My Mom Made Me Do It Deviled Eggs!

I want to say right up front that I'm writing this column under protest! Well sort of...my mom and dad came for a visit and she said, "I have a column that I want you to write". Needless to say, I was intrigued by her request.

Here's how the conversation went.....

Mom: "I want you to write a column on deviled eggs."

Brad: "Why deviled Eggs?"

Mom: "Because nobody wants to actually admit that they like deviled eggs. Whenever I bring a platter of them to a party people say, "Oh....deviled eggs", and they politely put my platter on the table. When we go to leave the platter is always empty."

So are Deviled Eggs the Rodney Dangerfield equivalent in the appetizer world in that they get no respect?!

Let's do a little research....according to "Foodtimeline.org" deviled eggs orginated in ancient Rome around the 13th century and are still popular throughout Europe in countries such as France, Hungary, Belgium, Germany and Romania. In the US, they are so popular that specific serving platters and trays are made just for deviled eggs. The term "deviled" goes back to the 19th century and refers to the use of hot spicy ingredients in the yoke mixture. Deviled eggs can be stuffed with a wide variety of ingredients, including garlic, horseradish, wasabai, cheese, chutney, mustard, fruit preserves, bacon, ham, capers, caviar, smoked salmon and sardines. Did I just write sardines? OK that might be pushing it so I'll leave that one up to you.

We were invited over to the relatives for Easter, so here was my chance to test out my mom's theory and see how quickly the deviled eggs disappeared. We boiled twelve eggs; that made twenty four halves of Bacon Stuffed Deviled Eggs. They were gone in less then thirty minutes. The high brow appetizers like fancy cheeses, finger sandwiches, frozen puff pastries and cut vegetables were still on the table.

I've included four deviled egg recipes that you can get started with - Mexican, Pecan Stuffed, Sweet & Spicy, and my favorite Bacon Stuffed pictured to the right. If you would like more deviled egg recipes just do a quick Google search.

My mom made me do this one!!!

***************************************

Deviled Eggs

*Mexican
*Pecan Stuffed
*Sweet & Spicy
*Bacon Stuffed

***************************************

Mexican Deviled Eggs

*****Ingredients*****

6 hard boiled eggs
1/4 cup mayonaise
2 tblsp pickled jalapeno slices, finely minced
1 tblsp yellow mustard
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp salt

**Garnish**

1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tblsp rough chopped flat leaf parsley

*****Preparation*****

Carefully cut eggs in half lengthwise and remove yolks into a mixing bowl. Mash egg yolks with a fork, stir in remaining ingredients. Spoon or pipe egg yolk mixture into egg white halves. Garnish with chili powder and chopped parsley.

***************************************

Pecan Stuffed Deviled Eggs

*****Ingredients*****

6 hard boiled eggs
1/4 cup mayonaise
1/3 cup coarsely chopped pecans
1 tsp grated onion
1 tsp white vinegar
1/2 tsp chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/8 tsp salt

**Garnish**

1 tsp sliced pimientos
1 tblsp rough chopped fresh parsley

*****Preparation*****

Carefully cut eggs in half lengthwise and remove yolks into a mixing bowl. Mash egg yolks with a fork, stir in remaining ingredients except for Pecans. After egg yolk mixture is well incorporated, gently stir in Pecans. Spoon or pipe egg yolk mixture into egg white halves. Garnish with pimientos and remaining chopped parsley.

***************************************

Sweet & Spicy Deviled Eggs

*****Ingredients*****

6 hard boiled eggs
1/4 cup mayonaise
1 1/2 tblsp apricot preserves
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

**Garnish**

1/2 tsp sweet paprika
1 tblsp rough chopped fresh parsley

*****Preparation*****

Carefully cut eggs in half lengthwise and remove yolks into a mixing bowl. Mash egg yolks with a fork, stir in remaining ingredients. Spoon or pipe egg yolk mixture into egg white halves. Garnish with paprika and chopped parsley.

***************************************

Bacon Stuffed Deviled Eggs

*****Ingredients*****

6 hard boiled eggs
2 - 3 tblsp cottage cheese
3 slices of bacon fried crisp, then finely chopped
Dill weed 1/4 to 1/2 tsp
Mustard 1/4 to 1/2 tsp

**Garnish**

1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tblsp rough chopped fresh parsley

*****Preparation*****

Carefully cut eggs in half lengthwise and remove yolks into a mixing bowl. Mash egg yolks with a fork, stir in cottage cheese, dill weed, mustard until yoke mixture is to your preference then gently stir in bacon. Spoon or pipe egg yolk mixture into egg white halves. Garnish with chili powder and chopped parsley.

***************************************