Every year on Thanksgiving during my childhood and teen years, my family would gather for a big dinner at my paternal grandmother’s house. As soon as I was old enough—which was quite young, though I can’t remember exactly when—I was assigned two annual tasks to support this feast. It was my job to make the deviled eggs and the cranberry-orange relish. My mom taught me both skills, and I carried them out (without recipes, of course) many times. I learned and practiced a rather minimalist approach to deviled eggs: Split a dozen peeled hard-boiled eggs longitudinally. Remove the yolks and mix them thoroughly with Miracle Whip (yes, Miracle Whip, not mayonnaise). Spoon the mixture back into the empty egg whites, which have been set in a decorative dish whose only purpose is to hold deviled eggs once a year. Garnish with paprika. They were, I have to say, entirely passable deviled eggs, even though they did not include mustard, relish, or even salt. I think I’ll make some more today! I’ve got paprika, and of course I have Miracle Whip.
