The tree was always hidden somewhere under the pile of presents. It was like the treasure at the end of the endless unwrapping. She always has the t.v. going the whole day. On Thanksgiving it is the Martha Stewart Thanksgiving cooking special or Macy's Day Parade. On Christmas it is always "It's a Wonderful Life" or "A Christmas Story".
But the best part of any Holiday, by far, is the feast. My Grandma June will admit she is not a cook, but she has these old, passed down recipes that she pulls out every year and continues to make delicious. The classics are all there (both for Thanksgiving and Christmas): sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, rolls, broccoli salad, green bean casserole, turkey, stuffing, gravy, beans, ham, KFC chicken (don't ask), cranberry bread, pumpkin pie... mmm. All of it is always so delicious! I can taste it as I write.
But there were two dishes that my brother and I claimed as ours growing up. Ethan loved my grandma's macaroni and cheese (which we found out later in life is just Stoffers Mac and Cheese... still delicious). And my dish that I begged my grandma to make every year was deviled eggs. Oh yes, good old deviled eggs.
I've had many deviled eggs in my short life... pickled deviled eggs, colored deviled eggs, deviled eggs with vinegar, deviled eggs with peppers, deviled eggs with bacon, and so many more. But there is nothing like my grandma's deviled eggs. They are plain and simple. The only thing I asked of her was that she made them without that "nasty red stuff" (I meant paprika).
Recently I went to a family gathering and wanted to make her deviled eggs to take. I called her to get the recipe and she told me just how easy they are. I'm not kidding... two ingredients.
My whole life I thought my grandma went to these elaborate ends to make these oh-so-good eggs... when really, they are so simple! Well, that had me excited because now I make them all the time. And my husband just hates eggs... his loss.
The recipe is almost not worth writing down... it's that easy. The part you should pay attention to, however, is the boiling process. My grandma has it to a science and it's fool proof.
To start, fill a big pot with water until the eggs are just covered. Put these over high heat and let them come to a rolling boil. Once they have reached that, immediately cover the pot and turn the heat off (but leave it ON the burner). Set your time for 9-10 minutes... no more, no less.
Once your timer goes off, plunge those suckers into an ice bath for at least a half hour. They need to cool completely. Make sure to remove them with a slotted spoon from the pot so that you don't get hot water in your ice bath. I always put a little crack in the eggs as well.
I only made four this time... which means 8 deviled eggs. If you were making them for a crowd, make 8-10 eggs (which would be 16-20 eggs). And as my grandma says "always make extra in case some get lost along the way" (interpret that as you'd like :)).
Once the eggs have cooled completely, start peeling them. The shells should come off fairly easy. I have read all sorts of "tips" for helping eggs peel better. I've never really tried one that works beautifully. The vinegar trick made my eggs taste funny, the baking soda in the water trick didn't work... I don't know, maybe I'm doing it wrong. If you have a tip for easy peel, let me know.
Following this way of boiling eggs will give you a sunshiney, beautiful yolk. See?
Cut all the eggs lengthwise (or horizontal if you want to fill them and make them creative and cute). All I wanted to do was eat these, so I did not care about making them pretty.
The ingredients, like I mentioned, are SO SIMPLE it hurts. For 6 eggs you need about 1/4 cup of Miracle Whip (yes, I know... gross). Don't use real mayonnaise. Miracle Whip includes all the things that prevent you from adding pickle juice, vinegar, and whatever else weird people put in their deviled eggs.
Mix the miracle whip with the yolks that you've poked out of the whites, with 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp of mustard. Any yellow mustard is fine, although my grandma only uses French's mustard. Tastes the same to me. And of course, a little salt and pepper to taste.
Then you mix it altogether and woot! woot! you're done. If you are going to a party with these yummy things, pour the yolk mixture into a piping bag and swirl them into the whites. If you are eating all of them in one sitting... like some people do (ahem)... then just spoon that goodness into the whites. yum.
I've come along way from when I was little and made my grandma swear she wouldn't add that "nasty red stuff". Paprika only makes them pretty. So I added some of that "nasty red stuff". Still good.
Do you have a good Deviled Egg recipe? Share below!
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