What to do with those leftover Easter eggs

From LDN Food Editor Deb Rohrer

[April 06, 2012]  Got a few too many leftover Easter eggs on hand? The good news is that if left in their shells, hard-boiled eggs will keep in the fridge for up to a week. (A note on safety: Be sure to use food-grade dye for your eggs, and don't eat eggs that have been out of the fridge for more than two hours total.)

Southwestern Egg Salad Sandwich: Mashed eggs, mayo, chipotle chile powder, lime juice, salt and sliced scallions. Place on a sandwich roll along with sliced avocado.

Eggs in Spicy Tomato Sauce: Make tomato sauce with onions, garlic, a little bacon, tomatoes and some cayenne. Slice hard-boiled eggs about a half-inch thick, place in a shallow bowl and spoon sauce over them.

Potato and Egg Salad: Warm potato chunks with a little vinegar. Let sit 30 minutes, then toss with hard-boiled egg slices, finely chopped red onion, a little mayo and a little mustard.

Quick Egg and Vegetable Hash: Cook chopped onions, diced red pepper and thinly sliced, peeled carrots in a combo of butter and vegetable or olive oil until the onion is golden brown and caramelized. Add diced, cooked potatoes and cook until the potatoes are nicely browned. Add chopped hard-boiled eggs and just a little cream or half-and-half. Cook until eggs are heated through.

Unusual Egg Sandwich: Spread a baguette with hot pepper jelly on both sides of the bread and top with arugula, sliced prosciutto and sliced eggs.

Warm Bacon, Spinach and Egg Salad: Toss together crisp bacon, fresh spinach, mushrooms and hard-boiled eggs. Make a dressing by heating and whisking together red wine vinegar, olive oil and red currant jelly (or a little brown sugar). Toss all together while dressing is still warm.

Salad Dressing: Halve hard-boiled eggs and separate yolks and whites. Push yolks through a fine-meshed strainer. Whisk in olive oil, mustard, and touch of lemon juice, salt and pepper. Toss with a hearty lettuce, such as romaine, and garnish with chopped egg whites.

Meatloaf with Eggs: Put together your favorite meatloaf mixture. Pat half of it into a loaf pan, then make a trench lengthwise down the center and place a row of hard-boiled eggs in the trench. Top with remaining meatloaf mixture, patting it down to enclose the eggs, and bake.

[From LDN Food Editor Deb Rohrer]