Holiday Entertaining: Deviled Egg Bar
My husband and I love to entertain people, especially around the holidays. For me, setting everything up is fun, but can I be honest with you? Preparing the food can sometimes cause me unwanted stress. I’m not a top chef, so I always seek out easy entertaining ideas. What I have learned after all these years is to make it easy on myself because my guests are just thankful to be invited. They want to be included and inviting people into your home gives them a wonderful feeling of belonging.
Our menus vary depending on the type of party or theme. For the most part, my husband takes care of cooking the meat, and I take care of everything else. I have sort of become a creature of habit in the kitchen because I know what we’re confident in making for the main course. I love to bake, so dessert has never been a problem, but preparing tedious appetizers has never appealed to me. Self-confession...I am a “do it in the shortest number of steps possible person”. So an appetizer that takes two days to create is definitely not for me! I prefer simple, easy to put together recipes. Add on economical and you’ve got yourself a winner!
Raising backyard chickens is one of the greatest joys of my life. There is nothing like going out to visit my flock of 21 chickens. Right now, they are producing a lot of eggs! With our upcoming parties, I plan to create a deviled egg bar that is simple, economical and will make your guests feel special!
If you’re like me, making deviled eggs was intimidating at first. Then, I did it one day. Seriously, what on Earth have I been waiting for?! They are one of the easiest appetizers ever! To shake things up a bit, add some toppings and you will really be a hit!
Creating a Deviled Egg Bar
Ingredients:
12 Eggs
½ Cup Mayo or Greek yogurt
1-2 Tbsp Mustard (for a richer flavor use Dijon)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Paprika, if desired
**If you’re serving a larger crowd, just multiply the recipe.
Toppings:
These will vary depending on what you’re in the mood for or what you have on hand. I’ve included a list to give you some inspiration.
Cubed ham
Bacon crumbles
Smoked salmon
Pulled pork
Lumped crab meat
Cubed or shredded cheese
Avocado wedges
Black and green olives
Diced jalapeno peppers
Diced roasted red peppers
Scallions
Horseradish
Red onion
Capers
Salt
Pepper
Paprika
BBQ sauce
Lemon
Cherry tomatoes
Pickles
Baby shrimp
Assembly:
After you’ve hard boiled your eggs, peel, rinse and halve them
Pop out the yolks
Put all the yolks into a food processor or mash with a fork
Add in mayo (or Greek yogurt for a healthier version!), mustard, salt and pepper
Blend or mash until smooth
Fill your egg white halves with the yolk mixture
Now, here’s the fun part!
Arrange your eggs on cute platters. Add your prepared toppings to little containers or serving bowls.
Tip: Adding different heights will give your deviled egg bar a stylish look. If you don’t have different pieces to add dimension, use different shaped serving pieces.
Now, of course, you can pre-make different recipes, but I like to set out the toppings individually and let people come up with their own creations. That way, everyone can enjoy! You could also create a “Menu Board” with recommended “must-try” combinations. If you want to get really fancy, you could even name the combinations.
Some of my favorite combinations:
Ham, cheese, scallions and pepper
Avocado and bacon
Pulled pork and BBQ sauce
Smoked salmon, capers, salt and pepper
Cherry tomato, black olive and scallions
Here are some serving ideas to give you inspiration:
Entertaining people doesn’t have to be stressful, expensive or overwhelming. Finding recipes that you’re comfortable with and having easy clean up will make entertaining fun!