EASY ENTERTAINING: HOW TO MAKE A DEVILED EGG BAR

I love to set up interactive stations for easy entertaining. A self-serve DIY bar offers guests lots of options and encourages conversation, too. In my book, that is a win-win. For Easter brunch (or any brunch for that matter) a DIY Deviled Egg Bar is nothing but easy, yummy fun and with a price tag under ten cents per serving, deviled eggs are super affordable.

THE HOW-TO:

Make your deviled eggs. I'd suggest making a pretty basic recipe since your guests will be adding toppings and piling on lots of flavor. Try my classic deviled egg recipe... and learn all about the best way to hard-boil eggs here.

How to build a deviled egg bar with toppings. Photo: Arden Photography Location: The Sonnet House, Leeds, Alabama

Assemble the eggs on a variety of different plates, egg dishes, and platters. Arrange the platters at different heights. Put the toppings in small dishes, jars, or bowls in groups. I like to get a bowl and fill it with ice and arrange bowls filled with toppings that are best kept chilled.  

Offer guests a menu of different combinations: BBQ, Asian, etc, to help them craft their eggs.

Deviled eggs with assorted toppings. Photo: Arden Photography

SUGGESTED TOPPINGS: Use as many or as few as you like based on your budget and the amount of room you have.

• Herbs: Fresh Dill, Thyme, Tarragon, Chives, Italian parsley, or cilantro; finely chopped
• Scallions, finely chopped
• Capers
• Spicy pickle relish
• Pickled okra slices
• Roasted red peppers, diced
• Jalapeno peppers, diced
• Green olives, sliced
• Toasted pecans, chopped
• Bacon crumbles
• Goat cheese crumbles
• Shredded cheddar cheese
• Fresh horseradish
• Country ham, sliced ultra thin and cut into small pieces
• BBQ (beef or pork, shredded)
• Smoked salmon (thin sliced)
• Fresh lump crabmeat (cooked)
• Cooked baby shrimp
• Caviar (if you have the budget)
• Sour cream, creme fraiche or Greek yogurt
• Fig preserves
• Chutney
• Hot sauce
• BBQ sauce
• Salt
• Pepper
• Paprika

HOW TO DYE SPECKLED EASTER EGGS

There are all kinds of techniques for dying Easter eggs... and since the creation of Pinterest, it seems Easter eggs are more and more creative each year. I particularly love the natural look of "straight from the hen house" speckled eggs and the technique is very easy to master. Here's the how-to for easy, natural speckled Easter eggs:

How to easily dye speckled Easter eggs. Photo credit: Arden Photography Location: The Sonnet House Leeds, Alabama

SUPPLIES
Newspaper or something to protect the work surface

Hard-boiled eggs or blown out eggs (I made both)

Easter egg dye- there are tons of brands. Pick one or you can use food coloring or veggies to create a natural dye*

2 black tea bags

Plastic cups

Brown craft paint

Old toothbrush

Rubber or plastic gloves

DIRECTIONS:

Create a drying rack of some sort. I used the top of a Styrofoam cooler and some toothpicks for mine. Push in 4 toothpicks and let the eggs rest on top. But you have to rotate them so they don't have a big drip mark on the bottom side.  You can also use a circle of tin foil on newspaper.  You can use straight pins and a foam board also. 

Cover the work surface with newspaper or Kraft paper. Boil 1 cup of water and add tea bags to steep to make a strong, dark tea. While the tea is steeping, boil eggs as you normally would for dying. As they are cooling, mix dye according to package directions.

Natural looking speckled eggs look best colored pale blue, aqua, pale green, soft tan, and even violet or pale pink. (Yes, hens do lay pink eggs, I promise! ) To achieve a natural look for tan eggs, use the tea to dye the eggs. I also used a small amount of the tea to muddy the bright color of the dye to make a more natural look. Feel free to adjust the colors until you get the dye the color you want. You can re-dip them to get a darker color. I will dip then wipe with a paper towel to set a base color. Then re-dip to make a nice, pale shade.

Once you've dyed the eggs, allow them to dry completely. For the speckle effect: dip the toothbrush in a small amount of the brown craft paint and run your finger over the toothbrush, causing the paint to splatter onto the eggs. A random pattern looks good- but keep it very light for best results. Allow to dry and you've got natural looking speckled eggs.

No matter which way you color your eggs, I hope you create lots of fun memories for you and your family. Happy Easter!

THOUGHTS: SAVE THE RECIPES!

"In the bowl of your mixer, cream the butter and the sugar together."

On Wednesday, over 25,000 people saw, shared, printed, or looked at my mom's pound cake recipe as a result of my posts on social media for National Pound Cake Day. I saw your comments about a mom, an aunt, or even a granddaddy's recipe that you make and even though you lost them, the recipe is like having a little piece of them still with you. All these years later, I still remember the food my mother made for us and the times I spent with her in the kitchen. That pound cake brings back so many memories and I'm so thankful to have the recipe. It was almost lost forever... read the story about how I got it back. It's a good one. GET THE RECIPE...

My mom made a pound cake about once a week. The cake was so dense, I can remember mom testing it with a piece of uncooked spaghetti instead of a toothpick to see if it was done.

I've mentioned many times how heartbroken I am that I do not have more of my mom's recipes down on paper. The few I do have in her handwriting are so prized, so cherished.

So now, I'm going to get on my soapbox. If your mom is a "pinch of this" cook who rarely writes down her recipes... this is for you.

Please take the time to have her show you how to make your favorite recipes. Have her write the recipes out in her handwriting if she still can, and talk you through them. Video her, if she's willing because often, the technique is as important as the ingredients themselves. It has taken me years to recreate some of my mother's dishes and have them taste the same.... Her pot roast took me almost 10 years to master, even though I was using the exact same Dutch oven. I was leaving out the bay leaf and that one little thing made all the difference.

Sunday Pot Roast after church was a standard at our house but my mom never wrote down the recipe. It took me 10 years after she passed away to recreate it and have it taste exactly the same as I remember.

Every bite of that pot roast reminds me of Sunday dinner after church and how my mom always had a plate warming on the stove (and a slice of lemon icebox pie hidden away in the refrigerator) for me if I was late. There will be a time when it is too late to get your cherished recipes down and you will never regret the time you spent with them in the kitchen.

FYI- Copy your originals because ink will fade. I pressed mine in a book with archival paper. I plan to frame large copies one of these days for my studio.

Much love,

Martie xo