Recipe: Ruth’s Deviled Eggs

Ruth always fixes deviled eggs for Easter, and she also boils some eggs to eat
plain, even when there are no colored eggs. “Everybody is supposed to have
eggs because it is Easter.”

I told her I was having stew. “You can’t just have stew,” she said, “no matter
how exotic.”

Ruth’s Deviled Eggs

Boil 6 eggs, peel them, and cut them in half. (By the way, when you boil the
eggs, placing a swish of vinegar in the water makes the peelings fall off easier.)

To the yolks add the following:
1 tablespoon mayonnaise (approximate measurement)
A little bottled ranch salad dressing
A little bit of mustard
2 teaspoons sweet pickle relish

Ruth said, “Look around and find some more things to add. You need a variety of
things.”

She said deviled ham is very good in this mix, but that Bill, her husband, prefers Vienna sausages.

Open a can of Vienna sausage.
She said, “Eat 2 or 3 on the side. A whole can will be too much sausage.”
Chop the sausage fine and stir it into the mix. Stuff the eggs.
Add some paprika if you wish.

(As a Louisiana resident, I must say that a small amount of red pepper mixed with
the paprika makes the eggs more exciting.)

(Myrtle’s Deviled Eggs is posted on February 5, 2005, in the collard patch and
also featured in Flavored with Love, along with more family recipes and stories.)