Don't Screw with My Devilled Eggs
AKA - Happy Devilled Egg Day!
Today is National Devilled Egg Day, and coincidentally, devilled eggs are one of my all-time favorite foods. I only like them fixed one way, but more about that later.
With Thanksgiving being right around the corner, and Christmas and New Year’s right on its heels, today seems like a good time to discuss food allergies. If you’ve never had them, consider yourself truly blessed.
As a person who suffered from an assortment of food allergies before moving to South Carolina, the worst thing that can happen when I'm eating is for someone else to ask, "Can you taste what the surprise ingredient is?" The thought alone was enough to send me into a full-blown case of hives.
Adding insult to injury is the fact that I'm a picky eater. Not only am I picky about the type of foods I eat, but I'm also picky about the way my food is prepared. This makes potlucks and family dinners a challenge if I’m in attendance, but I really do appreciate the extra effort made by people in the past to accommodate my unique palate.
However, some people like to be creative with their recipes. Some did not believe I developed new food allergies as an adult. Others who had never heard of oral allergy syndrome (or that it could be brought on by stress) decided I must have invented the condition, and therefore precautions with my food were unnecessary.
Journey with me through some of my taste-testing adventures…
Cinnamon-Sugar Sweet Potato Fries? What?
While living in West Virginia, our family decided to try a newly opened steakhouse for lunch. Lunch prices were cheaper, and because we homeschooled, we could enjoy a meal in a non-crowded setting.
I decided to pair my greasy bacon cheeseburger burger with an order of healthier, baked sweet potato fries. The menu said nothing about what spices seasoned the potatoes and other restaurants always served up the dish with a taste of salt and pepper -- or at most, a bit of seasoned salt.
Two-thirds of the way through inhaling the sweet and salty side dish, a tingling sensation began in the roof of my mouth. Then it hit me -- a healthy dose of cinnamon and sugar accompanied the fries!
The ketchup I used to smother them had disguised the taste, allowing me to eat a good amount before realizing it. Fortunately the reaction was mild and we could purchase Benadryl in a pharmacy located just across the street.
Secret Ingredient - Oysters
If only a certain family member had known about my allergies before encouraging me to sample a bit of their stuffing, made from a special family recipe. It smelled delicious. It looked delicious. Why wouldn’t I try it?
Anyone who knows me knows that stuffing is one of my weaknesses at Thanksgiving. It works as a side dish, as a stand-alone meal, as crust on turkey potpie, and as a sandwich ingredient. Stuffing is by far the most versatile of all food items in a traditional turkey-day spread.
So, imagine my surprise when, in the middle of swallowing the sampling of their stuffing, the person informed me that the secret ingredient was...oyster! Maybe I’d be okay, right? Wrong! The throat-tingling commenced within a few minutes, and we were off to find a store that was both open and stocked Benadryl on Thanksgiving day.
Mystery-Ingredient Devilled Eggs
This is more of a pet-peeve than an allergy issue, but devilled eggs have a few basic ingredients: hard-boiled eggs, mustard, mayonnaise, salt, pepper, and vinegar. Maybe a dash of paprika. Sometimes my mom adds a pinch of sugar, and that’s okay. People in the south add either sugar or grease (or sometimes both) to just about everything.
Marriage can expose people to another culture, whether the couple hails from two separate countries or just two different regions in the same country. Devilled eggs are a near-perfect food, and I really see no reason to mess with perfection.
More than once while dining with my husband’s family, I’ve bitten into a devilled egg and (while wondering what that weird flavor is) heard, “I bet you didn’t even know you liked them with (mystery ingredient) mixed in!”
Don’t get me wrong. Despite our rocky start, my mother-in-law is a sweetheart. I think the world of her. Her propensity to tangle with a perfectly good recipe for devilled eggs? Not so much!
Have you ever had devilled eggs made with horseradish? Ranch dressing? Pickled beets? Crab meat? Cheddar and bacon? Okay, I’m just teasing on the last one but there is a recipe for it. Come to think of it, she did use bacon and tomato once.
Experimenting with different foods can yield delicious results, but for the sake of those with unique tastes or allergy issues please don’t use unsuspecting family members as test subjects! Take those dishes to group events like community picnics and church potlucks where total strangers and other acquaintances can decide the success of your creation.
Here’s something you can gobble up without any risk of allergy, and that’s e-books! All of the book sets, box sets, and anthologies in this collection, including the first three books in the Haunted Housekeeping series, are FREE to read with your Kindle Unlimited subscription!
Kindle Unlimited was one of the best investments I’ve ever made. Our family doesn’t go out to dinner or to the movies. Most events we attend have free admission. It’s even free to park at the beach after a certain hour.
When I first subscribed, I wasn’t sure if I’d get my money’s worth, but you can see by my reading list (https://www.beckymuth.com/readinglist) that I’ve surpassed last year’s total of 5-ish books per month. In fact, I’m on track to almost double that! If you don’t have KU, keep reading to learn how you can get a free trial.
That's all for now. I hope your day is filled with books and coffee (or whatever it is that you put in your favorite mug). Have a great weekend!
Until next time,
Becky
P.S. Are you a Kindle Unlimited subscriber? If so, then you can read my books at no extra charge with your membership. And if you’re not a member, be sure to grab your FREE trial so you can enjoy a bunch of books at one low monthly fee!
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