A Month-of-Eggs: Muffin Frittata

Muffin Frittatas

A friend told me I should do a frittata this month. I hesitated because I figured people already do them, but he convinced me it is not that common. So here goes! Mine is an unconventional version (but, of course). My recipe kind of reminds me of my corn pudding.

A frittata is, at heart, an Italian omelet with lots of veggies. It’s cooked “open-faced”, not folded, however. It is also typically cooked on the stove top while this one is in the oven. Hmm. Maybe it’s not a frittata after all, but that is what the recipe I adapted called it. Check out the Muffin Frittata recipe in original form.

I kept the name but tweaked the recipe a bit. (Don’t I always?)

This is a great grab-and-go quality breakfast. Even people who don’t have time for breakfast can tuck this one away to eat later. It’s good at room temp or hot. But it is an egg product, so don’t leave it unrefrigerated too long.

DH likes to take things like this out on his overnight hiking adventures for a high protein and easy to warm up/clean up breakfast. Kids can eat them in the car on the way to school. Snack on some for lunch, if you’d like. And how cute would these be on a breakfast buffet display?

Muffin Frittatas (makes 12, serves 6-12)

6 eggs

½ cup milk

¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper

1 cup taco/nacho cheese, shredded

¾ cup Mexicorn, drained

3 green onions, sliced

2 tablespoons diced green chilies (we like mild)

bacon crumbles, optional

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 12-cup muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray.

Whisk eggs, milk, salt, and pepper until well blended and frothy.

Stir in cheese, Mexicorn, and green onions.

Just-Baked Muffin Frittatas

Pour about ¼ cup of egg mixture into muffin tin cups. Distribute remainder among cups. Sprinkle on bacon crumbles if using.

Bake about 20 minutes, or until just set.

Put muffin tin on cookie rack and cool for 5 minutes. Remove from cups and serve.

NOTE:  You can make these the day before and reheat for breakfast. Just pop them into the microwave for 30 seconds. If not hot enough, heat in 5-10 second increments to desired temperature.

DH’s Rating: 5 Tongues Up  “Tasty!” Just enough egginess. He liked the compact size for travel and a quick breakfast with protein but not too heavy in the tummy.

A Month-of-Eggs: Breakfast in Bread

Breakfast in Bread

You’re back! Good to see you. I assume this means that you are enjoying this month’s focus on egg recipes. Me, too! 

As a side note, you know that I write a culinary mystery series (Dinner is Served) with personal chefs Alli and Gina. I am also planning a new bed-and-breakfast culinary mystery series and the title of today’s post and recipe is the title of the first book in that series.

Recently I encountered an interesting article about eggs and their freshness. Kind of shocking, actually, so it’s worth a read.

But we only have fresh eggs, right? Right! You are going to like today’s offering, I can almost guarantee. And, yes, I used prepared refrigerator biscuits. Once in a while, for a treat, eating all those chemicals is really tasty.

Monkey bread is a classic, refrigerator-biscuit morning treat. Gooey and good. This savory version that I came across sounded yummy and good for the crowd of visitors you have.  I tweaked it a bit to share with you. The original BEC Breakfast Bread is here.

I added the onions and tarragon because I wanted to up the savory part, the nutrient value, and the flavor quotient. Tarragon pairs very well with eggs, FYI.

Breakfast in Bread (serves 10)

6 slice of bacon, crispy (I use nitrate- and nitrite-free)

4 large eggs

1 ½ cups milk

1 tablespoon dried tarragon

salt and pepper to taste

3 cans refrigerator biscuits, cut in quarters

1 ½ cups cheddar cheese, shredded

3 green onions

6 slices cheddar cheese (the real thing, not processed cheese)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

Cook bacon to crispy and set aside to cool. Crumble when cool enough to handle.

Whisk eggs, milk, tarragon, salt and pepper in a large bowl.

Quarter the biscuit rounds and add to the egg mixture. Put a layer in the bundt pan, add 1/3 of the onions, cheese, and bacon.

Add another layer of biscuits topped with onions, cheese, and bacon. Continue until all biscuits pieces are used.

Pour remaining egg mixture over the top of the biscuits.

Bake 30-35 minutes. The egg will be cooked through when the bread is golden brown. Cool and turn out onto an oven-proof plate.

Top with cheddar cheese slices for topping. Return to oven about 5 minutes or until cheese is melted and looks like a glazed cake.

Serve immediately with a fruit salad.

NOTE: I do one can of biscuits at a time to make one layer. Thus, three layers. For a festive Christmas brunch add 1 tablespoon diced red bell peppers to each round.

Next time I make it, I’ll take out the tarragon and add mild diced chilies with a side of salsa for dipping.

DH’s Rating: 5 Tongues Up   He agreed this would be great breakfast or lunch when we have a bunch of guests. Filling and delicious. “Where’s the salsa?”

BFF’s Rating: “I’ll be serving this at an upcoming family brunch. It’s a savory bread with with yummy goodies to tantalize the tastebuds.” 

A Month-of-Eggs: Eggy Taco Cups

Eggy Taco Cup

I fell in love with this recipe from Bev Cooks that she calls Breakfast Taco Cups and made only a few changes. For example, DH (as you know) isn’t a fan of cooked bell peppers. He’s not wild about cooked tomatoes, either.

I served it for dinner to DH who loves all things in southwestern cuisine.

Please look at Bev’s original recipe and her gorgeous photos of the process. Mine? Meh! Not so much!

But how easy is this for dinner (or a special brunch, maybe)?

Eggy Taco Cups (serves 2)

2 slices of bacon

2 corn tortillas, warmed

8-12 leaves fresh spinach

2 eggs

2 green onions, sliced

½ cup Mexican cheese, shredded; divided

4 cherry tomatoes, quartered

1 small avocado, diced

¼ cup salsa

¼ cup plain Greek yogurt

cilantro (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cook bacon and set aside. Crumble when cool.

Warm the two stacked tortillas in the microwave for 15 seconds to make them more pliable.

Place two oven-proof bowls (or large ramekins) on a cookie sheet. Spray the bowls with non-stick cooking spray. Then wrap the tortillas into the bowl, overlapping edges where necessary.

Put ½ of spinach into each taco bowl. Top with an egg.

Sprinkle a tablespoon of cheese on top of each egg.

Top each egg with onions. Add bacon to each taco cup. Sprinkle on the rest of the cheese.

Bake for 25 minutes. Check eggs to see if you want them more done. (We like them soft, but not runny.) Bake in 5 minute increments to the doneness you want.

Top each eggy taco cup with tomatoes, avocado, salsa, and Greek yogurt. I didn’t have fresh cilantro, or I would have used it. Great served for dinner with black beans and corn.

DH’s Rating:  5 Tongues Up   “This is really good!” He liked that he could pick up the taco cup and nibble away. I only made him one. Next time he wants two!

A Month-of-Eggs: Poaching Power

Poached Egg on Toast

I have shared a few techniques with you within the context of the recipes, but today’s post is all about technique. Just about five years ago I wrote about my new way of making poached, or coddled, eggs.

 

It was a big breakthrough for me, because making coddled/poached eggs as an adult, I realized why my mother only did them when we were ill, typically one at a time. Poached eggs are hard!

Hard to keep the yolk intact as you lift it out of the boiling water. Hard to scrub off all the little stringy whites stuff that sticks to the side of the pan. Yeah, Big Ma would never make enough for the whole family for breakfast. Too hard.

I'll bet you guessed poached eggs are much better for you than their fried sunny-side-up cousins. Poached eggs have no added fat. They are pure protein with only their native fat content. One reason I bake eggs or poach them is for health reasons. But they are a pain--if done the traditional way.

Poach Pods

Then I found Poach Pods, little silicon floaters to cook the eggs in. But, I can only cook four eggs at a time (which could serve anywhere from 2-4 people). Okay, I could buy more, but when I have guests, I usually made my omelets-in-a-bag for breakfast for a large number (I’ve done 12).

But then I read one of those things that periodically make the Internet rounds suggesting using coffee filters.

Eggs in Coffee Filters

I found I can serve a large number of people poached eggs by cooking them in cone-shaped coffee filters in boiling water. Sure, the eventually tip over, but by then the eggs are mostly cooked. And if you have enough of them crowding your pan of boiling water, they don’t tip over at all.

So put your eggs into a Poach Pod or into a coffee filter and boil away until your eggs reach your desired degree of hardness. I take mine out immediately after the last bit of egg white cooks. We like runny eggs.

Egg in Poach Pod

Egg in Coffee Filter

I crack the eggs right into the Poach Pods and put into hot water, then turn the heat up to boil them. I put the coffee filters into coffee cups and crack the eggs into the filters, lift them into the hot water, and turn up the heat. The cups are still clean, so I put them back into the cupboard. If you let them sit in the coffee cups for a while, do wash the cups to be safe.

Poach Pod eggs take about 10-12 minutes in boiling water. Coffee filter ones cook much more quickly, about 5 minutes, because they are closer to the water.

Poached eggs can be egg sandwiches instead of frying the egg. Just cook your eggs to a harder yellow state. I would do in my good nutrition by slathering on my mayonnaise and tomatoes. Oh, and some cheese. Love egg sandwiches!

Poached eggs are also essential to Eggs Benedict which you will want to serve with my Hollandaise sauce.

I use poached eggs on top of my quinoa and kale recipe, too.

Once poached eggs are easier to make, you will find yourself serving them more often for family and friends. You can buy your own set of four Poach Pods from catalogs or from Amazon at http://amzn.to/w6th1

DH’s Rating: 5 Tongues Up  He does love the more healthful poached eggs in all the ways I mentioned above. But he still has trouble seeing eggs as a dinner instead of breakfast or lunch.

A Month-of-Eggs: Pasta Carbonara

Pasta Carbonara

I know that when you read the ingredients you may not think this dish would be as tasty as it is, but DH’s tongue rating never lies. Although sometimes he doesn't rate as highly as he should (imho), he never over-rates.

Pasta carbonara is another great main dish for lunch or dinner. It could also be a side dish, in a smaller portion, to go with a plain meat like baked chicken or grilled pork chop.

Haven’t tried it for breakfast. Never will. But go for it if bacon and eggs with spaghetti rings your chimes.

Other than the flavor, one thing to love about this recipe is how quickly it comes together. I pre-cooked the bacon in the oven and re-heated it at dinner time. I mixed the eggs and cheese and let it sit on the counter to get to room temperature. I put the water on to boil while we did our pre-dinner word game so the pasta cooked in just a few minutes. Assembly was two minutes, top.

There are dozens of variations on the Internet. I read them, got down the basic principles, and then did my own version. Do a search for another, if you don’t like mine. There are many options.

Pasta Carbonara (serves 6)

2 large eggs, room temperature

2 egg yolks, room temperature

½ cup parmesan, shredded

½ cup Asiago, shredded + more to top, if desired

1 tablespoon ground pepper

salt to taste

8 slices of bacon, cooked crisp

box of whole grain pasta

1 tablespoon basil

Whip eggs and egg yolks with a whisk. Add cheeses, pepper, and salt.

Put on pot of salted water to boil for pasta. (My pan has a perforated lid so I can drain the pasta when cooked.) Add pasta when boiling briskly and cook per directions.

Reheat the bacon and crumble into pieces. Set aside.

When pasta is barely al dente, dip out one cup of boiling pasta water and set aside. Drain pasta and in the same pot immediately mix the hot pasta with the egg/cheese mixture. Add enough of the pasta water to make a creamy sauce. (You won’t need the whole cup.)

Toss with basil and bacon. Serve immediately! I put extra Asiago on mine.

DH’s Rating: 5 Tongues Up   (Surprise in his voice) “This is really good! Let’s have this again.” Oh, we will! There are four more servings to eat as leftovers! But then, down the road, I will make this again. It would be a surprisingly good casual-company dinner.

A Month-of-Eggs: Five-Spiced Eggs in Ham Cups

Five-Spice Baked Eggs in Ham Cups

This could be the easiest recipe this month. There is hardly any me in it. So wouldn’t you know this would get his highest tongues up rating! Go figure!

When I complained (okay, whined) about how the rating was unfair since it was so simple. He apologized. “Okay. Warn me about how many tongues up I should give a recipe.”   

<my hands thrown up in air> “No, no. You have to be honest.” Oh, well, right?

You can make your own Chinese Five-Spice powder, or you can purchase it in the spice section of your grocery. Chinese Five-Spice powder includes: anise, star anise, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger. Yummers!

Five-Spiced Eggs in Ham Cups (serves 1)

2 very thin deli ham slices

1 egg

Chinese Five-Spice powder, a sprinkle

½ English muffin, toasted

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Put one slice of ham in a muffin cup, its side hanging over the top of the cup.

Put another slice opposite, with its side hanging over the top.

Crack an egg into the opening of overlapping slices. You will have to push aside bunched up ham to keep the egg within the ham.

Sprinkle with a bit of Chinese Five-Spice powder and put in oven.

Bake for 10-15 minutes, depending upon how runny you like your eggs.

Lift out of the muffin cup and place on the toasted English muffin.

DH’s Rating: 5 Tongues Up. It must be the processed meat. I don’t let him eat very much of it, so he craves it. But, I really liked it too, and I liked that I could easily make a dozen of these for a brunch or company breakfast. The spice gives the eggs a different aspect that I enjoyed, too.

A Month-of-Eggs: Peppered Eggs

Egg Baked in Bell Pepper

Here’s another eggs-baked-in-veggies recipe. For this one, you can have some holiday fun. Use red bell peppers for Valentine’s Day, green for St. Patrick’s Day, and red and green for Christmas. Yellow might be for New Year’s Day brunch. Too bad there aren’t white and blue peppers to go with the red, right?

Peppered Eggs (serves 1 or 2)

2 eggs, small or medium

½ cup baby kale, divided

½ cup Asiago cheese, divided

½ cup leftover rice, barley, or quinoa (see NOTE), divided

Cut the pepper in half through the middle to make the egg cups. I cut long ways, but it works cutting through the “belly”, too.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Put a liner on your cookie sheet (parchment paper or Silpat).

Place the pepper halves on the cookie sheet and put into the oven for about 5 minutes. Remove from oven and reduce heat to 375 degrees.

Crack the eggs into two small containers for easy addition to the peppers.

Stack the kale leaves on top of one another. Roll up and slice into ribbons.

Drain the liquid that was released from the peppers. Return to cookie sheet and put half the rice/barley/quinoa in the bottom of each pepper half.

Top your carb with kale ribbons and the cheese.

Make a nest for the egg by creating an indentation in the center of each pepper. Pour an egg into each center and bake for about 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and serve immediately.

NOTE: Fill the pepper with leftover cooked rice, barley or quinoa. I used my kale and quinoa recipe but you can use regular cooked quinoa. I would suggest spicing up the leftover rice, barley, or quinoa with tarragon to give it some oomph.

DH’s Rating: 3 Tongues Up   He’s never been a fan of cooked bell peppers, and this recipe didn’t win him over. It was fine, he said, but he won’t ask for it again. The next morning he said he still felt full! Is that good or bad??? And it had kale. I used baby kale because it isn’t so bitter, but he still isn’t a fan.