Not gonna lie: I’m a little bit obsessed with Halloween. When I was growing up, I did the witch and tiger thing. But by age 7, I had graduated to playing real people. People who your parents hope you’ll never become, not even on Halloween.
When I moved to New York City in 3rd grade, I traded my Laura Ashley sweater sets for ripped jeans from the GAP, and got introduced to rock. Green Day Dookie quickly made its way into my five CD “collection,” and for Halloween, instead of the usual variation of Disney princess, I bought a fake nose ring and dressed up as Axel Rose. My parents thought it was funny, but they weren’t laughing the following year when somehow I got it in my head to dress up as Marsha Clarke, the lead prosecutor in the OJ Simpson trail. A rocker was an understandable display of youth. Dressing up as a lawyer at age 8, however, meant New York City was really causing me to grow up too fast.
In addition to watching too much CSPAN, I was also clearly tuning in to too much Baywatch. At age 10, I borrowed my mother’s red one-piece Speedo, bought a pair of tan balloons, and went as Pamela Anderson. Fast forward to the present, and I’m still watching too much random television and letting it dictate my Halloween choices. I’ve gone as two members of the Draper family (first as Betty, then last year as Sally), and had I not had my 2011 Halloween plans foiled, I might have broken out those tan balloons again to play Joan.
This year, I’ll be at my friends Steph and Rodrigo‘s wedding in Santa Barbara. Instead of dressing up like another member of the Mad Men cast, as planned, I will be wearing black tie and pretending to be someone who is classy. In honor of my dear, devilish friends, who are one of the only couples I would un-begrudgingly miss Halloween weekend for, I now turn the conversation back to food, and give you a recipe for the ultimate Halloween cocktail party food: devilish eggs with sriracha and lime juice.
Whether or not you’ve graduated from white angel get-up to Bella from Twilight, get a group of friends together, dress up, drink too much witch’s brew, have yourself a few hard-boiled eggs and, more importantly, a devilishly good time.
From my kitchen, haunted with ghosts of Halloween costumes past, to yours,
Phoebe, THE QUARTER-LIFE COOK
**Recipe**
Devilish Eggs with Lime and Siracha
Makes 24 deviled eggs
You can make the hard boiled eggs in advance-just store them carefully so there is no breaking!
Ingredients
1 dozen extra-large eggs
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons lime juice (from about 1 lime)
1 ½ teaspoons siracha
¾ teaspoon salt
Sweet paprika, for garnish
See directions for how to make a perfect hard-boiled egg.
Cut the hard boiled eggs in half lengthwise. Over a medium mixing bowl, gently squeeze the center of the eggs so the yolk pops into the bowl. With a fork, mash the yolks with the mayo and mustard until smooth. Add the lime juice, siracha, and salt, and mix until incorporated. Taste for seasoning.
Using a teaspoon, carefully scoop the filling into the cavity of each egg. Arrange on a serving platter or cutting board, garnish with a shake of paprika and half a lime, and enjoy your spooky Halloween cocktail party!
