Breakfast Burger Bagel

My ratios were a touch off, but his breakfast burger was so fun. What’s more breakfast than bacon, an everything bagel, cheddar cheese, and a sunny side egg?! The bagel is pretty huge making an already small-ish burger look tiny but this one is a winner.

The Three Bite Rule - Breakfast Bagel Burger
I mixed up some maple mustard for a touch of sweetness and a little mustardy tang. That and the egg yolk are the only condiments needed!

The Three Bite Rule - Breakfast Bagel Burger
I made breakfast burgers on english muffins with bacon jam that were really incredible. Breakfast for dinner is the best!

Bacon, Cheddar, and Caramelized Onion Quiche

This might be my new favorite quiche. Bacon and cheddar is a happy union but the caramelized onions add some sweetness to the party. I need caramelized onions in my life more often. I bought onions and then discovered I already had a bunch. Oops. Time to make a batch of caramelized onions before mine start growing sprouts. I made a big batch and froze the rest for the next pizza that needs a topping, or omelette that needs something special, or the next panini. If you’re going to take the time/patience to caramelize one onion, you might as well caramelize a bunch.

Bacon Cheddar & Caramelized Onion Quiche - The Three Bite Rule

Ingredients:

pie crust
5 slices bacon
3 eggs
2 egg yolks
1 cup milk
1 tbs dijon mustard
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
salt & pepper
1 onion, caramelized
6 oz cheddar

Directions:

Cut onions into thick rings then in half and half again the other way. Caramelize onions in a heavy skillet over low heat and 1 tbs of olive oil.
Bacon Cheddar & Caramelized Onion Quiche - The Three Bite Rule
Cook over low, stirring occasionally for 30-40 minutes until lightly browned.
Bacon Cheddar & Caramelized Onion Quiche - The Three Bite Rule
Pan fry the bacon until crisp.
Preheat the oven to 350-degrees.
Whisk together the eggs, yolks, milk, mustard, cream of tartar, salt & pepper.
The Three Bite Rule - Quiche Lorraine
In the crust, add in the cheese, bacon, and onions in layers.
Bacon Cheddar & Caramelized Onion Quiche - The Three Bite Rule
Pour the egg liquid mixture over the top.
Bacon Cheddar & Caramelized Onion Quiche - The Three Bite Rule
Bake 30 minutes until the center is set. Let cool before slicing. Enjoy!
Bacon Cheddar & Caramelized Onion Quiche - The Three Bite Rule

I love the smoky bacon with the sweet onions, with the sharp cheddar. Pure bliss. Quiche is perfect for breakfast or lunch and I loved having some on hand. I doubled the egg mixture (thanks to eggs from the ‘rents) and made my sis a broccoli cheddar quiche at the same time. A crust pack of 2 and plenty of cheese on hand helped remind me that making 2 quiches at once was the same amount of work as making one. Try it. Double the egg mix and use the veggies you have around and gift one away. It’ll feel as good as it tastes.

Cereal Crusted French Toast

For my restaurant recreation, I remembered a favorite from one of the best bfast joints around. Zoe’s in Cambridge makes a crunchy french toast coated with cereal and nuts. Everything on their menu is always good and their menu is incredible and extensive, though parking was always atrocious.

I had some not-amazing cereal that was perfect to crust French toast with! It was Protein Cinnamon Brown Sugar Crunch by Special K. It was OK cereal but since we weren’t eating it quickly it seemed like not our favorite. The flavor of cereal prompted my additional flavors for the cereal coating. Nuts would be a good addition or even blending up the not-enough-for-a-serving remains of multiple cereals.

The Three Bite Rule - Cereal Crusted French Toast
Ingredients:
4 slices of french bread
4 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/8 cup vanilla coffee creamer or heavy cream (optional)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups cereal
1 tsp cinnamon
dash pumpkin pie spice
2 tbs brown sugar

Directions:
Whisk together the eggs, milk, creamer, and vanilla. Then soak the bread in it while you make the coating.
The Three Bite Rule - Cereal Crusted French Toast
In a food processor, blend together the cereal, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and brown sugar.
The Three Bite Rule - Cereal Crusted French Toast
Heat a skillet or griddle to medium heat.
Toss the bread into the cereal coating on both sides.
The Three Bite Rule - Cereal Crusted French Toast
Melt butter onto the griddle and pan fry the french toast.
The Three Bite Rule - Cereal Crusted French Toast
Cook for about 4-6 minutes on each side, being careful not to let the sugar or cereal burn.
The Three Bite Rule - Cereal Crusted French Toast

Keep warm in the oven if cooking in batches. Serve with maple syrup & enjoy!
The Three Bite Rule - Cereal Crusted French Toast
I know, none of us really neeeeed ways to sweeten & add more calories to French Toast, but this makes it ohh so good. I love the crispy crunch on the outside with a soft inside. I think a crazy sugary cereal like peanut butter captain crunch or frosted flakes, or cinnamon toast crunch would be ahhh-mazing too. Though, I try to keep my cereal choices somewhat on the nutritious side.

Mr. J likes some of those kiddie-intended cereals (which allows me to sneak a bowl here and there) and they’re not the worst thing you could choose. I’ve heard some kids get to pick any sugary cereal for their birthday. Mr. J got those sugar-loaded ones for a special first-day-of-school treat. I love those ideas. One family I babysat got those as dessert since they’re vitamin fortified and a serving of milk.

What about you? Are you raisin bran or lucky charms?

Pulled Pork Eggs Benedict

Ohh gosh. I hope you’re wearing yoga pants when you make/eat this. You’ll need the room in your belt (and also, I’m mainly wearing yoga pants on maternity leave and don’t want to be the only one). This eggs benedict with pulled pork, hollandaise, and a fried egg makes for a hugely decadent breakfast and is so full of flavor. There’s nothing light about this and that’s what makes it ahhh-mazing. Have this as brunch…if anything is going to count for two meals, this is the dish to do it with.

The Three Bite Rule - Pulled Pork Eggs Benedict
I’m lucky to have lots of eggs on hand from my parents hens. Fresh egg yolks are unparalleled so this was a great way to highlight them. Speaking of my parents, Mom reminded me she makes her hollandaise in a blender…that sounds easier. I wish I remembered that.

Ingredients:

BBQ pulled pork (see my recipe here)
1/2 English muffin per person
1 fried egg per person
3 egg yolks
1 tbs lemon juice
1/2 stick butter (not butter substitute)

Directions:

Mix egg yolks & lemon juice together using a hand mixer or blender for about 2 minutes or until doubled in size. (Note I started with 2 yolks but added a 3rd once it was just too little to mix well).
The Three Bite Rule - Pulled Pork Eggs Benedict
Over a double boiler of very low simmering water, slowly pour in the melted butter while whisking or beating with a hand mixer for 2 minutes. Be careful not to scramble the eggs by cooking them.
Remove from the heat and add salt, pepper, and a dribble of hot sauce. Then stir the sauce. Keep the simmering water handy in case the sauce gets too thick when assembling (see below).
The Three Bite Rule - Pulled Pork Eggs Benedict
Toast the English muffins and warm the pork.
Heat a frying pan to medium heat to fry the eggs.
Layer the muffin with the pork while the egg cooks.
The Three Bite Rule - Pulled Pork Eggs Benedict
Lay the egg on top with some salt & pepper on it.
The Three Bite Rule - Pulled Pork Eggs Benedict
Pour hollandaise sauce over the top. Add in a little warm water at a time if the sauce gets too thick (mine was pretty thick).
The Three Bite Rule - Pulled Pork Eggs BenedictEnjoy!

Ohh so good. Plus you probably won’t want your next meal for quite a while after eating this. I ended up actually splitting it between 2 English muffin pieces. One egg seemed like plenty since the sauce is so rich, it was a better quantity. You could serve this on biscuits or cornbread. You could poach the eggs (I loooove poached eggs) but they’re considerably harder than a fried egg and all the components seemed like enough to handle.

My pulled pork recipe for the crockpot will serve a ton. First I made this as BBQ pulled pork, then I froze the rest in batches and used it a few ways after we ate it a few times. This eggs benedict was just one way. My future batches will likely be a panini I have on my list and maybe as a baked dish with a cornbread-y topping.

Here are some other ideas for the pork leftovers: 
Pulled pork into tacos (as seen here, or here)
Pulled pork into a quesadilla
Pulled pork on pizza with mustard beer sauce
Pulled pork on nachos
Pulled pork as sliders

This totally made me feel like I was back to blogging for real. I made this while the little one napped which made me feel like a success/champion/rockstar. I struggle a bit feeling productive on days that all I’ve done is keep my little human alive. Plus, it seemed like a good use of time for 2 meals in one!

Breakfast Bake with Ham, Eggs, & Cheese

It is officially time for maternity leave. “I’ll be back”. In the meantime, I have a few goodies to share out here in the blog-o-sphere until I come back. Enjoy!

Thanks to my parents’ hens, we always have a good supply of fresh eggs around. They have 4 hens who are dutifully producing about a total of 3 eggs a day, from the expected 1 egg per hen quantity. They often stop laying eggs in the winter but not these ladies. They are named: Henrietta, Helga, Helene and The Old Hag. There’s not really a way to know which is laying (or which hen is which!).

I wanted some variety in my freezer food supply so I figured there should be something breakfast-y. My ham was leftover from a spiral ham at Christmas that I chopped up and froze after we were tired of it. This is recipe is along the lines of a savory baked french toast and has infinite possibilities.

The Three Bite Rule - Breakfast Bake with Ham, Eggs, and Cheese
Ham, Eggs, & Cheese Breakfast Bake (serves 6)
Ingredients:
8 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 loaf of Italian bread, or ~4 sub rolls
3 slices of spiral cut ham, chopped
1 cup cheddar, shredded
1/4 cup chives chopped

Directions:
Whisk together eggs, milk, salt & pepper.
Chop bread/rolls into 1″ chunks and mix into to the egg mixture.
The Three Bite Rule - Breakfast Bake with Ham, Eggs, and Cheese
Add in cheese, ham, chives (note: my ham pictured was frozen)
The Three Bite Rule - Breakfast Bake with Ham, Eggs, and Cheese
Mix just to combine. The bread will be soft and have absorbed the egg/milk mixture so don’t overmix or the bread will lose shape.
The Three Bite Rule - Breakfast Bake with Ham, Eggs, and Cheese
Spray a baking dish (or individual ramekins or into sprayed muffin tins) with non-stick spray. Preheat the oven if serving immediately, or prep labels to freeze.
Spoon into the dish(s) and bake at 375-degrees for 30-45 minutes until set, or cover & label to freeze.
The Three Bite Rule - Breakfast Bake with Ham, Eggs, and Cheese
I froze mine and baked from frozen for 60 minutes. The edges will lightly brown, it will puff up, and the center will set when fully cooked.
The Three Bite Rule - Breakfast Bake with Ham, Eggs, and Cheese
Serve and enjoy!

I loved this. It is puffy and light but filling. I thought the ham was fantastic but you could easily substitute whatever you like. I went lighter on the cheese since I didn’t want it too heavy and figured we could be spared a few calories while still getting the cheesy flavor and texture.

It was a nice alternative to some of my other freezer foods (butternut squash lasagna, burritos, stuffed shells, pulled pork, etc). I made one that served 4 and a smaller/more shallow one that would serve 2. I froze them for a few weeks but think this would hold up in the freezer for quite awhile…a few months?
The Three Bite Rule - Breakfast Bake with Ham, Eggs, and Cheese
Suggested adaptations: 
Bfast bake – ham + sausage or bacon = Still Meaty Bfast Bake
Bfast bake – cheddar + pecorino/fontina/parmesan/gruyere/swiss = Still Cheesy Bfast Bake
Bfast bake – meat + spinach/peppers/onions/mushrooms = Vegetarian Bfast Bake
Bfast bake – chives + other fresh herbs/scallions = Herbaceous Bfast Bake
Bfast bake – white bread + sourdough/rye/wheat bread – 2 of the eggs + 2 egg whites = Healthier Bfast Bake