egg

Fried Egg Sandwich

I’m a sold out breakfast-in-the-morning kind of person. You know those diet tips that say “don’t skip breakfast” and encourage you to start off your day eating a meal; I take them very seriously. And although my family would probably rather have a bowl of cereal, I am determined to make them real breakfast people, because it’s nice when people eat cooked food.

Pretty much anything that has eggs, bacon, and cheese is a winner, but this dish is childhood favorite that has been amped up with a little kale and gruyère (nod to Gwyneth Paltrow), and the “tangy zip of Miracle Whip”. (Because there is nothing else exactly like it.)

As organic as possible:

Serves 4

8 slices Bacon

1 cup finely grated Gruyère cheese

4 large Eggs

Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper

4 thick slices Country Bread

1/4 to 1/2 cup Miracle Whip

4 small or 2 large Kale leaves (hard stems removed)

2 tsp Olive oil

1/2 Tbsp (1 small pat) Butter

Arrange the bacon in a single layer in a large sauté pan, in two batches if necessary. Fry over medium-high heat until it reaches desired crispiness, then transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.

Wipe out almost all the bacon fat from the pan and make four 1/4 cup piles of cheese in the pan (they will sizzle and crisp immediately). Crack an egg over each flattened pile of cheese crisp. Generously salt and pepper the eggs. Cook until whites are set (not clear and runny).

In the meantime in a small sauté pan over medium heat olive oil and butter until butter becomes frothy. Coat the pan by swirling the oil and butter, add kale and sauté until kale is soften and slightly wilted (flipping once). Lightly salt and pepper the kale. Set aside.

While the eggs are frying and kale is sautéing, toast the bread in a toaster.

When all the preparation is finished it is time to assemble! Spread each piece of toast with 1 to 2 tablespoons of Miracle Whip, top with 1/4 of the sautéed kale, 2 slices of bacon, and one of the crispy Gruyère/fried egg combos. Repeat three more times.

Aunt Lynn’s Cheesy Egg & Sausage Casserole

A classic breakfast egg and cheese casserole dish has to be in every mom’s recipe box. Thankfully Aunt Lynny gave me hers! It’s morning comfort food. And it makes your kitchen smell like love. This dish is great for weekends and I have fond memories of it making an appearance on the Christmas buffet at Gram’s. It’s versatile, so you can substitute the sausage for cubed ham, change around the cheese, add green or red pepper… mix it up as you please.

As organic as possible:

10 eggs, beaten

8 oz shredded cheese

3-4 slices bread, cubed small

1 lb pork sausage, browned and drained

1 cup milk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13 X 9 baking dish and set aside. Add browned sausage to beaten eggs in a large bowl, add cheese (I used cheddar and Emmentaler), bread, and milk. Pour mixture into greased pan and bake for about 45 minutes, until center is firm.