Category Archives: breakfast

Cheesy Egg Bites

Posted on October 3, 2026 by nina in the kitchen

I’ve seen this recipe and versions of it on many food blogs. This one is most similar to Americas Test Kitchen’s. Their ratio is 1 egg to 1 oz cottage cheese. That’s the basic recipe with added “fixings”. My fixin is just grated Gruyère cheese. It’s a Swiss cheese. You can also added bacon. Another combo of fixins is feta, sun dried tomatoes & scallions. Make an Egg McMuffin!

I’ve made this for a crowd. 12 eggs makes 18 bites. 24 eggs makes 36 bites.

You can also make them in mini muffin pans. Decrease the cooking time!! Check the internal temperature after 5-10 minutes.

I’ve used aluminum muffin tins but you have to scrub them clean because the eggs really stick to the pan. Silicon coated muffin pans would be best.

This is super easy and a high protein food!

You need to make a water bath so have 2 sheet pans ready and 1/2 filled with hot water in the oven. Also use an instant read thermometer because 170-175 is the perfect doneness point. This is a scientific recipe!!

Ingredients

12 eggs
12 oz cottage cheese
1/2 pound gruyere cheese, grated

Directions

Butter your muffin pans if they are not silicon coated. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
In a large bowl place cottage cheese and 1 egg. Puree until smooth with a stick blender. Or puree in a blender or food processor.
Whisk in the remaining 11 eggs. Do not blend. It will toughen the eggs.
Place grated cheese in each muffin cup. Divide the cheese evenly.
Using a pitcher or pouring container pour the egg mixture over the cheese. Fill just to under the top.
Using a wooden skewer gently stir each cup.
Place 2 shallow trays filled with hot water in the oven.
Place 1 muffin pan in each tray
Bake at 325 degrees until internal temperature of egg bites reads 170-175 degrees. About 20 minutes.
Remove pans from water baths. Cool 10 minutes in baking pans.
Using a sharp knife seperate egg bites from the pans.
Store in frig or freezer. To reheat, microwave 2 bites for 15 seconds. Don’t over cook The Mini size reheat much quicker.
Voila!

Double recipe here: cottage cheese & 1-2 eggs

12 oz Cottage cheese and 1 egg

Egg Bites

You can make them in mini muffins too!

This pan is silicon coated and makes popping the Cheesy Egg Bites out and cleaning so much easier!

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Posted in breakfast, main dishes and tagged brunch, egg bites, egg m muffin, egg mcmuffin, high protein. Bookmark the permalink.

Overnight Oats with Lemon

Posted on April 28, 2026 by nina in the kitchen

Maple Syrup and Flaked Sea Salt Top This Lemon Overnight Oats

This quick breakfast is super easy & uses my favorite Chobani Yogurt flavor…lemon. You can change up the flavorings to use your favorite…. pineapple, strawberry, blueberry, coffee…..

I mix it all up in a 4 cup measuring cup & then pour it into 2 glass jars. I save my Bonne Maman jam jars… my fav is cherry preserves. The lids are so cute!

Refrigerate overnight & you’re ready for two breakfasts.

There’s a lot of calcium & protein in milk, yogurt & chia seeds. One serving of this overnight oats has 330 mg of calcium & 14 grams of protein. The chia seeds add fiber too. Adding the 4 grams fiber in the oatmeal, one serving of the overnight oats contains 9 grams.

Ingredients

1 cup rolled oats, I use quick style
2 tablespoons chia seeds
Grated rind of 1/2 large lemon or 1 small lemon
2 tablespoons lemon juice, fresh
1-5.3 ounce container Chobani lemon yogurt or plain Greek yogurt
1 1/8 cups milk
A big pinch of salt
1-2 teaspoons real maple syrup or honey, optional
Flaked Sea Salt or another chunky salt, optional

Directions

In a 4 cup measuring cup or bowl combine & mix oats, chia, lemon zest & juice, yogurt, milk & salt.
Give it a good stir & pour into 2 storage/serving containers & cover with lids.
Refrigerate overnight.
If you like, pour some real maple syrup or honey over the top & maybe some flaked sea salt just before you eat it. I like the crunch of flaked sea salt.
Voila!

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Posted in breakfast and tagged Bonne Maman, calcium rich, Chobani, Chobani Lemon Yogurt, flaked sea salt, fresh lemon juice, high protein, lemon yogurt, lemon zest, maple syrup, overnight oats, protein rich, quick breakfast. Bookmark the permalink.

Custard Baked Eggs

Posted on August 17, 2022 by nina in the kitchen

Joanne Chang & Food52 is the inspiration for this recipe. Theirs was a Breakfast Sandwich made with brioche buns and hot sauce and lettuce. I also like these custard eggs with Pickled Red Onions and a salad or some sautéed veggies like zucchini.

Here’s the recipe for their eggs

Ingredients

9 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup half & half
Butter for the pan
6 slices cheddar cheese optional

Directions

Preheat oven to 300 F
Butter an 8-9 inch square baking pan
In a medium bowl whisk eggs and salt
Add half & half and whisk again
Pour eggs into buttered pan
Place pan of eggs into a larger size pan and then pour hot water into the outer pan to reach halfway up the sides of egg pan
Place foil over eggs or cover with a baking sheet
Bake 20-35 minutes or until inserted knife comes out clean
Cool 10 minutes and slice into 6 squares with a sharp knife
If adding cheese, lift squares out of pan and place in another baking pan. Cover with cheese slices. Return to oven until melted.
Serve on buttered brioche buns with lettuce and hot sauce or serve with Pickled Red Onions and sautéed zucchini

Pickled Red Onions

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Posted in breakfast, main dishes and tagged boiling water bath, custard eggs, egg sandwich, half and half, vegetarian. Bookmark the permalink.

Chaffle: Cheese and Waffle

Posted on April 18, 2020 by nina in the kitchen

This super easy fun waffle recipe is from HummingbirdHigh.com

She has amazing recipes!

The cheese and egg waffle called Chaffle!

Mozzarella cheese and egg are all you need

Pour Batter into hot Belgium style waffle maker

Close the lid and wait till the light turns green

Ingredients

This recipe makes 2 Chaffles
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese (4-8 ounces)
2 eggs

Directions

Place grated mozzarella in a small bowl. The original recipe from HummingbirdHigh.com uses 4 ounces cheese and 1 egg. I found less cheese works great too
Add eggs and mix with a spoon
Pour batter onto hot Belgium waffle iron. Mine is a nonstick surface. You may need to coat it with a tiny bit of oil first
I set mine on my usual low setting for waffles and waiting till the light turned green. They were perfect!

Voila! My beautiful delicious Chaffle!
Thank you Michelle from HummingbirdHigh.com

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Posted in breakfast and tagged breakfast, Chaffle, egg, highprotein, hummingbirdhigh.com, lowcarb, mozzarella. Bookmark the permalink.

Fried Eggs with Yogurt & Lemon

Posted on October 10, 2017 by nina in the kitchen

I love this very popular recipe from Food52. Julia Turshen developed it! I am not adapting her recipe. I’m copying it to share. It’s a very salty lemony flavor and reminds me of the salty yogurt drink from Istanbul.

Ayran is Greek yogurt thinned out with water and has a fair amount of salt added. It’s often served with meals and can be purchased in Turkey in ready to drink serving size containers and quart and half gallons too.

This Fried Eggs and Lemony Yogurt is an adaptable recipe. Fry one egg if you don’t want two. Use 1 tablespoon olive oil and the same amount of yogurt sauce. Don’t add the herbs, only black pepper. Try other Mediterranean herbs like zataar

Serves 1 but easily multiplies

Ingredients

1/4 cup plain yogurt (Greek or not, your choice)

1/2 lemon with a lot of juice in it!

Kosher salt (it should be salty in my opinion, at least 1/8 teaspoon)

Freshly ground black pepper (I prefer more finely ground, but at least 1/8 teaspoon)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 eggs

1 tablespoon roughly chopped leafy green herbs such as basil, dill, chervil, chives, thyme and or parsley

Directions

1. In a small bowl combine the yogurt and a big squeeze of juice from the lemon half and whisk together. Season to taste with salt and pepper and adjust the lemon to taste too. Scrape the mixture to a plate and spread and swoop it so the yogurt covers most of the plate.

2. In a nonstick skillet over medium high heat warm the olive oil. Crack the eggs into the pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sprinkle a few drops of water (less than a teaspoon) into the skillet, being sure to let the water hit the bottom of the pan and not the eggs, and immediately cover with a lid.

3. Let the eggs cook until the whites are cooked through but the yolks are still a bit wobbly, just a minute or two. Transfer the eggs to the prepared plate setting them on top of the yogurt, then pour the remaining olive oil from the pan over the top. Squeeze whatever juice remains in the lemon half and scatter the herbs over all.

Serve immediately!

Eggs, yogurt, lemon, olive oil, fresh herbs, salt and pepper are all you need

In a small bowl combine yogurt, lemon juice, salt and pepper

Scrape the yogurt mixture onto a plate and spread around as a base for the fried eggs

Fry the eggs in olive oil with a bit of water added and cover with a lid!

Place the eggs on the yogurt and then pour over the olive oil from the pan and the remaining lemon juice and lastly the fresh herbs! Voila!

Try it without the herbs and only 1 egg like I did here! Voila!

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Posted in breakfast and tagged food52, Fried eggs, Julia Turshen, lemony yogurt, yogurt. Bookmark the permalink.

Corn Frittata with Romano Cheese

Posted on May 30, 2014 by nina in the kitchen

Corn Frittata

This is nice for breakfast, brunch or lunch. The size of the skillet determines how high the frittata is when served. If you want larger serving pieces, use a smaller skillet. I used a 10 inch stainless skillet. I would use an 8 inch skillet for a thicker serving wedge, but I would not use a larger skillet than 10 inch.

As long as your skillet is HOT before you add the oil or butter, it will not stick too much. If you want to be sure, use a nonstick skillet.

Corn Frittata in a 10 inch Stainless Sautepan

This recipe is taken from Cooking Light 2014. I have changed very little to this recipe. Although I did not add the parsley.

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels (2 ears)

1/3 cup diced shallots or onion

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided

1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided

1/4-1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika (a delish addition)

1/4 cup lowfat milk

6 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 teaspoons butter

1 ounce pecorino Romano cheese grated (1/4 cup)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat leaf parsley, optional

Preheat broiler.
Heat an 8 or 10 inch ovenproof skillet over medium high heat.
Add oil and swirl to coat.
Add corn and shallots; stir and sauté 3 minutes.
Stir in 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and smoked paprika.
Saute 1 minute and remove from heat.
In a medium bowl whisk together eggs, remaining salt and pepper and milk.
Add corn mixture to eggs and stir.
Wipe out skillet with paper towel.
Return pan to medium heat and add butter and swirl to melt.
Add egg mixture to pan. Cook 1 minute without stirring.
Gently slide pan back and forth to keep eggs from sticking.
Cover, reduce heat to low and cook 4 minutes.
Sprinkle cheese over eggs.
Place under the broiler to finish cooking 1-2 minutes until eggs are just set and cheese melts.
Sprinkle with parsley.

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Posted in breakfast and tagged corn, frittata, quick meal, smoked paprika, vegetarian. Bookmark the permalink.

Soft-Cooked Eggs

Posted on January 21, 2014 by nina in the kitchen

So with all the interest in high protein low carbohydrate diets, I have been eating soft boiled eggs for breakfast. To learn how to prepare these eggs perfectly, I went to the experts, Cooks Illustrated. They test hundreds of methods for each recipe. Their Soft-Cooked Eggs are perfect every time.

In a small saucepan bring 1/2 inch water to a boil.

This recipe works for 1-6 large, extra-large or jumbo eggs. Eggs must be taken straight from the frig to the boiling water!
Place 2 eggs in the boiling water and cover. Leave on medium high heat and boil 6 1/2 minutes.
When the timer goes off, remove the cover and move the saucepan to the sink. Run cold water over the eggs in the saucepan for 30 seconds.

Take the eggs out of the water.
Use the side of a teaspoon or the dull side of a butter knife to tap with one big stroke the side of the top 1/4 to 1/3 of the egg.

After this scoring, break open the egg with your fingers. Scoop egg out with a teaspoon into your serving bowl. You may prefer to eat the egg straight from the shell, but you’ll need one eggcup to hold each egg.

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Posted in breakfast and tagged eggcup, eggs, low carb, soft cooked. Bookmark the permalink.

Aggkaka (Baked Pancake)

Posted on January 20, 2014 by nina in the kitchen

3 Eggs, 2 Cups Milk, 1 Cup Flour plus.....

Aggkaka is a Scandinavian breakfast food that is the simplest to make. My sister, Lisa Lyles, discovered this delish food while working at Holden Village in Chelan Washington. If you remember 3, 2, 1, you can memorize the recipe: 3 eggs, 2 cups milk, 1 cup flour, plus some butter, salt and sugar.

I use an aluminum baking pan.

Ingredients

4 tablespoons butter
3 eggs
2 cups milk
1 cup flour
1/8-1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees
Melt 4 Tablespoons butter in a 9×13 inch baking pan in the hot oven.
In a medium bowl whisk 3 eggs a minute or two. My sister beats the egg with a hand mixer or stick blender. This adds to the puffiness
Whisk in 2 cups milk and then 1/8 or 1/4 cup sugar, depending how sweet you like it, 1/4 teaspoon salt and finally 1 cup flour, just until blended.
Pour batter over the melted butter and place in the oven.
Bake 25-30 minutes or until very puffy and lightly browned
Most of the puffiness falls right away, so if you want your guests to visualize this, make sure they are standing at the oven when you’re ready to take it out.
Cut into 8 rectangles to serve. I make a cut down the middle of the pan lengthwise and then 3 cuts crosswise.
You can serve with sifted powdered sugar, maple syrup, fresh or cooked fruit….
It’s great reheated as leftovers too!
Adding sliced apples to the melted butter and cooking them slightly in the oven before pouring the batter over them is yummy too 🙂
My favorite way to eat it is with butter and real maple syrup. I also like it cold as a leftover.

Voila!

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Posted in breakfast and tagged brunch, eggs, milk, Scandinavian, vegetarian. Bookmark the permalink.

Spanish Tortilla/Frittata

Posted on April 17, 2013 by nina in the kitchen

The tortilla initial cooking on the stovetop before baking

Platter from Breda (Girona) in Catalunya.

Authenic serving platter inverted onto tortilla

Spanish Tortilla

1 pound fresh sweet mini peppers, halved & roasted or 2 cups bottled roasted red peppers in brine, drained and cut into 2 inch x 1 inch pieces

1 pound small round potatoes

12 large eggs

1 cup milk (optional soy milk, almond milk, or heavy cream)

2 ½ cups grated manchego and romano cheeses

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves or 2 Tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium size yellow onion, chopped

4 large cloves garlic, minced or pressed

Classico brand Spicy Tomato Sauce with red peppers

Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in upper third.
In a large saucepan place potatoes and cover with water. Bring to a boil.
Simmer until potatoes easily give to a fork prick, about 5-10 minutes.
Drain and cool on a towel to room temperature.
Peel potatoes if desired. Set aside.
In a large bowl whisk together eggs, milk, cheese, salt, pepper and thyme.
In an oven safe 10-inch non-stick skillet, heat olive oil.
Saute onion until tender. Add garlic and stir ½ minute. Do not brown garlic.
Add the roasted mini peppers and heat through and stir.
Over medium heat pour the egg mixture over the peppers.
Cook until edges are set, a few minutes.
Slice the potatoes in 1/4 inch slices.
Layer the potatoes over the egg mixture. They will sink just under the surface.
Place in the oven and bake until the center is set. An inserted knife should come out clean. The edge should be puffed and golden in spots. Cool at least 10 minutes.
This can be served in wedges from the sauté pan, or inverted onto a platter.
Serve hot with a roasted red pepper tomato sauce.

Makes 8-10 entrée size servings or 12 tapas servings

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Posted in breakfast, main dishes and tagged cheese, Classico brand Spicy Tomato Sauce, eggs, frittata, omelette, potatoes, red pepper sauce, roasted mini peppers, vegetarian. Bookmark the permalink.

Tomato Tart

Posted on July 26, 2012 by nina in the kitchen

Tomato Tart

I made this delish dish last night for my hungry pumpkins and they loved it! It is a recipe adapted from the August issue of Cooking Light 2012.

2 packaged refrigerator pie dough

Cooking spray

5 oz fontina or provolone cheese, grated or cubed

4 oz mozzarella, grated or cubed

1 cup pitted kalmata olives, cut into 1/4’s

1 medium onion, peeled, halved and sliced thin

3-4 heirlom tomatoes, seeded and cut into 1/4 – 1/2 inch slices

6 tablespoons all purpose flour

2 tablespoons cornmeal or ground up corn tortilla chips

2 tablespoons dried thyme

2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided

1 teaspoon black pepper

2 1/2 cups 2% milk

6 tablespoons Parmigianno-Reggiano, grated

6 large eggs, slightly beaten

6 tablespoons fresh basil, torn

2 large sprigs fresh thyme

———————————————

Preheat oven to 350

Roll dough to fit 2 9 inch deep tart pans or 8 inch square baking pans. Spray pans with cooking spray.

Place dough in pans.

Layer pans with fontina & mozzarella, olives & onions.

Arrange half of tomato slices

over onion.

In a small bowl combine flour, cornmeal and thyme. Sprinkle over tomatoes.

Top with remaining tomato slices and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Layer 1/2 of fresh basil and all the thyme sprigs.

In a medium bowl combine eggs, milk and Parmigiano. Pour into pans.

Bake 40 minutes or until set; let cool 10 minutes. Serve with remaining basil.

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Posted in breakfast and tagged fresh herbs, heirloom tomatoes, quiche. Bookmark the permalink.

nina in the kitchen

Category Archives: breakfast

Cheesy Egg Bites

Ingredients

Directions

Overnight Oats with Lemon

Ingredients

Directions

Custard Baked Eggs

Ingredients

Directions

Chaffle: Cheese and Waffle

Ingredients

Directions

Fried Eggs with Yogurt & Lemon

Ingredients

Directions

Corn Frittata with Romano Cheese

Soft-Cooked Eggs

Aggkaka (Baked Pancake)

Ingredients

Directions

Spanish Tortilla/Frittata

Tomato Tart

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