when I was a lad I ate four dozen eggs

How do you eat your eggs?

We eat ours scrambled, fried, hardboiled, baked . . . in omelets, quiche, frittata, clafoutis, macaroons, smoothies, sandwiches . . . with salsa, mushrooms, red onions, pesto, sausage. Dinner once a week is eggs. Breakfast on Saturdays is eggs. Eggs in mayonnaise, eggs in cobblers, eggs in chocolate pudding.

Unless one of our children has an egg allergy, it seems inevitable that someday, we'll have our own flock of chickens.

(We hope to avoid becoming roughly the size of a barge.)




Baked Tomato-Herb Eggs
(original recipe from Kalyn's Kitchen)

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup minced onion
1/2 cup diced green pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14.5 oz) can petite diced tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
5 large eggs*
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese**

1) Preheat oven to 450 degrees and heat olive oil over medium heat in oven-proof 10-inch skillet. Add onion, green pepper, and garlic to skillet, saute for one or two minutes, then cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for five to ten more minutes or until onion is softened.
2) Add diced tomatoes, salt, pepper, and herbs. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to medium and let simmer until tomatoes are soft and most of the extra moisture has evaporated.
3) Spoon about a third of the tomato mixture into a small bowl; make five shallow, evenly spaced hollows in remaining mixture. Crack eggs into skillet, one in each hollow (this helps them not to run together). I then break the yolks with a spatula so they swirl into the white a bit, but you can leave them intact if you prefer. Spoon reserved tomato mixture over and around eggs.
5) Cover skillet and let eggs cook on medium heat for about three minutes, until whites are becoming opaque and yolks are beginning to set. Remove lid, sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top, and place uncovered skillet in preheated oven for several minutes more, until yolks are done to your liking and cheese is bubbly. (We prefer the yolks more firm than runny.)
6) Serve hot, with biscuits or toast if desired, or with a fork and a side of sliced fruit if you're me. :)

*This is the number of eggs I use, as I eat two and the husband eats three. You could use four and that would work just as well.
**Methinks feta would be excellent here.