After the party: lunch and dinner and a movie.

Now that the party's over, let's see what we can do with the leftovers. First, I hope that you made sure that all leftovers are neatly stored in sealed containers in your refrigerator, and that you peeled the eggs before putting them away so that the color would not seep more into them. Of course the easiest leftover to deal with is the smoked salmon: toast 2 slices of whole wheat bread, thinly slice an avocado and drizzle it with lime juice. Chop some of the Kalamata olives you had at the party. Now assemble the sandwich: over one slice of bread, arrange some slices of avocado, top with the salmon and then with the olives. Finally top with the other slice of toast. No cream or butter added!

LEFTOVER EASTER EGGS

"What are we going to do with all those eggs?" Egg salad of course! Just the idea of making egg salad gets me excited (you noticed, I have nothing to do with myself lately!). No, it's simply because I get to use my favorite kitchen gadget: the egg slicer. Actually it's the favorite gadget we have in the family. It started with my dad. I remember on week-ends when he'd prepare brunch for us, and get the slicer out of the drawer to make egg salad. It's a small bowl with some kind of indentation the size of an egg in two directions: long and large. The cover is a cutting grid. So you put the boiled egg in one direction (large), lower the cover (slicer) and ZAP you have perfect egg slices. If you reposition the sliced egg in the other direction and cut it again, you get a chopped egg. I also have to tell you that this was, for many years, the only thing I was allowed to use in the kitchen, hence the special attraction! The egg slicer was one of the first items I bought for my kitchen. I was so excited to find a new and improved version of our old slicer: this one had two cutters: one straight and one curly.

Now, I learned from experience that there is a limited number of basic recipes in the world. These recipes can be tweaked to get different flavors. So, if you change some ingredients you'll get a Mexican flavor, change some again and you'll have an Indian or Italian flavor. But the basic recipe remains the same. This theory can be applied virtually to everything: chicken, meat, fish, and also eggs. And that's what we're going to do.              Egyptian Egg Salad: You'll need:

6 boiled eggs, chopped

2 tbsp finely chopped red onion

2 tbsp olive oil, or more to taste

2 slices (2 x 4 x 1/2 inch) feta cheese (I use French)

1 tsp lime juice

A dash of cumin

Salt and pepper to taste

In a medium bowl, crumble the feta cheese, mix it with the oil and the lime juice until smooth. I start with 1 tbsp oil and add as needed. It should not be creamy, only smooth. Add the other ingredients and mix. Serve over toast.

Now, to make it Greek Egg Salad:

Substitute the feta cheese and the cumin with chopped Kalamata olives and oregano and you're good to go.

For Indian Egg Salad you'll need:

6 boiled eggs, chopped

2 tbsp finely chopped white onion

2 heaping tbsp mayonnaise

2 stalks of celery finely chopped

1 tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro

1 tsp curry powder

1 tbsp lime juice

Salt to taste (curry has pepper already)

In a bowl mix the onion, curry powder,celery, lime juice and mayo, always starting with the smallest amount and adding as needed. Add the other ingredients. Adjust seasoning. Curry is hot but not salty, so you have to check the salt in your salad.

LEFTOVER HERRINGS

There is a lot of ways to use what you have left of the smoked herrings. You can eat them as is, they keep for at least a week in the refrigerator. You can thinly slice them and add them to your favorite pizza, even if delivered. Just arrange them over the pizza and reheat it for a couple of minutes. The cheese will incorporate the herring slices. But my favorite is the Herring Spread. I even make it from scratch as an appetizer when we have company. You'll need:

Slices of herring

Feta cheese

2 tbsp sour cream

The ratio of the feta to the herring slices is equal part feta to herring. Blend them in a food processor until well mixed. If they form a ball, add some sour cream to soften it. Mix. Transfer to a bowl, and add some more sour cream. Mix with a fork until you get the consistency of a smooth spread. Serve with toasted bread or pita, some celery stalks, baby carrots etc. If you still have some leftover lupini, put them in a bowl, and with the tray of the herring spread, curl up in front of the TV to watch a movie or your favorite show.