No one can quite recall how this dish became a tradition in the Koon family. My brothers report they have always liked my cooking. When my brother, James, was dropped off to begin college at FSU, where I was in graduate school, his first question was, “What are you cooking tonight?” Thus, the Koon Brothers have identified this recipe with family and comfort.

Christmas is the ultimate holiday in the Koon family. Over the years, as our family grew together, there are certain dishes that have been identified as “musts” for Christmas dinner. We “must” drink wassail. We “must” have Tennessee green beans. We “must” have deviled eggs and my brother, James, always has the honor of tasting the filling left in the bag after completing the egg construction.

As our family continues to grow, we have begun a tradition of inviting friends and loved ones to join us on Christmas Day. They bring their unique traditions to our celebration of Christ’s birth and they can always count on our having deviled eggs.

Beth’s Deviled Eggs

18 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and halved                     a splash of red wine vinegar
1 cup mayonnaise                                                           salt to taste
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard                                         pepper to taste
1 teaspoon dried minced onions                                 Paprika (garnish)
1 tablespoon Salad Delites (sweet salad cubes)

Place egg yolks in a bowl and finely mash with a fork. In a separate bowl, mix mayo, mustard, onion flakes, salad delites, vinegar, salt and pepper. Ingredients may be adjusted for taste – add more vinegar and mustard for “tangy” or add more mayo and salad delites for “milder.” Stir liquid into mashed yolks one tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is achieved.

To fill halved egg whites: Spoon filling into a plastic zip-lock bag and seal. This will keep the filling fresh until the eggs are served. When ready to serve, snip a corner off the plastic bag and pipe the filling into the egg whites. Sprinkle lightly with paprika for a pretty garnish. Serve on two of your favorite deviled egg plates (every Southerner owns at least four of them) and enjoy!

Yield: 36 deviled eggs

~ Beth Koon

Luke 11:11-13

¹¹ Which of you fathers, if your son asks for[a] a fish, will give him a snake instead? ¹² Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? ¹³ If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!

Prayer

Loving Father, thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit and for the good gifts we have received from our families. In this season of gift giving, help us to give not only to those who love us and who may reciprocate with gifts, but to those who are in need of basic necessities to whom we may give anonymously. We thank you for the good food on this table and we ask you to be our guest as we partake of it, for Christ’s sake. Amen.