When I was young, the week before Easter brought one of the most loathsome of holiday chores, a task even more dreaded than trying to untangle a string of Christmas lights: blowing eggs for decorating.
It was a headache - literally. My mother would take a small pin and gently poke a small hole on each end of an egg, wiggling the pin a little to break the yolk sac. It was then up to me and my youthful lungs to blow and blow and blow until the inside of the egg came spilling forth into a waiting bowl. My mother would rinse the intact egg shells in water and we'd all have scrambled eggs for breakfast.
Only it wasn't that easy. Sometimes the eggs would give up their abode easily. Other times, nothing short of Hurricane Katrina would force those egg innards from their shell.
The benefit, of course, was that eggs could be displayed on the tabletop through the holiday - and sometimes even longer. My mother still has about a half dozen of the last batch of eggs I decorated when I was 14.
I'm not quite as dedicated. In our household, we go with hardboiled eggs. We can't display them, of course, and the whites tend to turn a rainbow of colors in the dying process, but it's a heck of a lot easier.
It also means we get hardboiled eggs, something I usually don't prepare the rest of the year. Sometimes I wonder why - there's several really terrific recipes using hard-boiled eggs.
My daughter won't touch eggs, but loves deviled eggs. Almost everybody likes deviled eggs, in fact. Take some to a picnic or potluck and see how fast they go. Here's a good basic recipe:
Deviled Eggs
6 hard-boiled eggs
2 t. sweet pickle relish
1 T. mayonnaise
2 t. yellow mustard
Salt to taste
Garnishes: paprika, olives, chives, parsley or pimento
Slice hard-boiled eggs in half lengthwise. Remove egg yolks to a bowl, and set egg whites aside. Mash the egg yolks until smooth. Add pickle relish, mayonnaise, mustard and salt. Mix until well-combined.
Spoon yolk mixture into plastic sandwich bag and snip off end. Pipe into shells of egg whites. Garnish with a sprinkle of paprika, slices of olive or pimento or snipped chives or parsley.
My mother used to serve creamed eggs on toast fairly regularly, usually for Saturday lunch, when I was a kid. It's very rich and satisfying, and a pretty economical family meal.
Creamed eggs on toast
2 T. butter or margarine
3 T. flour
1/2 t. salt
2 cups milk
8 large hard-cooked eggs, shelled and sliced
8 slices of toast, cut in half
Melt butter in a medium-size saucepan over low heat. Stir in flour and salt until smooth. Let mixture bubble about 3 minutes, stirring often to prevent browning. Gradually stir in milk.
Increase heat to medium and simmer, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth, thick and boiling. Remove from heat and gently stir in eggs.
Place toast halves on a plate. Spoon egg mixture over toast. Sprinkle with paprika and scallions.
Note: A handful of shredded cheese can be stirred in while simmering egg mixture. A dash of dry mustard or curry powder is also good.
Makes 4 servings.
Spinach salad with hot bacon dressing is one of the best salads ever concocted. Slices of hard boiled egg and red onion really set it off.
spinach salad
with hot bacon
1/2 pound bacon
1 cup salad oil
1/2 cup vinegar
1 t. salt
1 t. sugar
1/4 t. black pepper
Fresh spinach
Red onions
Hard boiled eggs
Fry bacon in large skillet. While it's frying, wash fresh spinach and remove stems, making sure to get all sand off, or use bagged spinach.
Place greens in large bowl. Add thinly sliced red onion and sliced hard boiled eggs to taste.
Remove bacon from skillet and drain on paper towels, reserving bacon drippings in pan. Add oil, vinegar and seasonings to pan. Stir with wooden spoon, scraping off bits of bacon stuck to bottom of skillet.
Pour dressing over salad and serve immediately.
It was a headache - literally. My mother would take a small pin and gently poke a small hole on each end of an egg, wiggling the pin a little to break the yolk sac. It was then up to me and my youthful lungs to blow and blow and blow until the inside of the egg came spilling forth into a waiting bowl. My mother would rinse the intact egg shells in water and we'd all have scrambled eggs for breakfast.
Only it wasn't that easy. Sometimes the eggs would give up their abode easily. Other times, nothing short of Hurricane Katrina would force those egg innards from their shell.
The benefit, of course, was that eggs could be displayed on the tabletop through the holiday - and sometimes even longer. My mother still has about a half dozen of the last batch of eggs I decorated when I was 14.
I'm not quite as dedicated. In our household, we go with hardboiled eggs. We can't display them, of course, and the whites tend to turn a rainbow of colors in the dying process, but it's a heck of a lot easier.
It also means we get hardboiled eggs, something I usually don't prepare the rest of the year. Sometimes I wonder why - there's several really terrific recipes using hard-boiled eggs.
My daughter won't touch eggs, but loves deviled eggs. Almost everybody likes deviled eggs, in fact. Take some to a picnic or potluck and see how fast they go. Here's a good basic recipe:
Deviled Eggs
6 hard-boiled eggs
2 t. sweet pickle relish
1 T. mayonnaise
2 t. yellow mustard
Salt to taste
Garnishes: paprika, olives, chives, parsley or pimento
Slice hard-boiled eggs in half lengthwise. Remove egg yolks to a bowl, and set egg whites aside. Mash the egg yolks until smooth. Add pickle relish, mayonnaise, mustard and salt. Mix until well-combined.
Spoon yolk mixture into plastic sandwich bag and snip off end. Pipe into shells of egg whites. Garnish with a sprinkle of paprika, slices of olive or pimento or snipped chives or parsley.
My mother used to serve creamed eggs on toast fairly regularly, usually for Saturday lunch, when I was a kid. It's very rich and satisfying, and a pretty economical family meal.
Creamed eggs on toast
2 T. butter or margarine
3 T. flour
1/2 t. salt
2 cups milk
8 large hard-cooked eggs, shelled and sliced
8 slices of toast, cut in half
Melt butter in a medium-size saucepan over low heat. Stir in flour and salt until smooth. Let mixture bubble about 3 minutes, stirring often to prevent browning. Gradually stir in milk.
Increase heat to medium and simmer, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth, thick and boiling. Remove from heat and gently stir in eggs.
Place toast halves on a plate. Spoon egg mixture over toast. Sprinkle with paprika and scallions.
Note: A handful of shredded cheese can be stirred in while simmering egg mixture. A dash of dry mustard or curry powder is also good.
Makes 4 servings.
Spinach salad with hot bacon dressing is one of the best salads ever concocted. Slices of hard boiled egg and red onion really set it off.
spinach salad
with hot bacon
1/2 pound bacon
1 cup salad oil
1/2 cup vinegar
1 t. salt
1 t. sugar
1/4 t. black pepper
Fresh spinach
Red onions
Hard boiled eggs
Fry bacon in large skillet. While it's frying, wash fresh spinach and remove stems, making sure to get all sand off, or use bagged spinach.
Place greens in large bowl. Add thinly sliced red onion and sliced hard boiled eggs to taste.
Remove bacon from skillet and drain on paper towels, reserving bacon drippings in pan. Add oil, vinegar and seasonings to pan. Stir with wooden spoon, scraping off bits of bacon stuck to bottom of skillet.
Pour dressing over salad and serve immediately.