the cousin connection

We come together every so often from all over the Fraser Valley. We span a few decades in age...we come from all walks of life...but our common denominator is the name Baerg. We are cousins, and when we get together we always have a good time. No one ever seems to be at a loss for words...and we have a few fantastic storytellers in our midst. We had our annual Christmas cousin get-together over the weekend, and it was so good to spend an evening together...talking, eating & laughing!

Here we are...seven Baerg cousins in their Sunday best, pictured here with our grandparents many years ago. Five of us were among those that came to the cousin party on the weekend...including Randy-of-the-white-shorts fame! To the immediate right of Randy, is my cousin Pat...let me tell you a little about her. She is an artist...in all her spare time she uses her gifts to create beautiful works of art. (Maybe she will allow me to feature some of her pieces one of these days.)

Her contribution to our cousin party appetizer buffet has been 'devilled eggs' for many years...we count on them! I'll share her recipe...which she kindly put on paper for me (although she didn't really think we needed a recipe...she just makes them 'by heart').

Pat’s Devilled Eggs

1 dozen - hard boiled eggs
1/8 tsp - Salt
1/4 tsp - Pepper
1/4 tsp - Dry Mustard
3/4 cup - Mayonnaise
1/4 cup - Bacon cooked & finely chopped

Hard boil the eggs. Place the eggs in a pot of cold water and using medium high heat bring the water to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and boil the eggs for 10 minutes. Drain the pot, and run cold water into the pot, while breaking the eggs around their center and at the ends. This allows the water to get under the membrane that covers the eggs, making for easy removal of the shells. If any eggs are still hard to peel, just crack them a bit more and put them back in the water. By the time you have finished the other eggs the problem eggs should be easier to do. (Thanks for the tips, Pat...peeling hard-boiled eggs is my biggest frustration! Our eggs are fresh from the barn...I find they peel much better if they've been sitting on the grocery store shelves for a few weeks!)

When the eggs are cool enough to handle slice them in 1/2 lengthwise and scoop the yolk out and place it in a small bowl for mixing.

Preparing the Yolk mixture:
Mash the yolk until they are as smooth as you would like. Then add the mayonnaise, mustard, salt & pepper and mix until well blended. Add the bacon bits last and stir together until nicely mixed throughout the mixture.

Filling the eggs:
The yolk mixture is filled back into the well of the egg, by using either a spoon, or a pastry bag. As I am usually taking my devilled eggs to someone else’s home, I like to use a ziploc baggie to transport the filling. Upon arrival I put the eggs onto the tray and then snip off the corner of the baggie and use it like a pastry bag to fill the eggs. If you like, you can then sprinkle the eggs with Paprika.

My hubby is glad I now have your recipe, Pat...he's hoping he may even get devilled eggs before our next cousin party. I'm thinking I may not be able to make them without one of those nice egg platters though!

It was a good to see all the cousins that live nearby. Every three years we enlarge the circle and call the cousins from Florida, California, Idaho, Iowa, Texas, Manitoba, Alberta and the far corners of British Columbia to join us for a summer reunion.

The evening flew by, and soon it was time to go. Happy New Year to family...wherever you may be...until we meet again!