Breakfast Egg Bake

With the holidays coming up, it's always nice to have some quick breakfast ideas in your pocket for when people drop by unexpectedly. Nobody will notice you're still in your PJs when they show up and you've got this Breakfast Egg Bake ready for them!

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Look how easy this looks already.

Measure out half of the sausage and start it browning on the stove.

While the sausage is cooking, chop up your favorite vegetables. I used onions, peppers, and mushrooms, but feel free to use whatever you like.

Once the sausage is browned, spread it out evenly in a baking dish.

Then spread the cheese over the top.

Saute the vegetables in the same pan you browned the sausage. Add the potatoes, too.

Now leave the vegetables alone. You want the potatoes to get nice and crispy, and they won't if you keep poking at them.

So instead you can start on the eggs. Crack a bunch of eggs into a bowl. There are only 6 eggs in this picture--I thought I could get away with using fewer eggs--but you really do need 10. I swear. Use 10.

Add a bit of half and half or milk to get a creamier texture. And don't forget to add salt and pepper.

Then stir everything together, taking care to break up the yolks.

Once the vegetables are softened and the potatoes are crisp, spoon them over the sausage and cheese.

Then pour the eggs over the top.

Bake at 350F for 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center of the bake comes out clean.














Mmm. Baked deliciousness! Make this for your unexpected guests--they'll never notice that you haven't cleaned the house and are still wearing your bathrobe and pajamas. And if they do, they won't be able to say anything because their mouths will be full.

Recipe: Breakfast Egg Bake

1/2 lb. ground sausage
1 c. shredded cheese
1 1/2 c. vegetables, diced
1/2 bag (1 1 /2 c.) pre-cooked potatoes
10 eggs
1 tbsp. half and half or milk
salt and pepper, to taste


In a large pan, brown sausage until cooked through. Pour into a baking dish and spread out. Sprinkle with cheese.

Using the same pan the sausage was cooked in, saute vegetables. Add potatoes. Let cook until vegetables are softened and potatoes are golden brown. Spoon mixture over sausage and cheese.

In a large bowl, combine eggs, half and half, and salt and pepper. Stir until combined. Pour over potato and sausage.

Bake at 350F for 45 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center of the bake comes out clean. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.

Breakfast Burritos

Last week, I was craving breakfast for dinner. I was also craving burritos. What better way to get everything at once than with a breakfast burrito?

The great thing about these is that you can customize them any way you like. These are a bit 'kitchen sink-y'. I'm using leftover ham from Easter (it was in the freezer, I promise!), and roasted red peppers from my Roasted Red Pepper Hummus. The roasted green chiles were left from when I made Creamy, Cheesy Chip Dip (also frozen!). But whatever you want to use would be great.

Cut the bacon and sausage into bite-sized pieces and start them off in a large pan.

While the meat is cooking, dice the peppers, onions, chiles, and garlic.

Once the meat is delicious and cooked through, you can add the veggies.

Cook the veggies until they're softened. Then you can add the ham.

Pour in a whole bag of hash browns. I used the kind from the refrigerated section, but you could use frozen ones too. Diced potatoes would be fine here too. Even leftover mashed potatoes would be a great addition!

Stir everything together. Drizzle in a little vegetable oil, to help the potatoes brown evenly. Salt and pepper them, too. Potatoes don't have much flavor and you want to help them any way you can.

Press the hash brown mixture to the bottom of the pan and leave it alone.

While the hash browns are browning, start your egg mixture. Eggs, a little half and half, chives, salt, and pepper.

Use your super speed to stir the eggs together.

Make sure the hash browns are browned on both sides. I love when they're crispy. Once they're perfect, turn the heat down a little, to medium-low, and pour in the eggs. Stir things gently until the eggs are fully cooked.

Warm your tortillas slightly, to keep them from splitting. I covered them with a moist paper towel and microwaved them for 10-20 seconds. Doing this will make them more manageable when you try to fold them; it will also keep them from cracking.

Spoon your egg and hash brown mixture into the center of the tortilla.

Top with sour cream and salsa.

Mmmm.

Top the burritos with shredded cheese and then start rolling 'em up.

Be smart and use two hands to roll up the burritos. Fold in the sides, and then start folding the tortilla the other way, so the tucked-in sides are on the inside.









If you really like to plan ahead for the week, you could wrap these bad boys up in tinfoil and store them in the fridge. Pop them in the oven while you're getting ready in the morning and you've got a quick and hearty breakfast!

Recipe: Breakfast Burritos

3 slices bacon, cut into bite-sized pieces
4 sausage links, cut into bite-sized pieces

1/2 roasted red bell pepper, diced
1/2 onion, diced
2 whole roasted green chiles, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 c. diced ham
1 bag preshredded hash browns
2 tbsp. vegetable oil

6 large eggs
splash of half and half or milk
1 tbsp. minced fresh chives (or 1 tsp. dried)
salt and pepper, to taste

tortillas, warmed slightly to prevent cracking

1 c. shredded cheese


In a large pan, brown bacon and sausage over medium heat. When they have rendered their fat and are beginning to brown, add peppers, onions, chiles, and garlic. Saute until softened. Add ham.

Add hash browns to pan; stir everything together. Drizzle with vegetable oil. Press potatoes down gently into the bottom of the pan and let cook until browned. Flip hash browns and allow to brown on the other side.

In a small bowl, combine eggs, half and half, chives, and salt and pepper. Whisk to break eggs.

Gently pour eggs over hash brown mixture; lower heat if necessary. Gently stir until eggs are fully cooked. Pull off heat.

Cover tortillas with a moist paper towel and heat in microwave for 10-15 seconds until warmed. Spoon egg-and-hash brown mixture into center of tortilla. Top mixture with sour cream, salsa, and shredded cheese. Roll tortilla into a burrito shape. Serve!

Nest Eggs

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Nest eggs, eggs in a basket, bird's nest, cowboy eggs, eggs in a hole...whatever you call it, this egg-and-toast combination is a tasty meal that's easy to make.

It starts with a slice of bread. Use a biscuit cutter, cup, or tin can to cut a hole in the middle of the bread.

Now cut a piece of butter and melt it in a frying pan. Toss in your bread.

When the bread is a light golden brown, flip it over. Don't get it too dark, but do get some color on it.

Crack an egg into a small dish (or, if you're feeling brave, crack the egg right into the toast hole.)

Carefully pour the egg into the toast.

If you're not fond of runny yolks, scramble your egg first.

Don't forget to salt and pepper. I like to make sure to salt the bread, too.

Let your egg set. Once the bottom is well set and the toast is golden brown, carefully flip the toast over and let the egg cook on the other side.

Don't throw away your bread centers! I like to toast them in the pan too. They're perfect for sopping up the runny yolk--that is, if you like runny eggs.











Enjoy the crispness of the bread, the saltiness of the butter, and the creamy texture of the egg. Make Nest Eggs a weekly tradition!

Recipe: Nest Eggs

1 slice white bread

1 egg

1 tbsp butter.

salt and pepper, to taste

Using a biscuit cutter, cookie cutter, glass, etc., cut the center out of the white bread.

Melt butter in a nonstick pan over medium heat. Add bread and lightly toast one side.

Flip the bread over and crack egg into the bread hole. Salt and pepper to taste.

When egg is set, gently flip egg-and-toast. Cook until just set (longer if a set yolk is desired.) Remove from heat.

Toast the toast round until golden brown. Serve with egg-and-toast.

Loco Moco

I miss Hawaii. It's been nearly 10 years since I was last there. We have family who live there, though, and being in touch makes me miss certain aspects of it--namely, the food!

The last time I had Hawaiian food was in 2006--we went to Las Vegas for our honeymoon and visited the California Hotel. We made a special trip just to visit Aloha Specialties, and I introduced my wary but willing husband to spam musubi, macaroni salad, and fried saimin (why are all the best foods bad for you?) I had forgotten my love of Portuguese sausage, char sui, and other Hawaiian foods, until the other day, when my cousin posted a picture on Facebook of what he was eating--loco moco!

I'm going to warn you right now. Loco moco is not health food. It should not be eaten on a regular basis. But it's sooooooo good.

Loco moco is rice topped with meat topped with egg, and then covered in gravy.

Before you do anything loco, start your rice. My aunt taught me a neat trick--measure out your rice and pour it into your rice cooker.

Stick your finger in the pot, on the very top of the rice. Add enough water to meet your first finger joint. And that's how much water to use. At first I thought it was a silly rule but it's worked out pretty well since then. Thanks, Auntie!

The meaty part of your loco moco is hamburgers. Make them however you like them. Today I grated an onion and seasoned everything with salt, pepper, and soy.

Look how pretty and red the meat is! That's grass-fed beef right there, baby.

They ended up a bit thick. Next time I make this, I'll make sure to flatten the patties down more.

Cook your hamburger patties in a frying pan with some butter and oil.

When they're fully cooked, set them on a plate to hang out, but don't drain the burger grease.

You'll need it for making gravy.

If you're a regular Kim Chee Casserole reader, then making a roux and gravy will be old hat. Remember, equal parts flour and fat!

Use beef broth as the liquid--this is supposed to be a brown gravy, after all.

I slip my hamburgers back into the gravy, to make sure they're fully cooked and to warm them back up.

While your gravy is thickening over medium-low heat, you can start your eggs in another pan. I like my eggs over easy, but you could fully cook the yolks if you want. Heck, you could scramble them if you wanted. It wouldn't be authentic per se, but if that's the way you like your eggs, I say go for it. No point making them over easy if well done is how you like it.

When your rice is done, get out an ice cream scoop and scoop yourself two mounds. The ice cream scoops make it Hawaiian ;)

Place one of your hamburger patties on top of the rice.

Top the hamburger with an egg.

Now take a spoonful of your nice gravy and pour it over the top of the eggs.














Whether you're surfing the waves or surfing the 'net, Loco Moco will fill you up right. Be extra Hawaiian and have some macaroni salad and a can of fruit juice, too. Aloha!

Recipe: Loco Moco

1 c. rice

~2 c. water

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 onion, grated
1 tbsp. soy
salt and pepper

2 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. olive oil

1/4 c. flour
1 can beef broth

1/2 tbsp. butter
6 eggs

Combine rice and water in rice cooker or on stovetop. Prepare according to package directions.

Combine ground beef, onion, salt and pepper, and soy. Form into 6 patties.

Cook hamburgers over medium heat in butter and olive oil.

When hamburgers are cooked, remove from heat. Sprinkle in flour and stir with fat. Slowly add beef broth and stir until the broth is incorporated and the gravy is bubbling. Add hamburgers back into gravy.

In a seperate (nonstick) pan, cook eggs in butter to your liking.

To serve, scoop rice into bowl. Top with hamburgers. Top hamburgers with egg. Pour gravy over everything. Enjoy!