Deviled Eggs

I've been making deviled eggs for years but I've never shared my recipe here. It's fairly simple but very, very delicious. I don't measure the mayo or mustard, just go by feel and taste.

I've never been good at piping the filling back into the eggs, so excuse the unstyled photos. We inhaled these at Easter. Baby Girl loves them - she had three. Next year I'm making a full dozen since there were no leftovers.

Deviled Eggs

12 eggs
mayo
yellow mustard
salt
pepper

Put the eggs carefully in a large pot. Fill the pot with cold water so the eggs are completely covered. Put the pot on the stove and bring to a boil. Turn the heat off, cover the pot and allow to sit for 12 minutes. Drain the eggs and immediately submerge in ice water. Allow to cool completely.

Once the eggs are cool, peel them. Cut each egg in half and remove the yolks to a bowl. Mash each yolk as you add it to the bowl so the yolk is a smooth paste. Add some mayo (start with a few tablespoons) and mash into the yolks. You want the mixture to be smooth and creamy. Add more mayo as needed to get the consistency you want. Add a few squirts of mustard to taste. The more mustard you add the spicier they'll be. Season with salt and pepper.

Pipe or spoon the filling back into each egg half.

Breakfast Bowls

Every night someone on my cooking board will ask "what's for dinner?" One night my friend Heather said her husband was making breakfast bowls. I immediately asked her for the recipe. I finally got around to making them one weekend when we didn't have plans and needed a hearty breakfast to hold us over until dinner.

This dirties a few pans but it's worth it. So, so worth it. The flavors come together so well and the combination of hash browns, breakfast meat, eggs and cheese is very filling. You can also add any veggies you choose. I did onions and mushrooms, but Heather uses peppers as well. Use your imagination - this is a great way to use up any leftover veggies in your fridge.

I ended up putting everything into a large, round Corningware dish then dividing it in half for us to eat, but if you have larger, oven-safe bowls I think it would be fun to make these as individual servings. I cooked the full pound of breakfast sausage but froze half since it was just the two of us eating (Baby Girl stole bites from our plates since she'd already had breakfast). I can't wait to make these again.

Breakfast Bowls
From my friend Heather
Serves 4

1 pound ground breakfast sausage (Jimmy Dean's)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Shredded hash browns, fresh or frozen
1 tablespoon butter

1 green or red pepper, chopped (optional)
1 onion, chopped
8 mushrooms, sliced (optional)
1 cup shredded cheddar
8 eggs, scrambled
1 tomato, diced
4 scallions, sliced

Preheat oven to 350.

Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage, breaking it up into small pieces. Cook until the sausage is no longer pink. Remove the sausage from the skillet.

While the sausage is cooking, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in another large non-stick skillet. Add as much of the hash browns as you want to the pan. Cook, turning often, until they're brown and crispy. Divide the hash browns evenly among 4 oven-safe bowls or one, large oven-safe dish.

Add the butter to the now-empty skillet and add the veggies. Cook over medium heat until they soften. Add the veggies to the bowls on top of the hash browns. Sprinkle some of the cheese on top, then add the cooked sausage.

Add the eggs to the pan the sausage was in and cook until slightly under done. Divide the eggs among the bowls and top with the rest of the cheese.

Place the bowls on a cookie sheet and bake until heated through and the cheese has melted, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and top with the chopped tomato and scallion. Serve immediately.

NOTE: You can use cooked, chopped bacon instead of the sausage and cubed breakfast potatoes instead of the hash browns. You can also cook the eggs over easy instead of scrambling them and put them on the top of the bowls (potatoes, meat and cheese) once they come out of the oven.

Breakfast Risotto

I've been on a major risotto kick lately so, naturally, as soon as Elly posted this drool-inducing Breakfast Risotto on our cooking board I immediately added it to the meal plan.

I'm a sucker for runny eggs so topping risotto with a runny egg is right up my alley. Initially I was going to use bacon in this recipe but I needed pancetta for the salad I was going to serve with it so I figured I'd give the pancetta a shot. In the future I'll probably stick with bacon since half a pound of pancetta was more expensive than a pound of bacon, plus I missed the smokiness.

Either way, this is a great recipe. We all loved it - Baby Girl was popping the crispy pancetta into her mouth like candy.

Breakfast Risotto
As Seen on Elly Says Opa!

4-6 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons butter, divided
3 oz. pancetta, chopped
1 shallot, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/4 cups arborio rice
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese
Fresh chopped parsley, minced (optional)
Poached eggs for serving

Pour the broth into a saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat so the broth is at a simmer.

In a heavy-bottomed skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add the pancetta and cook until it has crisped and rendered its fat. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Melt the remaining butter into the pan, and then add the shallot. Cook until tender, then stir in the garlic just until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the rice, coating with the butter and toasting the kernels until they are translucent, about 2 minutes.

Add the wine to the pan. Scrape up any browned bits and allow nearly all of the wine to be absorbed by the risotto. Add a ladle-full of warm chicken broth to the rice. Stir frequently and do not add another ladle of broth until the first is almost completely absorbed. Continue to stir frequently, adding broth by the ladle, until the rice is creamy and has just a slight bite in the center when you try it. This will take about 25 minutes.

Off the heat, stir in the cheese and pancetta. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve immediately with poached eggs on top.

Product Review: East Riding Farm’s All Natural Popovers

Over the summer I received some frozen popovers from East Riding Farm. I absolutely love popovers, which are a light and flaky roll, and make them every year for Christmas dinner.

One morning I was standing in front of the fridge trying to decide what to make for breakfast when I thought about the popovers again. I knew I had eggs, spinach and leftover Alfredo sauce and decided to make a spinoff of Eggs Benedict using the popovers as the base, topped with the spinach (I also used sliced tomato once), fried eggs and drizzled with the Alfredo sauce. I wasn't sure how it would turn out the first time but it was outstanding. The light and flaky popovers cook in just four minutes in a preheated oven (I used my toaster oven), which is just enough time to cook the eggs.

You can definitely serve the popovers by themselves as a side, but I loved topping them in this way. I can't wait to try some other variations.

Popovers with Eggs, Spinach and Alfredo
Makes one serving

2 standard-size frozen East Riding Farm popovers
1/4 cup frozen spinach
1/2 tablespoon butter
2 eggs
Alfredo sauce

Cook the popovers in a preheated oven according to package directions.

Microwave the spinach until hot. Wring dry in a clean kitchen towel.

Heat butter in a small non-stick skillet over medium-low heat until melted. Crack the eggs into the skillet and cook to desired doneness.

Heat the Alfredo sauce.

Place the popovers on a plate. Fill each cavity with half the spinach, then top each with one egg and some of the Alfredo sauce. Serve immediately.

Disclaimer: I received free samples of East Riding Farm’s All Natural Popovers. I was not paid to write this review and all opinions are my own.

Overnight Ham and Cheese Breakfast Enchiladas

My mom warned me there would be a lot of leftover Easter ham this year so I figured I'd better have a game plan in place. As luck would have it, this recipe for Overnight Ham and Cheese Breakfast Enchiladas showed up in my blog reader right before the holiday. I love make-ahead casseroles and this was intriguing because it involved tortillas instead of bread.

I was worried the egg mixture would turn the tortillas into mush like a typical strata but I needn't have worried. This was so easy to prep since there's no cooking involved, just chopping/grating.

Since I was serving this for dinner I assembled it in the morning and then baked it off that night. Delicious, filling and a great way to use up some of the leftover ham. I'll definitely be making this one again.

Overnight Ham and Cheese Breakfast Enchiladas
As seen on The Girl Who Ate Everything

2 cups cubed and cooked ham
1/2 cup chopped green onions
2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
8 flour tortillas (6-8 inches)
1 1/4 cups half-and-half
4 whole eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon flour
salsa, sour cream, diced avocado and additional green onions for serving

In a medium bowl stir together ham, green onions and 2 cups of cheese (save the remaining 1/2 cup for later).

Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Use a 1/3-cup measuring cup to scoop out cheese mixture onto a tortilla. Roll up tortilla and place seam side down in the baking dish. Roll up all tortillas and place them into the baking dish with the sides touching.
Whisk together half-and-half, eggs, salt, and flour. Pour over tortillas. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

In the morning, preheat oven to 350º. Bake for 30-40 minutes. Remove and sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup of cheese over enchiladas. Bake for 10 more minutes or until tops are golden brown and the egg mixture is set.

Serve with salsa, sour cream, avocado and additional green onions.

Baked Breakfast Taquitos

We need to eat breakfast for dinner more often. Or, in the case of these Baked Breakfast Taquitos, for lunch.

Various iterations of the baked taquito have been making their way around food blogs for awhile now. But I think my favorite version are these breakfast ones, mainly because you can eat them for breakfast, lunch or dinner. I actually made the egg mixture the day before we ate these, which meant all I had to do the next day was roll up the taquitos, bake the ones we were eating and freeze the rest.

I served these with breakfast potatoes and fruit salad, which was a great pairing. Since making these I've already eaten two from the freezer for breakfast with the last of the dipping sauce. I've found that a nice healthy shake of hot sauce with each bite is delicious as well.

Baked Breakfast Taquitos
As seen on Pink Parsley, inspired by Our Best Bites

4 slices bacon, chopped
12 large eggs
3/4 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 cup grated cheese - cheddar, Colby jack, pepperjack, etc
1/2 cup salsa (thick and chunky preferred over a thinner salsa)
1/4 cup minced green onions
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Juice of half a lime
Hot sauce to taste
16-20 6″ flour tortillas
Cooking spray or olive oil

Dipping Sauce:
1 cup Greek yogurt
juice of half a lime
1/4 tsp chipotle chili powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray or lightly brush with oil and set aside.

Chop the bacon into 1/2-inch pieces and cook in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, stirring often, until browned and crispy. Use a slotted spoon to remove from the skillet and drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Discard all but 2-3 teaspoons of the bacon fat.

Meanwhile, crack eggs into large mixing bowl. Whisk in the Greek yogurt, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cumin. Add egg mixture to pan. Using a rubber spatula, gently scrape bottom of pan and fold eggs over to scramble. Remove from heat when slightly undercooked. Add cheese, salsa, cooked bacon, green onions, cilantro, hot sauce, and lime juice. Mix to combine, taste, and season with additional salt, pepper, and/or hot sauce as needed.

Place the tortillas on a plate, cover with a damp paper towel, and microwave 30 seconds. Working with a few tortillas at a time, place a scant 1/3 C egg mixture into the center of each one and roll up. Place on a prepared baking sheet, seam-side down, spacing 1-2 inches apart. Lightly spray tops with cooking spray, or lightly brush with olive oil. Sprinkle lightly with salt. Bake for 15 minutes or until edges are golden-brown and crisp.

While taquitos are baking combine all the ingredients for the dipping sauce. Stir to combine season to taste. Remove taquitos from oven , let cool for 5 minutes, and then serve with dipping sauce.

To Make Ahead: The egg mixture can be made a day ahead of time and stored in the fridge until ready to use. You can also prepare the taquitos and instead of baking right away, cover tightly in plastic wrap and store in the fridge overnight, or freeze for later use. To prepare frozen taquitos, place (un-thawed) directly on a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick spray. Follow original baking instructions, increasing time by 5 minutes or until taquitos are golden brown.

Ham, Egg and Cheese Cups

I had my eye on these Prosciutto Egg Cups from the moment I opened Nichole's email submission for the recent Breakfast Swap. The name alone grabbed me but then I read her post and saw how easy they were to make and I was sold.

I've actually been making these for a few weeks now but I didn't want to post about them until after the swap reveal. Since I don't keep prosciutto on hand I subbed regular deli ham. It worked just fine. I've experimented with various cheese as well, based on what we have easily accessible in the fridge. I always have American cheese for Baby Girl so I used that once. In this version I used a fun cheddar-like cheese we got after sampling it at the supermarket. Use whatever you like and have on hand.

What makes these stand out for me is the Italian seasoning. The first time I made these and took my first bite I was floored by the flavor. Silly me had forgotten about the Italian seasoning I'd just sprinkled on a mere 17 minutes earlier. That surprise flavor elevates these to another level.

I've yet to make these in advance and reheat them, but I'm sure they would do so beautifully. Thanks for submitting this awesome recipe, Nichole!

Ham, Egg and Cheese Cups
Adapted from Arepas to Zwetschgen via The Cookaholic Wife

Non-stick cooking spray
6 slices prosciutto or ham
Shredded cheese (mozzarella, cheddar, American, Swiss, etc.)
Dried Italian seasoning
6 large eggs
Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 375. Liberally spray a muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray.

Arrange each slice of prosciutto (or ham) in the muffin tin, covering the bottom and coming up the sides. Add a pinch of so of the cheese and a dash of the Italian seasoning. Crack one egg into each muffin cup and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Bake for 15-18 minutes. 15 minutes will result in a semi-runny egg and 18 minutes will result in a fully cooked egg. Allow to cool in the pan for 2 minutes, then run a butter knife around the edge of each cup and gently remove the eggs from the muffin pan.

How to Microwave an Egg

In an effort to eat a healthier breakfast during the work week I've rediscovered English muffins. There are so many healthy varieties these days, most with high dietary fiber and protein as well as whole grains. I've been alternating between toasting them and adding peanut butter and sliced banana, and wanting something more savory like a breakfast sandwich. I love a good egg sandwich but I didn't know how to make one at work since we don't have a stove. Enter the microwaved egg.


I admit I was a bit skeptical, but the ladies on my cooking board assured me this was totally doable. And now that I've done it I realize this is how most delis make eggs for their breakfast sandwiches. Not only is it easy, the lack of butter in the cooking makes it a healthier option.

Now that I know how easy this is to do I'm thinking of adding cooked veggies to the egg before microwaving to make a mini omelet. The possibilities are endless - veggies, meat or cheese would all work well.

How to Microwave an Egg

1 egg
Cooking spray
Salt and pepper
Optional - cooked veggies, shredded cheese, cooked breakfast meat

Spray a ramekin with cooking spray. You want to chose a ramekin that's roughly the same size as the bread/English muffin/bagel you will be using to make the sandwich.

Crack the egg into the ramekin. Gently scramble with a fork. Add salt and pepper to taste and any of the optional add-ins.

Cover the ramekin with a paper towel and microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute, depending on the power of your microwave. My work microwave takes 30 seconds, while the one at home takes 1 minute. Remove from the microwave and flip the egg over. It will NOT be fully cooked at this point. Cover with the paper towel and return to the microwave for 20 seconds to 35 seconds more, again depending on the power of your microwave.

Remove the ramekin from the microwave (careful, it will be hot) and run a knife around the edge of the egg to loosen. Add to your breakfast sandwich and enjoy.

Breakfast with C&T

The weather was awful on Saturday so since we were planning a late night at C&T's we decided to stay over. C&T were incredibly gracious hosts and despite the time change kicking all our butts, T was up early making a sensational breakfast. Just look at this plate of food:

T mentioned to me earlier in the week that she made a mean sausage gravy. In all my years of loving breakfast I have never tried sausage gravy. She serves hers over biscuits:


It might not look that appetizing, but this was absolutely amazing. So amazing that I asked for the recipe and I'm planning to make it for Sunday breakfast this week:


T also scrambled some eggs with cut-up pieces of beef from dinner the night before:


I had my eggs plain, but SP was in heaven. Steak and eggs is a winning combination in his book. T also used some of the potatoes from the night before to make potatoes with onions and peppers:


Thank you again for such a fantastic weekend. We had a blast! Next time we'll do Eggs Benedict at our house.

Bagel and Eggs

SP woke up early Saturday morning so he ran to the bagel shop and got some fresh bagels hot out of the oven. I had mine toasted, smeared with cream cheese, served alongside some lightly, perfectly scrambled eggs.

Breakfast

After SP's not-so-subtle plea yesterday for breakfast potatoes, I decided to make us a hearty Sunday breakfast of scrambled eggs, hash brown potatoes and bacon:


I made the hash brown potato cake by peeling 4 medium-size potatoes and then grating them on the large holes of a box grater. A little oil went into a non-stick skillet and then I added the potatoes and spread them into a thin, even layer. A plate was put on top and weighed down with a brick. I flipped it over about 10-15 minutes later, once the potatoes were golden brown, to cook on the other side. The result was a nice, crispy cake:


... but even though I used hardly any oil I thought it was too oily. I also forgot to season the potatoes with salt and pepper while they were cooking so I had to do it right before serving. I was disappointed, but SP thought everything was spectacularly good. I was also miffed by the eggs:


... which I scrambled with cheddar cheese, scallions and mushrooms. I couldn't taste any of the flavors, which really bummed me out. After yesterday's breakfast sandwich with the knock-your-socks-off cheddar flavor, today's eggs didn't wow me. And don't even get me started on the bacon. I took a chance and bought a different brand of bacon because it was on sale, but I was wary of the phrase "hickory-smoked flavor" emblazoned across the top of the package. I should have known - way too smoky for my tastes. Of course SP was in heaven. Oh well. At least there was a cream donut to drown my sorrows.

Breakfast Sandwich

This morning I made us breakfast sandwiches:


I constructed SP's on toasted, buttered whole grain bread with two scrambled eggs topped with cheddar cheese, bacon and hot sauce. You can see his in the background. My sandwich:


... was a deviation from my usual fried eggs since some cheddar cheese sounded mighty tasty this morning. I also had two scrambled eggs with cheddar cheese and bacon, but I had my sandwich on a toasted, buttered English muffin. I loved the sharp bite of the cheese.

Sunday Breakfast

On Sunday we got our first snowstorm of the winter season. It didn't amount to much - basically a dusting - but it was the perfect excuse for staying in and decorating the house for Christmas. We needed a good morning meal before we got started and we both had a hankering for breakfast sandwiches:


I made mine with two fried eggs and two strips of bacon on a toasted, buttered English muffin. I love this picture because you can see SP's sandwich in the background, along with our glasses of OJ and OJ mixed with cranberry. Very artistic. Here's a closeup of SP's sandwich:


... which has two scrambled eggs, two strips of bacon and melted mozzarella cheese on toasted, buttered whole grain bread and liberal doses of Frank's hot sauce. The good thing about breakfast sandwiches is that I can easily make us different sandwiches to fit our personal preferences.

Eggs in Purgatory

Since we had some leftover mashed potatoes from Thanksgiving and SP made sauce on Saturday, I thought Giada's recipe for Eggs in Purgatory would make an excellent Sunday breakfast.


I love the way the yolk spills down over the crispy potato cake and into the spicy tomato sauce:



Eggs in Purgatory
Giada De Laurentiis

5 large eggs
2 cups mashed potatoes, chilled
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup marinara sauce, warmed
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.

Stir 1 egg in a large bowl to blend. Mix in the potatoes, then the flour. Using a generous 1/2 cup of potato mixture for each, form the potato mixture into 4 (4 1/2-inch) diameter pancakes.

Heat the oil in a large nonstick fry pan over medium heat. Fry the pancakes until they are golden brown and heated through, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer the pancakes to paper towels to drain. Keep the pancakes warm on a baking sheet in the oven. Pour off the excess oil from the pan.

Heat the pan over medium-low heat. Crack the remaining 4 eggs into the pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until the white is firm, about 2 minutes. Using a spatula, turn the eggs over and cook for 30 seconds longer.

Spoon the sauce onto 4 plates. Place a pancake atop the sauce. Top each pancake with a fried egg. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and serve.

Thanksgiving Day Part 1

On Thanksgiving we usually eat a light breakfast in preparation for the big feast later in the day, so I made us both breakfast sandwiches. Mine:


... consisted of a fried egg and two strips of bacon on a toasted, buttered English muffin. It went down easy with a glass of ice-cold orange juice.

Sunday Breakfast

Today is all about relaxation, rejuvenation and food. Check back later for more food posts as we eat our way through Sunday. :)

To start off our day I made an old favorite, Rachael Ray's Canadian Bennies:


Regular readers will remember this as the meal I made Christmas morning and again a week later on New Year's Eve morning. It's an easy meal to make and it tastes fantastic.


SP loves sopping up the extra sauce with buttered bread. It's just that good.