Breakfast Risotto

I've been on a major risotto kick lately so, naturally, as soon as Elly posted this drool-inducing Breakfast Risotto on our cooking board I immediately added it to the meal plan.

I'm a sucker for runny eggs so topping risotto with a runny egg is right up my alley. Initially I was going to use bacon in this recipe but I needed pancetta for the salad I was going to serve with it so I figured I'd give the pancetta a shot. In the future I'll probably stick with bacon since half a pound of pancetta was more expensive than a pound of bacon, plus I missed the smokiness.

Either way, this is a great recipe. We all loved it - Baby Girl was popping the crispy pancetta into her mouth like candy.

Breakfast Risotto
As Seen on Elly Says Opa!

4-6 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons butter, divided
3 oz. pancetta, chopped
1 shallot, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/4 cups arborio rice
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese
Fresh chopped parsley, minced (optional)
Poached eggs for serving

Pour the broth into a saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat so the broth is at a simmer.

In a heavy-bottomed skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add the pancetta and cook until it has crisped and rendered its fat. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Melt the remaining butter into the pan, and then add the shallot. Cook until tender, then stir in the garlic just until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the rice, coating with the butter and toasting the kernels until they are translucent, about 2 minutes.

Add the wine to the pan. Scrape up any browned bits and allow nearly all of the wine to be absorbed by the risotto. Add a ladle-full of warm chicken broth to the rice. Stir frequently and do not add another ladle of broth until the first is almost completely absorbed. Continue to stir frequently, adding broth by the ladle, until the rice is creamy and has just a slight bite in the center when you try it. This will take about 25 minutes.

Off the heat, stir in the cheese and pancetta. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve immediately with poached eggs on top.

Product Review: East Riding Farm’s All Natural Popovers

Over the summer I received some frozen popovers from East Riding Farm. I absolutely love popovers, which are a light and flaky roll, and make them every year for Christmas dinner.

One morning I was standing in front of the fridge trying to decide what to make for breakfast when I thought about the popovers again. I knew I had eggs, spinach and leftover Alfredo sauce and decided to make a spinoff of Eggs Benedict using the popovers as the base, topped with the spinach (I also used sliced tomato once), fried eggs and drizzled with the Alfredo sauce. I wasn't sure how it would turn out the first time but it was outstanding. The light and flaky popovers cook in just four minutes in a preheated oven (I used my toaster oven), which is just enough time to cook the eggs.

You can definitely serve the popovers by themselves as a side, but I loved topping them in this way. I can't wait to try some other variations.

Popovers with Eggs, Spinach and Alfredo
Makes one serving

2 standard-size frozen East Riding Farm popovers
1/4 cup frozen spinach
1/2 tablespoon butter
2 eggs
Alfredo sauce

Cook the popovers in a preheated oven according to package directions.

Microwave the spinach until hot. Wring dry in a clean kitchen towel.

Heat butter in a small non-stick skillet over medium-low heat until melted. Crack the eggs into the skillet and cook to desired doneness.

Heat the Alfredo sauce.

Place the popovers on a plate. Fill each cavity with half the spinach, then top each with one egg and some of the Alfredo sauce. Serve immediately.

Disclaimer: I received free samples of East Riding Farm’s All Natural Popovers. I was not paid to write this review and all opinions are my own.

Overnight Ham and Cheese Breakfast Enchiladas

My mom warned me there would be a lot of leftover Easter ham this year so I figured I'd better have a game plan in place. As luck would have it, this recipe for Overnight Ham and Cheese Breakfast Enchiladas showed up in my blog reader right before the holiday. I love make-ahead casseroles and this was intriguing because it involved tortillas instead of bread.

I was worried the egg mixture would turn the tortillas into mush like a typical strata but I needn't have worried. This was so easy to prep since there's no cooking involved, just chopping/grating.

Since I was serving this for dinner I assembled it in the morning and then baked it off that night. Delicious, filling and a great way to use up some of the leftover ham. I'll definitely be making this one again.

Overnight Ham and Cheese Breakfast Enchiladas
As seen on The Girl Who Ate Everything

2 cups cubed and cooked ham
1/2 cup chopped green onions
2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
8 flour tortillas (6-8 inches)
1 1/4 cups half-and-half
4 whole eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon flour
salsa, sour cream, diced avocado and additional green onions for serving

In a medium bowl stir together ham, green onions and 2 cups of cheese (save the remaining 1/2 cup for later).

Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Use a 1/3-cup measuring cup to scoop out cheese mixture onto a tortilla. Roll up tortilla and place seam side down in the baking dish. Roll up all tortillas and place them into the baking dish with the sides touching.
Whisk together half-and-half, eggs, salt, and flour. Pour over tortillas. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

In the morning, preheat oven to 350º. Bake for 30-40 minutes. Remove and sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup of cheese over enchiladas. Bake for 10 more minutes or until tops are golden brown and the egg mixture is set.

Serve with salsa, sour cream, avocado and additional green onions.

Baked Breakfast Taquitos

We need to eat breakfast for dinner more often. Or, in the case of these Baked Breakfast Taquitos, for lunch.

Various iterations of the baked taquito have been making their way around food blogs for awhile now. But I think my favorite version are these breakfast ones, mainly because you can eat them for breakfast, lunch or dinner. I actually made the egg mixture the day before we ate these, which meant all I had to do the next day was roll up the taquitos, bake the ones we were eating and freeze the rest.

I served these with breakfast potatoes and fruit salad, which was a great pairing. Since making these I've already eaten two from the freezer for breakfast with the last of the dipping sauce. I've found that a nice healthy shake of hot sauce with each bite is delicious as well.

Baked Breakfast Taquitos
As seen on Pink Parsley, inspired by Our Best Bites

4 slices bacon, chopped
12 large eggs
3/4 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 cup grated cheese - cheddar, Colby jack, pepperjack, etc
1/2 cup salsa (thick and chunky preferred over a thinner salsa)
1/4 cup minced green onions
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Juice of half a lime
Hot sauce to taste
16-20 6″ flour tortillas
Cooking spray or olive oil

Dipping Sauce:
1 cup Greek yogurt
juice of half a lime
1/4 tsp chipotle chili powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray or lightly brush with oil and set aside.

Chop the bacon into 1/2-inch pieces and cook in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, stirring often, until browned and crispy. Use a slotted spoon to remove from the skillet and drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Discard all but 2-3 teaspoons of the bacon fat.

Meanwhile, crack eggs into large mixing bowl. Whisk in the Greek yogurt, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cumin. Add egg mixture to pan. Using a rubber spatula, gently scrape bottom of pan and fold eggs over to scramble. Remove from heat when slightly undercooked. Add cheese, salsa, cooked bacon, green onions, cilantro, hot sauce, and lime juice. Mix to combine, taste, and season with additional salt, pepper, and/or hot sauce as needed.

Place the tortillas on a plate, cover with a damp paper towel, and microwave 30 seconds. Working with a few tortillas at a time, place a scant 1/3 C egg mixture into the center of each one and roll up. Place on a prepared baking sheet, seam-side down, spacing 1-2 inches apart. Lightly spray tops with cooking spray, or lightly brush with olive oil. Sprinkle lightly with salt. Bake for 15 minutes or until edges are golden-brown and crisp.

While taquitos are baking combine all the ingredients for the dipping sauce. Stir to combine season to taste. Remove taquitos from oven , let cool for 5 minutes, and then serve with dipping sauce.

To Make Ahead: The egg mixture can be made a day ahead of time and stored in the fridge until ready to use. You can also prepare the taquitos and instead of baking right away, cover tightly in plastic wrap and store in the fridge overnight, or freeze for later use. To prepare frozen taquitos, place (un-thawed) directly on a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick spray. Follow original baking instructions, increasing time by 5 minutes or until taquitos are golden brown.

Ham, Egg and Cheese Cups

I had my eye on these Prosciutto Egg Cups from the moment I opened Nichole's email submission for the recent Breakfast Swap. The name alone grabbed me but then I read her post and saw how easy they were to make and I was sold.

I've actually been making these for a few weeks now but I didn't want to post about them until after the swap reveal. Since I don't keep prosciutto on hand I subbed regular deli ham. It worked just fine. I've experimented with various cheese as well, based on what we have easily accessible in the fridge. I always have American cheese for Baby Girl so I used that once. In this version I used a fun cheddar-like cheese we got after sampling it at the supermarket. Use whatever you like and have on hand.

What makes these stand out for me is the Italian seasoning. The first time I made these and took my first bite I was floored by the flavor. Silly me had forgotten about the Italian seasoning I'd just sprinkled on a mere 17 minutes earlier. That surprise flavor elevates these to another level.

I've yet to make these in advance and reheat them, but I'm sure they would do so beautifully. Thanks for submitting this awesome recipe, Nichole!

Ham, Egg and Cheese Cups
Adapted from Arepas to Zwetschgen via The Cookaholic Wife

Non-stick cooking spray
6 slices prosciutto or ham
Shredded cheese (mozzarella, cheddar, American, Swiss, etc.)
Dried Italian seasoning
6 large eggs
Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 375. Liberally spray a muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray.

Arrange each slice of prosciutto (or ham) in the muffin tin, covering the bottom and coming up the sides. Add a pinch of so of the cheese and a dash of the Italian seasoning. Crack one egg into each muffin cup and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Bake for 15-18 minutes. 15 minutes will result in a semi-runny egg and 18 minutes will result in a fully cooked egg. Allow to cool in the pan for 2 minutes, then run a butter knife around the edge of each cup and gently remove the eggs from the muffin pan.

How to Microwave an Egg

In an effort to eat a healthier breakfast during the work week I've rediscovered English muffins. There are so many healthy varieties these days, most with high dietary fiber and protein as well as whole grains. I've been alternating between toasting them and adding peanut butter and sliced banana, and wanting something more savory like a breakfast sandwich. I love a good egg sandwich but I didn't know how to make one at work since we don't have a stove. Enter the microwaved egg.


I admit I was a bit skeptical, but the ladies on my cooking board assured me this was totally doable. And now that I've done it I realize this is how most delis make eggs for their breakfast sandwiches. Not only is it easy, the lack of butter in the cooking makes it a healthier option.

Now that I know how easy this is to do I'm thinking of adding cooked veggies to the egg before microwaving to make a mini omelet. The possibilities are endless - veggies, meat or cheese would all work well.

How to Microwave an Egg

1 egg
Cooking spray
Salt and pepper
Optional - cooked veggies, shredded cheese, cooked breakfast meat

Spray a ramekin with cooking spray. You want to chose a ramekin that's roughly the same size as the bread/English muffin/bagel you will be using to make the sandwich.

Crack the egg into the ramekin. Gently scramble with a fork. Add salt and pepper to taste and any of the optional add-ins.

Cover the ramekin with a paper towel and microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute, depending on the power of your microwave. My work microwave takes 30 seconds, while the one at home takes 1 minute. Remove from the microwave and flip the egg over. It will NOT be fully cooked at this point. Cover with the paper towel and return to the microwave for 20 seconds to 35 seconds more, again depending on the power of your microwave.

Remove the ramekin from the microwave (careful, it will be hot) and run a knife around the edge of the egg to loosen. Add to your breakfast sandwich and enjoy.