Who said breakfast had to be predictable? Just because you’re in the mood for breakfast ingredients such as bacon and eggs doesn’t mean that they should be served in the classic manner. This little gem of a breakfast idea shares the same basic ingredients found in fast food breakfast sandwiches served in paper wrappers across the country, but the resemblance ends there. It is served open faced with crispy bacon, scallions and sharp cheddar on an oven crisped English muffin, and is far better suited to eating with a fork than as a hand-held item.

If your mind is flashing to soggy English muffins, overworked eggs and processed cheese, be heartened, this dish contains none of those things. The muffins are crisp, crunchy and browned to perfection, the perfect compliment to fluffy eggs, a hint of scallion and crisp bacon. the cheddar brings it all together into something that is somehow more than the sum of its parts in some subtle way sure I can describe.

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Popularity: 2% [?]

Sometimes plans change at the drop of a hat in my kitchen. I’d planed on making a few omelets on Sunday morning for a nice sit down brunch with my wife, and then it happened. I reached into the fridge to pull out the basic “eggs/milk/butter” and some mushrooms I wanted to use up, and there was a half wedge of Parmesan Reggiano, just staring at me, all dried-up and neglected looking.

I couldn’t have that cheese looking all pathetic like that. I could tell that the Romano had been making fun of it, what with its wrapper intact and still looking like the prettiest girl at the harvest moon ball. (We’ll be fixing that in a day or so!) And then I remembered that Shawnda of Confections of a Foodie Bride had just posted on frittata and my path was set.

I don’t know why I don’t make frittata more often. They’re simple, versatile and oh-so delectable. Any combination of ingredients that you’d use for a regular omelet can be tossed in, and you never have to worry about getting the bugger to flip properly. The other added benefit is that it’s very difficult to under cook a frittata, so the whole “runny eggs” issue simply isn’t a problem either.

For this particular dish, I decided on spinach and mushrooms, sautéed with onions and garlic. Add in some fresh Parmesan and you’ve got a simple meal in about 30 minutes that tastes heavenly and looks like you’ve slaved over it for hours, which makes it perfect to serve guests as well. This is one of those meals that you really should have in your “go to” file.

Note: The list of ingredients below looks pretty daunting, but this is probably one of the simplest recipes you’ll ever find. Feel free to substitute whatever you’ve got on hand, it’ll still be great!

Ingredients:

7 eggs
1 10 oz package spinach (either fresh, or if you’re looking for instant gratification, a defrosted frozen spinach works just as well here.)
Approx 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 small (8oz) packaged sliced button mushrooms
1 medium onion, chopped
4 large cloves garlic, minced (or 4 tsp minced garlic, if you prefer)
1 good handful chopped parsley (Flat leaf would work best, but I haven’t been able to find it lately)
1 tbsp Italian Seasoning
1 tsp sage (fresh is best, chiffenade about 5 leaves.. Again, I didn’t have any, so dry works)
Salt and pepper to taste
7 tbsp milk
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Method:

Preheat oven to 350°F

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Sweat onions and garlic in 2 tbsp olive oil until just translucent and softened. Add Mushrooms, breaking up any very large pieces. Allow to cook until well browned. Add salt, pepper and spinach. (If using fresh spinach, cook until completely wilted. If using frozen, cook until heated through.) Remove from pan and place in strainer to remove as much liquid as possible.

Wipe pan clean with paper towel, add remaining olive oil and return to heat.

In large bowl, beat eggs and milk together. Add 1/2 of the cheese and all remaining ingredients, mix well. Pour mixture into skillet and allow to sit over flame until eggs begin to bubble. Place skillet in oven and cook until eggs are set (approx 20 minutes).

Sprinkle remaining cheese over the top of the frittata and return to oven until cheese is melted and slightly browned.

Let rest for 5 10 minutes and serve.

What I would have done differently had I thought of it at the time:

Nuffin… This was wonderful, and I’ll be pumping out other variations on the theme over time. Enjoy!

Popularity: 5% [?]

What does the king of cooking blindly do when he’s in a hurry to get his wife out the door with a full stomach, but finds that everyone, including himself, is tired of the “same-old same-old?” Well, he looks in the fridge and the freezer, smiles and rearranges a classic southern dish for a bit more of an upscale feel.Whether it’s early and you’re headed for work or a lazy Sunday at home, this dish is sure to help you greet the day with a smile, and it can be on a plate in less than 20 minutes!

I suppose it could be called a poor man’s Eggs Benedict, but that title is already held by the egg McMuffin, so I decided name it after my wife, using her maiden name.

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Popularity: 1% [?]

An omelet can be a cook’s signature dish or worst nightmare. When everything goes properly, the result of a simple mix of beaten eggs, milk and seasoning becomes something more than the sum of its parts. A lighter than air collection of flavors and textures that can make any true foodie cry.

Of course, tears can be shed if things go wrong as well.

That’s my story for this morning. Something went wrong. I’m going to blame my dishwasher, which obviously left a residue in my normally reliable EmerilWare. Instead of sliding gracefully from the pan onto the plate, the otherwise perfect omelet slid gently out of the skillet to right about the half way point , then skidded to an abrupt halt and folded all over itself, leaving me with something that definitely did not look as appetizing as it should have. (I won’t blame the fussy baby, though he was distracting me just a bit at the time.)

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Popularity: 1% [?]