For years, I refused to eat eggs. I had eaten them as a kid and somewhere along the way, I decided I didn’t like them. Then came the college years, and one morning while peering into my fridge, looking for something to eat, I decided if I put enough cheese in a scrambled egg it might be edible. Surprise! It was!

So for a few more years, I only ate scrambled eggs, with a liberal amount of cheese. Then I branched out to scrambled egg with cheese and sausage, or basically an omelet. Then one day, sitting down to breakfast at Brennan’s, I decided, “What the hell! Let’s try an Eggs Benedict!”. A discovery was made. I don’t really like my eggs scrambled. I love runny egg yolk. Poached, over-easy, sunny-side-up, fried – eggs are friggin’ delicious this way. There’s really not much better than sliding your fork into the yolk area and watching it pour out everywhere.

Which leads me to this Sunday morning breakfast. Had I not had the epiphany while sitting at Brennan’s, sipping a Mr. Funk, I would have never tried this recipe. And I never would have discovered how perfect the combination of tomatoes, spinach, and egg yolk is. (more…)

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Breakfast, Dairy free, Gluten free, Vegetarian by Courtney

Once upon a time I ran across this idea on YumSugar to bake an egg in a ramekin lined with ham. It looked delicious, sounded yummy, and seemed so easy. So this week when I decided I wanted something hearty for breakfast, but really didn’t have the time, I quickly pulled out a few things from the freezer and refrigerator to make a similar breakfast.

A while back I had bought a pound of proscuitto because it was all the store had, so I’ve been keeping it in the freezer (which is really handy — it’s sliced so thin, it defrosts in a minute). I had some pesto from the grilled cheese paninos I made earlier in the week, so I decided a dollop of that would give me some flavor and some veggies in my breakfast (hey – basil and parsley are leaves!!). And of course, there was the egg. (more…)

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Breakfast, Brunch, Gluten free, Quick and Easy by Courtney

Generally, I’m hungry around 10 am. This is because I’m not ready for food before that time, only coffee. By 10:30 am, I am susceptible to craving immensely whatever food is put in front of me. So this morning, when I read that the place my old college roomie works for was being featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, I was in prime-craving mode. I haven’t been in Kansas City in nearly 6 years, so I decided to pop over to the Happy Gillis website and see what they had to offer. Just in case I’m ever in the area again, ya know?

Croque Madame caught my eye — ham, swiss, and grainy mustard, with runny egg to boot! Some may find this odd, but despite my love for runny egg, I’ve never had a croque madame. I didn’t even know how to make one. But, alas, I have no ham.

Or so I thought! I went to rummage through my refrigerator, because at this point I wanted something. We had some friends visiting this weekend, and they had come bearing not only gifts, but their road trip leftovers, which included – HAM! Hot diggity, I am back in bidness! (more…)

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Brunch, French, Lunch, Sandwiches by Courtney