Today I’m sharing the absolute simplest – like guilt-ridden simplicity – recipe for Deviled Eggs. It it impossible to mess this up (well, almost impossible – the mastery of boiling eggs still eludes me). And it is sure to induce egg-envy, leaving you with the difficult debate of “to share, or not to share” with your friends/frenemies.

I was lucky enough to grow up with my extended family close by.  This included my dad’s mom, Mabel, who lived with us in her later years. I was convinced Mabel was the world’s greatest cook.

Turns out, she was maybe just the smartest.

While she truly was a great “from scratch” home chef, she also had the ability to present some super easy, few ingredients “tastes like I spent all day in the kitchen” dishes as though they were her own creations and secret recipes.

Like her fudge. I was an adult before I realized her “famous fantasy fudge” was actually THE fantasy fudge, you know, the one on the back of the marshmallow cream jar?  In her defense, that’s a really hard recipe to beat, so why mess with it?  She came from a generation where recipes were closely guarded and kept under wraps for bragging rights, and where no one admitted when they “borrowed” a recipe or found a short cut.

But times have changed.  Sharing is the new judging. So here you go . . . 

*boil eggs (or use decorated boiled eggs)

*cut eggs in half, yolks in bowl, whites on plate

*add Blue Plate sandwich spread to yolks (no measurement, just whatever works for you) and blend

*stuff eggs, garnish if you’re crafty, eat if you’re hungry

That’s it. No, really. That’s it!

Ok, feeling like there’s more to it? There isn’t, but let me jazz it up a bit anyway. . .

STEP ONE . . .Ask Alexa how to boil eggs.

I’m sure I’ve boiled eggs at least 50 or so times in my life, and every single time I have to research how. There are more methods than I can count, and while every author swears his or her way is best, some are definitely better than others. The good news is even the bad ways still yield an ok batch . . . still great tasting, if not-so-great looking.

STEP TWO . . . Find a better way to boil eggs.

There’s always room for improvement, so feel free to talk amongst yourselves in the comments below and share your favorite method.

STEP THREE . . . Gather the ingredients.

It’s not hard.  Literally just eggs and sandwich spread.  I tend to use Eggland’s Best eggs because I’m the sucker in the store who sees “best” on the label and assumes it’s worth double the price of the no-name store eggs next to it. It probably isn’t, but that’s what I buy.  As for sandwich spread, I’ve only used Blue Plate. I’m not even sure if there is another brand. Actually I just Googled, and Kraft makes one but it doesn’t look great, and I’m not messing with my system.  I also like that Blue Plate has this smallish jar that pretty much gets used up with a dozen or so Eggland’s Best eggs. Not that I measure, but sure . . . for those of you who came here for a true recipe and have to have structure and detail, let’s just say:

1 dozen eggs

1 8oz jar Blue Plate Sandwich Spread

Happy?

STEP FOUR . . . Boil the eggs.

This is where it gets tricky.

Yesterday I had a kitchen full of Monday-morning-quarterbacks, each with a different boiling method I should have tried instead, but guess what, the eggs were still delicious. So while peeling them was a hot mess (literally), all’s well that ends well.

STEP FIVE . . . Find a way to pass the time while the eggs boil.

Hmmm . . .in hindsight, the Cosmo detour may have impacted my boiling adventure. But revert back to step four, my new friend and I think it all turned out for the best.

STEP SIX . . . Peel the eggs. But not like this.

Take the time to Google all the hacks about chilling, rolling, smashing, and using your fingernails. That’s time wasted if your eggs are super fresh because they’re not going to peel easily no matter how hard you try. The trick to beautifully peeled hard-boiled eggs..use OLD EGGS! (obviously these were fresh, and obviously I’d had a Cosmo.)

STEP SEVEN . . . Slice eggs in half, yolks in mixing bowl, whites on plate.

Notice how perfect all the eggs turned out. (eyeroll)

Traditional deviled eggs are of course sliced length wise but cue Pinterest. And cue Pinterest fails, although in my defense I think this little guy looks more “just hatched” than the perfect “peeps” I’ve seen on Pinterest. If perfect peeps are your goal, add less sandwich spread so your little chick isn’t pouring out like mine.

STEP EIGHT . . . Mix yolks with sandwich spread.

Also, add ice to cosmo.

This is one of those use your own judgement/add according to taste recipes. I used the whole jar because I’ve never been a less is more kinda girl, but you do you. (and again, the “more is more” approach isn’t a good idea if you’re fixing little chick eggs)

STEP NINE . . . Blend away.

Technically you can do this by hand. But if your boiling method of choice leaves your yolks overcooked (as mine did today), a hand blender makes light work of it.

STEP TEN . . . Get creative.

I always feel a little underwhelmed when I’ve completed this recipe, so over the years I’ve found different ways to spruce up the presentation a bit. Kinda like cutting pb&j into fancy shapes, but with olives. Or parsley, paprika, chives, bacon, pickles, you get the idea. Keep in mind this recipe yields a sweetish egg (sandwich spread is basically mayo & relish) so garnish accordingly.

While deviled eggs can be enjoyed any time of year, I do tend to crave them more around Easter.

And I can’t help but feel a little nostalgic and remember my grandmother fondly, and all the things she taught me, most of which I rebelled against (like using 3 squares of tp or only 1 pat of butter per slice of french toast)…she’d be so proud of me still making her “secret” recipe eggs…but she would NOT approve of the side of vodka no matter how much cran I added.

Speaking of Easter and my infrequent moments of sentimentality, here’s a little throwback to coordinating smocked outfits and Easter Bunny visits because if you can’t embarrass your children around the holidays, why did you have them?

Happy Easter!

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Filling the Nest Luxury Travel & Lifestyle founder, Marla Fowler, is a wife, mother, daughter, friend, dreamer, planner and traveler . . . living her best life in New Orleans, and just about any place else she can, not afraid of her 50s, and ready to share her secrets to filling the nest.

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