Spicy Deviled Eggs (Aka: Blood Shot Eyes)

These wonderful deviled eggs are made with cream cheese, ham, and olives, and kicked up with spices for heat. This is a cute way to dress up deviled eggs for Halloween but you can enjoy them anytime. Simply omit the food coloring and splash on a few drops of hot sauce over the tops.

• Ready In: 10 mins
• Yields: 12 appetizers

Ingredients

• 6  hard-boiled eggs, peeled and cut in half lengthwise
• 1⁄4 cup cooked ham, chopped fine
• 2  tablespoons cream cheese, softened
• 1 -2  tablespoon mayonnaise (see note)
• 1⁄2 tablespoon yellow mustard (or dijon)
• 1  dash cayenne pepper
• 1  dash paprika
• 1  dash kosher salt
•  green food coloring
• 6  black olives, sliced in half (pimento filled work great also)
•  texas pete  hot sauce (or your favorite)

Directions

1. Using a spoon, remove yolks from whites of eggs carefully. place whites onto serving platter and set aside.
2. Place the yolks in a small bowl. Mix in ham (make sure it is finely chopped), cream cheese, mayo, & mustard. Season with cayenne, paprika, and salt. Add enough green food coloring to get a good green color. Mix well. (NOTE: Begin with 1 Tbsp of mayo, then after everything is mixes, add more if needed to get the right consistency).
3. Fill a pastry bag with a large star tip with the yolk mixture. (or use the corner of a filled Ziploc bag). Fill just the hole of the whites with the yolk mixture. (do not cover the pointed end of the whites). Place the olive halves (cut side up) into the center of the yolks, pushing down gently to set the eyes inches.
4. place some hot sauce in the tip of a plastic sandwich bag. Cut off a very tine portion of the tip of the bag so the hot sauce will come out like ink on a pen. (NOTE: You could also try using toothpicks to 'drag' a wiggly line for veins).
5. Holding the bag like a pastry bag, begin where the yolk filling is close to the olive and gently squeeze out 3-4 squiggly lines, out towards the tip of the whites. (to resemble blood shot eyes). Repeat for remaining deviled eggs. If you don't have pimentos, you can place a drop of hot sauce in the center of the olive.