Perfect Deviled Eggs

With summer -- you get picnics and get-togethers on the porch. I think everybody loves deviled eggs -- and since John's chickens lay the most delicious eggs -- that's always my "go-to" dish.



The other day, my niece Amy called to ask how to make perfect hard-boiled eggs. Hey, very few people do it right. My Mom would boil eggs for 30 minutes...they were so hard, you could use the yolks to play a game of jacks...

Here it is:

Put a single layer of eggs in a pan of water -- on high heat, with no lid, bring the water to a boil. (depending on your stove, this should take no more than 10 minutes -- watch carefully) The minute the boil begins -- REMOVE FROM THE HEAT AND PUT A LID ON THE PAN. Set your timer for 10 minutes.

Then, check one egg. Peel it and cut in two to make sure the yolk is set. IF it is perfect (and it should be) -- pour off the hot water and add cold water with ice cubes to stop the cooking.

Perfect hard-boiled eggs MAKES SUCH A DIFFERENCE!! I love having them in the frig for sandwiches, salads or a snack. Yummo!!

But if it's deviled eggs you're looking for -- here's my recipe (I seldom use real recipes -- so be distrustful of my amounts...

With a fork, mash & whip:

6 egg yolks
pinch of salt

2-4 tsp mayo
1-2 tsp yellow mustard
1 tsp sugar (Splenda works fine)
Enough sweet pickle juice (Valerie's secret ingredient) to get to the right consistency.

Here's the trick. Mash the yolks first, then add small amounts of mayo & mustard until the yolks are just-right-fluffy.

Always have extra hard-boiled eggs on hand. Then, if you accidentally make the yolks too soupy, you have extra yolks to easily thicken it up.