Savory Spring Egg Cups

These breakfast treats remind me of the Italian Easter meat pie (pizza rustica) that my family would devour every spring. That hearty dish (best consumed cold) combines hard boiled eggs, mozzarella, prosciutto and ricotta cheese in a flaky double pie crust.

I still hope to make one of those savory pies before summer hits, but today's sweet little recipe satisfied my craving.  Better yet – my boys liked it. I served these egg cups for dinner and the leftovers held up great the next day. Lunch for me; hearty after-school snack for them.

You can use your favorite breakfast meat, like sausage or ham. I used bacon because it imparts a taste similar to the prosciutto used in my family's traditional Easter morning meal.

These would make a great addition to an Easter brunch menu, especially if you have extra eggs in the fridge. Or they might be a good way to use that leftover holiday ham.

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Savory Spring Egg Cups
Inspired by a video from HomemadeHooplah.com

2 sheets puff pastry dough, thawed
Small container ricotta cheese
6 slices precooked bacon, chopped
1 dozen eggs
Garlic salt
Fresh ground pepper

**Cut recipe in half if you don't need 12 egg cups.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously spray a large 12-tin muffin pan with cooking spray. If you like, line each tin with paper or parchment muffin liners.

Place 1 sheet of thawed puff pastry on lightly floured surface and use a rolling pin to flatten into a square shape. Repeat with second pastry sheet.

Cut each pastry sheet into 6 squarish rectangles. Push 1 square of pastry into each prepared muffin tin. Flute edges of pastry so they stand up slightly. Spray pastry with cooking spray.

Fill each muffin cup with 1 or 2 tablespoons of ricotta cheese. Sprinkle with crumbled bacon. Push down gently with back of a spoon.

Crack one egg into each muffin cup. Sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper.

Place in preheated oven and cook for 20-25 minutes or until crust is lightly browned. Cook a few minutes less if you prefer a less solid yolk. (You can test the yolk with a toothpick.)

Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan.

Tastes great served warm or cold. Fresh berries make a nice side dish. Perfect for any meal!

Gluten-Free, Low FODMAP Southwest Breakfast Bake

I feel like a lucky duck because I don't have any food allergies. Many of my friends and family have food allergies and sensitivities and need to follow special diets so they feel their best. And here I am taking it for granted that I can scarf down a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with impunity.

Several folks in my life follow a low FODMAP diet to help maintain good gut health. A low FODMAP diet avoids gluten, dairy, certain sweeteners, and a pretty long (and seemingly random to those of us uneducated about Fermentable Oligo-Di-Monosaccharides and Polyols) list of foods like onions, garlic, legumes, avocado, apples, and artichokes.

Since I'm an admitted food nerd, I get pretty psyched about a dietary challenge. It's fun to come up with a delicious recipe that all of my loved ones can enjoy! When we had a gang over for brunch recently, I served this Southwest Breakfast Bake that was flavorful and friendly for a low FODMAP diet. Chipotle chili powder gives smokey depth to the dish and green chiles add just the right amount of heat. I think you'll enjoy it...low FODMAP diet or not.

Let's get cooking!
Erin

Gluten-Free, Low FODMAP Southwest Breakfast Bake
Adapted from all over the internet (Sorry I can't remember specifics!)

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound ground beef
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
3/4 teaspoon chipotle chili powder*
1 medium white sweet potato**, peeled and grated
Salt
2 cups spinach, roughly chopped
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons canned chopped green chiles
12 eggs, whisked
Salsa, hot sauce, and extra chopped cilantro for serving (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9" x 13" baking dish and set aside.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add beef and cook, stirring occasionally, until beef is cooked through, about 8 minutes. Stir in cumin and chipotle chili powder and cook for an additional minute, until the spices are fragrant.

Stir in sweet potato and salt to taste. (I used about a teaspoon of salt.) Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add spinach and cook until it's wilted, about 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in cilantro and green chiles. Taste for seasoning and add a little more salt or spice if necessary.

Spread beef mixture into prepared pan. Pour eggs over top and shake the pan a little so the eggs settle and mix in with the beef. Bake 25-30 minutes, until eggs are set in the middle. Serve warm with salsa, hot sauce, and extra cilantro.  

* If you're following a low FODMAP diet, make sure you're using chipotle chili powder and not regular chili powder. Regular chili powder is a blend that typically includes onion and garlic powder, which are not FODMAP friendly.

**White sweet potatoes are a little bit less sweet than typical orange sweet potatoes. If you can't find a white sweet potato, feel free to substitute a regular orange sweet potato.

Cheesy Grits Casserole with Sausage

A few weeks back, the Seattle Seahawks played the Carolina Panthers in a playoff game. Since I'm a Seattle resident and Amy hails from the land of the Panthers, we had a friendly little wager that we posted to the HDHH Facebook page. If the Hawks won the game, Amy would need to prep a meal featuring salmon. If the Panthers won, I owed her grits.

Since the Panthers are playing in the Super Bowl on Sunday, I think you all know who's been in the kitchen this week.

When the husband and I were living in Charlotte, we enjoyed many tasty meals. Southerners can cook, y'all. And they bring out their A-game for a church potluck. One woman from my ladies' Bible study brought to one such gathering a cheesy grits casserole studded with sausage, and it totally blew my mind. Losing the bet to Amy seemed like the perfect opportunity to re-create this delicious dish.

If you're looking for the perfect brunch dish or pre-Super Bowl breakfast, Cheesy Grits Casserole with Sausage is just the ticket. Savory, rich and creamy, it's full of southern flavors. Plus it's hearty enough to stick to your ribs and keep you full for the big game.

Hope you enjoy this tribute to the south, the Carolina Panthers, and my time in the beautiful city of Charlotte. Keep pounding!

Let's get cooking!
Erin

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Cheesy Grits Casserole with Sausage
Adapted from allrecipes.com
Serves: 6

1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 pound ground sausage
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup grits
Salt and pepper
4 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 3/4 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8" square baking dish and set aside.

Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high. Add sausage and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until sausage is cooked through and some pieces are nice and crisp, about 8 minutes. Add 1/2 teaspoon onion powder and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Drain sausage and set aside.

Bring broth to a boil in a large saucepan. Stir in grits. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for about 5 minutes, until broth is absorbed. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, whisk together eggs, milk, Worcestershire sauce, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir into grits and cook over low heat for a couple minutes. Stir in 1 cup cheese and cooked sausage. Pour into prepared baking dish and top with remaining 3/4 cup cheese. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, until set in the middle.

Herbed Egg Bake

We like to eat breakfast for dinner (brinner!) every now and then and I'm a big fan of egg bakes.

For the past few years I've been on a quest to achieve a quiche-like consistency without using heavy cream and a crust. After a recent visit from my parents — during which we ate many bagels topped with cream cheese and the smoked salmon they brought back from their Alaska excursion — my fridge was overflowing with tubs of cream cheese in several flavors (garden, onion and chive, etc.)

So I began experimenting with baked eggs again. I've tried whisking cream cheese into eggs before scrambling them or baking them, but could never quite get that fluffy custardy texture.

Until now. Thanks to Epicurious.com I know the trick: Mix the eggs and cream cheese together with milk in a blender.

This egg casserole is simple to prepare and also makes for a great brunch dish. The leftovers taste delicious cold or warmed in the microwave.

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Herbed Egg Bake

2 cups shredded cheese (cheddar, Gruyere or Swiss work well)
1/2 cup chopped fresh herbs, such as chives, basil, parsley, oregano (Use one kind or a mixture)
10 large eggs
6 to 8 ounces cream cheese, plain or the flavor of your choice
1 and 1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter or use cooking spray to coat a 13x9x2 inch pan or a 2 quart baking dish.

Spread cheese and herbs evenly over bottom of baking dish.

Crack eggs into blender. Add milk, cream cheese, pepper, salt and nutmeg. Pulse or blend until smooth.

Pour egg mixture over cheese and herbs in baking dish. Place in middle rack of oven.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until egg bake is lightly browned, puffed and set in the middle. Let cool for about 10 minutes before serving.

Stuffed French Toast

First, the important stuff: Today is THE LAST DAY to enter our GIVEAWAY! If you want to win a West Bend Bread Maker, check it out.

Now that we're mere hours from the weekend, it's time to start thinking about brunch. During the hectic work week, the husband and I eat things like oatmeal, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and granola bars for breakfast. And the occasional Pop Tart. Don't judge.  Anyway, on the weekends, we're prone to get a little crazy with our first meal. I'll make eggs-in-a-hole or the husband will whip up the best pancakes you'll ever eat. It's weekend food.

Today's recipe is deceptively simple, and wonderfully decadent. Stuffed French Toast is fancy enough to serve to guests you want to impress, but it's perfect for your unshaven husband, sweatpant-clad best friend, bleary-eyed wife, or footie-pajama'ed kids. And doesn't that sound like a much more fun brunch crowd anyway?    

Stuffed French Toast

Serves: 4

4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

3 tablespoon sugar, divided

Pinch cinnamon

8 slices bread, toasted (I toast mine in the toaster.)

4 tablespoons jam (I'm partial to strawberry.)

4 tablespoons butter, divided

1 cup milk

1 egg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Pinch salt

1/2 cup flour

Maple syrup and extra butter, for serving

Stir together cream cheese, 1 tablespoon sugar, and cinnamon. Evenly spread on four slices of the bread. Spread jam on the remaining slices of bread. Top each slice of jam-covered bread with a slice of cream cheese-covered bread to form four sandwiches.  

Melt 2 tablespoons butter and whisk it together with milk, egg, vanilla, salt, and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Once the ingredients are blended, whisk in the flour until combined. Pour the batter into a shallow dish. Place sandwiches into the batter and allow them to sit for about 1 minute on each side. 

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Place two batter-dipped "sandwiches" onto the skillet and cook for about 2.5 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Repeat with the final tablespoon of butter and remaining sandwiches. Keep french toast warm in a very low oven until you're ready to eat. Serve with maple syrup and a pat of butter.