Seven ways to make deviled eggs

This Sunday is Easter which means besides lots of candy, we’ll have a plethora of hard-boiled eggs to enjoy. Let’s take this opportunity to make some really “egg-cellent” deviled eggs. A great deviled egg recipe is handy all year round because they make great appetizers, accompaniment for salads, light brunch or lunch and are perfect for picnics.

What makes the green ring around the yolks? If you let eggs boil too long or cook at a high a temperature, you’ll get green tinged yolks. This is caused by a reaction between sulfur in the egg’s white and iron in its yolk. It’s perfectly harmless but doesn’t look very “Diva.”

How to perfectly boil eggs — Lay the eggs flat in a pan and cover with cold water. Put the pan over medium heat and bring to a rolling boil. Once at a boil, immediately cover with a lid, remove from heat, and let the eggs sit for 12 minutes for large eggs, 10 for medium and 16 for extra large. Submerge or rinse in cold water until cooled.

Classic Deviled Eggs — This is the base for all the other recipes, just add the extra ingredients to this basic recipe.

Halve the eggs lengthwise. Remove the yolks and add them to a medium bowl. Mash the yolks with a fork and stir in your chosen ingredients.

For each dozen hard boiled eggs mix together - 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 2 Tbsp. melted butter, 2 Tbsp. whole-grain or yellow mustard, add salt and pepper to taste and blend well.

Fill the egg whites with the yolk mixture and garnish if desired. Arrange them in a container and store, covered, in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Southern — add 3 Tbsp. sweet pickle relish, more yellow mustard to taste, garnish with paprika.

Bacon Tomato Ranch — Reduce mayonnaise to 1/4 cup and add 1/4 cup ranch dressing, 3 slices bacon cooked and crumbled plus more for garnish, 2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped.

Cucumber Dill — add one small cucumber, seeded and finely diced, 2 Tbsp. finely minced onion, 1 tsp. dried dill, 1 Tbsp. finely chopped dill pickles or dill relish.

Pink Pickled Beets — soak peeled eggs (before you cut them) in pickled beet juice to give them a beautiful pink color. Add diced pickled beets and a big dollop of sweet pickle relish.

Guacamole — add one whole mashed avocado, 2 Tbsp. finely minced onion, 2 tsp. lemon or lime juice, 1 tsp. cumin, 1/2 tsp. chili powder and 1 Tbsp. yellow mustard.

The Devil’s Own Eggs — Add your favorite hot sauce to taste. We like 2 Tbsp. Sriracha hot chili sauce.

All of us at Divas On A Dime wish you a joyous Easter. Frugal Foodstuff contributed by Patti Diamond from Divas On A Dime – Where Frugal Meets Fabulous! www.divasonadime.com Join us on Facebook at divasonadimedotcom.