Eggs are plentiful this time of year, perfect time to make Deviled Eggs! And believe me darlin’ you’re gonna want to Shut de Door and keep de’ devils all to yourself! Start with six fresh hard boiled eggs. To make them easier to peel, once they’ve bubbled 3-4 minutes drain and plunge into a big bowl of cold water with ice to chill. Peel the eggs, slice in half and carefully remove the yolks into a bowl. If you have one, put the white yolkless halves on a plate made especially for stuffed eggs- the one pictured is my grandmother’s. Mash the egg yolks. Add a good mayonnaise- check the label! Homemade Mayo has oil, egg yolks and lemon juice. Find a commercial brand with at least those 3 ingredients. One of my favorites is Winn Dixie’s generic label. Add 2-3 tablespoons to mashed egg yolks until a good consistency, more if necessary, then add 1-2 teaspoons of yellow mustard, please don’t make this mix into a paste!

Now for the fun part! I usually add a little more Mayonnaise than necessary, which gives me an excuse to crush up some Saltine Crackers, add some Red Hot Sauce and a pinch of Red Cayenne Pepper! The crackers firms up the mixture so that no piping is necessary and the flavor, oh Honey…Shut de Door! Sprinkle liberally with Red Paprika. Add all the ‘Red’ you can to ’em!  Enjoy with fried chicken, a plate of barbecue, with baked ham and roasted turkey….actually stuffed eggs are a great accompaniment to most Southern meals! Southern cooks know all about these Devils!

Let me tell you a little story I always think of when I make deviled eggs!  A Farmer had a Son who had never been Uptown, he was gettin’ to be a big strapping boy, so the farmer told him to get in the truck and they’d go Uptown. The Farmer showed the boy the sights, saying- ‘Son, there’s the Library where they keep all the books for learnin’ and there’s the Bank where all the Rich Folks keep their Money, and over there is the big Courthouse where the Menfolk sit outside under the Big Oak Tree and solve the problems of the whole world…’

About that time- a Woman in a Tight Red Dress with blondined hair, Red Lipstick and Red High Heels with a swing to her hips walked by – whew lordie…that boy’s eyes bugged out of his head- He said to his dad…‘What’s that?’ The old Farmer said, ‘Well Son, that’s the Devil, you’re gonna want to stay away from Devils like that. And don’t go tellin’ your momma you even saw one- Just look over at all those fine menfolk at the Courthouse, think about that Library and the book learnin’ and  all that money in the big fine Bank!’

On the way home, the two didn’t say too much…about halfway home the Farmer asked, ‘What was your favorite thing Uptown, Son?’ The boy thought a minute and said, ‘Well Pa, I liked that Devil!’ 

Oh me and I like those Devilled Eggs dressed up with Red Hot Sauce, Cayenne Pepper and Paprika! I’m just gonna Shut de Door now and have a few…

Love y’all Camellia