See how to throw one, below.

An alternative way to have a deviled egg party is a potluck. You just need to coordinate to make sure that different recipes are only represented once. (We once threw such an event paired with a wine tasting and ended up with two sets of guacamole deviled eggs and two pimento cheese deviled eggs.)

> The history of deviled eggs, and the difference between deviled eggs and stuffed eggs.

> Our favorite deviled egg recipes.

> Tips to make better deviled eggs are below.
 
 
HOW TO HAVE A DEVILED EGG PARTY

Give guests a blank slate on which to create their deviled egg masterpieces.

Set out a tray of plain deviled eggs, plus different toppings in ramekins or small bowls. The toppings need to be chopped, minced, or sliced to a small size that fits the top the egg.

Set the ramekins on plates to catch the spillage, and supply small spoons for scooping (we use espresso spoons). The guests should also have small cocktail plates on which to top their eggs.
 
Choose Your Toppings

Here’s a long list of options for the toppings. You can provide as many as you like.
 
Proteins

 
Vegetables

 
Spreads

 
Condiments & Seasonings

 
 
HOW TO MAKE BETTER DEVILED EGGS

[2] Present filled deviled eggs with no topping, plus ramekins so guests can select their own.

[3] For a fancy look, pipe the egg yolk filling with a fancy tip (photo © Dlish Deviled Eggs | Andrew McNeel Publishing).

1. The easiest way to get smooth yolks is to mash them thoroughly with a fork. You could also use a whip attachment (ideal for bigger batches), a ricer if you want them really smooth, or a food processor.

2. Spoon-filled deviled eggs will look laid back and rustic but not as nice. Eggs that have been filled with a piping bag (photo #3) are elegant.

3. For piping, a number of different options are available:

 
4. If you do get pro pastry bags, the tip you pipe the filling with is largely an aesthetic choice, although some fillings are better suited to certain tip styles than others. Chunkier fillings are best piped through a large plain round tip, while smoother fillings look lovely when applied with a large star tip.
 
 

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[1] A delicious strata for breakfast, brunch, or lunch (photos #1 and #2 © California Figs).

[2] You can use any dried figs you like, but purple figs will show up best in the strata.

[3] Fresh Italian hot sausage. You can use hot or mild sausage in the recipe (photo © Fresh Direct).

[4] Grated Parmesan cheese. The cheese always tastes better when it’s fresh-grated (photo © London Deposit | Panther Media).

[5] Here’s a slight bit of food fusion: Spain’s most famous cheese, Manchego, in an Italian strata (photo © Iberian Foods).

We’ve also linked to 25+ more recipes we’ve previously published, that use figs for cocktails, breakfast, mains, and desserts.

Are you ready for a fig fest?

> The history of figs.

> Types of figs, and ways to use figs at every meal.

> Ways To Use Dried Figs

> Ways To Use Fig Spreads

> Ways To Use Fresh Figs

> There are links to many more exciting fig recipes below.
 
 
RECIPE: FIG & SAUSAGE STRATA
 
Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 325°F. Use the butter to grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.

2. WHISK together the eggs, half-and-half, salt, pepper, thyme, oregano, and sage in a large bowl until smooth. Stir in the Parmesan cheese.

3. FOLD in the cooked sausage and figs. Transfer to the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with the Manchego cheese. If you’d like figs visible on the top of the strata after it is baked, reserve a few pieces and carefully place them on top about halfway through the cooking time.

4. COVER with foil and bake for 25 minutes. When done, the strata should be set and only slightly jiggle when the pan is moved from side to side. If the center appears liquid, re-cover with the foil and bake for an additional 5 minutes. Once set…

5. REMOVE the foil and bake another 5 to 7 minutes, until golden brown. Let stand for 5 minutes and then cut into 8 portions to serve.
 
 
MORE FIG RECIPES
Figs are often thought of for sweet recipes: fig scones, tarts, chocolate truffles, and of course, figgy pudding, a popular Christmas pudding.

Figgy foods aren’t just for sweet dishes. Figs are often cooked with pork, lamb, and even on pizza. Add them to stuffing; and whenever a recipe calls for prunes, you can substitute figs. Figs, fresh or dried, are delicious in yogurt or in hot or cold breakfast cereals.
 
 
Breakfast

 
Cocktails

 
Appetizers & First Courses

 
Mains & Sides

 
Desserts

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In the 1920s, RIND founder Matt Weiss’s great-grandmother, Helen Seitner, opened a natural foods store in Flint, Michigan. Talk about being ahead of her time!

The Stay-Well Health Shop carried fresh produce, whole-grain flour, bulk seeds, nuts, and other wellness foods that focused on the power of whole foods.

RIND fruit snacks are also nutritious whole foods, but in current times, they have a secondary mission as well: to minimize food waste (more about that in a moment).

The brand also has an anti-hunger initiative called Love Is RIND. In partnership with local and national organizations, RIND has donated 35,000 bags of snacks to kids in need.

It’s a feel-good brand, as well as a taste-good one.
 
 
HOW RIND REDUCES FOOD WASTE

According to Feeding America and numerous other sources, food waste in the U.S. is a huge problem.

It’s not only for the waste it dumps into landfill, the labor and expense wasted in growing and bringing it to market, and the amount of water used and greenhouse gas expended in growing and processing it.

It’s also food that could have gone to feed America’s hungry.

By making dried fruit snacks that include rinds and peels, RIND saved 340,000 pounds of food waste in 2021 and aims to save 1 million pounds in 2022.

These are sustainable snacks as well as nutritious ones. RIND retains the nutrients that are in the peels and rinds, which are often the healthiest part of the fruit.

RIND snacks are made with the entire fruit, including the oft-discarded peel. There is only one ingredient in RIND: sliced, dehydrated fruit.

This “recipe” not only saves a lot of peel from landfill. It also saves fruits that would be headed for the landfill because they’re misshapen, discolored, or bruised so customers won’t buy them.

The latter is a big problem: Each year, 10 million pounds of tasty and nutritious but cosmetically imperfect produce is thrown away (read the whole article).

(Globally, 1.3 billion tons of produced food goes uneaten every year!)

We would hope that produce growers and local governments would get together to distribute these perfectly edible foods to the hungry, but so far they haven’t connected. (Why not write to your local growers and officials?)
 
 
RIND FLAVORS

The chewy fruit chips are high in fiber, flavonoids (antioxidants), and vitamin C, with a satisfying crunch.

For a product with no added sugar, we enjoyed it very much; that is to say, we’re a big fan. There’s an entire fruit department worth of flavors:

 
 
WAYS TO USE RIND SNACKS

RIND is more than a grab-and-go, or sit-and-eat, snack. The fruit can be used as:

 
 
GET YOUR RIND SNACKS

Try them yourself, and buy them for healthful* stocking stuffers!

You can buy them online at RindSnacks.com.

Here’s a store locator.

The brand is also available on Amazon.
 
 
________________
 
*“Healthy” vs. “healthful”: The Difference. Healthy is an adjective used to describe someone or something (animal, plant) in good health. Healthful is an adjective used to describe something as health-giving or abetting good health.

[2] RIND orange and coconut chips used as a fruitcake topping (or carrot cake, pound cake, or other cake).

[3] Pineapple rings garnish a smoothie.

[4] Apple chips on a plain bagel and cream cheese, with a honey drizzle. The chips are also great on toast and English muffins.
 

[5] Coconut crisps are available plain or with cocoa and sea salt.
 

[6] Bags of Apple, Straw-Perry.

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