Perfect Fried Eggs. . .(If You're Cooking for Dave.)

As I've mentioned in MANY of my posts before, I am not a breakfast person. But as you know, I am a breakfast-for-dinner person. Which is what this is. We had a GREAT dinner! Eggs, fresh berries, homemade biscuits, and homemade sausage gravy. Dave and Justin were in heaven! I am a fan of biscuits and gravy, could do without the eggs.

I don't know what it is about a fried egg that makes me just say, "eh. .. it's an egg." But that is my reaction to fried eggs. Toss an omelet my way, full of veggies and cheese, and you'll get a far different reaction. Even scarambled eggs, love em! But a fried egg? It's so plain. I guess, for all you egg lovers out there. That's the beauty of it. A simple, perfectly cooked, egg.

I will say this, according to Dave, these fried eggs were absolutely perfect. Yolk was just runny enough, and whites were cooked just enough. I will admit it. Eggs were not always my thing. It took me years to be able to fry an egg the way he likes it. I usually over cooked them. Then, when I was trying so desperately to get the runny yolk he loves so much, I undercooked them. He complained many times about "snotty egg whites." Yuck! If that wasn't enough to make me never want a fried egg again! But I kept with it.

Now I'm not going to do this post in recipe format, instead I'm going to give you a few pointers and tips that helped me along the way.

1. Get the griddle good and hot. I mean piping hot.

2. Don't skimp on the butter. For crying out loud, it's a fried egg!

3. Only flip the egg 1 time. None of this back and forth business. Cook it on one side until the whites look done on the edges, and give it a good flip.

4. Don't forget the salt and pepper. Without it, your eggs, well, just an egg. But with it. . .delicious!

Eggs and Toast

Ok. . . Iknow. EVERYONE makes these, but in case you don't, here goes. I remember my mom making these easy eggs for breakfast when I was younger. I never ate them. Hated eggs. Boy how things change when you grow up. Now they are a favorite in our house. However, they are "custom made" here. Dave likes his yolks super runny, (which totally grosses me out.) I like them fairly solid, the girls like theirs yolk-less, and Justin likes his yolk and cheese free. That's right folks. . . cheese free as well. Who doesn't like cheese? It's such an odd thing to not like. So the toast in the picture. . . .was my breakfast.

Eggs and Toast

1 piece of bread, buttered on both sides
1 egg
1 piece of cheese
salt and pepper

1. Place bread on hot griddle and cook until slightly browned on one side.
2. Flip bread, and cook on the other side.
3. Cut a hole in the center of your toasted bread.
4. Crack an egg, and pour it into the hole of the bread. The yolk will snuggle down in there to cook. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
5. After cooking a few minutes, flip over and let the other side of the egg cook.
6. Once egg is cooked to desired doneness, top with a piece of cheese, and eat!

Egg and Cheese Breakfast Sandwich

This idea came from my sister Kim. She makes it for breakfast every day. One day when I was visiting her she made it for me. I'm not a huge egg person, and typically, I would not get up and make myself eggs for breakfast. This however, I make almost every day now. The kids love it too. It's your typical "McMuffin" style sandwich, but without the fat and calories. Today I made mine using a Pepperidge Farm Deli Sandwich Round, but typically I use a Thomas's Triple Health English Muffin. Low Cal. . .High Fiber. And here's another little side note: Kim has tried all the different brands of the Fat Free American cheese slices, and they all seem to have a weird texture, aftertaste, or tang to them. That is all but one brand. Borden. It's the only one I buy. It melts great, tastes great, and has no weird fat-free taste to it.

Egg and Cheese Breakfast Sandwich
2 Weight Watchers Points without Bacon Pieces, 3 Points with Bacon Pieces

2 egg whites
1 Tbsp Oscar Mayer Real Bacon Pieces
1 English Muffin or Deli Sandwich Round
1 Slice of Fat Free Cheese
Salt and Pepper

1. Using non stick cooking spray, spray a frying pan and turn on heat to medium. Let pan get hot.

2. Pour egg whites into the pan and cook until bottom of eggs are set.
3. Sprinkle the bacon pieces, salt, and pepper over the egg whites.
4. Cook until whites are set.

5. Fold egg whites until they will fit on your sandwich.
6. Pop English muffin into the toaster and toast.

7. Put the eggs whites onto the muffin bottom, top with cheese, and top of English muffin.

Bacon Cheddar Quiche

This quiche could be served for brunch or lunch, along with mixed fresh fruit or a tossed salad. Use prepared pie pastry or a frozen thawed pie shell if you need to cut time. I made this for Fathers Day for my husband. It was a hit with everyone. I mean really, how can you go wrong with bacon and cheese?

Bacon Cheddar Quiche

CRUST:
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold butter, cut in small pieces
2 to 3 tablespoons ice-cold water.

1. In a mixing bowl, mix together flour and salt.

2. Cut in cold butter with a pastry blender until coarse crumbs form; add water, a little at a time, until dough holds together and forms a ball.

3. Shape into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

4. On a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin, roll out dough into a circle about 11 inches in diameter.

5. Fit dough into a 9-inch pie plate or quiche pan. Trim edges, leaving a little overhang, about 1/4-inch all around the edge. Prick dough with a fork.

6. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes.

FILLING:
8 strips lean bacon, cooked and crumbled
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups half-and-half or heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon dried leaf thyme
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, thyme, and pepper. Pour into the baked crust.

2. Crumble bacon over the top with the shredded Cheddar cheese.

3. Bake at 375° for about 30 minutes, or until quiche filling is set and top is lightly browned.

Never Fails Hard Boiled / Deviled Eggs

Everyone knows how to make a hard boiled egg. . .don't they? Well, if not. . .here's a quick little "How To" session.

Never Fails Hard Boiled

1. Put Eggs in a saucepan with enough water to cover the eggs. (Add salt to water to help with peeling the eggs.)

2. Put pan on burner and turn heat to high.

3. Once water begins to boil, turn heat OFF, and COVER the pan with a lid.

4. Set timer for 20 minutes.

5. At the End of 20 minutes, eggs should be cooked to perfection.

6. Cool eggs down in cold water, and refrigerate until ready to use.

Never Fail Deviled Eggs

12 Hard Boiled eggs
1/4 cup Mayo
2 Tbsp Miracle Whip
Just a squirt of mustard (However much you like.)
Dash of Garlic Powder
Salt, and Pepper to taste
Paprika

1. Peel hard boiled eggs.

2. Cut eggs in half, horizontally.

3. Drop yolks into a seperate dish

4. Put egg whites in a egg tray or whatever you'd like to serve your eggs on.

5. Take the yolks and add to them, Mayo, Miracle Whip, mustard, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

6. Mix util light and fluffy. Texture should be creamy.

7. Put egg yolks mixture into a ziploc bag, make sure all the air is out, and seal the bag.

8. Cut tip of bag, and pipe egg yolk mixture into whites.

9. Lightly sprinkle with paprika.