By Easter week. Second Easter in the dental hygienist era, first in the Hermitage apartment. We hid eggs in the new yard — a real yard, not the patch of grass outside the Antioch rental — and Jayden found twelve eggs in seven minutes, which is a personal best and a statistical anomaly for a three-year-old. His strategy: run in circles screaming until you trip over an egg. Inefficient but effective.
Chloe found all her eggs methodically, like a detective processing a crime scene. She started at the northwest corner of the yard and worked east, covering every square foot, checking under every bush. She found twenty-two eggs, including three that were mine (I hid them; I know where they are; she still found them faster than I could remember). This child will be running an organization by age twelve. I need to start preparing her subordinates.
Church at Cornerstone. Mama in her Sunday best. Jayden in a polo shirt that lasted twelve minutes before he spilled grape juice on it. Chloe in a new dress from Target — yellow, with white flowers, and she chose it herself, which means my daughter has taste and opinions about fashion and I have approximately three years before these opinions become expensive.
At work, I'm building a patient base. People request me now — not just because I'm good (I am), but because I remember things. I remember that Mr. Chen's granddaughter just started college. I remember that Mrs. DeLuca is afraid of the X-ray machine because she had a bad experience as a child. I remember that Derek hasn't flossed since our last conversation and I don't judge him for it, I just hand him floss and say, "Try once this week." Dental hygiene is 50% clinical skill and 50% being a person who pays attention. I pay attention. I was trained to pay attention by a childhood where not paying attention meant missing the signs that your father was about to leave. That hypervigilance is now a professional asset. Take that, trauma.
Amber called: bridesmaids dress fitting in Chattanooga in May. Four and a half months until the wedding. She is oscillating between euphoric and panicked at a frequency that is medically concerning. I told her to breathe. She said, "I can't breathe, I'm choosing CENTERPIECES." Centerpieces. The thing that will be on the table for four hours and nobody will remember. But Amber will remember. And that's what matters.
I made deviled eggs for Easter — Earline's recipe again, the paprika-dusted ones that Mama taught me. Chloe helped pipe the filling this year and got it 80% in the eggs and 20% on the counter, which is a significant improvement over last year's 60/40 split. We are improving. One Easter at a time. One deviled egg at a time.
So yes, there was egg filling on the counter and paprika on Chloe’s dress and Jayden tried to eat a whole deviled egg in one bite like a snake unhinging its jaw — but the platter was empty before we sat down for ham, which is the only review that matters. Earline’s deviled eggs are the one recipe I make every single Easter without exception, the way Mama taught me, the way her mama taught her. Here’s how we do it.
Earline’s Classic Deviled Eggs
Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 12 minutes | Total Time: 32 minutes | Servings: 24 deviled egg halves
Ingredients
- 12 large eggs
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- Paprika, for dusting
Instructions
- Boil the eggs. Place eggs in a single layer in a large pot and cover with cold water by one inch. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat, then remove from heat, cover with a lid, and let sit for 12 minutes.
- Ice bath. Transfer eggs immediately to a bowl of ice water and let cool for at least 10 minutes. This makes peeling easier and prevents that gray-green ring around the yolk.
- Peel and halve. Gently peel the eggs under cool running water. Slice each egg in half lengthwise and carefully pop the yolks into a medium mixing bowl.
- Make the filling. Mash the yolks with a fork until no large lumps remain. Add mayonnaise, mustard, pickle relish, white vinegar, salt, and pepper. Stir until smooth and creamy.
- Pipe or spoon the filling. Transfer the yolk mixture to a zip-top bag and snip off one corner (or use a piping bag with a star tip if you’re feeling fancy). Pipe the filling generously into each egg white half.
- Dust with paprika. Sprinkle paprika over every single egg — don’t be shy. This is the signature.
- Chill and serve. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving to let the flavors settle. Serve cold.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 73 | Protein: 4g | Fat: 6g | Carbs: 0g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 115mg