DRINKING ALCOHOL TAUGHT ME HOW TO FLY
THEN IT TOOK AWAY THE SKY

Friday, July 9, 2010

THE DEVIL DEVILS EGGS





YOU WANT EGG ROLL 
WITH THAT????

Several years ago I was member of a group which decided to have a "pot-luck" annual celebration dinner. You do not need to know this, but the only thing I EVER did in the kitchen area is wash dishes--by hand. I do not like dishwasher appliances, they are SUCH a waste of water and power (hot water)!  I did watch my mother--at age 7 (me, not mother!) make deviled eggs.  And I fondly recall how the dish on which her eggs were served was the first empty dish at the party.

I literally had to ask what "Pot-Luck" meant, since I thought maybe the one with the biggest stomach won a prize.  (Let's see--do I know any prize-winners?--grin!  Any prize-winners out there? Bloggers?)  Actually, I like the looks of a well-fed stomach.  (BRIAN would have a ball with his ice cubes melting and dripping over the skin af a prize winning body-front!)  The scene often portends a happy-go-lucky Peep who just doesn't give a DAMMM how they look.  And I LOVE that attitude!  Note to self: I must write a short piece about Frumpy, Bumpy and Lumpy!

Back to the eggs. The Peeps volunteered ME to buy or prepare an hor d' ourve. I determined to "cook" something. After all I make coffee (while doing dishes!). Upon finding out it required 6 dozen eggs for 144 pieces, I was ready to back out. However, although I don't do our marketing, I enjoy being in the supermarkets.  They smell good, and are clean, bright and pretty.  Something comforting about being around all that food, even though some of the names I've never heard of, before nor since.

6 Dozen "large" eggs...HEY! WHOA!!! THESE aren't "large"!  When we sold eggs on the farm 60 years ago, these would have been labeled SMALL. What happened, did the large eggs shrink? After filling my hand basket with six cartons of Extra Large eggs, it was time to search for the Helmann's Mayonaisse.  And the mustard--bland, yellow. I had trouble finding plain old mustard, there were too many choices of colors and flavors.

Oh Yeah! Don't forget Paprica and salt and pepper. Well, as I found out later, we had at home enough already of the condiments to last until September 2085 AD.

So, with everyone gone, I alone in the kitchen, became chef-of-the-day. With cookbook in hand I timed, boiled, poked with needle (ouch), salted, did all the right things. Then I set up a sort of assembly line for the fine art of pealing the eggs, separating the yokes, beating, stirring, tasting, adding this-and-that.  Each yoke I looked at as a baby being aborted...How cruel are we to just EAT these embryos!  Well, I ate enough of them that I should be living in the chicken coop.

Well, "Serve chilled" were instructions. So I packed them with ice. It worked, but there WAS an easier way, I found...like the modern refrigerator?

The only injury I sustained was a sore back, from bending over the sink (NO--NOT vomiting--Sheeeesh!) for several hours...pealing the eggs. OH! Yesss, almost forgot, I ended up with lots of tiny pieces of egg shell embedded under my finger nails.  These finger endings became quite sore, and took several weeks to heal.

Didja ever try to play the violin with shell-embedded fingers? It is neither easy nor fun....
Bottom line was that "my" deviled eggs were the most popular item on the table that night! Even the toothpicks were gone!  And I ate about 12 of them. Is that a half-dozen?  Has "twelve" become "six"? Oh, my!  Well, when I remembered each egg was cut in half...YEP! One half-dozen eggs for steveroni.

Note: That was my only cooking experience in 70-plus years.  And this is my FIRST-and-LAST entry in the "Food Section" of our blog world.

14 comments:

Brian Miller said...

haha. you wont find me posting much on cooking either..but ice cubes, yeah that is another story. lol. i do love deviled eggs though...mmm...but i sure bet it was hard to play. yikes. thanks a bunch steve.

steveroni said...

Brian, you amaze me. How you can be so many places at once is beyond...well, beyond. And you are always so kind with your comments. that takes a humble Peep!

Thanks for being here and everywhere!

Cindy said...

Love your post Steve! Deviled Eggs are my brother's favorite. I have deviled egg platters even (glass dishes w/ oval indentations for the little devils). Over the years, I've collected maybe 20 or so deviled egg recipes. I use a pastry bag and all to fill them...
I should make those for the next potluck. Wooooo!

L'Adelaide said...

WOW, lucky you that in 70 years, you've only gotten stuck cooking for a crowd ONCE!! i bet they were good too...i love those things and always buy NON-fertile eggs so as not to be eating the babes ;)
xo

Findon said...

Apologies for not being round for a while. You sound as though you enjoyed the cooking and giving, even if it made the fingers sore. Glad you had a good time. Many thanks for stopping by. take care

RNSANE said...

I love deviled eggs, too, Steve, and make all sorts of different kinds...some of my favorite ones have fresh crab meat in the filling. They go too darn fast, though, and are so expensive to fix. I just read a tip this year that I wish I'd learned 30 years ago - add a couple of Tbsp to the water when boiling the eggs and they will peel so much easier, even the fresh ones. I can't believe how well that works.

Wendilea said...

Yummy... always a crowd pleaser, but they are a devil to prepare! Good giggles Steveroni!

Claudia said...

Oh dear - I LOVE it - and I was smiling all the time.
Thanks for taking us with you on this cooking journey :=)
Claudia

Em said...

LOL Steveroni! I don't cook either. I also don't wash dishes ;) just kidding I do wash dishes but my husband does all the cooking in our house. I did post one food related blog post entitled Green Spaghetti when I first started out on this adventure of blogging...your story was so cute! love that you packed them in ice rather than using the "modern refridgerator!"

Syd said...

It sounds like quite an experience. I do like to cook but have not made deviled eggs. I do remember the ones from my grandmother and pot luck dinners of the past. Great food!

Anonymous said...

Got interrupted in reading this post... had to read about ice cubes! They look yummy. Fun post :D

Dulçe ♥ said...

So you cooked for a crowd but ate most of them!!!!? Oh you greedy boy.
LOL
I'll try that recipe myself when i find the time... Now going to see that Brian's post!

Hugs SWeetest Peep
;)

Heather's Mom said...

Love that story!!! Love deviled eggs!!! Even though it was your only foray into the kitchen, I'm impressed - anyone who has ever made deviled eggs should be impressed! It's so not easy getting them peeled for display (without nicking the exterior), cut in half (without squashing them), and filled in the center (just the right amount).
You know... I think I have some hard-boiled eggs in the refrigerator... you've made me hungry!
God bless.

Maude Lynn said...

Holy cow! That is a LOT of deviled eggs!