Eggs and More Eggs

Do you have some beautifully colored eggs left from the Easter holiday? What to do with those hard-boiled eggs? Following food safety guidelines, you need to keep those beautiful colored eggs in the refrigerator. If you take a hard-boiled egg to work or school, be sure that it travels with a frozen gel pack. Hard-boiled eggs may be kept safely in the refrigerator for one week after cooking.

How does my family eat all those eggs in one week? Some suggestions for you:

• Add some of them to potato salad or macaroni salad, or a favorite casserole
• Dice a couple of eggs and add to your tossed salad at dinner or lunch
• Deviled eggs or egg salad prepared with light or fat free mayonnaise or Miracle Whip is a traditional food item this time of year

Last year, I prepared an egg quesadilla for a quick and easy dinner entrée. I diced one hard-boiled egg and placed it on a whole wheat tortilla. Then I drizzled about ¼ cup salsa over it and sprinkled about ¼ to 1/3 cup reduced fat pepper jack cheese. Fold the tortilla and placed it in the microwave for about one minute for the cheese to melt. It was a tasty and easy entrée for dinner, sort of an omelet in a tortilla. If you want a crispy tortilla, simply place the quesadilla on a hot non-stick griddle or grill pan for a minute, then flip it to the other side for another minute. The tortilla will be crispier and the cheese will melt.

A friend prepared an egg dip. She cubed six hard-boiled eggs and combined them with about 2 tablespoons light mayonnaise and about 2 teaspoons prepared mustard. Mix it together and add a sprinkle of paprika. Refrigerate for about an hour or two to blend the flavors. Serve as a dip with celery, carrots and other veggies or whole grain crackers.

When the week is done, take a break from eating eggs for awhile!