Please welcome my lovely wife TSGT Jessica Russell who writes today’s guest post from Turkey.  Welcome, honey.  We’re glad to have you.

I want to thank my husband for letting me hijack his blog for a moment or two.

In my decade + years in the military I’ve found that good food brings a group together like nothing else in the world. If an army marches on its stomach then the Air Force soars on theirs. :) No jokes, please.

W. Drell was the wonderful guy who eased my way into the unique world that is Turkey. The country changes like the weather in Texas, and trust me, that’s often. People who were here five years ago barely recognize the area or the way we do business. In such a unique climate, having a group of people you enjoy working with makes all the difference. I’ll be sad to see Drell go, but he’s off to be with lovely wife in Germany. It’s a small world and even smaller career-field, I’m sure we’ll run into each other again. So from me and my husband…Thank you for all your help.

B. Gray and his lovely wife, C. let us take over their kitchen to make these delicious jalapeno poppers. Drell said he found the original recipe on Instructables and tweaked it to his liking. What follows are pictures and the recipe from the event.

The recipe was simple, easy, and makes a great quick meal idea for any game night. Since football season is in full swing, you know these little babies will be a hit (especially with toothpicks so you don’t have to get pepper on your fingers!). Note, the preparation involves direct contact with jalapeno peppers and the seeds, so make sure you’re careful to not rub your eyes. We had benadryll on standby just in case I had a reaction. ;)

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Deviled eggs have come a long way since my mother used to make them. Top chefs all over the world have revisited this rather classic dish and added new twists along the way, and so have I. In the past, I’ve added tappenade, pepperocini, artichoke and cayenne to mine, all with great results. This experiment was to see if the classic breakfast combo worked as well. it did, in fact it worked better than I expected.

Originally I thought that bacon would be the dominant flavor in these eggs and it was in a way, but not in the way that I expected. The first flavors that you pick up on are the tang from the mustard and lemon juice, then from the salad dressing. Next there is a hint of onion and egg, which is wonderful. Only after all of these things grace your palate does the bacon flavor come into the mix, starting of as a subtle backdrop to the other flavors, and in the end standing on its own. The bacon becomes the crescendo in a wonderful finale of flavors and textures that I will happily serve again and again.

These eggs could easily be made the day before and kept in the fridge for a quick breakfast, or served at any brunch, so feel free to use them as you see fit.

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