We had a great lunch with Womsy (Mom), Rico (brother) and Ann-Marie, Doug & Austin (our lovely neighbors and their baby). The weather was perfect. I managed to make several items (deviled eggs, 8 layer dip, and cookie/brownie bars) by resting every hour or so and taking a long nap after lunch. A day well spent!
I should note that 3 of the 6 items on my plate include the secret ingredient. Yummy. Ann-Marie made the Santa Fe slaw in the front (do you see the secret ingredient hiding in there?), Doug grilled the little drumsticks - I love them. Sweetboy made the pulled pork sandwiches - tasty tasty tasty.
Sometimes I get really fancy with my tablescapes (like during my annual holiday tea party) but today - too tired to worry about matching tablecloths, serving pieces, etc. Who cares? The company and food were great, that's all that matters right?
For dessert there were cookie/brownie bars and apple pie with ice cream. Hmmm... NTS - don't cook while tired because then you'll make mistakes like putting an extra stick (yes and EXTRA STICK) of butter in the brownies and they'll turn out to be a buttery, mushy, chocolatey mess that will taste good going down but will sit like a brick in your stomach.
Here's my deviled egg recipe which is really not my recipe at all (thanks Mike!). It's simple yet effective. I think I've finally mastered how to properly boil an egg without it getting all jacked up during the peeling.
How to boil a proper egg (adapted from on Our Leader's website)
- Start with older eggs if you can (i.e. buy a dozen eggs a week before you will boil them). I have no idea why this makes a difference scientifically but I've noticed over the years that older eggs work best.
- Place eggs in the pot and cover with cool water. Throw in some salt (I hear this cures any cracks during the boiling process).
- Bring to a hard, rolling boil then remove from heat, cover and let them sit for 12 minutes. The trick to no green yolks is not to boil the eggs for a long time but instead remove them from the heat and cover as soon as it reaches a hard boil.
- After 12 minutes, drain the hot water, rinse eggs a couple of times in cool water then put the eggs in an ice bath (I understand this makes the egg shrink back from the shells which makes them peel nicely).
Mr. Grant's Deviled Eggs
- Cut eggs in half, place yolks in a bowl
- Mash the yolks with a fork until they reach a fine, even texture.
- Then add mayo, spicy brown mustard and pickle juice. Trust me on the pickle juice. I don't like pickles but it adds a zesty surprise. Salt and pepper to taste. Unfortuntely, I forgot to take a picture of the proportions of the condiments since I do it by eye but here some approximate amounts:
- 4 parts mayo
- 1.5 parts mustard
- .5 part pickle juice
- Taste as you go, you want the consistency to be like...lumpy pudding?
- To fill the eggs, take a ziploc bag, roll the top of the bag out and fill. Get all the air out of the bag, seal it and then snip off a corner. Voila - a piping bag. Fill shells and garnish with paprika or chives or whatever else tickles your fancy.
How do you devil up your eggs? Please share!
Hi Sue! You stopped in my gallery on your birthday and told us all about your blog. I enjoy the fun you have with it! I just started my own and want to know what you think. I'm having a hard time finding links...what's the best way to go about linking? Feedback would be much appreciated...hope all is well and keep up the fun blogs!
Smiles,
Sally Huss
“Life is wonderful! Don’t forget it.”
Email: sally@sallyhuss.com
Blog: http://www.blogher.com/blog/sallyhuss/
Website: http://www.sallyhuss.com/
Posted by: Sally Huss | July 08, 2008 at 04:07 PM