Egg and Spinach Cups

Thanks to my friend Lyndee for inspiring me to make this delicious dish. She posted a similar dish on Facebook and it just made my mouth water - I just had to make it! And what great timing - my mother-in-law gave me a whole bag of fresh spinach. I was already imagining a great breakfast with these egg and spinach cups!

There is really no exact recipe for this dish. I just put in stuff that we like. You can always tweak yours according to what you feel like eating. I promise, it would always taste great!

By the way, my friend Lyndee is a very talented jewelry maker! Visit her shop here or here!


What you need: (for 6 egg cups)

6 large eggs
1/4 Vidalia onion
1/4 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
1 cup fresh spinach
2 tablespoons butter
salt and pepper, to taste


What to do:

Melt butter in a pan over medium heat. Add onions and cook until caramelized, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and let cool.

Heat oven to 350°F.

Grease muffin pans with cooking spray. Place about 4 to 5 spinach leaves on the bottom of each cup. Crack an egg on the cups and season with salt and pepper. Place in the oven and bake for about 12 to 15 minutes, or until the eggs are set but not fully cooked.

Remove from the oven and top with grated gruyere and caramelized onions. Return to the oven and bake for another 5 to 8 minutes, or until cooked according to your desired doneness. Let cool before handling.

Remove from pan and enjoy!


Tips, Tricks and Tweaks:

1. It is important to grease the cups in this recipe - makes for easier egg removal!
2. Add anything you like - chopped chorizo, hotdog, bacon bits - the possibilities are endless!
3. Not a fan of gruyere? Use cheddar!

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Eggstravaganza 2011

Egg-shaped Easter candies!

As an Easter game, my mother-in-law hid 45 plastic Easter eggs in the backyard and sent us on a hunt. To spruce things up, she put a number inside each egg, and assigned three winning numbers. That way, it won't be just a mad dash for eggs and/or whoever gets the most wins. It was so much fun, and we enjoyed every minute of it. 

Easter eggs symbolize new life, a rebirth, just as Jesus rose from the dead after three days. It is so sad that the meaning of these eggs has been drowned by commercialism and other capitalist ventures. 

These eggs (below), by the way, are turkey eggs. A friend of mine gave them to me since they don't eat turkey eggs. I didn't too, until now. I wondered why we don't see a lot of turkey eggs for public consumption, and I found out that since turkeys only lay eggs every so often, their eggs are used to produce more turkeys. I guess there is a greater demand for turkey meat than eggs.

I noticed that the shell and membrane of the turkey egg is significantly harder to crack (in fact, I had to poke the membrane just to get the egg out). The yolk seemed to be twice as big as a regular chicken egg. They taste kinda' the same, but turkey egg has more flavor. It also has three times the amount of cholesterol found in a chicken egg. 

I love how turkey eggs look. They are spotted, which somewhat reminded me of quail or finch eggs. I almost didn't want to break them. The other eggs in the crate are from chickens. By the way, did you know that you don't need to refrigerate farm fresh eggs? Cool huh.

Happy Easter!

"I am the resurrection and the life." - John 11:25

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Steamed Eggs with Ground Pork

I was inspired to make this dish from an old childhood memory. I remember my mother making this for us, and young as we were, my brother and I thought it looked weird, but we ate it anyway. And it was delicious. (Hubby thought it looked like meatloaf with egg!)

Looking back, I realized that this recipe is a somewhat crude form of quiche, but of course, a few years ago, I didn't even know that the word "quiche" exists. I feel that this is more Oriental than French though... maybe Chinese? Next time I make it, I would probably pair it with congee. 



What you need: 

3/4 pound ground pork
6 eggs
about 6 to 8 pieces dried shiitake mushrooms
3 stalks green onion
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 tablespoon rice wine
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 tablespoon canola oil
4 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1 tablespoon beef broth
dash of white pepper   


What to do: 

Put about 2 cups of water in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for at least 2 minutes. Soak dried mushrooms in the hot water for about 5 minutes. Remove from water and slice the caps in small pieces.

Heat wok over medium-high and add canola oil. Saute garlic for about 30 seconds, then add ground pork. Cook until brown. Season with soy sauce and oyster sauce. Mix well, remove from heat and set aside.

In a deep oven-safe bowl, beat eggs and add rice wine, sugar, beef broth, green onions and ground pork. Stir to distribute ingredients evenly. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and steam for 45 minutes, or until eggs are set. Season with white pepper.


Tips, Tricks and Tweaks: 

1. Use ground beef instead of pork.
2. It is natural for the meat to settle when you steam the mixture. You would also find some water/broth on the bottom of the bowl.
3. Not a fan of dried mushroom? Skip it!
4. You can also use regular black pepper. I used white so it wouldn't show on the surface.
5. I feel like I used a lot of meat. Next time, I will cut the amount of meat in half to give it a more "quiche-ish" texture.

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Bacon, Egg and Toast Cups

I got this recipe from the September 2010 edition of Martha Stewart's Everyday Food Magazine. It looked so yummy and delectable that I wanted to try it immediately. I didn't have a large muffin pan, though, so I had to pester my husband into buying me one wait till I get one. 

As I was browsing through recipes, I realized that most of these dishes were so common, but presented in a different light. I mean - bread, bacon and eggs? Aren't those staples in your fridge already? But putting them in a muffin pan to add pizzazz to the presentation is pure genius! Makes you wanna say "D'oh! Why didn't I think of that?"


What you need:

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 12 slices sandwich bread
• 12 slices of bacon
• 6 large eggs
• coarse salt and ground pepper

What to do:

Preheat oven to 375°F. 

Lightly butter 6 standard muffin cups. With a knife, cut the crusts of the bread. Flatten the bread slices with a rolling pin, then press 2 halves into each muffin cup, overlapping slightly and making sure bread comes up to the edge of the cup. Use extra bread to patch any gaps. Brush bread with remaining butter.

In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat, until almost crisp, about 4 minutes (it will continue to cook in the oven). Lay 2 bacon slices in each bread cup and crack and egg over each. Season with salt and pepper.

Bake until egg whites are just set, 20 to 25 minutes. Run a small knife around cups to loosen toasts. Serve immediately. 


Tips, Tricks and Tweaks:

1. Try crumbled sausage in place of bacon!
2. Make a vegetarian version by using sauteed spinach.
3. A sprinkle of Parmesan cheese would dress things up.

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Savory Oatmeal with Egg

I made this "luxurious" breakfast one lazy Saturday morning (the only day I could actually eat breakfast without rushing!). It was delicious, and thanks to the oatmeal, it kept me full till lunchtime!

This recipe is from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food Magazine (October 2010 issue), tweaked to suit my taste. ;-)


What you need:

• 1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
• kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons shredded sharp cheddar
• 1 tablespoon thinly sliced green onions
• 2 tablespoons crumbled bacon

What to do:

In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup water to a boil. Add oats and a pinch of kosher salt. Stir, reduce heat and simmer until tender (about 5 minutes). 

Meanwhile, heat a small non-stick pan over medium. Coat lightly with butter, then add the egg and cook according to your desired doneness (in my case, I cooked mine until the white is set but the yolk is still runny). Season the egg with salt and pepper. 

Serve oatmeal in a bowl topped with cheese, egg, green onions and crumbled bacon. Enjoy!


Tips, Tricks and Tweaks:

1. Try using grits instead of oatmeal.
2. Add salt to the oatmeal if you don't want a hint of sweetness.
3. Don't like eggs? Skip it!

 

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Potato-Egg Salad

Potatoes were on sale in our local grocery store, so we decided to buy a 5-pound bag. I was also inspired to make this cold dish to give the old standby (mashy taters) a break.

Time to roll out the picnic mats and eat some yummy salad! (Summer, yay!!!)

What you need:

• 3 large red potatoes, cut in bite-size pieces
• 5 hard boiled eggs, quartered (or smaller)
• 2 stalks green onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon red onion, chopped
• 1 medium-sized carrot, cubed
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  
• 1/2 tablespoon dill relish
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1/2 tablespoon yellow mustard

What to do:

In a pot over medium-high heat, boil the potatoes in lightly salted water for around 5 - 8 minutes, or until tender. Using a colander, drain the potatoes and let them cool down for a few minutes.

Combine all the ingredients in a big bowl and mix well. Careful not to mash the potatoes, though. Put in the refrigerator for a few hours to cool. Enjoy!


Tips, Tricks and Tweaks:

1. Boiling time actually depends on how big or thick your cut of potatoes are. Poke it with a fork every few minutes. Avoid over-boiling as the potatoes will turn mushy.
2. You can boil the carrots, too. I didn't cause I like the crunch of it. I cut it in small pieces, though.
3. Traditional recipes add celery to this dish. I didn't cause I don't like celery that much. :-)
4. Another great tweak - add bacon bits to it. Mmmmmm!!!
5. You might want to adjust the ratio of potato to eggs. I happen to love eggs, hence the number. I also used very large red potatoes (almost as big as Russet potatoes).

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Egg Foo Young

I tried making Scottish Eggs for an Easter entry, but it failed miserably so I decided to try an easier egg dish - Egg Foo Young or Chinese Omelet. There are probably a thousand and one ways to make it, but I tried this recipe as it seems "Westernized" (from the Food Network Magazine, nonetheless) and the mushrooms reminded me of Jollibee's Burger Steak. As usual, it is tweaked to suit our preference.

It was chunky, delicious, and it took a lot of my willpower to stop eating it. Definitely a must-try. Egg Foo Yeah!!! ;-)

What you need:

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for frying
• 6 ounces white mushroom, trimmed and sliced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 3 to 4 teaspoons soy sauce, or according to taste
• 1 tablespoon corn starch
• 1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 6 strips bacon, diced
• 2 pieces hotdogs, sliced
• 1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
• 5 large eggs, beaten
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil

What to do:

In a bowl, beat the eggs lightly and set aside.

Heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a skillet over high heat. Add the mushrooms and 1/2 teaspoon sugar and saute until golden, around 3 minutes. Add the broth and 2 teaspoons soy sauce.

Meanwhile, mix the cornstarch with 1/4 cup water; stir into the skillet and boil until thickened about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, transfer to a bowl and set aside. This is your mushroom gravy.

In the same skillet, heat another tablespoon of vegetable oil and add the onions and garlic. Put in 1 teaspoon sugar and saute for around a minute. Then add in the diced bacon and sliced hotdogs and cook for around 2 minutes, or until the meat are done. Add the peas, half of the scallions and around 2 teaspoons soy sauce and cook for another minute. Transfer to a bowl and combine with the beaten eggs.

In a non-stick pan, add about a teaspoon of oil (or spray with non-stick oil) and add one fourth of the egg mixture. Cook on one side for about a minute, then flip or fold then turn to the other side. Drain on paper towels. Repeat to make 3 more omelets. Add the sesame oil to the mushroom gravy and pour over the omelets. Enjoy!

Tips, Tricks and Tweaks:

1. If you decide to fry the bacon before making the recipe, save the grease and use it to saute the onions and garlic. You can also use it instead of spray oil. Makes for a yummier omelet.
2. Garnish the dish with scallions or green onions.
3. Experiment with other veggies like carrots or sweet corn.
4. The original recipe from the magazine calls for Canadian Bacon. I just used regular bacon.

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