Egg-in-a-Hole!

H and I love our eggs!  Fried to be exact.  I have to share a secret though; I am NOT good at frying eggs.  I’ve tried room temperature eggs, new non-stick pans, lots of oil and butter, but I guess when I’m frying 3-4 in a pan, there isn’t much wiggle room.  In my defense, H says I can’t be good at everything!

Enter “Egg-in-a-Hole!”  I’m sure many of you have made this very simple recipe, but I hadn’t.  When I told a friend about my broken yolks, she suggested making them this way.

What I love is that they’re fast and easy.  I like my hot food hot, and my cold food cold.  When I cook, I try to have everything ready all at once.  I even butter slices of bread before putting them in the toaster, so they come out hot and I don’t have to wait.

I LOVE this new way of frying an egg!

1. Crack each egg into separate bowls
2. Butter both sides of your bread
3. Use a biscuit cutter and make a hole
4. Add a small amount of butter to a non-stick frying pan.  I like to use a silicone pastry brush and melted butter. That way, I can control the amount
5. Heat your pan to moderate heat, and place the buttered bread down (my pan can fit 2 slices of bread)
6. Gently pour one egg into the center of the bread
7. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper
8. I kept peeking at the underside so it wouldn’t get too brown
9. Use a sharp-edged non-stick spatula and flip the bread over
10. When the bottom is nicely brown, they’re ready!

DELICIOUS – and, no broken yolks!!!  I think kids would love their eggs this way too.  H was very happy since he’s a dipper!

Granola, Yogurt, & Blueberry Parfaits

Summertime brings an abundance of berries, and makes me think of healthier foods.

I like granola, but not store-bought since it normally contains ingredients I’d rather not know about.  I searched for an easy homemade granola recipe with not a lot of oil.  This one’s a keeper!

I like to layer granola with plain Greek yogurt and fresh berries.  I also scooped some into small Ziploc bags to carry around for snacks.  It’s great as a cereal too.

Granola

Makes 5 cups

Ingredients

• 3 cups large flake oats
• ¼ cup canola oil
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup honey
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 325°F and line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper
2. Place oats in a large mixing bowl and set aside
3. Combine the remaining ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until smooth
4. Pour over oats and stir to coat well
5. Spread oat mixture on baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes
6. Cool on a rack and stir after the first 5 minutes
7. Cool completely and add to large mixing bowl

Add 2 cups in total of the following:

• Your choice of toasted nuts (I used pecans)
• Dried cranberries or your choice of dried fruit (dice if using larger fruit)
• Sunflower seeds or pepitas (I chose pepitas)

Note:

• Store in a tight container for up to 2 weeks at room temperature (in a cool spot)

Lemon Cranberry Scones

I woke up feeling tired and had a craving for scones.  I was so sleep deprived that I misread the ingredients, and used ½ cup of butter instead of ¼ cup.  The original recipe was measured in sticks, which I normally just convert to cups.

H scrubbed and zested the lemons for me, and the aroma helped wake me up!  I wasn’t in the mood to pat the dough out and use a biscuit cutter, so I placed the entire mixture in an 8” cake pan, and scored into 6 pieces.

After baking for 15 minutes, I rotated the pan and noticed a bit of melted butter on the surface.  I thought, “Wow, these scones are buttery!”  It wasn’t until I sat down to write this post that I realized I had doubled the butter.  I’m still amazed they came out so well!

I did NOT wait for them to cool down.  I bit into a soft, fluffy, very moist and lemony scone!  I love when a recipe comes out well the first time around!

I didn’t tell H that I bumped up the butter by accident, but he did comment that they were delicious and very “buttery.”

You can also eliminate the lemon and cranberries, and make plain scones to serve with jam.

Lemon Cranberry Scones

Makes 6 – 8 scones
Recipe adapted from Homemade Simple

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cake flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries (I would suggest using ½ cup, too many cranberries made the scones too sweet)
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cut into cubes (definitely stick to 1/2 cup butter)
• 3/4 cup low fat buttermilk
• 1 large egg
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• Zest from 2 lemons
• Egg wash (Beat 1 egg with 1 tsp water) **(necessary if making plain scones)
• Raw sugar, to garnish (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 425°F, place rack in middle
2. Place parchment paper (cut to fit) on bottom of 8″ round non-stick pan
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar and baking powder
4. With a pastry cutter, blend in butter until it’s pea-sized (do not overwork the dough)
5. Add dried cranberries
6. In a separate bowl, whisk together buttermilk, egg, lemon juice and lemon zest
7. Gently fold into the flour mixture until moist crumbs form
8. Pat mixture into prepared pan (it will be sticky)
9. With a knife or pizza cutter dusted each time with flour, cut into 6 – 8 wedges.  You don’t have to go all the way to the bottom, just score it
10. Lightly brush with egg wash (necessary for plain scones) and sprinkle with raw sugar (optional)
11. Bake until golden brown, about 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (it took 25 minutes in my oven, but check at the 20 minute mark)
12. When cool, cut into wedges

Notes:

• To make your own buttermilk, add 1 tbsp vinegar or lemon juice to a measuring cup, and add milk to equal 3/4 cup
• The scones freeze very well
• To re-heat, wrap in loose foil and bake at 300°F for a few minutes (until warm)
• I tried to re-heat them in the microwave, and they didn’t come out very well (use your oven)

Apple, Cinnamon & Pecan Oatmeal

Not quite what you’re craving huh?  I’m all about balance, and I do try to incorporate healthy foods into my continuous cravings for desserts.

The past few days have been cold and rainy, so I decided to make oatmeal for breakfast.  I’m not particularly fond of oatmeal to be honest; however, H likes it.

I used Quaker Oats (large flake) and simmered with milk instead of water, and just followed the instructions given.  I also added diced apples.  I topped the oatmeal off with homemade brown sugar, cinnamon and a touch of nutmeg.  I love toasted pecans and sprinkled some on top.  Toasting the pecans brings a real depth of flavor, and a nice crunchy texture to an otherwise boring bowl of oatmeal.

I have to say, this beats instant oatmeal any day!

Notes:

• The cooking time on the package states 3-5 minutes (for microwave).  I made enough for 4 portions and added diced apples.  Total cooking time was about 20 minutes (stove top)
• Keep stirring on low heat as the oatmeal will stick to the bottom of your pot
• Add additional milk or water to suit your taste (thin or thick). I added up to 1 cup more
• Cooked oatmeal keeps well in the fridge.  Just add a small amount of milk or water and microwave for about 2 minutes
• Sprinkle with toasted nuts just before serving