Bacon & Cheddar Deviled Eggs

PIN IT... TO remember it!

It was that time of the year again for my husband to host his bi-annual card party at our house.

He had about six of his buddies coming over for a night of poker and telling stories. I always left them to the den to have their fun, but I was lingering nearby most times to make sure that hubby’s part went off without a hitch. You see, I am a bit of a hostess and when I know people are at my house, I want to make sure that they are well taken care of. The husband doesn’t really care so much. He’s more of a “help yourself” kind of guy. Anyway, I was sure that they were going to be hungry, so I had prepared a handful of different appetizers and snacks to keep them satisfied.

My husband had requested deviled eggs, so I wanted to do something different… more manly if you will. I had seen a recipe for smoky deviled eggs on the web and it sounds just right for poker night.

When the guys started talking about needing something to munch on, I took out a plate of these. I think they were gone before I walked out of the room! Good thing I had another plate to take in. What a crowd pleaser.

Ingredients

14 HARD-BOILED EGGS, peeled

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream

1-1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/3 cup crumbled cooked bacon

1/4 cup finely shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (1 oz.)

2 tbsp. chopped fresh chives OR green onion tops

Preparation

Step 1: CUT eggs lengthwise in half. REMOVE yolks to medium bowl. RESERVE 24 white halves. Finely CHOP remaining 4 white halves.

Step 2: MASH yolks with fork. ADD mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, lemon juice and pepper; mix well. ADD chopped egg whites, bacon, cheese and chives; mix well.

Step 3: SPOON 1 heaping tbsp. yolk mixture into each reserved egg white half. REFRIGERATE, covered, to blend flavors.

Step 4: Easy 12-Minute Method for Hard-Boiled Eggs: Place eggs in a saucepan large enough to hold them in a single layer. Add cold water to cover the eggs by 1 inch. Heat over high heat just to boiling. Remove from burner. Cover pan. Let eggs stand in hot water for about 12 minutes for large eggs (9 minutes for medium eggs; 15 minutes for extra large). Drain. Shock the eggs in a bowl of ice water to cool them immediately. Hard-boiled eggs are easiest to peel right after cooling.