Savory Deviled Eggs

Sorry I don't have a great picture of my deviled eggs. I made them quickly (or as quickly as I could) and then we scooted out the door to take them to our picnic at the park. You see, I actually made these deviled eggs back in May for a Mother's Day picnic that we did for my mom down by the lake. Yes, I'm just getting around to posting about them. It's not that I've had so many more things to post about since then, it's just that I kind of saved it in my "if I ever need something to post about" file and that's about where I'm at right now since we spent the whole month of June and some of July out of town. It was more the look than the taste that relegated them to that particular file. I just can't seem to get a great picture of some types of foods so when they look less than appealing I hesitate to put them out there for everyone to see. I guess that's perfectionism in it's worst form, but as I've said before, who cares what it looks like if it tastes good.

I actually had never made deviled eggs before this experience. I always left that task to someone else when we attended picnics and potlucks because I get easily frustrated with shells on hard-boiled eggs that tear off half the egg white along with the shell and I figured if I had to do this for at least a dozen eggs I was sure to go crazy. I managed to stay sane though and most of the shells came off pretty easily. Instead of making the traditional deviled egg recipe, I made one that I saw in a Southern Living magazine that used slightly different ingredients. I had a good experience overall so I think I'll be making more deviled eggs in my future. Enjoy!

Savory Deviled Eggs
Makes 2 dozen

1 dozen large Hard-Cooked Eggs, peeled
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons chopped black olives
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

**If you don't have a foolproof method to hard-boil eggs, skip to the * at the bottom of this post.*

Slice eggs in half lengthwise; carefully remove yolks, keeping egg white halves intact. Process yolks, garlic, olives, and lemon zest in a food processor until combined, stopping to scrape down sides. (You can see I just used my pastry blender since I don't have a food processor. It worked just fine for me.)

With food processor running, gradually pour olive oil through food chute in a slow, steady stream, processing until mixture thickens. (Again, you don't need a food processor. Just stir it in until completely combined.) Stir in salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon yolk mixture into egg white halves.

*Hard-Cooked Eggs
Place eggs in a single layer in a stainless steel saucepan (do not use non-stick). Add water to a depth of 3 inches, and bring to a rolling boil. Cover and remove from heat. Let eggs stand 12 minutes. Drain immediately, and return eggs to pan. Fill pan with cold water and ice. Tap each egg firmly on the countertop until cracks form all over the shell. Peel under cold running water.