Paula Deen son cooks super meal on a shoestring

Savannah, Ga. native Bobby Deen. Bobby hails from a food loving-family - his mother is Paula Deen, the famed Southern chef.

Bobby and his older brother and partner, Jamie, have two best-selling cookbooks, an acclaimed show on the Food Network, "Road Tasted," and manage their mother's ever-growing line of food products.

This weekend, the Deen brothers are at the Food Network's Food and Wine Festival.

And Bobby accepted the "Chef on a Shoestring" challenge of "The Early Show on Saturday Morning."

He tried to make a mouthwatering three-course meal for four on our meager $40 budget.

Bobby was also automatically entered in our "How Low Can You Go?" competition, in which the "Shoestring" chef with the lowest ingredients cost will be invited back to whip up the feast for our year-end holiday extravaganza - and spend as much as he or she wants!

Enjoy all our "Early Show" recipes!

MENU

• Deviled Eggs
• Pulled BBQ Chicken Sandwiches
• Light Lemon Bars

RECIPES

Lighter Traditional Southern Deviled Eggs

Ingredients

• 12 large eggs
• 6 tablespoons reduced-calorie mayonnaise
• 11/2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• Chopped pimentos (optional)
• Sweet gherkin pickles (optional)

Directions

Place the eggs in a single layer in a saucepan with enough cold water to cover; bring to a boil over high heat. Immediately remove from the heat. Cover, and let stand 15 minutes. Drain; run under cold running water.

Peel the eggs and halve lengthwise. Remove the yolks. Press 6 of the yolks through a sieve into a small bowl. Reserve the remaining yolks for another use. Stir in the mayonnaise, relish, mustard, and spice blend until well mixed. Spoon the mixture into the egg white halves. Place the eggs on a plate, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and chill until ready to serve. Garnish with the pimientos and serve with the pickles on the side, if using.

Test Kitchen Tip

Store the remaining cooked egg yolks covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Use them to sprinkle on fresh steamed asparagus or other vegetables, or in salads.

• Servings: 12
• Prep Time: 20 min
• Cook Time: 15 min
• Difficulty: Easy

For Bobby's Pulled BBQ Chicken Sandwich and dessert recipes, go to Page 2.

Pulled BBQ Chicken Sandwiches with Classic Southern Slaw

Ingredients

BBQ

• One 3-pound rotisserie chicken
• 1 1/2 cups prepared barbecue sauce
• Classic Southern Slaw (recipe follows)
• Bread-and-butter pickles, for serving (optional)
• 4 Kaiser Rolls, split

SLAW

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
• 1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon celery seed
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon Tabasco or other hot sauce
• One 14- to 16-ounce package prepared slaw mix

Directions

For the BBQ, using your hands or a fork, shred the meat from the chicken, discarding the skin. You should have about 2-1/2 cups. In a large bowl, stir together the chicken and barbecue sauce. Sandwich the chicken mixture, slaw, and pickles between each split roll and serve.

For the slaw, in a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, onion, vinegar, celery seed, salt, pepper, and Tabasco. Place the slaw mix in a large bowl. Pour the mayonnaise mixture over the slaw and toss well. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving. The slaw will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Light Lemon Bars

Ingredients:

• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 large eggs
• 1 egg white
• 3 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar, divided
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
• Confectioners' sugar for dusting

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with foil, allowing the foil to extend over the pan by 2 inches. Lightly spray with nonstick spray.

Whisk together 1 cup of the flour, the salt, and baking powder in a small bowl. Whisk together the eggs and egg white in a small bowl until blended.

To make the crust, with an electric mixer on low speed, beat the butter in a medium bowl until smooth. Add 1/4 cup of the sugar and beat until blended. Beat in 1 tablespoon of the egg mixture and 1 teaspoon water. Gradually beat in the flour mixture until blended. Evenly press the dough onto the bottom and 1/4 inch up the sides of the pan. Bake until the crust is golden brown, about 20 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F.

Meanwhile, to make the filling, whisk together the remaining 1/3 cup flour and the remaining 3/4 cup sugar in a medium bowl. Whisk in the remaining egg mixture, the zest, and juice until blended.

Pour the lemon mixture over the warm crust. Bake until the filling is set, about 25 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack. Refrigerate until well chilled, at least 2 hours or overnight. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar. Lift from the pan using the foil as handles. Cut into 16 squares.

• Prep Time: 15 min
• Cook Time: 45 min
• Difficulty: Easy
• Servings: 16 bars

So, how did Bobby do in our "How Low Can You Go?" competition?

His grand total of $36.11 was good enough to land him on our year-to-date Leaders Board!

• 1.Floyd Cardoz $33.54
• North End Grill

• 2.Bobby Deen $36.11
• Food Network Personality & Cook Book Author

• 3.Fabio Vivani $36.22
• Café Firenze