I'm Basically an Eggspert

I'm Basically an Eggspert

How to Color and Make Deviled Eggs

I'm just thrilled to share this little crafty/yummy dish with you BUT, before I do...I have to share some super cute Easter photos with you!

This adorable shirt and ruffle romper came from Gymboree. She looked absolutely GORGEOUS all day long. Even when she drooled chocolate all down the crisp whiteness. 

Aweee...

UGH! Okay, last one.

Back to business. I worked so hard on making these photos pretty considering, it was pitch black outside and my lovely husband has yet to replace the lightbulb in the kitchen! Forgive me. :)

So I guess I should start with what you need...even though this photo is a COMPLETE fail. You also need mayo, relish, spicy mustard, pepper, and paprika WHICH ARE NOT PICTURED. I suppose I could blame them for not helping themselves out of the fridge and cupboard...

Okay, So you'll want to start out by grabbing a big ol' pot (especially if you're doing as many as I had to do!) Fill the pot about 2/3rd's full, put salt in the water, and watch her boil! 

You will then put enough eggs to cover the bottom of the pot. I believe I did 18 eggs the first batch, and 12 the second. 

BE GENTLE

See? Easy Peasy. 

Once they are all in, keep the heat on high until the water starts to boil again. THEN, set your timer on 10 minutes, and turn it to medium-high heat. Put the top on the pot, and let her cook! Now would be a good time, to clear a sink because you're going to dump all those eggs into a colander, run cold water over them for a minute or two, then just dump your whole ice bucket on top of them. Set your timer for another 10 minutes. While you're waiting, watch this super cool video on how to crack these little boogers without getting stabbed by the shells a million times!

Hearing the egg crack as you roll it is honestly one of the most satisfying sounds ever. Seriously, enjoy it. Ahhh...okay moving on!

Once they are all cracked and ready to go, rinse those bad boys off!

Yes, cut these little cuties in half and separate the yolk from the whites! 

Then, rinse the whites. Be gentle because you don't want them to tear! Get all that yellow off the pretty white. :)

For every different color you want to use, you'll need a different bowl. I chose five different colors. 

My blue and green looked so similar, I should have just done one or the other but YOU LIVE AND LEARN. I started with two drops of each color and added just a dash of vinegar to the water.

Drop however many you can fit in. Just make sure they are COMPLETELY COVERED by the dye. 

I let them sit for 5 minutes, and that was plenty. However, if you want them to be super dark just adjust the time to your liking. I would stick with a certain time so you don't have some lighter or darker than others. :)

While you are dying your egg whites, go ahead and whip up your filling. I used the following items:

One big pickle, or 2 tbsp dill relish

1 tbsp spicy mustard

All egg yolks

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 tsp paprika

salt and pepper to taste

Blend until perfect! 

Use a Wilton piping bag, and load your filling up!

AHHHH...take your eggs out, and marvel over how stinking CUTE they are!

Cut your tip, and pipe as much filling as your little heart desires.

Prepare for every child to want one, whether they like them or not. 

This little recipe is super simple. We mastered the hardest part by learning how to crack a hard boiled egg! 

I know this was a lot more photos, than words but seriously just give it a try. Change things up at your next Sunday dinner, baby shower, or whatever you've got going on! This was such a small way to bring in a lot of color. KIDS LOVE IT. If you do try it, let me know how it went in the comments below!

All my love, you eggstraordinary lady!

Leanna

Thyme To Start Saving - FREE PRINTABLE

Thyme To Start Saving

Ultimate Dinner Planner

This has been on my mind to blog about for a while now! Not just for your eyes, but for mine too. In this entry, we’re both going to learn how to not only plan meals, but how to shop for them, and how to shop the SALES with them. To the moms who have mastered the ability to shop with 3 children for an entire two weeks’ worth of meals and get out within an hour…I commend you! For the rest of us, we need a little guidance.

Shopping the Sales

First things first, go collect your weekly/monthly adds from your grocery store! Start with your meats. We’re going to plan two weeks’ worth of meals, around the meats that are on sale! (If you are a vegetarian, then I would recommend planning your meals around your “main dish”!)  My favorite part about shopping at Publix, aside from the bogo’s, is when you go to their website (Navigate to http://publix.com > Save Here > Weekly Ad) you can pull up a specific department! For instance, we want to look for the ads targeting meat! When you want to save something, just hit the “Add To List” button, and add to your hearts content! LOVE IT!

Calendar Printable

Once you have your meats prepared, you’re going to want to get yourself a calendar! I love this idea so much. It reminds me of elementary days, when the lunchroom would post what we were having for a WHOLE month’s worth of meals. I guess this would come in handy if your kid has food allergies, you could send him to school with his lunch packed to avoid any trouble!  Anyway, really think about what many ways you can cook/bake/grill/stuff the meat on sale! Then, try to get a little adventurous. Maybe you have some recipes on Pinterest you’ve been wanting to try. Don’t overload yourself; maybe try something new once or twice a week. Whatever your main course is, go ahead and list it on your calendar!

Please feel free to download this FREE printable meal calendar I made specifically for planning dinner for a week straight! (Just click "free" and it will take you to a full size photo. Save the jpg to your computer, and print as many as your heart desires!) Grab your glitter gel pens, and get to writing!

You can make your meals as healthy, unhealthy, expensive, or inexpensive as need be. Every family is different, every budget is different, and this is what works for us! The next thing we want to do, is create our side items!

Creating Side Dishes

Our next step, is checking out the BOGO’s! I look all over the place, but realistically, we will do all of our shopping at Publix because who wants to tote around a fussy 2 year old to 4 different stores in the Florida heat (and RAIN, ugh!) to save $10? Not this momma! I am making it a priority to provide a vegetable at every meal. Especially since my daughter, Lydia, LOVES and NEEDS her veggies! So keep in mind what side items will structurally make sense to your whole family’s bellies! Go ahead and list your sides according to your main dishes which should already be written on your calendar. Things are coming together! Don’t you feel like you’re preparing for battle?!

Prepping Meals 

Say this with me, prepping meals is my friend. Prepping meals is going to save me time. Prepping meals turns dinner from a 2 hour preparation, into a 30 minute preparation!  IT IS WORTH IT, LADIES! Chop those potatoes, boil them, and keep them in the fridge for 2 days if you need to. When Wednesday comes around, you will be thanking yourself! Pick a day to do your prep work, I like to make it the day I go shopping, but again, every family is different! Do what works for you, and what you can commit yourself to and stick with it! Take your handy dandy calendar, and highlight all the items that you need prep work for. If you feel it’s too much, try to do something simpler to save time. Ultimately, you know how much time you have to spend. Do not over commit!

Shopping

Here goes another time saver, are you ready for this? I consider myself an average IQ level of smartness. GET TO KNOW YOUR GROCERY STORE. Why, you ask? When writing out your gigantic (money saving) grocery list, you are going to want to list those items by where they are in the actual grocery store. My goal is to start from the right side of the store, and work my way to the left. I spend less money this way and it keeps me from roaming the aisles for unneeded items! It sounds too good to be true. . .less time, less money, and less whining from my husband and little angel. LOL

So I hope that you feel prepared, and I hope that this blog entry becomes more than just another thing you saw on the internet. We all should strive for organization, and I have a feeling this is the start of something beautiful for BOTH you and I!

I send you all my love, and buttercream icing. <3

Leanna