Thanksgiving Menu Ideas: Deviled Eggs with Bacon and Chives

Deviled Eggs (nancycreative.com 2010)

There are many traditional dishes that most of us serve for that special meal on Thanksgiving Day, or perhaps “feast” is a better word, and one of those dishes is deviled eggs. There is, however, a big difference between plain old deviled eggs—think mashed egg yolks, mustard and/or mayonnaise, pickles, and perhaps a dash of paprika on top—and deviled eggs with a bit of pizzazz, which will  have everyone coming back for seconds or even thirds. The following recipe is just such a recipe and one of my favorites. It involves perhaps just a tad more work than plain deviled eggs, but trust me when I say that the extra effort is worth it, and then some.  

The recipe makes 24 deviled eggs, so if you need less or more, simply adjust ingredients accordingly. Moreover, you will need additional chopped chives, two additional bacon slices, and some paprika if you want to garnish each egg the way I do. Then again, you may prefer them ungarnished. Either way, it's your decision because it's your Thanksgiving Day meal .

Recipe for Bacon and Chive Deviled Eggs

Ingredients:

• 1 dozen large Grade-A eggs, hard-boiled and peeled 
•  ½ cup mayonnaise 
•  2 tsp. Dijon mustard 
•  1 Tbsp. fresh-squeezed lemon juice 
•  7 bacon slices, fully cooked 
•  2 Tbsps. fresh chives, chopped 
•  ¾ tsp. freshly ground pepper 
•  ¼ tsp. salt (If you are watching your sodium intake, use a salt-substitute)

Preparation:

1. Slice eggs lengthwise and remove yolks. 
2.  Set egg whites aside. 
3.  Place yolks, mayonnaise, mustard, and lemon juice in a food processor. 
4.  Process 30 seconds or until smooth, pausing to scrape sides as needed. 
5.  Cook bacon slices in microwave until crisp. (Yes, you can fry them if you prefer.)
6.  Crumble cooked bacon. 
7.  Add bacon, chives, pepper, and salt (or salt substitute) to yolk mixture. 
8.  Spoon mixture into a zip-top plastic freezer bag, but do not seal. 
9.  Snip one corner of bag to create a small hole. 
10.  Squeezing bag gently, disperse mixture into egg white halves. 
11. If desired, garnish with chopped chives, crumbled bacon, and a dash of paprika.

Note: If you don't have a zip-top freezer bag, simply spoon the mixture into the egg white halves. 

Photo: Google Images (2014) nancycreative.wordpress.com