Deviled Eggs and #1 Aunt

Before I was in sixth grade and moved to Connecticut, my family had a very active social life. With a rather large extended family, it was always someone's birthday, anniversary or graduation. It seemed like every weekend there was a party of some kind. Add on the holidays like Mother's Day, Father's Day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July and even St. Patrick's Day and our calendar was completely booked. My family would create a holiday if it meant there wasn't a party that weekend. We never went too many days without seeing everyone and this usually meant food was involved.

The pot luck was usually the way we operated. If the party was in Grandma's backyard, everyone would show up with a side dish and Grandma would cook the entree. Sometimes she would make her famous lemon chicken or put together baked ziti with meatballs and sometimes, she would make both. Either way, there was plenty to eat. My Mom always seemed to provide the macaroni or potato salad which is a good thing because I didn't really ever like those salads unless my Mom made them. I don't know what she does, but it doesn't taste the same if someone else makes them.

There always were fun and games to be had with many of my cousins and often times their friends. My aunts would constantly put together little games to keep us occupied and would sometimes offer prizes. There would be a hula hoop contest, an egg toss, or hide n seek depending whose house we were visiting. The women would sit and chat, the men on the grill or by the beer cooler. My Dad's sisters would eventually break into song with some oldies for everyone. It never ceased to amaze me at how their voices blend together so well. I am always impressed by their harmony. Also, they never forget the words to songs and can just start singing a random song and remember every word. This usually led to a talent show of all kinds where my cousins would perform. One of the most famous performances came from my brother, who with glasses and an eye patch would perform Zip A Dee Do Dah. This is still talked about today and we still make my brother sing the song at parties.

My favorite food at the pot lucks was my Dad's sister Ellen's deviled eggs. Aunt Ellen has since been named #1 Aunt as she is my Dad's oldest sister and falls first in line. I have called her #1 Aunt for a long time now. She always made plenty of deviled eggs and I would sit right next to them. Beautifully constructed, and unlike other deviled eggs I've had. I don't know what she put in them, but they did not have the too-much-vinegar taste that many deviled eggs seem to have everywhere else. Deviled eggs may seem like a simple appetizer to put together, but it is amazing how many people can get them wrong.

My Mom would tell me I could just have one or two deviled eggs and that I should not be selfish and let others have some as well. I actually remember her physically removing me away from the tray of eggs to be sure that I had listened. She used to say cliche things like, "You will spoil your dinner." I never knew what that meant, because I have never turned down food in any capacity. Little did she know, I used to stuff the eggs in my pocket and eat them behind my Grandma's garage when nobody was looking. Stuffing a deviled egg into your pocket is no easy feat. Stuffing two deviled eggs in your pocket is virtually impossible without creating a mess.

When we moved from Connecticut, we would sometimes load up our cranberry Chevrolet Caprice Classic station wagon and head off to visit our family in upstate NY for the weekend. We couldn't all fit in the car comfortably. Even though I had to sit in the very backseat that faced the rear windshield, making me nauseous for a few hours, we still had to put all of our belongings on top of the car. So here we looked like the Brady Bunch going on a cross-country trip. The drive was about two and a half hours not including the stops we'd make for snacks, restroom, and gas. With a family of six, nobody ever had the same clock on their bladder and would plead that they couldn't make it to Grandma's without peeing their pants.

One time on a Sunday party at my Grandma's, Aunt Ellen brought her deviled eggs. It was our last day in Kingston and we would be leaving after the party. I immediately ate a few eggs after she dropped them at the Dancin' Tables picnic table. When it was about time to leave, I noticed that there were still a few on the tray. I ran across the backyard, quickly before saying goodbye and wrapped two eggs individually in napkins and stuffed one in each pocket. After giving everyone a hug goodbye, I was unsure if they were still safely stored. I got in the car with my family and it wasn't long before everyone asked what the smell was. I knew that if I shared that I had two eggs in my pocket, a couple of things would happen. First, they would want one of the eggs and I wasn't willing to share. Second, I would be in trouble for getting egg yolk and mayonnaise all over my pants. Three, I would just be in trouble for making the car smell like eggs.

So... I was left with only one way out. I told everyone in the car that I had several deviled eggs, which was true, and just couldn't hold in the flatulence. This way, they couldn't yell at me because it was something out of my control. They did make fun of me, but when I got home, I had two very smashed deviled eggs from my #1 Aunt without anyone knowing. I recently asked her for her recipe for deviled eggs, but I'd much rather her make them for me. I have such a hard time with hard boiled eggs even though I always follow the Martha Stewart techniques. I have even pulled out the Joy of Cooking to try that way, as well.

I seem to have a history of hiding food and I think this comes from being the oldest of four children. They always got to everything before I did and this was my way of not letting that happen. The only things I could never control were the items in the freezer- Popsicles, ice cream, and Klondike bars. This doesn't mean that I didn't try. The best way to conceal frozen items is to mask the item behind a less-desired, frozen food like a bag of frozen lima beans.

Thanks to #1 Aunt, her deviled eggs are never frozen. Therefore I could always hide them and I would always enjoy them.