Deviled Eggs ~ My Mama's Recipe

I hope everyone had a nice Easter Sunday. I got to have it pretty easy this year. We went out to my parent's house for dinner. Typically the task of family meals falls to me. This has been the case for about a decade now. Which I do love, but sometimes it's nice to relax a little. And it was.

This evening I was talking with my best friend and we were reminiscing a little about our Easter traditions growing up. I loved Easter as a girl. Every year, Easter morning I'd wake up to a glorious basket that always had a cute stuffed bunny. There was even one year we got some baby bunnies and another year where we got some baby chicks. (Practical because I grew up on a farm.) Then there was always a frilly dress of some kind, complete with a bonnet to match. There was usually a visit from my grandparents and another cute stuffed bunny. Over the years I even started a bunny collection based on all my Easter bunnies.

Then there was the big dinner. We almost always had, and still have, ham on Easter Sunday.

My mom was (and is) such a great cook, it's a funny thing when the mantle gets passed down to the next generation. She called me a couple of times for cooking advice today. I feel pretty humbled when she comes to me though. I really felt growing up that my mom made the best food in the world. It is a great compliment for me when she comes to me now asking how to make something taste good.

So for the past years that I have been the official maker of the holiday meals, I'm in charge of the ham dinner now and my mom's job is to make deviled eggs. My mom makes, in my opinion the best deviled eggs. They are so simple it's barely even a recipe. Just eggs and mayonnaise pretty much, but so good.

This year we traded and my mom made the dinner and it was my job to bring the deviled eggs. 

Deviled Eggs (Mom's Recipe)

~makes 24~

Ingredients:

12 large eggs

mayonnaise

1/4 t. onion powder (optional)

paprika

Instructions:

1. Place eggs in a large dutch oven, add enough water to cover eggs by about an inch. Cover and bring to a full boil. Remove pan from heat and let sit for 15 minutes. Drain and cover eggs again in cold water to cool down. 

2. Peel and halve the eggs. Place the egg yolks in a medium bowl and mash with a fork to break the yolks up. Add onion powder (if using) and mayonnaise, a tablespoon or two at a time and mix well using a hand mixer. (Using a hand mixer is important to achieve the right, light,creamy consistency.) Keep adding mayonnaise and mixing until the consistency is light and smooth and you like.

3. You can just spoon the egg yolk mixture into the whites (this is how my mom does it). I like to take a large freezer bag, spoon the egg yolk mixture into the bag. Snip the corner of the bag and pipe the egg yolk back into the white. Garnish with paprika.

Clams Steamed in White Wine with Tarragon and Tomato

Recently my husband and I celebrated our 12th anniversary with a weekend trip to Seattle. On the night of our anniversary we dined on steamed clams in white wine (complete with a spectacular view of the Seattle skyline).  The clams were great, but we were all about the broth in the bottom of the serving bowl. So briny, so buttery and delicious! What was odd though is that they didn't serve us the dish with any bread to soak it all up with. Well that didn't dissuade us, we just picked up the empty clam shells and spooned up all that yummy wine-spiked clam broth (until we could flag down our waitress for some bread, which she happily obliged us).

I couldn't wait to get home and make my own version of white wine-steamed clams. And this time I made sure there was plenty of bread to soak up all the broth.

Clam Steamed in White Wine with Tarragon and Tomato

~serves 4 generously as a main course, serves 6-8 as an appetizer~

Ingredients:

4 lb. clams (I use Manila clams here), scrubbed well, discarding any with broken shells as well as clams that          

     are open and won't close again after tapping them on the shell (dead clams)

2c. white wine

1 large shallot, minced (about 1/2 c.)

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 bay leaf

4 T. unsalted butter

1 T. minced fresh tarragon

1 Roma tomato, cored, seeded and cut into 1/2 inch dice

the juice of 1 lemon (or to taste)

generous grinding of black pepper

Directions:

1. In a large dutch oven or stockpot, combine wine, shallot, garlic and bay leaf. Simmer together over medium heat for 3-4 min. to bring out the flavors. 

2. Increase heat to high, add the clams. Cover the pot and steam, 5-8 min.,until all the clams open, stirring twice while they cook.

3. Using a slotted spoon, remove the clams to a serving bowl, discarding any unopened clams.

4. Reduce heat to low, add the butter & swirl it around in the liquid to make and emulsified sauce. Stir in tarragon, tomato, lemon juice and black pepper. Ladle the broth over the clams. Serve immediately. Don't forget the bread!