Weeknight Kitchen: Baked Eggs in Nests of Spinach and Mushrooms

This is another Weeknight Kitchen recipe.  If you're just tuning in, Weeknight Kitchen is a weekly newsletter from The Splendid Table.  You can sign up here if you're interested.  I try to make as many of the recipes as possible and then report back how they turned out.  I find them a little hit or miss for my tastes.  I've been making some good things like the baked eggs I will discuss here, minestrone and cornish hens, but the last few recipes have not worked for me.  I will post about those in the next few weeks.  That being said, the newsletter is worth checking out.  It allows me to discover flavor profiles that I might not have thought about putting together.

The baked eggs were excellent.  I won't post the recipe because it's not mine, but it involves cooking spinach, mushrooms, and onions, making nests, cracking the eggs in the nests, and baking.  I sprinkled cooked sausage on top more for the saltiness it would provide than anything else.  I served these with hash browns, which are still my nemesis, not because I don't like them, but because I can never get them to turn out right.  I won't use the exact recipe for the baked eggs again, but I will use the method.  It's easy and fast.

I apologize for the lighting in the picture.  I don't know what happened.

Clean out the Fridge Breakfast

Once again, I find myself in the position of apologizing for a lack of posts.  Grad school just started, and I'm trying to juggle my work and school schedule while still putting meals on the table.  I haven't been too creative lately, but when I am I will document it.  I have an experiment in the crock pot right now, and if it turns out well, I will let you know.  In the meantime, stay with me and know that I will keep posting.

Friday morning I decided I needed to clean out some items from the refrigerator which was already looking bare.  We were going out of town for the weekend, and I didn't want to leave some things sitting around to get old.  Plus, we needed breakfast.  I thinly sliced 2 red potatoes and put them into the steamer.  While they were steaming I preheated the oven to 350 f. and put my cast iron pan in the oven to get hot.  Next, I beat 6 eggs, and about 3 tablespoons of heavy cream together.  I added a quarter of a minced red onion, 2 cloves of minced garlic, 1/2 cup of grated sharp cheddar, and mixed it with the eggs.  After the potatoes were soft, I took the cast iron skillet out of the oven and lined it with the potatoes.  I laid my pot holder over the cast iron handle so I didn't burn myself.  I have a bad habit of grabbing hot pan handles.  Next, I poured the egg mixture over the potatoes and then I added crumbled goat cheese to the top.  The eggs were cooked for about 40 minutes.  Breakfast was delicious, and I was able to tidy up and pack while the eggs were cooking in the oven.  I need to make this more when I have company.

eggs, bacon, spinach, and leftovers.

My dog, not begging for leftovers, but just reminding my husband that he was waiting patiently to pre-rinse the plates.

This morning I made spinach, eggs, and bacon for breakfast. I wanted to make these in the cute LeCreuset ramekins I received for a wedding present, but alas, the English muffins I wanted to use as a base would not fit, so I used my LeCreuset baking dish instead.  Here's what I did:

Egg, Bacon, and Spinach Casserole

2 English muffins, split

6 slices bacon, chopped into small pieces

5 oz spinach

4 eggs

1. Cook bacon until done to your liking (I like mine soggy; my husband likes his crisp, so I cooked mine somewhere in between) 

2. Remove bacon and put into paper towel-lined bowl or plate.  Reserve grease.

3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.    

4. Cook spinach in same skillet that bacon was just cooked in.  This should take 1 to 2 minutes.

5. Use reserved bacon grease to coat baking dish.

6. Line baking dish with English muffins.  I had to tear up the muffins to make them fit.

7. Top English muffins with bacon and spinach.

8. Dividing the baking dish into four equal sections, crack eggs into each section.

9. Bake for 14-16 minutes until white are set and yolks are runny.

What I Ate Today:

11:00 am: Late breakfast of eggs, bacon, and spinach casserole, 1 orange, and coffee with almond milk and sugar

No lunch today because I was busy cleaning my living room, but I did have three Lindor dark chocolate truffles.

6:00 pm:  leftover fettuccine Alfredo and shrimp ramen.