Tag Archives: brunch

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.

You can make an Egg McMuffin with one of these. Toast an English Muffin. To 1/2 muffin add a round of cooked sausage or Canadian bacon or add a couple slices of bacon to fit the sandwich. Layer an Egg Bite over the sausage. Place a slice of American cheese over the egg and melt it. Finish the sandwich by placing the other 1/2 of the English muffin on top. Voila!

I’ve made Cheesy Egg Bites 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 this pan. Silicon coated muffin pans are best to use! They don’t need to be scrubbed afterwards to clean them.

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!!

This is super easy and a high protein food!

Each standard muffin size Cheesy Egg Bite has 120 calories, 10 grams protein, 9 grams fat (depending what kind of cheese you use), and 170 mg calcium. That’s a high protein low calorie food with a significant amount of calcium!

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 ONLY 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. Add bacon or other fixings if you like.
Using a pitcher or pouring container pour the egg mixture over the cheese. Fill just to under the top. I use a 2 cup liquid measuring cup
Using a wooden skewer or a knife gently stir each cup.
Place 2 shallow trays filled with hot tap 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!

Eggs in Purgatory with Capers

Posted on June 16, 2017 by nina in the kitchen

Just in time for a grand and easy to make Fathers Day Breakfast!

Bring out your grandmothers cast iron!

Eggs in Purgatory is a spicy briney tomato sauce and a perfect complement to some mellow eggs. I discovered this recipe online from Karen Palmer at Food52.com

This dish is an Italian style Shakshuka which is a Middle Eastern food made with a salsa type tomato sauce. Eggs in Purgatory has chili flakes added to your taste for heat and capers to give a briney almost fishy flavor. It’s like adding anchovies to tomato sauce which wouldn’t be a bad addition to this sauce either!

Italian Puttanesca is a tomato sauce with added capers and anchovies for a briney flavor. Italian Arrabbiata is a spicy tomato sauce with added chili flakes. Eggs in Purgatory is a blend of both of these flavorful tomato sauces.

Add some toast with rhubarb jam to complete breakfast or brunch that combines the salty with the sweet. I like to sprinkle flaked sea salt over my rhubarb jam toast to add to the salty component.

2 tablespoons olive oil

A pinch or more hot pepper chili flakes

1/2 cup chopped onion or shallot

Kosher salt

Black pepper

3 cloves garlic, minced with 1/2 teaspoon salt

1-28 oz can crushed tomatoes

1 tablespoon capers and 1 tablespoon of the caper brine

1-2 anchovies, rinsed and patted dry and then minced, OPTIONAL

4 eggs

Shaved or grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F
Heat an 8-10 inch cast iron pan over medium heat
Add the olive oil
Sauté the chili flakes and stir quickly with a spoon or spatula until fragrant, less than a minute.
Add the onion and sauté until translucent, turning down the heat as needed to prevent browning.
Add the garlic and sauté only a 1/2 minute while stirring. Do not brown or burn!
Add the tomato sauce, capers and brine. If you want to add the anchovies, do it now.
Simmer uncovered until thickened, simmering slowly. About 20-30 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper.
With a large spoon place 4 indentations in the sauce. Place an egg in each cradle
Bake 9-10 minutes or less until the whites just turn white and still jiggle when shaken.
Serve with grated or shaved Romano or Parmesan cheese
You can sprinkle with chopped parsley or cilantro if you like
Toast up some crusty bread of your liking
Voila!

Buttermilk Or Sour Cream Waffles

Posted on May 29, 2017 by nina in the kitchen

These recipes are from the Joy of Cooking cookbook. They both are prepared the same way. Only a few of the ingredients are different.

My favorite way to eat Waffles is with butter and homemade maple syrup. But they’re also yummy with fruit jam, fruit syrup, or fresh fruit. I usually make the Buttermilk Waffles. We always keep buttermilk in our frig. It’s yummy to drink too!

Buttermilk reminds me of a drink we had in Istanbul called ayran. It was made with yogurt, water and salt. Served cold it’s refreshing! You can find it anywhere in Turkey and other Arab countries. The basic recipe is whisking together 2 cups Greek yogurt, 2 cups water and 1 teaspoon salt. Yum!

Buttermilk Waffles

In a medium bowl whisk together:

1 3/4 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

In a medium bowl beat together until thick and lemon colored with a hand mixer:

2 egg yolks

Add and beat in:

2 cups buttermilk

6 tablespoons butter, melted

Combine the 2 mixtures with a few quick strokes
In a small bowl beat until stiff:

2 egg whites

Fold egg whites into batter
Drop by large spoonfuls onto hot waffle iron
Use about 1/2 cup batter per waffle

Sour Cream Waffles

In a medium bowl whisk together:

3/4 cup flour

1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

In a medium bowl beat until thick and lemony:

3 egg yolks

Add and combine:

2 cups sour cream

Combine the 2 mixtures together with a few quick strokes
In a small bowl beat until stiff:

3 egg whites

Fold egg whites into batter. With a large spoon add about 1/2 cup batter to a hot waffle iron to make 1 waffle

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.