Eggs in a Hole - Rethinking a Classic Breakfast Dish

I've been spending far too many mornings lately pulling the covers up over my head and pretending that the world does not exist. I lie there in the dark cavern of the bedroom and listen to the *tink tink* of the baseboard heaters and the hum of the fan until I am immersed within dreamworlds where everything is happy and calm... I lie there, skipping breakfast … and the cold of the morning, until I convince myself that I am ready to brave the day and the impending gray waves of disappointment.

(Gray Day - Acrylic Painting by Lucia Johnson)

The anxiety (of being involuntarily unemployed and uninsured) has taken root deep inside my muscles, making it hard to breathe... and even harder to move forward and push past my own frustration. Slowly though, I am beginning to realize that every transition begins with an ending; An ending, followed by a period of confusion and distress, and then, finally, a new beginning. I hold onto that tiny glimmer of my heart's hope deep into the night, and then, this morning (for the first time in far too long) I awoke hopeful, with a mission to wade through the muck... and find a little happiness.

(Rainbow Path, Photographic Image by Irina Photography)

I know that every path toward survival starts with just a few optimistic steps forward. However small (or insignificant) those first steps may seem, they are often the most important... taking them is like making a promise to yourself that you will in fact....survive. So today I tempted myself out of bed before 8 am with the promise of a delicious breakfast treat, figuring that if I can at least get up to face the day, that is one step closer to a positive change than I was yesterday.

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Inspired by the simplicity of an egg, good bread and butter I recreated a classic dish of my childhood: "Eggs in a Hole" (also known as Eggs in a Basket, Toads in a Hole, and One-Eye Jacks, among other things). This version has a whole lot of flavor, and the perfect balance between sweet and savory. Pair one of these "sandwiches" with a bowl of fresh fruit and cup of coffee and you will be well on your way toward a beautiful day.

Today's Recipe:

Eggs in a Hole
(Serves 2)

4 thin slices of honey smoked ham
4 slices multi-grain bread
4 large eggs
2 tbsp. butter
1/2 cup milk
1 tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
Maple syrup, for drizzling

In a wide and shallow bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, sugar, salt and cinnamon.

Carefully cut a hole out of the centers of two slices of bread, and then dip each of the four slices of bread into the sweetened egg/milk mixture. Meanwhile, melt the butter on a large griddle or fry-pan and then lay the bread slices into the pan in one layer. Carefully crack an egg into the holes in the remaining bread slices and cook (all slices) until the bottoms are well browned (3 min), flip, and continue cooking (another 2 min).

Note: If you do not have enough room for all four slices to lay flat, complete this step in two batches, cooking the whole slices first and the egg slices second.

Serve by layering, for each sandwich: one whole slice of bread, two slices of ham, one egg/bread slice and a drizzle of maple syrup. Enjoy!

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The tunes getting me through the day:

Rain - Patty Griffin
More Time - NeedtoBreathe
Banana Pancakes - Jack Johnson
Let Go - Frou Frou

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How do you make it through hard days?

An Enchilada Breakfast Creation

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, a family of four spends $80 more a month on groceries than they did two years ago.

Ok. So $80. You think, that does not seem like so much.
But.... Let us take a look at that within the current economic context.
American families today are also feeling the burden of increasing energy prices, housing market uncertainty, and growing health care costs.
And, in an alarming reversal of past progress, real household income for the typical family has declined over the last seven years!
So, how are families able to actually shop healthy but still afford what they are buying for their meals!?

Well, first of all, take a cue from the $5 Dinner Mom, and start cutting coupons, following sale trends at your local grocer, and optimizing savings with her strategic planning techniques.

Then, start making better use of your left-overs by creating new dishes, instead of just reheating the same old thing two days in a row.
Usually when you think about a meal your focus is just on that one meal.
But wouldn't life be so much easier if thinking about one meal.... led to another meal with less work?

Yes - it would!
(Plus, being more creative with the food you already have will most certainly save you more money on groceries.)

So, here is one of my favorite left-over creations: An Enchilada and Baked-Egg Breakfast. It is so simple, and totally satisfying.

Baked-Egg Enchilada Casserole
(Serves 2)First, start with two left-over enchiladas.
(Use my Mostly Mushroom Enchilada recipe or my Black Bean Enchilada recipe as a base.)
Split the servings and layer them over a bed of rice inside two serving-sized baking dishes. Now, using the back of a spoon, make an indent into the center of the enchilada and then crack a single egg into each crevice. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 20 minutes (or until the egg whites have just set). Serve immediately and enjoy!!

Per serving: approximately 469 calories, 27 g fiber and 23 g protein. Also high in calcium and iron!


Check out our RECIPE ARCHIVES for MORE BREAKFAST IDEAS!

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What do you do to make the best use of your leftovers??

Sunday Brunch: French Country Omelet

One of my favorite parts about Sunday mornings is making brunch together just before noon and then crawling back into bed with the shades drawn to watch a movie and eat our breakfast together in bed. We aren’t lucky enough to do be able to do this EVERY Sunday, but more often than not we manage to fit it into our busy schedules. This has been a wonderful tradition of ours for probably over a year now. I know it won’t last forever, especially once we have children to turn our schedules upside down and inside out, but until that time comes I continue to relish this little piece of time spent together and hope that it will be a simple (but perfect) little something we can come back to frequently over the upcoming years.

While some Sundays we go all out with an array of mid-morning munchies, there is something to be said for creating a simple, yet hardy dish that satisfies even the largest appetite. This is one of those meals. The following omelet is a wonderful creation I first stumbled upon in Ina Garten’s book, Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics, which was given to me as a Christmas gift last year by my boss. It is based on a French dish served for lunch at the Café Varenne in Paris. We love it because it can be made in one pan and it combines meat, potatoes and eggs into one perfect omelet. Plus, it works great for either breakfast or lunch (or brunch). We often serve it with a big fruit salad, or a creamy fruit smoothie for a fulfilling and well-rounded meal.

Country French Omelet
Original recipe from Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics by Ina Garten
(Serves 2-4, depending on appetite – either serve 1/2 omelet or 1/4 omelet as desired)

2 tbsp olive oil
3 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
1 cup unpeeled Yukon Gold potatoes, diced
5 large brown eggs
3 tbsp milk
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp fresh chopped chives
1/4 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded*
1 tbsp chopped fresh basil*
*Not in the original recipe.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Heat the olive oil in a 10-inch ovenproof omelet pan or skillet (e.g., cast-iron skillet ) over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook for 3-5 minutes over medium-low heat until browned on both sides. Take the bacon out of the skillet and set aside to drain on a plate lined with paper towels. Place the potatoes in the pan and sprinkle with salt and fresh ground pepper. Cook over medium heat for 8-10 minutes or until very tender and browned evenly. Toss the potatoes occasionally to cook evenly. Remove the potatoes to the same plate as the bacon. Discard the fat from the skillet and melt the butter in the bottom of the pan while adjusting the heat to low. Meanwhile, beat the eggs, milk and basil together with a fork in a medium bowl. Add the egg mixture to the hot skillet. Sprinkle the bacon, potatoes, chives and mozzarella evenly over the top and place the pan in the oven for about 8-10 minutes or until the eggs are just set. Slide onto a plate and divide in half (or quarters) and serve hot. We like to serve this with a big bowl of fresh fruit salad for a well-rounded breakfast meal.

Per serving (based on 4 servings): 315 calories and 18 grams protein