Egg Salad: The Taste of Happiness

The other day I got an intense hankering for egg salad. The need was real, and I had to have it for lunch. In all honesty I didn’t feel like making it, but then I thought about the deli case at my local grocery store, where I saw in my mind’s eye an aluminum tray of mush that did not come anywhere close to what I desired. I wanted golden, fluffy peaks of egg and dill, to dollop lovingly onto some mixed greens. I knew this specific desire could not be found at my grocery store, so I decided to make it myself. I padded over to my fridge and found, to my surprise, that I had all the ingredients. It was meant to be.

Ingredients:

Eight hard-boiled eggs

Jalapeno mustard

Mayonnaise

Greek yogurt

Green onions

Dill

Salt

Pepper

Performance:

I began by hard boiling 8 eggs. I placed the eggs in a pot and poured cool water over them to cover the tops by 1 inch. I then brought the pot to a boil, removed the pot from the heat, clamped a lid over it, and let the eggs stand for 12 minutes. After the time was up, I transferred the eggs to a cold-water bath to halt the cooking process. I found this method of hard-boiling eggs yields perfect results every time, and honestly I’m kind of smug about that. Then I peeled the eggs, placed them in a bowl, and squashed them gently with a fork until they were in small, fluffy chunks, because quite frankly I dislike smooth textured egg salad. I then added jalapeno mustard, mayonnaise, and Greek yogurt to my taste. I sprinkled in some salt and pepper, and tore up (chopping is overrated) some dill and green onion. I stirred everything together and tasted…

I was instantly transported to a summer picnic with my mother when I was about 4, the day I took my first bite of an egg salad sandwich she made me. I was wearing a white sundress with red converse high tops and a matching red hat. My mother was barefoot on our picnic blanket, wearing a multicolored halter dress and a large tan sunhat. I remembered thinking she was the most beautiful woman in existence, and wished that one day I would grow up to be like her. We giggled, talked, and munched on our sandwiches. It was the taste of happiness, the smell of sunshine on a cotton dress, and the feeling of love.