Eggs are a staple ingredient that I always have in my refrigerator. (Well, almost always. I can name a few times when I've had to run to my neighbor's house to borrow 2 eggs for an emergency batch of chocolate chip cookies, or the like.) And they are another of my go-to ingredients for dinner when I don't have anything else planned. These Fluffy Egg Cups are an easy dish to make with the odds and ends you probably already have on hand.
Fluffy Egg Cups are also a perfect recipe when cooking with kids in your kitchen. There is very little precise measuring required, and kids can have fun picking and choosing their ingredients as they customize their own dinner entree. I have included several Add-In ingredients, but this list is by no means exhaustive. Use your imagination and incorporate your own favorites to this meal. The egg cups pictured include sauteed garlic spinach, Mexican Blend shredded cheese, and chopped turkey deli meat.
Fluffy Egg Cups
2 eggs per serving
Milk or cream (1 tsp./egg used)
Salt and pepper, to taste
3-4 Add-Ins
Preheat oven to 375-degrees (or 350-degrees if using a convection oven). Grease oven-safe bowls or ramekins (enough for desired number of servings).
In a bowl, add eggs, milk or cream, salt and pepper; and stir with a wire whisk or fork to scramble eggs and thoroughly combine ingredients.
Layer 3 or 4 Add-Ins in the bottom of the bowl or ramekin. If using cheese, results will be better if it is layered between or on top of other Add-In ingredients. Pour scrambled eggs over Add-In ingredients, evenly distributing eggs between all bowls or ramekins. Place Fluffy Egg Cups on a baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Fluffy Egg Cups are done when the tops begin to turn golden in color and a knife, when inserted in the center, comes out clean.
Add-Ins:
Shredded cheese, your choice
Bacon
Sausage crumbles
Ham, diced
Grilled chicken, diced
Fajita steak, diced
Onions, sauteed or fresh
Broccolli (pre-cooked tender-crisp)
Cauliflower (pre-cooked, tender-crisp)
Bell pepper, diced (sauteed or fresh)
Spinach (fresh: sauteed or frozen: thawed and squeezed dry)
Carrots (fresh: shredded or pre-cooked and diced)
Tomatoes, diced
pico de gallo or salsa
I have many guilty pleasures when it comes to food. Pancakes is one of them. They are served quite often at our house for a lazy breakfast or brunch. And they are also served as a part of "Breakfast for Dinner", one of our favorite dinner-time meals. I have tried my share of pancake recipes, but I always come back to this one. Always. I love its fluffy texture and its versatility when I experiment with add-ins. And best yet, I know I will always have the ingredients on my shelf when I want to make this dish.
Happy Cooking Off the Shelf!
Griddle Cakes
5 tbsp. butter, melted
1 cup milk, room temperature*
2 eggs, slightly beaten and room temperature*
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
Preheat griddle to pancake setting or preheat a pan on the stove using a medium-high setting. (I set my stove on "7", with "10" being the hottest setting.)
While your griddle or pan is heating, combine butter, milk and eggs in a medium bowl. In a large mixing bowl combine the dry ingredients, stirring with a wire whisk. Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and gently stir with whisk until all ingredients are combined. (Hint: It is best to leave small clumps of dry ingredients. This will help the pancakes to rise better than if you stirred batter until perfectly smooth.)
Pour batter onto greased griddle or pan in desired size. (I typically use butter to grease my pan, but cooking spray is also effective.) Turn pancakes over when batter is bubbling across the surface of the pancake and the edges are no longer shiny. Cook until golden brown on both sides.
Yield: This recipe makes approximately twelve 4-inch pancakes.
Variations:
Wheat Pancakes: Exchange up to 1 cup all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour. (I prefer to use 1/2 cup whole wheat flour and 1 cup all-purpose flour.)
Blueberry Pancakes: Add 1 cup fresh berries to batter after combining wet and dry ingredients. If using frozen berries, prepare batter without berries. Pour batter onto griddle and sprinkle berries onto pancakes in pan while batter is still runny.
Blueberry Lemon Pancakes: Add 1 tbsp. finely grated lemon zest to dry ingredients. Add 1 to 1 1/2 tsp. lemon extract to wet ingredients. Add 1 cup blueberries as described above.
Granola Pancakes: Add 1 cup prepared granola to batter.
Apple Pancakes: Add 1/2 tsp. cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice to dry ingredients. Add 1 cup finely diced apples to batter after combining wet and dry ingredients. Optional: Add 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts to batter with the apples.
*Note: Using room temperature milk and eggs will result in a fluffier pancake. To be honest, I never think of pancakes early enough in the day to remember to set out my milk and eggs long enough for them to reach room temperature when I am ready to cook. Instead, I warm the milk in the microwave a little warmer than room temperature. Then I mix the eggs into the milk before adding them to the warm, melted butter.
Homemade Syrup
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup water
1 cup light corn syrup
1 tsp. maple extract
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/8 tsp. almond extract (optional)
Combine sugars and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a rapid boil over medium-high heat. Boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and the corn syrup and flavorings. Stir to combine.
I've been away for quite a while. Time to get back to business--with Cincinnati Chili.
The first time I had Cincinnati Chili, I was clueless and, I'm ashamed to say, had a terrible experience. It happened when I was a graduate student at Western Kentucky University. While shopping for dinner at the Winn Dixi in Bowling Green, I found a can of Skyline Chili on the shelf and decided to give it a try. After my first bite all I could think was, "Ugh! Who puts cinnamon in chili!?" Not knowing any better, I had served it up ala carte. Big mistake! I expected plain-jane spicy chili, similar to what my mom used to buy. But what I tasted instead was sweet chili that was spiced like a snickerdoodle.
Later, sitting in a folk studies class at WKU, I learned the error of my ways when the food-ways topic turned to Cincinnati Chili. All at once, the light went on. I hated my dinner because I ate it the wrong way. Literally. Class that night revealed that it is traditionally served 3-Way (noodles, chili, cheese), 4-Way (3-Way, plus onions or beans) or 5 Way (3-Way, plus onions and beans). Who knew?
A few years later my husband and I stopped for dinner at Skyline Chili when we were driving through Cincinnati. I ordered mine 5-Way, took a bite, and fell in love. That first bite (eaten the right way) inspired my quest for the perfect Cincinnatti-style Chili recipe that I could make at home.
The best recipes I have found simmer for several hours to truly develop the flavors. But as a mom of 3 busy kids, I needed a recipe for a quick version. The following recipe is one that I have modified to fit the tastes of my family. I hope you enjoy it. I'm still tinkering with the recipe, but my kids love it, so I thought I'd share it now. I would love to hear what you think. And if you make any modifications yourself, I would love to hear about that too. Enjoy!
Quick Cincinnati Chili
1 box (16 oz.) spaghetti
1 lb. hamburger
1/4 cup dehydrated minced onion
2 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. all spice
4-5 dashes cayenne pepper
1 tsp. salt
1 can (15 oz.) kidney beans, with liquid
2 cans (15 oz.) tomatoes, crushed or diced
1/2 can water
2 tbsp. tomato paste
2 tbsp. semi-sweet chocolate chips
Optional toppings:
Minced onion
Shredded cheddar cheese
Brown hamburger in a large sauce pan. When hamburger is nearly browned begin preparing spaghetti according to package instructions. To the browned hamburger add onion and spices; cook over medium-high heat for 1 minute. Add beans, tomatoes, water, tomato paste and chocolate chips to the meat mixture. Bring to a boil then lower heat to a simmer until noodles are finished cooking and drained. Serve chili over spaghetti. Top with chopped onions and shredded cheese if desired. Serves 6.
