Skillet Eggs with Squash

For a person who doesn't care much for breakfast, I sure have been posting a lot of breakfast dishes. Maybe it's growing on me!

When I was home for the summer, I must have been infected with the Crazy Virus, which is the only way I can explain the 5:30 AM workouts I had with my mom. NUTS! And on vacation too!

But, as you would expect there were a lot of benefits to exercising that early (besides the obvious exercise benefits), even while on vacation. I loved coming home at 7:00, oftentimes before the kids were awake, and getting ready for the day. And I loved having all the time in the world to prepare a decent breakfast to sit down and enjoy. Normally our mornings are rushed and frantic, which is perhaps another reason I'm not crazy about breakfast.

I LOVED eating this dish for breakfast. Vegetables aren't something you see often first thing in the morning, but I think they're so good with eggs. This dish is savory, salty, slightly spicy, and full of vitamins and protein. I enjoyed this with a slice of whole wheat toast and a cup of tea, a fabulous start to the day!




Skillet Eggs with Squash
Food Network Magazine July/August 2011

Ingredients

3 pounds (6 medium) summer squash, and/or zucchini
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 scallions, thinly sliced, white and green parts, separated
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
6 large eggs
1/2 cup cup grated pepper jack or sharp white cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Grate the squash into a colander using the large holes of a box grater (or use a large food processor fitted with the shredding attachment). Toss with 1 tablespoon salt, then let drain in the sink, 30 to 40 minutes. Squeeze the squash to remove as much liquid as possible.

2. Preheat the oven to 375. Heat the olive oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Set aside 3 tablespoons scallion greens. Add the remaining scallions (white and green parts), the jalapeno, and salt to taste and cook until the scallions are soft, about 3 minutes. Stir in the parsley, nutmeg, and pepper to taste. Cook until the mixture is slightly dry, about 1 more minute. Remove from the heat and let cool, 5 minutes.

3. Spread the squash evenly in the skillet. Make six 2 1/2 inch wide indentations in the mixture with the back of a spoon; put 1/2 teaspoon butter in each one. One at a time, crack each egg into a small bowl and pour into an indentation. Season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with the cheese.

4. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until the egg whites are set and the yolks are cooked to desired doneness, 10 to 12 minutes. Scatter the reserved scallion greens on top.

What's your favorite breakfast food?

Mini Quiches

I always think about quiche this time of year. Maybe it's the eggs, representing Easter. Maybe it's the bright yellow color representing spring. Either way, I'm not complaining because quiche is awesome!

I made these sweeties for a baby shower. I have a thing about turning food mini and these little quiches are much easier to make then you think. A store bought pie crust helps a lot, just line your mini muffin tins with a cut out piece of pastry, fill and bake! They're the best warm, but also taste great at room temp, making them perfect for say an upcoming Easter Egg hunt, or brunch you have coming up!



Mini Quiches
Adapted from Food.com

Ingredients

2 sheets store-bought pie crust
6 slices bacon, diced
1 onions, finely diced
6 eggs
1 cup cream
1 cup grated cheese, I used sharp cheddar
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (I used fresh)
salt & freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Cook the onion and bacon over a low heat until the onion is softened.

2. Allow to cool a little.

3. Mix together with the eggs, cream, cheese, parsley and salt and pepper.

4. Unroll pie pastry, dish with flour and roll with rolling pin until it's increased in size by about a third. Using a cookie cutter or glass, cut 12 circles from each pastry sheet.

5. Use these to line a greased mini muffin pan.

6. Place about 2 teaspoons of the egg and bacon mix in each pastry base.

7. Bake in a moderate oven for about 12 minutes per tray (or until puffed, golden and set).

8. repeat with remaining pastry sheets and mix.

My kids made paper crowns for their little bunnies, they're so dang cute!

Deviled Eggs-Done Two Ways

My family loves eggs. We like them boiled, scrambled, fried, poached, you name it. My son once woke me up at three in the morning asking for eggs, I think you get the picture. So come Easter time, it's never been tough for us to finish off the two dozen or more eggs that we dye every year, especially knowing that we are going to "Devil" them, or whatever that particular verb might be!

I don't know how deviled eggs got their name, but I do know that can eat about twelve in one sitting! I'm pretty picky about how they are made too, lots of mustard, horseradish, flavor galore. But this year I took a leap of faith and tried a few recipes from this book.

My parents, knowing of my love for deviled eggs, got this for me a few years ago. The first type I tried were the "Pesty Devils" which had pesto and sundried tomatoes in them. They were wonderful, and if you are a pesto fan, you will definitely love them. They are also very easy and require only a few ingredients. The sundried tomatoes aren't essential, but they sure do add a wonderful sweet chewiness.

Pesty Devils
Deviled Eggs

Ingredients

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon drained and chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
6 hard cooked eggs, peeled, cut in half, and yolks mashed in a bowl
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons prepared pesto
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Gently press the sun-dried tomatoes between several layers of paper towel to remove excess oil.

2. Combine to thoroughly mashed yolks with the sour cream and pesto. Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes and garlic powder. Taste, then season with salt and pepper.

3. Fill the whites evenly with the mixture and garish each egg half with a little dab of pesto.

The second eggs I made were the Tex-Mex Diablos. I loved these for their southwestern taste and the sweet crunch of the corn. It has your classic tex-mex flavors like cumin and chili powder, with the heat of cayenne, delicious! I'm tempted to make this whole thing into an egg salad and wrap it in a tortilla for something really different!


Tex-Mex Diablos
Deviled Eggs


Ingredients

6 hard cooked eggs, peeled, cut in half, and yolks mashed in a bowl
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons corn kernels, drained well
2 teaspoons hot chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoon canned chopped green chiles, drained well
2 teaspoons shredded Monterey Jack, shredded (I didn't use this)
salt and pepper

Directions

1. Combine the thoroughly mashed yolks with the sour cream. Stir in the corn, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, cayenne, chiles, and Moneterey Jack. Taste, then season with salt and pepper.

2. Fill the whites evenly with the mixture and garnish each egg half with shredded cheese.



How do you like your eggs?

Tiny Spinach Quiches

I have a thing for tiny bite-sized food. Having kids might have something to do with that, but it also makes for the most convenient party food. It doesn't require silverware, rarely even a napkin. You pop it in your mouth, no plate, no commitment, and then you grab a second.

I actually made these today for an Easter Egg hunt. I figured we could use an adult snack in the midst of the sugar frenzy we were about to be surrounded in. Truth be told, they're a bit of work, but they're also fun when you're looking for a nice project in the kitchen to focus on. The pastry is quick and easy to make, but next time I'm just going to buy a pie crust, it will save me a lot of time and work. The best thing about the quiches is that they make a great appetizer, but they'd also be a hit as a breakfast or brunch item. Plus, I love that bright green color, so nice for spring.

Tiny Spinach Quiches
Adapted from Favorite Brand Name Appetizers

Ingredients

Pastry:
3 oz softened cream cheese
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup flour

Filling:
5 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 cup grated Swiss cheese (I used Mont Jack and Mozzarella)
1 small package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
3 eggs
3/4 cup light cream (I used fat free half and half)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. To prepare pastry, cut cream cheese and butter into flour. Form into a ball; wrap in plastic wrap and chill 1 hour. Lightly flour rolling pin. Place pastry on lightly floured work surface, roll out to 1/8 inch thickness and cut into 16 circles with 3 inch biscuit cutter. Line sixteen mini muffin cups with dough circles.

2. To prepare filling, preheat oven to 375. Sprinkle bacon, then cheese, evenly over bottoms of unbaked pastries. Squeeze spinach dry and spread evenly over bacon and cheese. In medium bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Pour evenly into pastry cups. Bake 30 minutes, or until set.

If you'd like to make this into a pie, pour into 9-inch pie crust.

Smile for the camera kids! Smile! Kids!

Happy Easter!!!