Spring’s emphasis on new life brings eggs to mind.  Birds are finding mates, building nests, and depositing the hard-shell coated beginnings of their offspring.  I have fond memories of coloring and hiding eggs for Easter, yet the recollection ceases to be pleasant when I recall some hidden ones that were found weeks later.

My dad had his own spoiled hen fruit story to tell, and his offspring eagerly egged him on to repeat it.  The story included Dad, Carl (my great uncle who was only eight years older than Dad), and Dad’s brother Tom (about one year younger than Dad).  There was no hard-boiling involved.

The three boys found a rotten egg and Carl determined that he was going to pull a little trick on one of his nephews.  He poked a hole at each end of the egg; one hole was larger than the other.  Then he dared Dad to blow on one end of the egg while he blew on the other.  Of course, the loser would have a mouthful of decaying hen fruit.   Dad refused to take him up on his dare, so he turned to Tom, who accepted the challenge.  Carl magnanimously let Tom choose which end of the egg to blow, laughing up his sleeve when Tom picked the large hole.  Carl knew that the smaller hole would not allow as much egg to pass through it and would give him an unfair advantage over Tom.

“Okay, on the count of three…. Blow!”  declared Carl.  “One……Two……THREE!”  What Carl had not taken into consideration is that while he was counting, Tom had already taken a deep breath.  When Carl said, “THREE!”, he had to take his own deep breath before he could blow.   I am sure you have already guessed who ended up with egg on his face, not to mention the rotten one in his mouth!

Uncle Carl may have felt like the devil was in the details of his prank-gone-wrong, which leads me to the subject of deviled eggs.   I have a couple of recipes to share, plus some tips I have learned over the years.

Tip 1: Use a pastry blender to chop the egg yolks and excess bits of white.

Tip 2:  Yolk mixture too runny?  Add dried potato flakes, a small amount at a time, allowing them to soak up excess moisture.

Tip 3:  I have learned to use a cookie scoop to fill the eggs.  This method distributes the yolk mixture evenly and leaves neatly rounded tops.

Dilled Deviled Eggs

6 hardboiled eggs, peeled
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons chopped green onions
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill (1 teaspoon dried)
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 dash hot pepper sauce
Dill sprigs for garnish, if desired

Cut eggs crosswise in half; remove yolks.  Set egg whites aside.

Mash yolks in medium bowl with fork.  Add mayonnaise and next 6 ingredients; mix well.

Spoon 1 tablespoon yolk mixture into each egg white.  Garnish with dill sprigs.  Cover and refrigerate until serving time.

Makes 12.

 Ranch Deviled Eggs

6 eggs

1-1/2 teaspoons dry ranch salad dressing

1/4 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Paprika

Place eggs in medium saucepan; cover with cold water.  Bring to a boil and reduce heat; simmer about 18 minutes.  Immediately drain; run cold water over eggs to stop cooking process.  Peel eggs and rinse.

Cut eggs in half lengthwise.  With tip of knife, carefully lift out yolks, placing them in a medium bowl.

Mash yolks with fork; add salad dressing mix, mayonnaise, and mustard, mixing well.  Spoon or pipe yolk mixture into egg white halves.  Sprinkle with paprika.

Refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving.

Makes 12.