Ham, Egg, and Cheese Sandwiches

 I have been trying recipes in the air fryer.  This one took awhile to perfect.  It made a delicious sandwich.

Ham, Egg, and Cheese Sandwich

2 slices Texas Toast

Deli Ham Slices

Cheese Slice

1 Egg, partially cooked in silicone egg cup.  You can do that in the airfryer by putting the egg in the cup and then in the basket.  Precook for about 7 minutes as it heats up.

Soft butter

Minced garlic or garlic salt

Grated cheese of choice

Salt and pepper

With the bottom of a glass, push a depression into one of the bread slices.  Spread both slices of bread with soft butter.  Put minced garlic or garlic salt into the depression.  On the other pieces of bread layer ham and cheese.  Put ham and cheese bread on bottom and the the other one on top.  Into the depression, put the partially cooked egg.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Put grated cheese around the egg on top.  Bake in an air fryer or oven at 350 until toasted, melted and the egg is done.  Cut sandwich in half. The yolk should be runny, but the white cooked.  So delicious!

Grilled Egg Salad Sandwiches

 I love egg salad sandwiches.  Grilling it like this with butter was really delicious.

Grilled Egg Salad Sandwiches

6 eggs, hard boiled

3 T. Mayonnaise

Splash of seasoned rice vinegar

Salt and Pepper

A good bread

Butter

Chop eggs.  Add Mayo a little at a time until you get the consistency you want.  Add salt and pepper.  Heat a skillet and melt 1 T. butter.  Butter one side of the bread.  Put the unbuttered side down of the bread in the skillet.  Turn over when browned.  Put 1/3 of the egg mixture on the bread and top with another piece of bread prepared the same way.  This will make 3 sandwiches.

Lorene's Deviled Eggs

 We had an unusual Thanksgiving as Ken was just released from the hospital.  I didn't cook a thing.  Ken's dear sister Lorene brought us a full Thanksgiving dinner, including delicious, deviled eggs.  I begged the recipe and have since made them myself.  They are so delicious.

Lorene's Deviled Eggs

6 eggs, hard boiled

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 tsp. pickle juice

1 tsp. mustard

1/4 tsp. salt

Dash of pepper

1 tsp. chives

Cut the eggs in half and remove the yolks to a small bowl.  Mash the yolks.  Add the other ingredients and mash together and mix until smooth.  Fill the whites with the yolk mixture.  Sprinkle with paprika.  

Egg Rolls

The picture is supposed to tempt you.  This one doesn't  This was the first time I made them. The recipe makes three rolls.  The first two were underdone, making it impossible to roll them.  They were just too soft. This one, though it tasted great, was a bit overdone.  I have made this recipe twice since and got them just right.  They really are delicious.

 I was so excited to see that Nadiya Hussein has her own cooking show.  Nadiya was a contestant on The Great British Baking Show.  I really liked her on that, so was so glad she got her own cooking show.  She is of East Indian descent.  She now has her own show with Netflix.  Her emphasis is on easy to prepare meals for families. I have watched a couple of episodes.  This recipe most enticed me, so I gave it a try.   I've changed it a little- making the instructions more American (she is British) and to my liking.

Egg Rolls   This recipe makes 3 rolls
6 eggs
1 T. dried parsley
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
oil
6 small tortillas
12 or so sliced black olives
 6-8 mushrooms, sliced
Other ingredients as desired: grated cheese, green onion, tomato, ham, etc.
6 tsp. or so of sundried tomato paste

Crack the eggs in a bowl , add the parsley, garlic, salt and pepper.  Whip together.  Spread some of the tomato paste on each of the three tortillas.
Heat a small frying pan and then add oil.  Put about 1/3 of the egg mixture in the pan.  Scatter some of the olives and mushrooms and any other vegetables of choice (and cheese) over the eggs.  
Quickly put a tortilla, tomato side down on top of the egg.  Press down with a spatula while it cooks.  Cook for about 30 seconds, then flip it all over and cook on the other side for 30 seconds.
Take the pan off the heat and put the tortilla/ egg on a plate.  When cool enough to touch, roll it all up.  Cut in half. 

These can be eaten for breakfast, served hot or as a sandwich for lunch, served cold.  I found that each tortilla took a bit longer than the 30 seconds.  They have to get browned and crispy to roll and slice properly. 

Sunday Eggs

There was no fresh basil in the store because of the pandemic, so I used dried.  I'm sure fresh would have been much better.

  I recently read or actually listened to a book by Marcus Samuelson called Our Harlem. You may recognize the name of Marcus Samuelson.  He is a judge on the show, Chopped.   Marcus owns a restaurant in Harlem and shared this recipe in the book.  It is delicious! It is poached eggs in a very delicious and unique tomato sauce.  It has a lot of unusual ingredients that blend together and make it really tasty.

Sunday Eggs
Olive oil, about a Tablespoon
1/2 cup chorizo (I wasn't even sure what chorizo was.  It kind of looks like sausage)
1 onion, diced
1 rib celery, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
1 14 1/2 oz. can crushed or diced tomatoes
1 T. capers
3 olives, chopped
1 chipotle in adobo, minced (these babies are spicy.  One should do it!  I freeze the rest of the can)
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 tsps. horseradish
Kosher salt and ground pepper
8 eggs
4 slices good bread, toasted
8 oz. fresh mozzarella, cut into cubes
olive oil
Fresh basil, about 4 leaves, torn

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet.  Add the chorizo, onion, celery, and later the garlic and cook until the onion softens.  Add the tomatoes, capers, olives, chipotle and water and stir and cook for about 5 minutes at a simmer.  Then add the horseradish and salt and pepper.  Mix well and simmer.
Crack the eggs into the simmering sauce and cook until the whites are set.  It will take 5-6 minutes.  Put a slice of toast on each of four plates.  Put two eggs on each toast and then divide the sauce among the four plates.  Top with the mozzarella cubes and drizzle with olive oil.  Top with the torn basil.

This was taken while the eggs were cooking.

Japanese Egg Salad

I miss the Japanese egg salad that we had often in Japan.  It is simple, but makes a delicious side dish. It was served as one of many little side dishes.
Japanese Egg Salad
6 boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
Mayonaise (they used kewpie)
Mustard, to taste
Vinegar, about  1 T.

Mix all together and serve as a side dish. The amounts are to taste, but it should be very moist.  Sometimes they don't put the mustard in.   We especially like it with hot dogs or hamburgers.  If you cook the eggs in the Instapot, you can have this made in just a few minutes.

Freezing Eggs

During this pandemic, it has been hard to get eggs.  So when  I did get some, I decided to try freezing them.  I've always felt that eggs were a hole in my food storage plan.  I whipped a dozen eggs in a bowl and then poured them into ice cube trays.  First I did just one to see how many cubes equaled  1 egg.  With my trays, it was one big and one small cube.  Trays vary, though.

I poured the eggs into the trays, put them on a cookie sheet and froze them overnight.  Getting them out of the trays the next day was a little difficult.  I found the best way is to run hot water over the bottom of the trays for just a minute, then scoop each one out with my finger.  I put them in a quart ziplock to freeze.  If you are just planning to use them for scrambled eggs or French toast and don't need to measure, you could freeze them all together in a pan.

Breakfast Quesadillas

My husband saw this recipe in a mailing from our health insurance company and tried it.  They were delicious!  I can't wait to have them again.

Breakfast Quesadillas
1/4 cup canned green chilis
4 eggs, beaten
Black pepper
10-inch tortillas
1 1/2 cups grated cheese
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
Salsa

Coat a small skillet with cooking spray.  Saute' the chilies over medium heat for 1-2 minutes.  Add the eggs and cook, stirring until scrambled and set.  Season with pepper (and salt if you wish.)  Spray a larger skillet.  Heat and put a tortilla in.  Cook until bubbles form- about a minute.  Flip the tortilla and cook for 1 more minute.  Spread half the cheese evenly over the tortilla, covering to the edges.  Reduce heat to low.  Quickly arrange half the cooked bacon and half the egg mixture over the cheese.  Cook until the cheese starts to melt.  Fold the tortilla in half to create a half-moon shape.  Flip folded tortilla over and cook until it is lightly toasted and the cheese is melted.  Cut in wedges.  Repeat  with a second tortilla.  Serve with salsa.

Ken's Breakfast Sandwich

Ken, who doesn't cook very much was intrigued with this breakfast sandwich he saw on a video on facebook.  While I was ill and he was doing all of the cooking, he gave it a try.  It was delicious- kind of a cross between french toast and scrambled eggs.  Since it didn't have a name, we named it Ken's Breakfast Sandwich.

Ken's Breakfast Sandwich

For each sandwich:

2 eggs, whipped with salt and pepper.  Ken likes to use garlic salt.

2 slices bread

1 slice bacon, halved and cooked (Ken likes to cook up a lb. of bacon all at once, then store it in the fridge for when we want it)

2 slices cheese of choice (provolone, cheddar, Swiss, pepper jack- whatever you prefer)

Spray a skillet or put in some oil or bacon grease.Turn on the stove.  In the cold skillet, pour the eggs and spread it around.  Put in a piece of bread and cover with the egg.    Do the same with the other piece of bread. With bottom ends together (shown) turn over the breads and coat the other side of the breads with the eggs.  When the egg is cooked, turn it back over.  Immediately top the each piece of bread with a slice of cheese and then the bacon.  When the egg that is now on the bottom is cooked,  Fold the sandwich together.  It cooks really fast- about like French toast.  It makes a really delicious breakfast sandwich.

Avocado Toast

Avocado Toast is all the rage right now.  I decided I needed to try it, so looked for recipes.  Oh my.  There are many, many different variations.  I decided to keep it simple and just add what sounded good to me.  It turned out great.  I especially liked when I added an egg on top for a delicious, nutritious breakfast.

Avocado Toast
1 ripe avocado, mashed
salt, pepper, and garlic salt, to taste
Tobasco, a few drops, to taste

1 slice toasted bread (preferably homemade)
1 egg, cooked sunny side up or over easy.

Mix the avocado and seasonings while the bread is toasting.  Top the toast with the avocado mix and then the egg.  Delicious!!!!

Hard Boiled Eggs in the Instapot

If you have an instant pot, you probably already know how easy it is to boil eggs in there.  But in case you don't, I wanted to share.

Hard Boiled Eggs in the Instant Pot
Put  the wire rack in the bottom of the pot.  Pour in 1 cup of water.  Arrange however many eggs you want to boil on the rack.  Adjust the lid onto the pot and set the time for 5 minutes.  That's it.  When it's done, let the steam release naturally for about 5 minutes.  Then open the vent.  That's all there is to it.  Perfect hard boiled eggs.

Scotch Eggs

A very popular dish in Japan is Scotch Eggs.  It is a Scottish dish, but the Japanese have adopted it as their own.  It is basically meat-  ground pork (pork is the most used and popular meat in Japan) wrapped around a hard-boiled egg, then fried. Sausage is not available in Japan, but this is made with sweet (as opposed to spicy) sausage in Scotland. The Japanese just use ground pork.  These little jewels are delicious and are a fun surprise when you cut into them.

Here, the elders and Remi are forming and dipping the scotch eggs, preparing them to be fried.

Imi frying the scotch eggs.  Notice the special extra long chopsticks used for frying.

Scotch Eggs  
1 1/2 lbs sweet sausage or ground pork
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
Pepper and Salt (If using ground pork- not necessary if using bulk sausage)


4 peeled hard-boiled eggs
flour on a plate
1 beaten egg in a bowl with a little bit of water added
Panko or other bread crumbs on a plate
Oil for frying, if you are frying
  Mix the meat with the Worcestershire sauce.  I just sprinkle the Worcestershire sauce on the meat in the tray the meat comes in.  Then I mix it with my hands, then flatten the meat back out into the tray and cut it fourths.  Divide the meat into four equal parts.  Shape each 1/4 around a hard-boiled egg by flattening the meat in a circle, then completely enclosing the egg.  Dip the balls into flour, then egg, then panko bread crumbs, coating well with each.  When well- coated fry the balls in hot oil or bake in the oven at 375 until lightly browned- about 25 minutes (much fewer calories, but not how it is traditionally done.)  Makes 4 scotch eggs.
Here are some pictures of some I made at home in America.  I used sausage and baked them in the oven.  They turned out really good!

Egg Salad Sandwiches

 This time of year, we always have egg salad sandwiches made with all of those Easter eggs.  I tried this recipe from one of those cooking videos on Facebook.  It is delicious!  So, here it is, just in time for Easter.  Try it; you'll like it!
Egg Salad Sandwiches
6 large eggs, hard boiled
4 strips bacon, cooked and chopped (optional)
2 T. dried chives
1/3 cup shredded cheese
4 ounces cream cheese
3 Tablespoons mayonnaise (you may want to add a bit more)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Mash together with a potato masher: Cream cheese, mayonnaise, chives, salt and pepper.
In a large bowl, mash the cooled, boiled eggs.  Add the bacon, cheese, and cream cheese mixture.  Mash all together.  Serve on bread, roll, or croissant. 

Omurice

Every Tuesday evening here, members of the branch at church gather for family home evening.  It’s kind of Japanese “Chopped” as two and sometimes a third always do the cooking.  Another lady in the branch donates vegetables, then these two ladies figure out what to make with them.  One goes shopping while the other starts chopping and cooking.  They come up with delicious meals.  One evening, this omurice was the delicious result.  It is easy, quick, and you have everything you need for it right now- probably.   Living here, we nearly always have leftover rice, but you may not.  But other than that, you’ve probably got everything.

This will make dinner for 4.  It’s easy to expand or reduce, depending on how many you need to feed.  It’s basically one cup of rice and one piece of meat person. 

Omurice

4 cups of cooked rice

1 onion, chopped

1 piece of meat per person, ie: chicken thigh cut up, 1 hot dog cut up, 1/3 lb. ground beef, bacon slices cut up, etc.  You can use as little or as much meat as you wish.  The one they served us just had a little bit of hot dog in it.

Oil (I use olive oil)

Salt and pepper

½ cup ketchup

½ cup frozen green peas

4 eggs

Heat some oil in a large fry pan. Add the meat and cook until done.  Add the onion and fry on medium heat until golden and translucent.

Add the cooked rice and stir and fry together for about 2-3 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.  Push the rice to the sides of the pan and pour the ketchup in the middle.  Spread the ketchup and cook just the ketchup alone for about 30 seconds, then stir the rice and ketchup together and cook another 2-3 minutes.  Add the peas and cook for 2 more minutes.  Divide the rice mixture into 1/4ths.  Put each ¼ into a bowl or other mold.  Traditionally, omurice is a sort of oval shape.  Turn bowl upside down on a plate.

  Repeat for all four bowls of rice.  Beat 1 egg with some salt and pour it into a small fry pan and move it around like you were making a crepe.  You want a crepe-like thin round sheet of egg.  Cook on one side til done, then gently turn it over.  When done, put the cooked egg over the rice like a blanket.  Tuck in the sides.  Repeat for the other three.  Serve immediately. 

Cherry or Blueberry Stuffed French Toast

While on our vacation to Door County, Wisconsin, we breakfasted at the White Gull Inn.  A couple of years ago, Good Morning America had a contest for "The Best Breakfast in America!"  They narrowed it to four finalists and traveled to those locations and tasted the food and filmed the preparation, etc.  The White Gull Inn was one of the finalists.  Then, after the four shows aired, America voted and the Cherry Stuffed French Toast at the White Gull Inn won as "The Best Breakfast in America."  Since we were staying just a couple of miles from the White Gull Inn, we had to try it.  And it was delicious!

After we got home, I found the recipe online and created my own version.  I first made egg bread.  You need Texas Toast or Egg Bread, unsliced.  That was not available here, so I made my own.  I will post that recipe soon.  The reason it needs to be unsliced is that you need pretty thick slices.- 1 1/4".   I chose to use fresh blueberries instead of the canned cherries.  So here you go - the recipe for the best breakfast in America!

Cherry or Blueberry Stuffed French Toast
1 loaf egg bread, unsliced
1 8-oz. package cream cheese, softened
1 cup tart cherries, drained or 1 cup fresh blueberries
3-4 eggs
1/2-3/4 cup milk
Cinnamon, for sprinkling
Powdered sugar, for sprinkling
Maple Syrup

Narrowly trim the ends from the loaf of bread.  Then cut the bread into  6 -1 1/4 inch slices.  Then take each slice and cut almost to the bottom, but leave it attached.  This is how you make the pocket for the filling.  Mix together the softened cream cheese with 3/4 of the blueberries.  You may want to crush some of the blueberries and leave some whole( I left mine whole, but decided next time I would crush some.)  Spread the filling in each pocket.  Mix together the egg and milk.  Dip the stuffed slices into the egg mixture on each side.  Heat a griddle.  Sprinkle each side of the french toast with cinnamon.  Cook over medium heat until golden brown , then turn and cook the other side until golden brown.  Remove from the griddle and cut each toast in half diagonally.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Top with the remaining cherries or blueberries.   Serve with maple syrup.  Then enjoy the best breakfast in America!

Quiche

For the last couple of months, my husband and 9 year old daughter have been making our Sunday dinners. They love it because they get to have a little cooking lesson and I love it because I get to have an evening off of cooking. :) A few weeks ago they made this delicious crustless quiche that Jared grew up with.

1 1/2 cups milk
3 rashes bacon - chopped
1/2 self-rising flour
1 cup grated cheese
3 eggs
1 small onion - chopped
salt and pepper
1 can corn

Combine and pour into a greased dish and bake at 400 for 35 minutes or until set.

My husband made this on what I consider to be our first date. He asked me out and I said I would love to, but was swamped with a big project in college that I needed to finish. So, he spent the whole day on campus with me helping me figure out the technical side of the project that was super intimidating to me. When I had to go to work he went home and made this quiche and then met me with dinner to finish up the project when I was done with work. His kindness and helpfulness really caught my attention...and the rest is history.

Last night they made these beautiful swans and chocolate eclairs for dessert:

Am I spoiled, or what?!?

Deviled Eggs

Have you purchased the already boiled, peeled eggs at your grocery store or Costco?  If so, you can have these made in less than five minutes.  My husband loves these.

Deviled Eggs
*6 peeled hard- boiled eggs
1/4 cup ( or so) real mayonnaise
1 teaspoon (or so) mustard
1 teaspoon  (or so) vinegar
Salt, pepper, and paprika

Cut the eggs in half.  Take out the yolks and put them in a small bowl.  Add the mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper.  Smash the yolks and mix all together.  Spoon the mixture back in to the whites.  Sprinkle with paprika.

*To hard boil eggs, put them in a saucepan and cover with water.  Bring to a boil.  Turn off the heat and let the eggs sit for twenty minutes.  Take the eggs out of the water and let cool.  Peel the eggs.

Mexican Poached Eggs in Green Chili Sauce

This is an quick, easy, and yummy dinner or breakfast.

Mexican Poached Eggs in Green Chili Salsa
   Serves 2
4 eggs
1 cup or so green chili salsa verde or Avocado Tomatillo Sauce  (Shown)
Grated or crumbled cheese- about 4 or 5 Tablespoons  (pictured is a combination of queso fresco and cheddar)
Flour tortillas
Salt and pepper to taste.

Put the salsa in a large skillet.  Put enough in that you have about 1 inch in the pan.  Heat until very hot.  Carefully break the eggs into the sauce, trying to keep the eggs from touching.  Sprinkle the eggs with the cheese and cover the pan.  Cook on medium or medium low until the whites are cooked, but the yolks are still soft.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve with warmed tortillas.

Breakfast Vegetable Burritos

Somehow the words "breakfast" and "vegetables" don't seem to belong together, but this is one of my favorite breakfasts . . . and breakfasts for dinner.  You can use any vegetables you have on hand.  My favorites are onions, mushrooms, spinach, and tomatoes.  The recipe can easily be adjusted to however many people you have to serve, just put in fewer vegetables and/or eggs.  The amounts listed here will serve about four adults.  I like to serve these with fruit of some kind or orange julius.

Breakfast Vegetable Burritos
8 eggs, cracked into a bowl and scrambled with salt and pepper
Suggestions for vegetables:
8 oz. mushroom, sliced
1 cup spinach, chopped fine
1 onion, diced finely
1-2 tomatoes, diced
1 zucchini, diced
1 yellow squash, diced
Whatever other vegetables you want
1 cup grated cheese
Put some olive oil in a large skillet and add the onions.  Saute until the onions are soft.  Add the squash and cook until soft.  Then add the mushrooms and spinach and saute.  Add the eggs all at once and stir and cook until the eggs are done, but still soft.  Add the cheese and stir until melted.  Add the tomatoes at the very end.  Put some of the mixture in the center of a flour tortilla and roll up burrito-style.  Top with chopped tomato and picante sauce or salsa.

Baked Eggs

Need a very quick and easy dinner or breakfast?  Try baked eggs.  They are very yummy served on toast.  I like to serve them with orange julius.  Dinner's ready in a flash!
Baked Eggs
Heat oven to 400.  Spray a casserole dish or pie plate (depending on how many you're doing.  A pie plate holds four eggs nicely.  More than that, you'll need to use a 9x9)  Crack the eggs into the dish.  Salt and pepper.  Put about 1 T. of cream over each egg.  Bake at 400 for about 6 or 7 minutes or until the white is cooked, but yellow is still runny.  Sprinkle grated cheese over the top.  Return to the oven just until the cheese is melted.