Home Again Home Again, Jiggity-Jig...and Deviled Eggs

Home Again Home Again...Jiggity-Jig...and Deviled Eggs from Thyme (Sarah) on Vimeo.
Aunt Beverly's "Deviled Eggs" for Easter 2012


Do you remember those long station wagons with the "faux" wood stripe down the side? There weren't too many of them when I was little but - we did have one.  


I remember taking long road trips to the Grand Canyon.  We had gym mats in the back and sleeping bags, bags of snacks, and piles of books.  I saw this old wagon on the side of the road and thought of our old one.




We just returned from our pilgrimage to P.'s childhood home in southern Missouri. We enjoy this drive up through the huge hills of Arkansas into the beautiful lake area of southern Missouri.  Rural life, like a picture post card sweeps by.

Fields of wild spring flowers cover the fields all throughout each state.  Texas blue bonnets waved their sweet purple fronds across the flat lands.  Indian Paintbrush, in Arkansas,  spread out along the highway with a striking red sweep brushing up and over each hill.

Last year was the first year I spotted this handsome strong barn.  It sits on the curve of an expansive field. I squeal with delight every time we slide by it.  It stands solitary, shining, and peaceful in that wide field filled with springtime Butter Cup flowers.

Antique hand forged iron gates lead to their country home

My in-laws live tucked away in a southwestern pocket  in Missouri that reminds me of an English "Hamlet".


They have a passion for decorating their cozy home in all "Early American"  rural decor.  Everything, and I mean everything in their home tells a history lesson about America in the mid-1800's.

From the knobs on doors, to the solid iron wood burning stoves, to kitchen utensils, linens, and pewter plates...it all harkens to the time of America's first settlements across the Midwest.  


This is not a home where you will find a microwave, or a toaster, or a fancy espresso maker.  The stove is carefully crafted into an old iron kitchen stove, complete with the pipe going up through the ceiling.

Sugar waits for us to arrive

Many dogs have found love and comfort from rough pasts in this home in the woods.  At present, Sugar is the lady of the house, having had a childhood of mistreatment.  They all settle in and enjoy a new life of quiet and peace.  

Every time we pilgrimage back to P.'s childhood home, I learn something new about an antique, how it was used and how it was made.  


They cook "from scratch" most of the time, making homemade tomato sauces, country biscuits, delicious bread rolls, and hearty meat loaf.  

(Top:Right) Naturally dyed Easter Eggs in Red Onion Skins

One relative who always arrives bearing trays of goodies is our Aunt Beverly.  It was Easter season and we knew what that meant...Aunt Beverly's "Deviled Eggs".  She has a belly laugh that can light up a room and the most amazing positive outlook on life.  


I knew when we returned home, I was going to make some 'deviled eggs' and bring these delicious little appetizers into our family tradition.

Spring is spectacular this year isn't it?  The Dog Wood trees are going wild with blooms, the honeysuckle creates heavy swaths of heady aroma, and the lilac trees sway with their many boughs of dainty lilacs.

My mother in law is a wonderfully talented artist.  Her home is surrounded by the woods and when the winds blow it is the most splendid of sounds.


In addition to her watercolors and paper artworks, she set up a light netting in the woods on the side of her home.  She then wove strands through the netting and when you walk through the woods, you happen upon these colorful and whimsical dragon flies "fluttering" in forest.

In the back of the house, decks stretch back into the woods.  Huge trees soar into the sky.  When they sway and brush against each other, it is truly nature's finest music.  


We had our wedding reception out there in the middle of those woods.  It was a dreamy location and one that I wouldn't have changed for the world.

Deviled Eggs.  This was not something that I ate as a child but learned to relish as an adult.  M. and I thoroughly enjoyed making them at home.  We're saving them for Sunday dinner as a special treat.

Joanne has worked for years on her front garden.  Gathered in by a rustic moss covered picket fence, little blooms like this wild Columbine and Lilly of the Valley create the sweetest scented walkway to the front door.

Below:Right:  "Betty" lamps

This trip home was punctuated by learning about "Betty" lamps (below:right).  I noticed these little iron pieces hanging from Joanne's kitchen cabinet.  


She told me they are "Betty" lamps.  These were little iron cups that burned fish oil or fatty scraps with little cloth twisted wicks.  There is something laying about everywhere that has a quirky and wonderful story.

We enjoyed these sumptuous deviled eggs and were thankful to Aunt Beverly for always delivering a fresh batch for us each year to enjoy.  Yes, this is the Beverly who is also famous for her peanut butter fudge at Christmas time!

For the Easter table, delicate bunches of wild flowers from outside were collected in antique glass jars for the table.

Aunt Bev's Deviled Eggs: Top:Left

Dogwood Trees are something I don't notice down here in the deeper south, so these are always a treat to enjoy in Missouri.  What a soft and charming flower that opens gracefully and sits carefully on thin delicate branches.

(Top:Right) Sugar, Gus, and Batman (in back)

Any gathering at the Kenney's means a gathering of the dogs.  Everyone loves dogs in this family and they arrive one by one and somehow all get along very well together on their visits.  Poor Chester, knows when the car is being packed and loves road trips.  But, he stayed behind this time...next time he'll come...to the lake.

One of the wonderful treats at their home, is the tiny road that weaves its way deep into the back woods.  It twists and turns through the towering trees.  There is always something to discover on the little lane...caterpillars, bird's nests, wildflowers.

These deviled eggs do call for horseradish.  I'm not an eager fan of horseradish.  I do enjoy an extra dose of hearty dijon mustard, a sprinkle of paprika and a bite of cilantro on top.

This trip, our drive back took us through Oklahoma so we could bring my Mother-in-law to Dallas to see some family there.  We left before daylight, and when the hazy rays of sunlight started to peek out, the farm fields were swathed in the most beautiful mist.


An ethereal, soft, misty morning lay all over every farm field.

(Bottom:Right) Just look at those horns...Oklahoma sights!

Our drive to or from Missouri always involves a coveted perusal through an antique store (with much bribery from me) and usually a swift stop  at a fruit stand.  Peaches?  It's not peach season but here they are!  One wonders!


I always enjoy chatting with the farmers who work there and hearing about how the weather is still so crucial to their daily lives.  This woman's smile was gorgeous.  She said her wrinkles would break my camera....but they certainly did not.

Deviled Eggs:



Recipe type: Appetizer 
Prep time: 30 mins 
Cook time: 14 mins 
Total time: 44 min 


Ingredients
12 hard boiled eggs 
1/4 cup light mayonaise
1/2 tbs. Dijon mustard
1/4 tbs. horseradish (optional)
1/2 tsp. white wine vinegar
1/8 tsp. salt (optional)
1/8 tsp. ground white pepper


Cut eggs in half and place yolks in a food processor with other ingredients.
Adjust to taste.
Spoon yolk mixture into egg halves 
Garnish with your favorite garnish: parsley, chives, olives, cilantro, or paprika.