Egg Muffins
Chef Ali Lopez inspired me to make these great breakfast bites!
If you are like me, I'm starving in the morning, but never have time to make breakfast. Lately, my morning routine involves coffee, which I sometimes make at home, or often times, obtain through an awful drive through window. Since it's still the 'season,' I'm eating leftover Christmas cookies...dried cranberry and chocolate chip cookies, Mexican wedding cakes sans nuts and with cinnamon (courtesy of my sister), and Pizzelles.
I needed a better alternative to sugar in the morning and Chef Ali Lopez inspired me to make these bites! I met Chef Ali at Fustini's in Traverse City. Chef Ali did a private cooking demonstration for me in the middle of a blizzard (14" of snow with zero visibility). Her meal was wonderful (which I will share later), but her tip on using silicone cupcake tins to make these egg bites was invaluable! The egg bites popped right out and the clean-up was minimal!
The recipe is simple and you can substitute the sausage for veggies, bacon, or anything else you would like. Here is my version of the recipe:
- 12 eggs
- 8 links of breakfast sausage (casings removed)
- 1 Serrano pepper
- 1 cup Hooks' 5 year aged cheddar (use as much cheese and whatever kind you like), plus more for sprinkling
- Kosher salt and pepper
- Milk
- Canola oil
Start by browning the breakfast sausage with a bit of canola oil. Add the Serrano pepper. once cooked through, drain the sausage on some paper towels and let cool.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray your silicone cupcake tins with a some olive oil spray. Beat 12 eggs with a touch of milk, salt, and pepper. Add the sausage and pepper mixture and a cup of the cheddar. Fill the silicone cupcake tins with the mixture and place on a baking sheet.
Cook in the oven for 20-30 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the egg muffins comes out clean. Eat these warm or let cool and reheat for breakfast anytime! You can always add a little more cheese and your favorite hot sauce to this. Having something this quick available and the flexibility of adding anything you want to these bites makes them super versatile!
Postscript: I wrote this blog over a week ago and as I was getting ready to post it, I heated up the last of my Egg Mentz-Muffins. I have eaten these every day this week and even today, they taste just as good as the first day! This is something I will make regularly, mixing up the ingredients. A lot of pay off for so little work!
