but both ate the peach ones. 

It could also go onto a crostini – toast & assemble by the grill! Phyllo cups (freezer section, by pie crust & puff pastry) are just such a perfect bite and take zero effort so my loyalty lies there.

Leftover ricotta? (Freeze it if you’ll cook it) Or use it for: 
a summery pasta with zucchini & mint

tomato ricotta pie

chicken parm turnovers

I often have it on toast/bagels in place of cream cheese!

What I Ate: At a Wedding Cocktail Hour

Wedding cocktail hour is my favorite. I love the vows, and the dancing (especially since Mr. J is a rockin’ dancer), but then I love the cocktail hour. Contrary to the name I like it for the food. I don’t worry about the drinks…it is all about the snacks. I love passed aps, Mrs. K had baked brie that I’m still raving about (3+ years later), Mrs. M had an amazing cheese selection. Serious love for the aps.

I don’t review many weddings but I went to one with the best cocktail hour ever. Ever. I know, I go to my share of weddings every year. I snapped a few pics with my phone but when I heard the next morning that the bride didn’t have any of the amazing aps I knew I HAD to blog ‘em. She writes Flying on Jess Fuel (stop by her blog, say hello, wish her congrats, and check out her recipes).

The chef was Chef Roland. I loved their cocktail hour. I cannot get over how many aps there were. I was so impressed that the hot ones were actually hot! The chilled ones were actually cool! The servers all knew what they were offering to us. It was amazing. Here are my favorites:

Shrimp ceviche with mango salsa on an edible spoon.
The Three Bite Rule - Wedding Aps  Yes, that’s right. There’s a crisp bite of spoon with each bite. Delicious!

Dill scone topped with lobster salad. It was lightly dressed and so fresh. I mayyy have stalked the servers whenever I saw these!
The Three Bite Rule - Wedding Aps

Lamb and quinoa cakes. The bride loves quinoa so these seemed even more perfect.
The Three Bite Rule - Wedding Aps

There were some mean lookin’ pistachio crusted lamb lollipops but I figured the lamb cake bite was probably my red-meat maximum for the day. I popped the lobster mac & cheese bite before I got a photo. Yum!

We had some bruschetta, coconut shrimp, spanakopita, cajan shrimp & kielbasa…I don’t even remember what else. There were so many. I had to chose wisely. There were just so many.

Ohh then we had dinner. It started with a salad of greens, beets, peaches, and candied walnuts. Seriously amazing.
The Three Bite Rule - Wedding Aps
Dinner options were beef, fish, or vegetarian. I got the fish. It turned out to be sole stuffed with spinach, mushrooms, and lobster. You had me at lobster.

Mr. J and I are off for the weekend to celebrate our 1st wedding anniversary! Can you believe it has been a year?!? I’ll be sure to let you know how that year old piece ‘o cake fared this past year!

Nail Polish Colored Potluck

In honor of Ms. K’s last day we had a tearful potluck to say goodbye and good luck to our nail polish loving coworker. It was along the lines of our Rainbow Potluck but this time we chose our colors based on a nail polish to each give her as a parting gift. I’m always so impressed with what everyone comes up with to bring! It’s tricky! We only have a fridge, microwave, and toaster oven to use but once again, it was a good one!

There was an awesome chilled watermelon soup. The watermelon color was Pretty in Punk.
The Three Bite Rule - Nail Polish Potluck

There were delicious (and healthy!) Granola-ish balls. They were like cookie dough but full of great ingredients like flaxseeds, peanut butter, and oats. The oatmeal color was Sand Tropez.
The Three Bite Rule - Nail Polish Potluck

We loved this avocado black eyed pea salad. It was fresh and creamy and delicious. The black eyed pea color was I Don’t Drink Cheap Wine.
The Three Bite Rule - Nail Polish Potluck
Our office can eat nachos and guacamole like we’ve never had it before! The guac green was Go Overboard.
The Three Bite Rule - Nail Polish Potluck

We had a re-creation from the sandwich shop downstairs with everything bagels, cream cheese, tomato and avocado. It was the right mix of filling and freshness. The tomato red was Forever Yummy.
The Three Bite Rule - Nail Polish Potluck
I made puff pastry bites with brie and blackberry sauce. More on them later. The nail polish was Henna Things Possible.
The Three Bite Rule - Nail Polish Potluck