fluid retention (and a giveaway!)

Gasp--I've never made a drink for this blog! I do consume liquids, I promise.

The simple explanation is that I drink water 95% of the time. The other 5% is composed of coffee (4%), juice (0.8%), and...other (0.2%). That's why I was elated to be contacted by Julie from MAVEA, the North-American division of Brita Germany, which just came out with a sleek, new design for a premium water filtration pitcher called the Elemaris. Its many beneficial qualities include a handy pour-through lid for direct filling, a soft-grip handle and non-slip base, and a sensor that lets the user know when the filter needs to be replaced. Not too shabby, eh? (Check out their blog focused on all things water!)

I'm still not posting a drink recipe. No, I'm going with egg salad, one of the few of my staple recipes which involves water. After all, eggs cooked in filtered water must certainly be better than eggs cooked in contaminated water, am I right? I'm sure most of you have personalized techniques for hard-boiling eggs, but this is mine and it works for me every time (knock on wood).

I'm sure you also have your own version of egg salad tweaked to your specific tastes--the list of potential and tasty add-ins and bread options is long and exciting, including everything from basil and sun-dried tomatoes to cilantro, jalapeno peppers, and black beans. I took the simple route for this batch, using sweet relish and dill to flavor the eggs. I opted to go for a pita as my bread...

Source: http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a306/digitalmuse/Food/egg-salad-diagram.jpg

...and it was an excellent (and soiled-shirt-free) decision.


Now, the good stuff. MAVEA has offered to give some of my readers their very own Elemaris water pitcher! I'll randomly select three of you who leave a comment telling me what you like in your egg salad, if you even like it at all. Comments will close a week from today, Tuesday, May 2, and I'll reveal the winners shortly thereafter. Good luck!

Aig Salad
6 eggs
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon mustard
1 tablespoon relish
1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
black pepper, to taste

First, hard boil your eggs by gently placing them into a single layer in a sauce pan. Add just enough cold (MAVEA-filtered!) water to cover the eggs completely. Put the pan on the stove and bring the water to a boil. Just as the water reaches a rapid boil, remove the pan from the heat and tightly cover it with a lid. Let the pan sit for 12 minutes, then transfer the eggs into a bowl filled with cold water. Allow them to sit for at least 10 minutes and then peel.
Meanwhile, finely chop the hard boiled eggs. Place the chopped eggs in a medium bowl, mix in the mayo, mustard, relish, dill, and pepper.