Green Eggs and Beef

When we got our first dog when I was in second grade, my mom was told she had to cook a special breakfast for this dog. She did. It combined ground beef and onions maybe and eggs and it smelled really delicious in the morning. We ate cereal. This week, we had leftover lean ground beef. We decided to to use it to make dinner but to make slightly different dinners for each of us. I decided on green eggs and beef, Joey made a sandwich.

I highly recommend that you make green eggs and beef. It's delicious! You can also use whatever is in your fridge. I recommend adding more vegetables such as tomatoes, extra peppers, lots of greens. Anything you want really and you could make this without the beef if you really wanted.

Ingredients (serves 1)
1 1/2 handfuls of greens (I used a mix of kale, spinach and two other greens)
1/4 lb lean ground beef
1 egg
3 T chopped bell pepper
2 T finely diced onion
salt
pepper
hot sauce or hot peppers

Directions
1. Over medium heat, saute onion and green pepper briefly until fragrant, season with salt and pepper
2. Add beef and break up with spoon, add a dash more salt
3. Once beef is brown, add greens and let wilt
4. Add egg and break the yolk, stir together quickly and remove from heat, sprinkle with hot sauce or mix in peppers
5. Serve with fruit

Egg Sandwiches made at home are better

Last weekend we wanted to have some breakfast and we really had very little. So I made an egg sandwich with ham, egg, cheese and English muffins. It was fantastic.  Now that I have a favorite sandwich, I made something similar for lunch on Wednesday when I had bookend meetings to the lunch hour.  This time I omitted the cheese and added avocado.  Pure deliciousness.

This is the easiest thing to make and it takes hardly any time at all. By the time your muffin is toasted the egg is done!

Ingredients
1/2 small avocado
1 slice ham off the bone
1 egg
butter
1 whole wheat English muffin

Directions
1. Preheat pan to medium.  Break an egg into a bowl and then slide into the hot pan. Sprinkle with salt & pepper.  Fry the egg a few minutes until the white is opaque and the yellow looks slightly done. Be careful not to break the egg yolk on the transfer.
2. Toast the English muffin in the toaster or on the side of the pan.
3. Add ham to pan and heat til warm
4. Spread butter on the muffin, add ham, egg and avocado
5. Eat immediately and watch out for the egg which will break

Mashed Potato Cake with Zucchini and Egg

 If you don't like eggs, stop reading right now!  If you DO like eggs, particularly with runny yolks that add depth and flavor (and protein!) to the foods you eat, continue on.

Today I had a smallish lunch and found myself to be starving by 3. I knew our cupboards were sort of bare and I wanted something quick and delicious.  My usual fallback at this point is egg in the hole.  However, that didn't sound good to me today.

So I ducked my head into the fridge to look at the cheese situation. It was dire. Instead, I saw leftover mashed potatoes, a zucchini on it's last legs and eggs.  I can make something from that right?

This dish was one of those things you might see someone on Chopped start out doing. Trying to mix together three things that don't always meet on a plate.  The potato cake was the only real experiment and it was delicious!  I liked the slight crunch from the potato cake and the runny egg and the additional texture from the vegetable.  If you need a snack, this is one to try!

For One

1 egg
1/2 small zucchini, sliced into thin half moons
scant 1/4 t lemon pepper
1/4 C mashed potatoes
salt
pepper
a tiny bit of butter or oil

1. Heat a small skillet over high. Add the butter and melt it all over the pan. Form the mash into a small patty and place in the pan to one side. On the other side, add the zucchini and lemon pepper and stir to coat. Cook for 2-3 minutes until one side of the cake and zucchini is light brown.

2. Flip the cake and zucchini and cook an additional two minutes.

3. Clear a space in the pan. Break an egg into the pan and let cook until whites are opaque and yellow is cooked but still runny, about 1 1/2 minutes more.

4. Serve in a stack and break the egg to pour al over the potato.

Bacon & Egg Grilled Cheese

I saw a recipe last week for a quick grilled cheese sandwich with the addition of pancetta and egg.  This sounded like a great idea to me and I decided then and there to make it!  I couldn't find pancetta but I did buy some thick cut bacon at Henry's and it was just perfect.  This could be eaten at dinner, lunch or breakfast--we had it for dinner though.  It takes about 15 minutes to make too so you can make it tonight!

I think that eggs and bacon are very hearty and a really nice comfort taste, add a little cheese and warm bread and that's what I call a meal.

Ingredients:
4 slices sourdough bread
4 slices provolone cheese or other cheese of choice (we sort of wished for something more flavorful like irish cheddar)
4 slices bacon
2 eggs
2 sprigs of basil
butter

Directions:
1. Heat a small skillet and place slices of bacon in it and cook until crispy on each side
2. Meanwhile, butter bread slices on the outsides of the bread and top the inside with cheese.
3. When the bacon is done, set aside on paper towels to drain. In the bacon pan, drain a little of the grease and crack the eggs into the pan. Season with a little salt and pepper. Fry the eggs until the yolks look solid to your liking.
4. In another skillet heat a little butter and add 2/4 of the bread slices with cheese butter side down. When cheese is melted, top with egg, bacon basil and second slice of bread & cheese. Be careful not to puncture the yolk.  Flip the sandwiches over and grill the other side until cheese has melted.
5. Serve warm

The Devil Made Me Do It

Deviled Eggs
It is a dish for which everyone seems to have their own recipe. I even found a website dedicated to the subject (Deviled egg website). I thought it might be interesting to discuss on the blog . . . assuming it is not too old fashioned for all you modern cooks.
Boiling the eggs . . .

For a long time I used to put the eggs in cold water, bring it to a boil, cover the pot, take the pot off the heat and then let it sit for 17 minutes. Now, I use this nifty egg timer device that changes color as the eggs cook.

Cool down the eggs in cold water (to prevent the ugly green ring around the yolks).

Using older eggs makes them easier to peel, but I recently read that adding salt (liberally) to the water makes even really fresh eggs peel easier. I tried it and it does seem to work.

Probably a good idea to make a few extras . . . they don't always peel no matter what you do

Making the filling . . . I don’t really have a ‘recipe’ for the eggs – it is really to taste. I mash the yolks with a fork and then add mayonnaise and dry mustard to taste – add a little at a time given the adage that you can always add more but can’t take it out once added. I add salt to taste (sometimes it doesn’t need any). This is how Mom made them and I don’t feel the need to change.

Now, people I know add pickle juice (and cut up pickle) and a lot of the recipes call for a little vinegar but I am not tempted. The website indicated a huge variety of ingredients that people use.

Serving them . . .
Well, what else to use but a deviled egg dish (I own two plus a Tupperware holder if transport is needed) but if you don’t have one, a plate will do.

Now, do you top them or not? Mom always sprinkled with paprika to add color – sometimes I do and sometimes I don’t. I know Jake likes them with a little paprika on top.

So, do any of you make deviled eggs? If so, what is your recipe?