Deviled Eggs

Growing up, we lived for a few wonderful years on a farm in Oregon. We had lots of chickens, and consequently, lots of eggs. Mama made Egg Sandwiches and Deviled Eggs routinely, and none of us ever thought much of it. However, when I grew up and had to make my own Deviled Eggs, I realized how much works goes into it...

The process begins with boiled eggs. Easy? LOL...NOT!! How long do you boil them to get them cooked through, but not get green yolks? My best "guesstimate" is: Cover cold eggs in room temperature water and let them sit until they are no longer cold. Then bring them to a soft but rolling boil, and let them boil for 5 minutes. Pull them off the heat and let them sit for another 10-15 minutes in the hot water.

Now, do your damnedest to peel those suckers without making a mess of the egg whites or breaking the egg apart. Have fun with that. You can try rolling each one around in a glass or tapping it against the sink 100 times, but if an egg is going to be difficult, it is going to be difficult. Period...

Carefully, remove the (hopefully, not green) egg yolk from the white and gently lay the white in a serving receptacle or plastic container that will keep things fresh. Mash the egg yolk as finely as possible and put that in a bowl. Add mayonnaise, a bit of yellow mustard, salt and pepper to taste and mix it up. Then add just a bit of milk to get this yolk filling to the desired consistency.

This will take quite a bit of trial and error and taste testing. But that is what all those broken egg whites are for!

Next, I use a small scoop to fill the "nice" egg whites with the yummy yolk mix. Usually, this all comes out fairly evenly. Also, when I am doing this, people tend to be aware of what I am making and happily

make themselves available for taste test or for ridding you of the unwanted extras, as well as for licking the bowl.

My mom always sprinkled paprika on the finished eggs to "give them a little color".

And, more than anything, just know that if somebody makes you Deviled Eggs, they REALLY love you!

The Joy of Coffee

How is it that the simplest of things, such as a steaming cup of coffee, can bring us so much joy?

Last week, on a cold wet day, while waiting for a friend to join me for lunch, I was remembering a book I read many years ago, called, "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn". No doubt there are some of you who have read it as well...

It is odd how we remember just one obscure thing that was written into a story, and it stays with us for the rest of our life. What I was remembering was that, during the depression (the time period in which this particular book was set), the mother in the story made coffee grounds last absolutely as long as she could by adding chicory and reusing the grounds until the water would no longer turn brown. At least once a month, I find myself remembering this as I toss out "perfectly reusable" coffee grounds! And I tell myself that at least I know what to do in a Coffee Emergency!

Easy Sausage Gravy

All the guys in my family love biscuits and gravy for breakfast! But they hardly ever get it from me...not so much because it is hard or complicated to do...mostly, because I do not think it is the most healthy breakfast I can make for them. However, once in awhile...and I do not make it complicated. This is what you do:

1 can of Southern Style Biscuits

1 pound Jimmy Dean breakfast sausage

1 pkg Pioneer Country gravy mix (peppered and/or sausage flavor)

Turn the oven to 400 degrees. Open the biscuits and place them on a greased baking sheet. Heat a big frying pan and add the sausage to it, chopping it up nice and fine. Put the biscuits in the oven. Follow the directions on the back of the gravy mix (the Pioneer mix makes 2 cups of gravy) and add it to the sausage once it is browned. Turn the heat down and let the gravy slowly come to a boil, while the biscuits are baking. Everything should be ready about the same time. Have a lovely(and manly) breakfast!