For some odd reason I do not have a lot of childhood Easter memories. I usually have a plethora of food memories surrounding just about every holiday from Groundhogs Day to Christmas, but when it comes to Easter my food memories are somewhat void. I do remember wearing cute Easter dresses, at times complete with gloves and hats. As a kid my attire ranged from girly girl to overalls, ok I guess it still kind of does. I remember going to church with my Grandparents on occasion and squirming like a crazy person because I had to sit still for so long. I remember coloring Easter eggs and dreading the fact that I would have to eat them, back in the day I hated eggs. I remember being excited about the Easter bunny and my Easter basket, but I wasn't a huge candy kid so my baskets were usually a little more random.


I also have to say that since I wasn't raised with a huge religious presence, Easter for me was not about the religious connotations and more about things that I deemed important, like Cadbury eggs or dipping peeps in chocolate (yes both delicacies are way important). And my Mom used Easter as more of a celebration of Spring and rebirth and growth so for me this morning that is what I woke up thinking about.  So this am I just felt grateful for-sleeping in, hearing Miss Kitty purring on the bed, a glass of chai tea in my hand as I write this, the tulips on my dresser, amazing family and friends (old and new) and a beautiful Spring morning. I am a lucky girl!

Last night I went to a friends house for a BBQ and I decided to bring Smoked Salmon Deviled Eggs, figure we should start the holiday off a day early, right? Now if you are a traditional deviled egg fan this recipe is not traditional. However, I used Cajun smoked salmon and these eggs had a lot of flavor. Now did you know that deviled eggs have been traced back as far as the ancient Romans? The name also came about in the 18th century, deviled being associated with spicy or zesty foods. Did you also know that in some circles they are referred to as stuffed eggs, salad eggs or dressed eggs to avoid the devil connotation? Hmmm cause I am sure Satan is gloating over the fact that he has an egg dish named after him, just sayin.


This recipe is incredibly easy. Make hard boiled eggs. I just cover the eggs in water and bring to a boil. I turn off the heat and let them sit for 15 minutes. I either let them cool naturally or cool them with running cold water if I am in a hurry. This part depends on how well I procrastinated that day. Peel the eggs, cut in half and take out the yolk.


Next mash the yolk with fat free sour cream, light mayo, Dijon mustard, fresh tarragon, fresh dill and fresh chives. I really liked the use of fresh herbs as it adds a nice flavor and color to the dish. Add in the chopped smoked salmon.


Stuff the yolk mixture back into the egg halves. I sprinkled the eggs with paprika and garnished with some extra dill just to make it look pretty. Easy peasy!


Here is the actual recipe:


Ingredients

8 large eggs
1/4 cup fat-free sour cream $
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
2 tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise $
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons minced fresh tarragon
2 teaspoons minced fresh dill
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 ounces cold-smoked salmon, finely chopped
16 small dill sprigs (optional)
16 small tarragon sprigs (optional)
Preparation

1. Place eggs in a large saucepan. Cover with cool water to 1 inch above eggs; bring just to a rolling boil. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 15 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold running water until cool.
2. Peel eggs; cut in half lengthwise. Place yolks in a medium bowl; mash with a fork until smooth. Add sour cream and next 7 ingredients (through salmon); stir well. Spoon mixture into egg white halves (about 1 tablespoon in each half). Garnish with dill and tarragon sprigs, if desired.

Hope you all have an incredible holiday with lots of amazing food, family, friends and chocolate bunnies or peeps or cadbury eggs. Cheers!