Eggs a la Goldenrod

I bet making breakfast on last night's basketball game. I won the bet, so my husband got up early this morning to make my request: Eggs a la Goldenrod. This was one of his favorites growing up. My mother-in-law introduced me to it when Cody and I got married. I thought my husband would be okay figuring it out, or at least ask me when he needed help, but it ended a rather epic failure. Fortunately, I was able to spell him and he took care of kids and watched TV while I started over and made the family favorite. I am now writing down the recipe, so he will have something to follow, and we will hopefully avoid future Goldenrod disasters. You'll notice this recipe isn't the traditional Eggs a la Goldenrod. This one is packed with flavor, hearty, and delicious.

Eggs a la Goldenrod
6 hard boiled eggs
1/2-1 pound bulk breakfast sausage, or links cut into small pieces (use as much as you want to feed your family)
4 tbsp butter
1/4 cup flour
3 cups milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp garlic
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp Italian seasoning
2 TBSP maple syrup
1/2 tsp hot sauce
buttered toast
shredded cheddar cheese

1)If you haven't already, hard boil the eggs: Place eggs in a pot and cover with cold water (cold promotes even cooking, since the water and the eggs all start the same temperature). Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover with lid and turn the heat OFF. Let stand for 15 minutes exactly. Then remove eggs to a bowl of ice water and let chill for 5-10 minutes. Peel off shell and rinse.
2) In a large skillet, cook the sausage over medium-high heat. Crush it with a spoon to make little pieces.
3) Heat milk in the microwave for 3 minutes.
4) Add the butter to the skillet with the sausage and let melt (still over medium-high heat). *If you had a particularly fatty type of sausage, and there's a lot of rendered fat in the pan, reduce butter to 3 tbsp.*
5) Sprinkle the flour over the sausage and butter and stir 30 seconds, scraping the bottom of the pan, and making sure the flour and the butter are fully incorporated.
6) Add milk and stir often until the mixture comes to a boil and the milk rapidly thickens. Reduce heat to low.
7) Chop the boiled eggs--white and yolk together--into large chunks.
8) Mix the eggs and the seasonings into the sausage gravy and stir to combine. Let cook for about 1 minute.
9) Serve sausage and egg gravy over buttered toast and sprinkled with shredded cheddar cheese.

Eggs Purgatory, Lisa Style

My mother-in-law introduced me to Eggs in Purgatory, a simple breakfast dish of eggs poached in tomatoes or spaghetti sauce. They were good, and after bottling tomatoes yesterday, I had to try my hand at it. This is a great meal for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and is one that most people have all the ingredients for at any given time. It's super simple and really tasty.

Eggs in Purgatory on Cheesy Garlic Toast
2 tbsp olive oil
3 cups bottled tomatoes (1 big can or most of a quart)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tbsp fresh oregano or 1 tsp dry
4-6 eggs

4-6 slices of bread
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp mayonnaise
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 tsp garlic

1) Warm the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tomatoes, salt, pepper, and oregano. Bring to a bubble.
2) In a small bowl, mix together the butter, mayonnaise, cheese, and garlic. Spread your cheese mixture on the bread. Put the bread on a sheet tray. Preheat your broiler or toaster oven.
3) Carefully break the eggs and drop them into the tomato sauce so that each stays individual and separated, and try not to crack the yolks. Cover with a lid. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the eggs are white and the yolk is firm, but still slightly runny (unless you like a firmer egg).
4) Put the bread under the broiler for 2-4 minutes, until the cheese is melty and the bread starts to toast.
5) Serve with the garlic cheese toast on bottom, then a scoop of the tomato sauce with the egg in it. You can shred fresh basil or Parmesan Cheese over the top if you like. It's also good with a little splash of hot sauce.

Note: For Gluten-Free, you can serve the eggs over instant grits with cheese, or hashbrowns.

Baked French Toast

When I have leftover or slightly staling bread, I like to make a baked french toast for breakfast. This can also be a fantastic dessert. The biggest thing you can experiment with here is the type of bread you use. Day-old glazed doughnuts are fantastic. Try sourdough for a little bit of a bite. This morning I'm making this with leftover Panettone, an Italian raised fruit cake. You make this the night before and breakfast is ready to go in the oven the second you wake up. It's an impressive gesture for guests, and a great way to use up old bread.

Baked French Toast

6 large (8 medium) eggs
1/2 to 3/4 cup milk or sour cream
1 tsp cinnamon
6 cups 1" bread cubes

Mix together the eggs, milk, and cinnamon. Put the bread cubes in a pan and pour the egg mixture over the bread. Let refrigerate (covered) overnight for best results, but not necessary. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes, or until set.

Other things that are fantastic to mix or layer in are: 1 package of cream cheese, cubed. 1/2 cup brown sugar. 1 apple, sliced. 1/2 cup raisins, nuts, or other dried fruits. 1/2 cup pureed pumpkin or mashed banana. 1/2 cup frozen berries.

Get creative! The base of this recipe is incredibly simple, and once you figure it out, you can make it a thousand different ways. Serve it drizzled with maple syrup or a sprinkle of powdered sugar. For dessert, top with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.