Using all those hard-boiled, dyed Easter eggs can be a challenge for the thriftiest cook. Before you begin slicing and dicing, consider food safety.

Like other perishable foods, do not eat eggs that have been out of refrigeration for more than 2 hours, says Kay Engelhardt, test kitchen supervisor for the American Egg Board in Park Ridge, Ill.

Other egg safety tips include:

* Wash your hands thoroughly before handling the eggs at every step, including cooking, cooling, dyeing and hiding.

* Keep eggs refrigerated after they have been hidden and found and also after cooking, if you won't be coloring them right away.

* Don't decorate or eat eggs that have cracked shells.

This recipe is from the American Egg Board:

Yogurt deviled eggs

6 hard-cooked eggs

1/4 cup plain yogurt

1 teaspoon instant minced onion

1 teaspoon parsley flakes or freeze dried chives

1 teaspoon lemon juice or dry vermouth

3/4 teaspoon prepared mustard

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/8 teaspoon pepper

dash paprika

Cut eggs in half lengthwise. Remove yolks and set whites aside. Mash yolks with fork. Blend in remaining ingredients. Refill whites using about 1 tablespoon yolk mixture for each egg half.