EGGcellent recipes

When my daughter's backyard hens started laying eggs, she was so excited to check the nest boxes every day. The first thing I noticed when I started cooking with the home-raised eggs was their darker yellow yolks and more viscous whites. This is why Great Grandma's pudding was so rich!

We had eggs everywhere. So for my son's graduation party that year, I made 200 deviled eggs. They didn't last long.

Here are a few fun egg recipes you can try. If you have your own hens, all the better!

Diane Okerson, Yorba Linda, California

Prep: 30 minutes
7 hard-cooked eggs
3 tablespoons salad dressing or mayonnaise
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill weed
1 clove garlic, minced
5 dashes bottled hot pepper sauce
1/8 teaspoon salt
6 cups torn Boston or Bibb lettuce
2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes, halved, if desired
1 medium red sweet pepper, chopped
4 slices bacon, crisp-cooked, drained, and crumbled
3 green onions, sliced
1 recipe Dill Vinaigrette

Step 1: Remove shells and halve hard-cooked eggs lengthwise; remove yolks. Set aside whites. Place yolks in a small bowl; mash with a fork. Add salad dressing, dill weed, garlic, hot pepper sauce, and salt. Spoon yolk mixture into egg white halves. Set aside.

Step 2: On a large serving platter arrange lettuce, tomatoes, sweet pepper, bacon, and green onions. Arrange stuffed eggs on greens, vegetables, and bacon. Drizzle with Dill Vinaigrette. Makes 6 servings.

Dill Vinaigrette: In a screw-top jar combine 1/3 cup olive oil; 2 tablespoons tarragon vinegar; 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill weed; 2 teaspoons Dijon-style mustard; 1 clove garlic, minced; 1/4 teaspoon salt; and 1/4 teaspoon bottled hot pepper sauce. Cover and shake well.

Test Kitchen Tip

To hard-cook eggs place them in a single layer (do not stack) in a large saucepan. Add cold water to cover eggs by at least 1 inch. Bring water to rapid boiling over high heat. Remove from heat, cover; let stand 15 minutes (18 minutes for extra-large eggs); drain. Run cold water over eggs or place them in ice water until cool enough to handle; drain. To peel, gently tap egg on countertop, then roll between the palms of your hands. Peel off shell beginning at the large end.

Nutrition facts per serving: 269 calories, 22 g total fat (4 g saturated fat), 254 mg cholesterol, 427 mg sodium, 8 g carbohydrates, 2 g dietary fiber, 11 g protein.