Recipe: Devilish eggs.

Deviled eggs are one of my favorite summer side dishes. Those hard-boiled little eggs with a sweet and sour center-- I prefer mine a little more sour than sweet-- get me every time! My favorite kind of deviled egg is the very basic recipe that my mama always made growing up, but lately I've been wanting to try some new varieties. Last night I attended a get-together where a delicious deviled egg was served that was different than any I'd had before. My interest was peaked and I just knew I was going to boil some eggs today and start a little experiment. The following four recipes are what I came up with. I now have two favorite types of deviled eggs. The other two did not appeal to me quite as much, but maybe they will to you?

Garlic & Olive deviled eggs:
Makes 24.

12 hard-cooked eggs
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tsp dijon-style mustard
1 tsp garlic powder
salt & pepper, to taste
black olives, sliced, for garnish

Peel your hard-cooked eggs and discard shells. Cut each egg in half, lengthwise, and remove the yellow centers into a bowl. Set aside the hard whites of the eggs. Mash up yellow centers using a whisk or fork. Add mayonnaise, mustard, garlic powder, salt & pepper. Continue mixing and mashing until all ingredients are combined and are as smooth as you can get them. Aline the whites of the eggs onto a serving platter. Fill a plastic sandwich bag (like Zip-loc) with yellow mixture and seal. With scissors, snip off a small corner of the bag. Squeezing the bag, pipe filling into the center of each egg evenly. Top each egg with a black olive slice.


Traditional deviled eggs:
Makes 24.

12 hard-cooked eggs
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tsp prepared mustard*
1 tbsp sweet pickle relish
paprika, for garnish

Peel your hard-cooked eggs and discard shells. Cut each egg in half, lengthwise, and remove the yellow centers into a bowl. Set aside the hard whites of the eggs. Mash up yellow centers using a whisk or fork. Add mayo, mustard, and relish. Continue mixing and mashing until all ingredients are combined and as smooth are as you can get them. Aline the whites of the eggs onto a serving platter. Fill a plastic sandwich bag (like Zip-loc) with yellow mixture and seal. With scissors, snip off a small corner of the bag. Squeezing the bag, pipe filling into the center of each egg evenly. Sprinkle with paprika for garnish.


*I like a little more mustard than most, but I scaled down for this recipe. You can taste-test your mixture before filling the eggs and add more mustard if desired.


Sweet "angel" eggs:
Makes 24.

12 hard-cooked eggs
1/3 cup miracle whip
2 tbsp white sugar
1 tsp cider vinegar
basil, fresh or dried, for garnish

Peel your hard-cooked eggs and discard shells. Cut each egg in half, lengthwise, and remove the yellow centers into a bowl. Set aside the hard whites of the eggs. Mash up yellow centers using a whisk or fork. Add miracle whip, sugar, and vinegar. Continue mixing and mashing until all ingredients are combined and are as smooth as you can get them. Aline the whites of the eggs onto a serving platter. Fill a plastic sandwich bag (like Zip-loc) with yellow mixture and seal. With scissors, snip off a small corner of the bag. Squeezing the bag, pipe filling into the center of each egg evenly. Sprinkle with dried basil or fresh snipped basil for garnish.


Buffalo deviled eggs:
Makes 24.

12 hard-cooked eggs
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tbsp hot sauce
1 tbsp ranch dressing
green onions, chopped, for garnish

Peel your hard-cooked eggs and discard shells. Cut each egg in half, lengthwise, and remove the yellow centers into a bowl. Set aside the hard whites of the eggs. Mash up yellow centers using a whisk or fork. Add mayo, hot sauce, and ranch dressing. Continue mixing and mashing until all ingredients are combined and are as smooth as you can get them. Aline the whites of the eggs onto a serving platter. Fill a plastic sandwich bag (like Zip-loc) with yellow mixture and seal. With scissors, snip off a small corner of the bag. Squeezing the bag, pipe filling into the center of each egg evenly. Top with chopped green onions.