Just a quick post this morning…

There’s always something precious stowed away in the fridge after a holiday. I won’t dare call them leftovers, as that word has a nasty connotation to a lot of people who, in fact, frequently state, “I don’t like leftovers.” Think about a ham bone that will soon grace a pot of bean soup, Thanksgiving pumpkin pie waiting for Friday’s sweet breakfast, or the Christmas roast beast chilled and ready for late night sandwiches.

EGG STUFF…

Hard-cooked or hard-boiled eggs — which you might have leftover today (white or brightly colored) if you’re lucky — are one of America’s favorite snacks, eaten on a daily basis by those in search of plenty of protein or simply easy eating. The jury is often out on how many eggs you should eat in a given week, but here’s the latest. Discussion on how to peel them runs rampant, but you can check out this idea from THE INCREDIBLE EGG and see what you think. Another idea, which comes from my friend Audie Dunham, is to place the eggs in a plastic storage container with a tightly-fitted lid and shake, shake until–hopefully–all the shells are off. I have some luck with that process, but typically do this:

Place 7-10 day old eggs in a pot with enough water to cover by one inch and cover. Bring to a boil and turn off heat. Let rest for 13 minutes. (You may want them cooked a bit more if you’re at sea level. Remember I’m at altitude.) Add eggs to a bowl filled with cold, iced water and let cool 30 minutes. (Don’t put the cold, iced water into your pan or it can warp.) Peel then under running cold water or chill and peel later.

Are your eggs fresh? Here’s how to tell.

BTW, unpeeled hard-cooked eggs last one week in the fridge according to still tasty.com

Even before Easter arrived at our house, I had a bunch of hard-cooked eggs because I had been thinking about making this dip or just trying it out ahead of time. I’m not sure how long I considered it, but deviled eggs, that favorite old school appetizer, always disappear nearly immediately when they’re brought to a potluck or dinner–and I thought a dip with those totally popular flavors might just work.

You’ll hear people say, “Oh, I LOVE deviled eggs, but I forget to ever make them” as they scoop up two at a time and pop them into their mouth one after another. They do go down so easily. The talk might then go to someone’s aunt’s deviled eggs (“She always put pickles in hers.) or the time 3 people all brought them to a cousin’s 4th of July cookout. (All were eaten, of course.) I think they’re loving and happy reminders of long time gone barbecues, baby showers, late night snacks, and spring holidays — hence ringing those emotion-memory food bells most of us maintain whether or not we’re aware of it. In fact, maybe deviled eggs are sort of fun food.

But while everyone adores deviled eggs, one of the things about them is they rise and fall on a few pesky and time-consuming issues: peeling the boiled eggs prettily, filling and decorating them attractively, and locating the right serving platter that will prevent them from rolling around. We won’t even mention that you cannot sprinkle the filled eggs with paprika until right before serving or the darned stuff runs all over making a mess no one wants to eat. A dip would solve all of those problems because throwing everything into the food processor eliminates the need for a full, beautifully-peeled egg white or an attractive presentation on any level. As I had a lot of prep to do for our family-neighborhood Easter potluck, I didn’t get around to testing my dip recipe until Saturday night when both Dave and I were happy, but pretty tired from cooking all day long.

The recipe is then fresh off the kitchen counter and I think that’s ok because you’ll take it and run with it, making it your own with additions like horseradish, extra hot sauce, minced smoked salmon or ham, just a little bit of grated red onion, chopped pickles like Aunt So and So, or ___________. Just like your favorite deviled eggs are different than mine, so will your dip be. You might also think about various garnishes like extra minced cooked egg on top or chopped chives, or dill. I did like my thinly sliced green onions!

Skip that salsa or guac with tortilla chips next time you need dip for a gathering or hop to and make my nearly-instant Deviled Egg Dip today if those eggs are right now languishing away in your fridge. Just try this:

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IF YOU LIKED THIS, you might like my:

Fried Egg on Potato Cake with Tomato-Blue Cheese Wedge

This recipe is from my blog Dinner Place–a blog that is done for posting, but not for cooking and eating! An old format doesn’t allow for printable recipes, but you can read through and get a quick easy idea for using up leftover mashed potatoes for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

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Happy Spring,

Alyce