Deviled Eggs

Deviled eggs are a staple in any southern kitchen and there are so many different toppings you can add to them. My husband loves to top the eggs with sliced jalapeno peppers, sliced green olives are my favorite, and my Colin's friend, Katelyn, puts bacon on hers. Each topping is an excellent addition and deviled eggs make a great side dish with any meal. My gran kept them simple and used yellow mustard in hers. I started out making them the same way she did, but, I use more salad pickles in mine than she did in hers and the mustard with the extra pickles is just too much, so, I eliminated the mustard. If you use less salad pickles, you can add a little mustard for extra flavor.

A quick note about eggs: When I was a child I would go with my granny to an uncle's chicken house and get the eggs fresh from him. I learned early on that you don't want to use an egg that is too fresh in baking, or, in making deviled eggs. My memory is not reliable on why, just that you don't use the eggs in cooking until they are around 3 days old. In today's kitchen's, most of us don't get our eggs fresh from the source and I'm not certain how old the eggs from the grocery store are, but, I don't think you need to worry about the 3 day rule. I also use eggs longer than the egg carton states (I keep my fridge really cold) and, in most recipes I let the eggs get room temp before using them.

Deviled Eggs

Hard boiled eggs ( I cook about 1 to 2 dozen at a time)
Mayo to taste (Kraft is my preference)
Drained Salad Pickles to taste
Salt and Pepper to taste

How to hard boil eggs:

Take large or jumbo eggs (preferably without cracks) out beforehand to let them begin to cool down to room temp.
Select a pot that will be large enough to accommodate the number of eggs you will be cooking
Add water to pot and bring to a rolling boil.
Begin timing the eggs when you add them to the boiling water. If the eggs are room temp and will not cool the water down, I remove the pot from the eye, cover the pot with a tight lid and set aside for 16 - 19 minutes (large eggs take less time than jumbo eggs).
Some cooks add salt to the water, but I think this makes them tougher, so I don't.
After 16-19 minutes, drain eggs from water and cover with cold water. Let sit for a few minutes and then peel and set aside.
To easily peel the eggs, take individual egg out of cool water and pop the bottom of the egg on the counter to crack the shell. Open the egg, grabbing hold of the membrane and dip the egg back in the water (you can run it under the faucet, but that is so wasteful) to help peel the egg shell in large pieces. Set the eggs aside.

When the eggs have been peeled clean ( no shell fragments left), take a sharp knife and slice the eggs in two. (I have several containers that hold and store the halved eggs, if you don't have a deviled egg plate or container (walmart has them) you can use a plate)
When the eggs have been sliced, pop the cooked egg yolks (the yellow parts) out into a mixing bowl, and replace the egg whites on the plate.

Take the cooked yolks and chop them as finely as possible ( you can use a food processor, but I hate cleaning mine, so I take a knife and a fork and chop away)
When the cooked yolks are ready, add salt, pepper, mayo and drained salad pickles and mix very well. Add other ingredients in small amounts until the cooked yolks are the consistency you like. The more mayo and salad pickles you add the looser the mix will be, the less you add, the thicker the mix will be.

Once you have the consistency you like, scoop the mixture out of the bowl and into the empty egg whites. If you want to fancy up the eggs, you can place the mixture in a pastry bag with a med. tip and swirl the mixture into the eggs and sprinkle with paprika or cayenne pepper.

Eat the eggs as they are, or, get creative and add your own favorite toppings.

Use any leftover mixture for an egg salad sandwich.