Gettin' Eggy With It

It was snack time in second grade. My friend Stacy* and I sat with the cornucopia of our lunchboxes displayed before us, playing and joking about who knows what. Somehow relating to our reverie I picked up her egg salad sandwich in its tidy zipper bag and nonchalantly smushed it with both my hands. If you envision a rambunctious little boy squeezing a tube of toothpaste with the cap on just to see what would happen you have a glimpse of the scene. The two of us then continued with our giggly play. At the end of snack we packed up our boxes and returned to our lessons...and I obliviously went about my morning. Later our teacher Mrs. Jones came to me questioning why on earth I would smash Stacy's sandwich leaving her lunch-less. I innocently replied, "I really don't like egg salad." Naturally, a mild reprimand ensued and I (being somewhat of a goodie-two-shoes) promptly apologized to Stacy and hung my head in shame. When lunchtime came around I munched on whatever blase item was packed for me...but Stacy got to choose a delectable offering that Mr. & Mrs. Schmidt were serving for hot lunch in the cafeteria. Lucky! Surely I had done her a favor...

*The names in this story have been changed to protect the innocent. The only exception would be me -- who was absolutely guilty as charged.



There are only a dozen or so foods that I remember hating as a child. Thankfully I've grown to tolerate or even enjoy most of those dozen. Egg salad is one of these wholly redeemed simple pleasures. As we head into the spring lush when all God's creatures, particularly laying hens, begin to rejoice and produce with liberal exuberance, you may want to have a recipe or two up your sleeve for all those extra eggs. Easter is also nearer than you think, so for those of you who haul out the cups, crayons, and food coloring (like my family of grown-ups), you can resurrect these treasure hunt rewards into a dish for the whole group to enjoy.

Smashing Egg Salad
Makes approximately 5 cups.

1 dozen pastured chicken eggs, hard-boiled, peeled and rinsed
1 cup of mayonnaise
1/4 cup of sweet relish (as long as it's somewhat sweet, get creative with the variety of relish or use a fruit chutney -- homemade versions take it to the next level!)
Salt & Pepper to taste
Fresh chives or parsley, for tasty garnish
*For a brunch-y spin, finely crumble 3-4 strips of cooked pastured pork bacon into the final mixture

1. In a large bowl mash eggs to a fairly lumpy consistency with a potato masher.

2. Add mayonnaise and relish, mix well with masher, but the mixture should remain fairly chunky.

3. Salt & Pepper to taste.

4. Remove mixture to a serving bowl or spoon liberally onto sturdy crackers.  Top with chopped chives or parsley.

**If making for a gathering, resist the urge to eat half the mixture before serving. In my case I have to hide it from my husband.