Unique Serving Platter

One appetizer stands out as a must have, old standby and crowd pleaser, no matter what the occasion. It’s equally at home on a silver platter or displayed at a buffet table on a nice ceramic plate. Birthdays, holiday meals and summer backyard pool parties are all enhanced with deviled eggs. These delicious treats are usually one of the first consumed. Any experienced host can tell you, you’ll want to have another plateful in the fridge to bring out when the first plateful is gone.

Deviled eggs are perhaps the quintessential hors d’oeuvre. Many hold the opinion that if you don’t like deviled eggs, there’s something wrong with you, unless you’re allergic to eggs! This delectable appetizer requires careful preparation and attention to detail to avoid a rather messy result. The successful deviled egg is as pretty to look at as it is delightful to eat. Here’s a step-by-step instruction sheet to make sure yours are just perfect.

The eggs you use are important. Extra large eggs are preferred, for a generous presentation of your deviled eggs. Use eggs with an expiration date as close as possible to the day you cook them. Older eggs don’t crack as easily and peel without pulling chunks of the egg with the shell.

Gently place the eggs in the pan and add enough water to completely cover the eggs. Salt the water and add a couple of teaspoons of apple cider vinegar. Allow the eggs to reach room temperature, about 15 minutes. Turn the heat on medium until they start to simmer. Do not let them come to a boil. Simmer for 15-20 minutes. Remove from the heat and place the eggs, still in the pan, in the sink. Run cold water over the eggs for several minutes until they are just warm to the touch. Allow to cool thoroughly, adding more cold water if needed.

To peel the eggs, gently crack on a hard surface, just enough to give you a place to grab the shell. They should peel nicely. Have your platter and a bowl to hold the yolks ready. Use your cutting board to cut each egg in half lengthwise. The yolk will pop out easily. Repeat until all are done.

Now for the fun part. Mash the yolks with a fork, but not so forcefully that the egg toughens. You want them nice and fluffy. Add enough mayonnaise to make a creamy texture. Some cooks like to add some very finely diced onion to the mixture at this point, but that’s according to your preference. Using two teaspoons, fill each egg half with the yolk mixture. Sprinkle a fine dusting of sweet paprika over the eggs. Garnish the sides of the platter with sprigs of fresh parsley or snipped chives. So there you have it. Perfect deviled eggs. Just leave plenty for your guests!

Not only are vegetables good for you, they are a great addition to any party or social events. Though there are many food options when you have get togethers, there is always room for vegetable platters. These are popular because so many people like them. They are easy to make and veggies make great finger foods. These are also a good choice because there are some that have very strict diet restrictions, but almost everyone can eat vegetables.

Some of the most common vegetable platters are the ones that have carrots, celery, broccoli and cauliflower. Some of these might also have cucumber, but that is not as common. These are always paired with a great dip, but the type of dip will vary. Some like to put dill dip with their vegetable platters and some go with a veggie dip or even French onion. Each of these work well, and might just be up to the person making the platters of vegetables for a party or event. There is no reason why you can’t have more than one also.

There are other great vegetables that can easily be added to any vegetable platter. Some like to find other veggies that are easily picked up with the fingers that can also add a new dimension to what they think of as the same old boring platter of vegetables. One great addition or substitution is peapods. You can’t use mature peas, but you can find small peapods that will stand up to dipping very well and they taste great too.

Other great choices for vegetable platters are peppers and cherry tomatoes. Both are good with dip and they are strong enough to dip. Some even put their dip in a hollowed out pepper for a very neat touch. For the adventurous type, you can have asparagus and even mushrooms as other great additions to platters of vegetables. Find what you like when you make up your own and even consider some fruit for special versions.

If you don’t have the time to make them on your own, you can find some amazing vegetable platters by looking around online. Just make sure you order in time for your event. Ordering food over the Internet can be tricky, as you don’t want to order too early either. Most companies that sell these things have a good handle on when to ship, so have all of your event details with you when you place your order to get the best service possible.