A Haven for Vee

Tuesday, July 14, 2020

Secret Ingredient

Outside


I try to begin all posts with an attractive average photo. Sometimes blogger has messed with my plan and tossed in one of their own choosing. That's not all they're messing with. My disposition is another.



Inside on a Sunny Summer Day

There is not a whole lot going on around here so I keep busy watching what is going on beyond my windows. 

You may imagine my surprise when, one day as I was waltzing through the house in my nightshirt, this dude was right outside my window by the fence. 
I watched him like a hawk as the top of his head bobbed along my fence and down to the end of my property. He did a lot of hand signals to some invisible someone over in the forest. He seemed to be taking measurements, but I didn't request any surveying. Oh well. He better not come back because, if I'm dressed, I'm going to march right out there and ask him what he's doing. 


There's been excitement during the very stormy days we've had in the past month. My neighbor's ancient trees are falling apart so every storm has meant more limbs down. The last time it thunder stormed, the entire tree came down. I have been telling folks that this is doing my heart a lot of good...all that jumpstarting for free. I was actually using my camera to video a bird on the deck railing when the first part of the tree came down with a thwump. It startled me so much that I dropped my camera and then, like a pro, picked it back up and continued to film. I staggered to the window like Carol Burnett in a Mrs. Wiggins' skit to see what had happened: tree down in a wind storm. 


🌳🌳🌳





Let me rescue this post (hey, I never promised to be fascinating) by sharing a secret I learned while watching Kent Rollins on his You Tube channel. Egg salad sandwiches are among my favorite things in all the world to eat so when he mentioned a secret ingredient that would add the perfect extra something to deviled eggs, I decided to try it for my egg salad sandwich. Yessum. It isn't necessarily pretty, but it sure is tasty. Just a tablespoon or two will be enough. Now here's a question for you: do you make your egg salad sandwich with mayonnaise or Miracle Whip?


Double screen cap

Kent doing his dance while Beag steals a deviled egg

Hahahahahaha...


If you visit Kent's channel, you will find that there are many videos from which to choose with lots of secret ingredients and fun ideas. I really enjoy them.


And that's it you'll be so happy to know. Thanks for reading!



40 comments:

  1. Well, young lady you stole my post for today, I was going to show and tell our bad storm from yesterday, We had a doozy!~wink~
    Egg said and deviled eggs are a favorite around here, I have indeed put canned deviled ham in them so delicious! Deviled Ham has been around a long time, it was one of my favorites when I was young!
    I would loved to have been a fly on the wall when you saw your uninvited guest show up behind
    the fence, seeing you scurry about, I wonder if he saw you spying on him. ~wink~.
    Thanks for your visit, I always look for a post from you when I open my computer, Thanks for the smile, I will be smiling about this today as I am making pickle relish.
    Love to you,
    Sue

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  2. Good Morning! I love that pot of marigolds! Your home looks so cozy on a bright, summer day. Seems like if someone was going to be on your property, they would at least knock on the door to let you know why. What if you had a big bad dog?? I roam around the house looking out the windows too. I watch thunderstorms approaching, the crowds gathering at the church across the street, and the activity at the winery behind us! Those trees falling make quite a noise! I love egg salad. Never thought about adding ham and will try that soon. Thanks for sharing about Kent's videos. I always love your kitchen window shot. Wishing you a blessed day. xo

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  3. That's an interesting secret ingredient! I think I would like it, but would the family. I may have to try this out. Hmmm
    I would not have been happy to find a man in my yard taking measurements! When Lindsay and Joseph were renting their first place, she got out of the shower to find workmen on her roof! The landlord never warned them he was having some work done! Yikes!
    We haven't lost a tree for a while now, but in the first years that we lived here, any kind of storm would take a tree down. I guess most of the weak ones have come down now, though we have a few dead trees that we need to take down this winter when Tim has time to do it.

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  4. Wait, what? Who was that man? Did you ever find out? Vee, you know I would of found out as I would of been up all in his "grill" lol. (you would of paid to see that, wouldn't you? grin)

    Thanks for the secret tip, smiles. I always love your photos, it seems that I am right there with you. smiles

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  5. My mom use to make deviled ham sandwiches with chopped sweet pickle. I was not a fan. But egg salad sandwiches are a favorite. I use Mayo in mine. Sounds like your storms are pretty exciting!

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  6. Maybe he was looking for a downed powerline or a tree from the storm. He is wearing one of those official type vests, so totally ok. 😳

    I had to look up Mrs. Wiggins. Ha ha!

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  7. I am also curious about the man measuring and hand signaling to someone invisible in the woods...does your property border forestry property or some other kind of government property? Or do you have neighbors who may be doing something with their property? Inquiring minds want to know! LOL. Sorry about the tree down in the storm. Glad it didn't hit your house or anyone else. When we lived in the Ocala National Forest we could hear trees cracking and falling quite often in storms, usually hurricanes. Thankfully they never fell on us. We have a couple here who are possibilities for calamity in the future,so we are praying they hold off until we can afford to have them removed. Your egg salad sounds great. I've never tried it that way. Never have bought the deviled ham stuff. Wonder what they put in that? Is it spicy? Oh, I use Mayo in my egg salad, etc. My mother used to use Miracle Whip, and I grew up on it, but my hubby doesn't care for it so I don't buy it anymore. Not enough room in the fridge for both. LOL. Loved your pictures, flowers, living room, all of the above stuff. Have a blessed day.

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  8. What a great idea and egg salad sandwiches are one of my favorites, too. We have a lot of ancient trees around our home. Unfortunately, none of them belong to our neighbor. All of them belong to us and it's always been my concern that one or more of them will topple over in a wind storm. I wouldn't mind if they would just topple over and not cause any damage to our neighbor's home nor ours. I'm off to check out your link.

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  9. There's always something unusual happening. I hate when I see something outside and I'm not dressed yet! I know no one would want to be a peeping Tom in our over 55 community! hehehee! Love the photo of the sun streaming into your living room. I would so love to sit with you there...maybe see what books are under the teapot! Enjoy your day! Egg salad is my fav too but I'll stick with mayo and spicy mustard in mine! lol

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  10. "all that jumpstarting for free" - lol. I don't think it would have occured to me to add some ham salad to egg salad, but I can imagine it would add some yummy taste. Since you asked... It's Hellman's mayonnaise for me anymore. I also keep a jar of salad dressing in the fridge to use in certain types of vegetable salads - like cauliflower salad. In fact, that may be the only time I use salad dressing. I wonder if there is really much difference betwen salad dressing and mayonnaise...

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  11. I haven't seen deviled ham since I was a little girl growing up, and that was a LONG time ago. I just tried a new recipe from JoAnn from Magnolia that puts shredded carrots and green onions in egg salad. It was delicious too. I am a fan of cilantro so I added that too, and it gave it the taste I wanted. Loved all your pictures. Wonderful post.

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  12. I grew up with Miracle Whip. Did not like REAL Mayonnaise until one day when one of my children announced he preferred real mayo over Miracle Whip. He must have made that decision after spending a night at a friend's house. I adamantly hung onto Miracle Whip until eventually Beloved said he was tired of it and wanted the other. I got it and have never looked back. Got a taste of Miracle Whip a couple of years ago and decided that yes, I had had enough of that for my lifetime and Real Mayonnaise is my favorite one-and-only.

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  13. Well, since you asked, I only use Mayonnaise in my egg salad, chicken salad, etc. My dear mom didn’t like Miracle Whip, so I never got used to it. I’ll bet the deviled ham is a nice secret ingredient. I’ll have to try that, but not during Lent!

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  14. Ah, I have enjoyed this meandering, most delightful post, Vee. And I would be smitten with that not not so secret ingredient added to egg salad sandwiches. I use mayo, but many years ago I used Miracle Whip, not sure when I did the switch from one to the other. I like mayo now. Sometimes, when I'm doing little tea sandwiches, I'll add a bit of lemon zest to the egg salad. That gives it a bright bit of sparkle too.

    Sorry to hear about all the trees coming down. But I guess they have their finite life like the rest of us. Hopefully lots of saplings will spring up to take their place.

    Happy day...
    Brenda xox

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  15. My goodness, those falling trees are the kind of excitement one could do without. Might the mystery man have been surveying for possible trees that need to come down or be pruned to avoid surprises in the next storm?
    It's nearly impossible to be fascinating in these strange times we are living in. Although a cooking cowboy sounds rather intriguing :). I don't think I've ever tasted deviled ham. I can see how it would probably pair well though as ham and eggs is a winning combo. I chop my eggs using the same tool as you. Gives them the perfect texture in my opinion. Mayo is my choice and a little dried dill.

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  16. I grew up with Miracle Whip and still like it, but I usually buy Heinz Mayonnaise these days- mostly because it comes in a glass jar. I try to purchase as little plastic as possible. And I've found I like the taste.
    I've not tried deviled ham in egg salad, but I imagine it would be tasty.
    That sounds like quite the storm. You've been talking about how those trees are unstable for awhile.

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  17. Pretty pot of marigolds.
    Glad the trees didn't fall on a house!
    I don't like egg salad but when I make it I use Mayonnaise. Don't care for Miracle whip.

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  18. I prefer Duke's Mayonnaise over Miracle Whip. My Mama used it and so do I. Miracle Whip tastes artificial to me. Deviled ham sounds good to me in egg salad. Hopefully your neighbor's trees aren't close to your home, Vee. We have learned the hard way, if a neighbor's tree falls on our property it is our responsibility to have it removed.

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  19. I'm reading this post as we are having a rain storm right now...YIKES! I have watched his channel a few times and believe it or not we are going camping and I plan on making egg salad to take along for lunches. I am definitely going to try this recipe,

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  20. I prefer real mayonnaise -- Hellman's or Cain's -- in my egg salad (or other salads like chicken, tuna, ham, etc.) I grew up with Miracle Whip, but my grandmother used mayo and I really prefer it. Deviled ham sounds like it would add a great touch to egg salad. My southern friend Sandi T. makes her egg salad with tuna and dill pickle relish added to mayo, and that is good, but I can think deviled ham would be even better. My hubby loves deviled ham, so he would like to try this, I'm sure.

    My son enjoys Kent Rollins and has made a number of his recipes.

    That guy in the vest wandering your property ... Yikes! I hope you can find out what he was doing.

    Fun post!

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    1. It should not be so much deviled ham that you know it's deviled ham. Rather more of a "This egg salad is so good. What's in it?" I suppose mixing both together in a 50-50 ratio would create an entirely new sandwich. Yes, Kent is a fun cowboy.

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  21. I love deviled ham, so cannot wait to try this! The first picture, the flowers, are gorgeous! What are they, and are they yours? That man would have freaked me out! I am going to this tips website!

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    1. They are my humble marigolds. ☺️ See comment to Mrs.T below. I hope that you enjoy the sandwich.

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    2. ABOVE. I may be dizzy today. Ha!

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  22. Hey Vee! Well, let's start by saying that dude and measuring? What the heck! I think I'd have thrown on a robe over my jammies and gone out there - wearing a mask, of course - and demanded to know why he was on my property. Hope it isn't anything ominous.

    I love egg salad in the summertime. I just made it the other day - and then ran out of bread so for leftovers used it in a mac salad. And just for the record I am NOT at all a Miracle Whip fan. Bleh. Nope, give me Hellman's or give me death. Haha. Eat enough of it death will come quicker than I'd like, I am certain.

    Sorry about the neighbor's trees. It always makes me so sad when old trees get uprooted or broken with storms. Glad no one was hurt and no house got mashed in, though. Could be much worse I guess.

    Thanks for sharing a glimpse in your day.

    God bless, stay well, sweet friend. Hugs. ♥♥♥

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  23. Oh dear. I do not like to see an unfamiliar head outside my window unexpectedly!

    I grew up with Miracle Whip and I'm still right there. I would consider trying some deviled ham though. :)

    I love this-and-that posts!

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    1. Bless you! I love Miracle Whip for certain things and Hellman's for other things. I get physically ill eating an egg salad sandwich with mayo. To me, it needs the brightness of Miracle Whip. Did Lorrie say she puts some lemon zest in her egg salad? I'm going to try that.

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  24. I would jump at anyone so close to my house. Then again in my city, you need an I.D. to park in front of your house! I'm sad about damage to trees, we've had to have so many removed in the past 15 years. I know the bad and dead limbs fall, but I hart when I lose a huge old oak or maple.

    Always mayonnaise...Miracle Whip has a bad reputation I'm my circles. Never heard of deviled ham in this salad, but it may be worth trying. But it's definitely not something traditional in my past nor area. It reminds me of grapes in your chicken salad. you do or you don't. I do! 😊

    Jane

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  25. Mrs Wiggin's! I howled when I read that part! Thanks for the laugh.

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  26. Two versions - one with Hellman's Real plus a spoonful of Trader Joe's Wasabi Mayo - the other with just Hellman's plus curry powder to taste. BTW just learned best egg salad is not mashed with a fork which makes it 'gluey' - just instead crumble eggs with your fingers (clean of course!) then gently mix in the mayo etc.
    Stay well Vee - now and then we eat sandwiches in this hot weather!
    Hugs -

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  27. I like my egg sandwich with a little mayo and mustard. A little grated cheese is added sometimes for a treat. Such a shame to see the damage to the trees.

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  28. Always a joy to read your posts Vee! We like our egg salad with Hellman's mayo. I've never tried adding the ham but must try it. I always add finely diced onion and celery - sprinkled with paprika. It seems the trees are taking a beating this summer. We have the horrid ash bore that has killed SO many. Our forests around here look like at least 1/3 of the trees are completely dead. So sad. Take care my friend and try to get outside more if you can.

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  29. Hi Vee. Always fun to check in and see what you are doing. You follow some interesting youtubers, so I will have to check out Kent's channel, although I have never been much of a fan of deviled ham. Do let us know what is going on when you find out what that guy was up to in your yard! Have a good weekend.

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  30. Love your cheerful marigolds! I use Hellman's to make egg salad. And I think I need to make some tomorrow. But I have never tried deviled ham as an ingredient. I may have to try that sometime....As for the strangers in your yard, I do believe I would have called the police. They might have had some idea who they were and what they were doing. But I would not have liked the situation at all. So
    ! I just noticed the comment above this one. What were they doing? Don't leave us in suspense. Inquiring minds want to know!

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  31. This is an egg salad I like...8 large eggs
    1/4 cup mayonnaise
    1/4 cup dill minced
    2 tbsp chives minced
    2 tbsp Dijon mustard
    1/2 tsp salt
    1/4 tsp pepper

    I like the idea of lemon zest in it....But I don't really like miracle whip. My son does.

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  32. We were gone camping all week so I missed your post. We had a duzzy of a storm too but luckily no branches down. I must admit I love eggs salad but not a huge fan of deviled ham. I planted marigolds for the first time in years!

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  33. I make egg salad with Hellmans mayo, just seems to taste better to us. When we lived in a southern state, we often used Dukes mayo which is not available in the NH supermarkets we use. I have added diced ham to the salad in the past. That was quite the storm and glad no one was injured and I would also have been surprised to see someone by my window, but then living on the 5th floor there's never a worry about that happening 😏 Thanks, Vee, for the reminder about Kent's YouTube channel which I plan to revisit as it's been awhile since I watched it.

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  34. I just read your post about CS Lewis and really enjoyed his words. There is nothing new under the sun, is there? Just a new face to the same sins, fears, and troubles. Your egg salad sounded so good with the deviled ham added in, I must give that a try! And that man in your yard? Goodness... I think I would have tried to find out what it was all about! Many blessings to you dear friend!

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  35. Vee, I love this post. Clever of you to put CS Lewis's thoughts to our current situation. I use Hellman's mayo, don't like Miracle Whip one little bit! And funny I should find this mention of Kent Rollins in your post on the very day I mentioned him in MY post! I just happened onto his channel when I turned on YouTube on a recent afternoon.

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