Deviled Eggs

When Tink was 5 she picked up a deviled egg and it squirted right out of her little paw.  She just stared at it laying on the ground and then said, "so that's why they call them deviled eggs!"  I think about that moment every time we have deviled eggs. :)  These are pretty easy to make, but I thought I would post the recipe anyway in case any of you had never thought to try making them before. 

You will need:

eggs  (I used 7)
mayonnaise

mustard
salt 
pepper (optional)
paprika
smallish pot

The trickiest part of making deviled eggs is boiling the egg properly. (Use eggs that are at least 3 days old. The fresher the egg, the harder it is to peel.) Seven fit perfectly in my pot.  You want your eggs to be close together and not have a lot of room to move around and bash against each other--that will help prevent the shells from cracking while cooking.  Leave the eggs in the pot with no heat for about 20 minutes to help take off the chill and bring them close to room temperature.  Cold eggs crack in boiling water.

Fill the pot with just enough water to cover the eggs by one inch.  DO NOT ADD SALT to the water.  Adding salt makes the whites rubbery.  Trust me on this one. :)

Turn your burner on high and bring the eggs to a boil.  You definitely want lots of bubble action going on.  Then put the top on your pot and turn off the burner.  Set a timer for 15 minutes and leave the eggs alone.  Do not remove the pot from the burner.

When the timer goes off, remove the top and immediately start running cold water over the eggs to stop them from cooking.  I empty the pot of water and then add a bunch of ice, a little water, and then leave them alone for 20 minutes.

When they have cooled down you can start to peel them.  Tap them on the countertop.  Start with the ends.  The flatter end has a bubble of air in it--tap that one first, then the other end, and then around the sides.  Roll the egg in your had to loosen the shell.

After you get the little buggers peeled, rinse and pat them dry.

Slice each egg in half and add the yolks to a bowl.  Break them up with a fork and then add two heaping spoonfuls of mayo and two small spoonfuls of mustard.  (In the South, Miracle Whip is referred to as mayo. It just is, I don't know why. Use your favorite brand of mayo!)  Sprinkle with salt.

The mixture should be very creamy, but not wet.  You'll have to taste it and see if you have enough salt and to decided whether you need more mayo or mustard.  I usually add more mustard because I like a stronger mustard flavor in my deviled eggs.

Then fill your eggs and sprinkle with paprika.  I put the paprika in my hand and use my fingers to sprinkle.  When I try to shake the paprika from the jar over the eggs I get it everywhere!

You can get pretty fancy with deviled eggs!  Try using a Dijon mustard or putting the yolk mixture in a pastry bag with a fancy tip.  But for just eating at home I don't bother with fancy.  They don't last long!  Tink would eat them all by herself if I let her. :)

Enjoy!!

(My recipe card site is having security issues this morning.  As soon as they are resolved I'll put up the recipe card!)