Mushroom & Cheddar Crusted Quiche

Quiche is one of those meals that is always comforting and filling, yet light and delicious at the same time and I NEVER think to make it.  I saw this recipe on the Relish! website (great menu-planning website, totally worth it) and thought it sounded so interesting with it's different type of "crust".  I usually think crusts are flaky or crisp, but with this one, the mushrooms released water, so it didn't crisp up, but it had such a wonderful flavor, it didn't bother me in the least!  I ate the leftovers the next day for lunch and enjoyed it just as much the second day.

Mushroom & Cheddar Crusted Quiche

Recipe courtesy of Relish!

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 8 ounces whole button mushrooms, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup cheddar flavored goldfish crackers
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 1 cup Swiss cheese, shredded
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 cup cottage cheese
• 6 large eggs
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
• Melt half of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. 
• Add the mushrooms, & saute 3-4 minutes. 
• Stir in crushed crackers. 
• Turn mixture into a greased baking dish & press firmly. 
• In the same skillet, melt remaining butter, add onions & saute until transparent. 
• Pour onions evenly over mushroom crust and sprinkle with Swiss & cheddar cheese.
•  In a food processor, blender or hand blender, pulse the cottage cheese, eggs & cayenne until smooth. 
• Pour mixture into crust & sprinkle with paprika. 
• Bake for 30-35 minutes or until knife inserted in the center comes out clean. 
• Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving. 

Lemon-Scented Pull-Apart Bread

This one looks familiar because I made the cinnamon version of this a little while ago.  In deciding what to make for the Mother's Day brunch I was hosting, I wanted something light and fresh to serve with the casserole I was making.  This was perfect.  I made the dough the night before and rolled and assembled it the next morning, which was so easy.  It came out wonderfully, though the top of mine did burn (I should have put foil over the top!) before the middle was cooked through, but lesson learned for next time.  I served it with the glaze on the side to minimize the mess when pulling the sheets off of the loaf.  It was a big hit!

Lemon-Scented Pull-Apart Bread

Recipe courtesy of Leite's Culinaria

Ingredients

• About 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 1/4 teaspoons (1 envelope)instant yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup whole milk
• 2 ounces unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature

For the lemon filling

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest (3 lemons)
• 1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest
• 2 ounces unsalted butter, melted

For the icing

• 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon whole milk
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Directions

• Stir together 2 cups of the flour, the sugar, the yeast, and the salt in the bowl of a stand mixer; set aside. 
• In a small bowl, melt the butter in the microwave until melted.  Add the milk & stir to combine.
• Add the water & vanilla to the milk butter mixture and let stand until just warm, not hot.
• Pour the milk mixture over the flour-yeast mixture & using a rubber spatula, mix until the dry ingredients are evenly moistened. Attach the bowl to the mixer & fit the mixer with the paddle attachment.
• With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition just until incorporated.
• Stop the mixer, add 1/2 cup (2 1/4 ounces) of the remaining flour, & resume mixing on low speed until the dough is smooth, 30 to 45 seconds.
• Add 2 more tablespoons flour & mix on medium speed until the dough is smooth & slightly sticky, about 45 seconds.
• Knead gently until smooth & no longer sticky, about 1 minute, adding an additional 1 to 2 tablespoons flour only if necessary to lessen the stickiness. *I used my stand mixer for the kneading, you could knead by hand on a floured surface.
• Place the dough in a large bowl, cover the bowl securely with plastic wrap & let the dough rise in a warm place (about 70°F) until doubled in size, about an hour.   *After this rise, you can wrap the dough in plastic wrap & refrigerate overnight, then let sit out at room temp for 30 minutes before proceeding on with the recipe.
• While the dough is rising, make the filling.
• In a small bowl, mix together the sugar & the lemon & orange zests. Set the sandy-wet mixture nearby.
• Center a rack in the oven & preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly butter a 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan or lightly coat the pan with nonstick spray.
• Gently deflate the dough. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough into a 20-by-12-inch rectangle. 
• Using a pastry brush spread the melted butter generously over the dough.
• Sprinkle the zest-sugar mixture the buttered rectangle.
• Cut the dough crosswise into 5 strips, each about 12 x 4 inches.
• Stack the strips on top of each other.
• Slice the stack crosswise through the 5 layers to create 6 equal strips, each about 4 x 2 inches.
• Fit these layered strips into the prepared loaf pan, cut edges up & side by side.
• Loosely cover the pan with plastic wrap & let the dough rise in a warm place (70 °F) until puffy & almost doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
• Bake the coffee cake until the top is golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes.  Check it around 20 minutes & see if it's browning on top too quickly, add a layer of loose foil on the top if it is, since the top will burn before the middle is cooked through.
• Transfer to a wire rack & let cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes.
• In a medium bowl, vigorously mix the cream cheese & sugar until smooth.
• Beat in the milk & lemon juice until the mixture is creamy & smooth.
• To remove the coffee cake from the pan, run a butter knife around the edges release the cake sides. Invert a wire rack on top of the coffee cake, invert the cake onto the rack &carefully lift off the pan. Invert another rack on top, invert the cake so it is right side up & remove the original rack.
• Using a pastry brush, coat the top of the warm cake with the icing to glaze it. (I served mine on the side to dip or spread on individual pieces.)
• Serve the coffee cake warm or at room temperature.

Kinda Wheat Bagels

I have a confession to make...here goes...I don't like wheat.  I don't like the smell, taste or texture of wheat bread, bagels, pasta, etc...  I've tried to like it, I swear!  I am an evil white flour lover all the way and I enjoy it...but decided to make a wheat-ish kind of bagel to add some health into it.  I'm starting out slow, but I'll likely end up going with a 50-50 split of white and wheat flours.  Baby steps, right?

These had a great texture, I could taste the wheat in it, but it wasn't overpowering at all.  You can do plain bagels by just omitting the garlic powder and onion flakes.  Plain bagels would be great with some peanut butter on top!

Garlic-Onion Kinda Wheat Bagels

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 c. warm water (about 110 degrees)
• 1 T. instant yeast
• 1 T. white sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 3 c. bread flour
• 1 c. wheat flour
• 1 T. garlic powder
• 1/4 c. dried minced onion flakes
• Non-stick spray
• 1 egg
• 1 T. water

 Directions

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fit with the dough hook, pour warm water, sugar and yeast.  Let stand for 5 minutes.
• Add salt, flours, garlic powder and onion flakes.
• Turn mixer on and let the dough knead for approximately 8 minutes, until the dough is elastic and smooth.
• Spray a large bowl with non-stick spray.  Place dough in, turning to coat in oil, then cover in plastic wrap.
• Let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Divide dough into 12 pieces and shape into bagels. (I shape into balls, then punch my thumb through and stretch the bagel to shape.)
• Cover bagels with a clean dish cloth and let rest for 10 minutes.
• While bagels rest, bring a large pot of water to a boil.
• Boil bagels about 4 at a time, 2 minutes on first side and an additional minute after flipping.
• Drain bagels and return to pan.  Repeat with all bagels.
• Whisk together egg and 1 T. water, brush egg wash over bagels.
• Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.
• Let cool on racks and enjoy!*

*These are wonderful frozen, I pre-cut all my bagels and package them in individual sandwich bags, then freeze.  It makes an easy breakfast to grab on your way out the door (if your place of work has a toaster!)

Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bread

So...I've been M.I.A.  I know...I apologize.  Here is a picture of the perfect little reason.

Before giving birth to my son, I had zero energy to cook much, let alone try new recipes, so I made a lot of the same things over and over.  After giving birth to my son, Ethan on November 19th, 2010, my life changed drastically...and not in the "newborn mom" way (lack of sleep, figuring out cries, etc...).  I had developed Peripartum Cardiomyopathy during my pregnancy and had no idea - it's pregnancy-induced heart failure.  So during the birth of my son, my heart stopped and then I was in a coma for a while, then woke up in a cardiac intensive care unit at the hospital with no recollection how I got there!  Overwhelming to say the least and I went home to my son and husband in early December on a strict low-sodium diet and zero appetite.

Well, the good news is that with rest and medicines, my heart has recovered to the low end of normal and I can eat whatever I'd like again, though we'll stick to a lower sodium diet from now on, I decided to make us a treat.  I saw this recipe on Joy the Baker and immediately started drooling in anticipation of making it!

Overall, this wasn't difficult by any means and I rolled out the dough immediately after the first rise - it was easy to work with and I didn't find that I needed the overnight refrigeration.  The smell was FABULOUS even before this went into the oven and when it was cooking, it was as if Cinnabon had moved into my kitchen!  The result was over-the-top delicious.  I'll definitely make this again, it would be a wonderful addition to a holiday breakfast or an everyday brunch!

Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bread
Recipe courtesy of Joy the Baker

Ingredients:

For the Dough:

2 3/4 c. plus 2 T all-purpose flour

1/4 c. granulated sugar

2 1/4 tsp. (1 envelope) active dry yeast

1/2 tsp. salt

2 oz. unsalted butter (4 T.)

1/3 c. whole milk

1/4 c. water

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

For the Filling:

1 c. granulated sugar

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. fresh ground nutmeg

2 oz. unsalted butter, melted until browned (4 T.)

In bowl of stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, whisk together 2 c. flour, sugar, yeast & salt.  Set aside.

Whisk together eggs & set aside.

In a small saucepan, melt together milk & butter until butter has just melted. 
Remove from the heat and add water & vanilla extract.  Let mixture stand for a minute or two, or until the mixture registers 115 to 125 degrees F.

Pour the milk mixture into the dry ingredients & mix. 
Add the eggs & stir the mixture until the eggs are incorporated into the batter.
Add the remaining 3/4 cup of flour and mix about 2 minutes.  The mixture will be sticky.  That’s just right.

Place the dough is a large,  greased bowl. 
Cover with plastic wrap & a clean kitchen towel.  Place in a warm space and allow to rest until doubled in size, about 1 hour. 
*After dough has doubled, it can be refrigerated overnight for use in the morning.  Take out and let rest on counter for 30 minutes before continuing the roll-out directions below.

While the dough rises, whisk together the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg for the filling.  Set aside. 
Melt 2 ounces of butter until browned.  Set aside. 
Grease and flour a 9×5x3-inch  loaf pan.  Set aside.

Deflate the risen dough and knead about 2 tablespoons of flour into the dough.
Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rest for 5 minutes. 
On a lightly floured work surface, use a rolling pin to roll the dough out.  The dough should be 12-inches tall and about 20-inches long.  If you can’t get the dough to 20-inches long… that’s okay.  Just roll it as large as the dough will go. 
Use a pastry brush to spread melted butter across all of the dough. 
Sprinkle with all of the sugar and cinnamon mixture.  Use all of it!

Slice the dough vertically, into six equal-sized strips.  Stack the strips on top of one another and slice the stack into six equal slices once again. 
Layer the dough squares in the loaf pan like a flip-book.  Place a kitchen towel over the loaf pan and allow in a warm place for 30 to 45 minutes or until almost doubled in size.

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. 
Place loaf in the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the top is very golden brown.

Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 20 to 30 minutes.  
Run a butter knife around the edges of the pan to loosen the bread and invert onto  a clean board.  Place a cake stand or cake plate on top of the  upside down loaf, and carefully invert so it’s right side up. 
Serve warm.

Feta Cheese Bagels

Look closely - you can see 1-2 Feta chunks, the rest have melted in for delicious flavor!

 

My friend Lisa, a fellow Feta cheese fanatic, told me about a Feta cheese bagel that she purchases for breakfast...of course, this got my wheels turning!  How could this be accomplished?  Was the cheese on top or inside?  What kind of flavorings were added?  How could I bake it without scorching the cheese?

Well, I think I came up with a pretty good rendition, though after asking Lisa, it doesn't sound anything like her morning Feta bagel, but this turned out very flavorful and delicious!  Mixing the Feta into the dough left pockets of cheese, though since it blended in with the dough, you couldn't see it, but you sure could taste it!  I also added just a small amount of oregano, since that goes so well with the Feta flavor.  The addition turned out so well, not overwhelming but just enough to compliment the dough!

Feta Cheese Bagels

Ingredients

• 1 tbs. active dry yeast
• 1 tbs. white sugar
• 1 3/4 c. 110 degree water
• 3 c. bread flour
• 1 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 tbs. salt
• 1 cup Feta cheese crumbles
• 3/4 tsp. dried oregano

Directions

• In a large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer) combine yeast, sugar & water.
• Let stand for 5 minutes, then stir in flour, salt, oregano.
• Mix dough thoroughly until it comes together in a large ball, pulling away from the sides of the bowl. 
• Add an additional tablespoon of flour or water, if needed.
  Knead dough with the dough hook until elastic, about 8 minutes on a low speed, adding the Feta cheese about half way through so it retains some "chunks". 
• Place dough in a lightly greased bowl (non-stick spray works wonderfully), cover with plastic wrap & let rise for 1 hour.
• Bring a large pot of water to a gentle boil & preheat the oven to 400F.
• When dough has risen, turn the dough out & divide into 12 equal pieces. 
• Shape each piece into a tight ball. 
• Using your fingers, poke a hole through the center of each dough ball. 
• Stretch out the dough into a ring with your fingers (some cheese will try to escape at this point, just try to poke it back into place & make the hole a little larger than you want the finished bagel to have, as it will shrink slightly while the bagel is expanding during the baking process. 
• When all the balls are shaped, let the dough rest for 30 minutes covered with a clean dish towel.
• Working four at a time, drop the bagels carefully into the boiling water. 
• Boil for 1 minute on the first side, then flip & boil for an additional minute. 
• Using a slotted spoon or strainer, transfer bagels to a clean towel to drain for a moment, then place on a Silpat or parchment-lined baking sheet.
• Bake for 20-24 minutes, until golden brown. Cool on a rack.

Freezer Breakfast Burritos

I normally keep a supply of homemade bagels in our freezer in their own individual bags, ready to grab and go for a nice quick breakfast.  I wasn't feeling like making a batch of bagels over the weekend to replenish our stock and wanted to try something different.  I remember seeing a website that spoke of making your own frozen breakfast burritos that were individually foil wrapped and ready to unwrap and microwave in only 2 minutes...that was the something different I was going for!

I made these simply, but in the future I could see adding more ingredients like onion, mushrooms, green peppers, bacon, different cheeses, etc... And the best part, based on my calculations for my simple version of these, for 20 individual burritos, they are a delicious, hot and filling breakfast all for about .33 cents each!

Freezer Breakfast Burritos
Recipe courtesy of Thrifty Fun

Ingredients

• 12 to 16 eggs, beaten
• 1 lb ground sausage, cooke
• 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
• 24 large flour tortillas

Extras:  These ingredients are optional.

• 1 green pepper, finely diced
• 6 potatoes, shredded and fried
• jalapeno, sliced or diced
• 1 can chopped green chilies
• 1-2 clove garlic, finely minced
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 1 tomato, peeled and chopped
• 2 green onions, sliced with tops

Directions

• Scramble eggs in large skillet until cooked. Stir in cooked sausage. Add any of the extras you choose except the cheese
• Wrap the Tortillas in a damp paper towel and warm in the microwave until they are warm (about 1 minute).
• Place 1/2 cup of scrambled egg mixture into a tortilla. Then add a little of the shredded cheese and roll burrito-style.

To Freeze:
Wrap each burrito in foil and freeze in single layer on a sheet pan. When fully frozen transfer wrapped burritos to large zip-top freezer bags & freeze.

To Serve:
Remove foil & wrap in a paper towel. Cook for about 2 minutes in the microwave. Cook times may vary.

English Muffin Bread

I've been meaning to try this bread for a long time now and with no other plans, I decided tonight was the perfect night to bake up a loaf.   The recipe below makes 2 loaves of this bread, I halved the recipe below with no issues at all, but will include the full recipe.

English Muffin Bread
Recipe courtesy of All Recipes

Ingredients

• 2 c. milk
• 1/2 c. water
• cornmeal
• 6 c. flour
• 2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
• 1 tbs. white sugar
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda

 Directions

• Warm the milk and water in microwave until very warm (125 degrees F). 
• Lightly grease (I used Non-stick baking spray) two 8x4 inch loaf pans; sprinkle cornmeal evenly on bottom and sides.
• In a bowl or bowl of stand mixer, mix together 3 cups flour, yeast, sugar, salt & soda. 
• Stir milk into the flour mixture; beat well. 
• Stir in the remaining flour, 1 cup at a time, until a stiff batter is formed. (I used my dough hook in my mixer until it was just combined.)
  
• Spoon batter into prepared pans (I shaped into a rough loaf and put in the pan). 
• Cover & let rise in a warm place for until nearly doubled in size, about an hour. 
• Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Bake in preheated oven until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Remove from pans immediately & cool on a rack.

Grocery store egg challenge...

We get eggs at our local Meijers, never thinking twice about it....always getting organic or free range "Jumbo" eggs.

My parents came over yesterday to visit and brought us some surprises, like some fresh goat cheese, Parmesan and Jumbo Jumbo Eggs from their local Farmer's Market "egg guy"...they go to their Farmer's Market 1-2 times each week now that my dad has free time on his retired hands. :) I guess they go enough to have their own "egg guy", "cheese guy" and "turkey guy"...oh wait, the "meat guy" too!

Paul's reaction to these farm-fresh eggs was "HOLY..." and this morning when he was making breakfast, he brought one of our eggs vs. a farm egg out for my inspection and this is what I saw:

**Grocery store on the left - farmer's market on the right**

You judge...are the grocery store "Jumbo" eggs any comparison to farm-fresh from the "egg guy" at the Farmer's Market?

I think not.

Is there anything better??

Than the smell of Cinnamon Rolls? And this time, I'm not even talking about that Cinnabon you walk past in the mall or the kind that you crack open the can for! I decided that since I'd never made Cinnamon Rolls from scratch, that today would be the perfect day to try! It was rainy out, Paul was gone to hang out with his brother and I had the whole day ahead of me and nothing but time! Heaven...

I found this recipe on Allrecipes.com. It had over 600 reviews and got 5 stars, so that's what sold me...I had to run out and get the Instant Vanilla Pudding, but that's about it! Everything about this recipe was outstanding. The rolls came out light and fluffy, the frosting was as good as any old Cinnamon Roll chain booth you can think of! I'll definitely be making these again, I have one pan of them in the freezer to pull out one weekend and have fresh rolls!
Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
Recipe adapted from Allrecipes.com

Ingredients for dough

• 1/4 cup warm water
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1/2 (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix (Based on Allrecipe.com reviews, I used the whole package)
  
• 1 cup warm milk
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups bread flour (I used regular flour)
  
• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast (I used 2.5 tsp. of bulk yeast)
  

Ingredients for Filling

• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3/4 cup chopped pecans (I omitted)
  

Ingredients for Frosting

• 1/2 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (I used 1 tsp.)
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons milk (I used 2 tsp.)
  

Directions

1. In the pan of your bread machine, combine water, melted butter, vanilla pudding, warm milk, egg, 1 tablespoon sugar, salt, bread flour and yeast. Set machine to Dough cycle; press Start. (I don't have a bread maker. I put all the ingredients into my stand mixer, the warm water, sugar, butter, warm milk then yeast, let it sit for a minute or so, then added the rest of the ingredients, mixed it until it was a ball shape, covered & let it rest for 1 hour. Then I turned it out onto the floured surface, kneeded it for about 5 minutes and proceeded with the next step...)
   
2. When Dough cycle has finished, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a 17x10 inch rectangle. Spread with softened butter. In a small bowl, stir together brown sugar, cinnamon and pecans. Sprinkle brown sugar mixture over dough.
3. Roll up dough, beginning with long side. Slice into 16 one inch slices and place in 9x13 buttered pan (I used 2 9" round cake pans, 8 rolls in each). Let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes. (At this point, I froze one of the two pans for use later.) Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
4. Bake in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes. While rolls bake, stir together cream cheese, softened butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla and milk. Remove rolls from oven and top with frosting.

Dinner leftovers for breakfast

After hosting a nice dinner yesterday, we had some leftovers of ham, bread, and mashed potatoes. I know these items need to be used up pretty quickly, so I made this breakfast using as much of the leftovers as I could!

Breakfast Sandwiches & Mashed Potato Cakes

Ingredients

• 4 pieces leftover bread (No-Knead, in our case...fabulous)
• 2 piece of leftover ham
• 3 eggs, scrambled and cooked into a flat omelette
• 2 pieces of cheddar cheese
• 3/4 cup leftover mashed potatoes
• Butter

Directions

• Cook eggs to your liking (I cooked ours into a plain omelette shape and cut in half, one for each sandwich) and heat ham through, setting both aside.
• Butter each piece of bread on the outsides and put buttered side down into a hot pan.
• Fill with 1 piece of ham, 1 egg section, 1 piece of cheese and then top with the other piece of bread, buttered side up.
• Cook over medium heat, until bread is toasty and golden, flipping after a few minutes.
• Meanwhile, put a pat or 2 of butter into a separate pan, heating over medium-high heat. Divide mashed potatoes in half and flatten into a patty-shape. Place in hot butter and fry until each side is golden.

Mexican Quiche

I had some frozen pie shells taking up space in the freezer plus I was up early this morning, so I decided to put this together. I had to use up some ingredients I had, like mushrooms & leftover heavy cream, that were going to go bad soon and a can of chiles in the cabinet. The results of what I put together were delicious and satisfying on this cold Sunday morning!

Paul called it "breakfast pie" but it's really a quiche.

Mexican Quiche
Recipe courtesy of Me
Ingredients

• 7 eggs
• splash of heavy cream
• salt
• pepper
• dash of cumin
• 4 oz. can of green chiles
• 1.5 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 green onions, finely chopped
• mushrooms, chopped
• 1 frozen pie crust

Directions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Beat together the eggs and cream, then add the seasonings, chiles, cheese, onions & mushrooms and whisk all together.
• Place pie crust on a small baking sheet, pour in the ingredients and bake for 40-45 minutes until set and golden.
• Enjoy!

Paul's Cheesy Eggs

Paul has always made the best scrambled eggs on the weekends for breakfast and I never knew what on earth he did to make them so light and fluffy and gooey...this morning, he said he would show me and I documented this event to share with everyone. Again, they turned out so yummy!

4 eggs
2 tbsp. butter
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. Herbed Spinach seasoning from Tastefully Simple
1 tsp. onion powder
Shredded cheddar cheese
2 slices of Kraft American Singles


Gather your eggs , bowl and whisk.

Crack your eggs into the bowl and whisk together. Paul says the trick to the lightest fluffiest eggs is to whisk the eggs (we used 4 for us 2) for at least 2 minutes.

Ingredients shown above.

Melt your butter in a large pan over high heat, being careful not to burn the butter. Add the eggs while the heat is on high and then lower the heat to medium.

Begin to work the eggs around the pan with a large spoon.

When eggs are softly set, add your seasoning at this point (salt, pepper, onion powder, herbed spinach). Add the shredded cheese (as much as you desire) and the slices of cheese on top of seasoning...Paul says this is the trick to the "gooeyness" of the final result.

A beautiful picture of the "gooeyness" he speaks of.

And here is the final result served along with rye toast. Probably my favorite breakfast on a lazy weekend morning. You can substitute any seasonings you wish and I'm sure the eggs will come out just as beautifully...no, I don't sell Tastefully Simple, however, we use this Herb & Spinach mix for a lot of our cooking...it really gives these eggs a nice flavor.