Breakfast Skillet

Here is a recipe I have been making at home for quite sometime now and finally remembered to take pictures as I was cooking it. This is also the first time I have wrote one of my own recipes down! Yay! Go me!! Anywho, here it is.... The Breakfast Skillet! (Any suggestions for names would be appreciated). This meal is great because its not too expensive to make and it is super filling! Plus I don't have to make toast with it because of the potatoes. The basics of this recipe I learned while I worked at the Forest History Center in Grand Rapids, MN. (Which should be opening again soon now that the MN Government is open again!!)

Part of my job there was to dress as a cook and of course... work in the cook shack. As part of making guests feel more like they were "actually" back in time I had to cook potatoes, onions and salt pork daily. The smell was awesome! I had to expand on it though as eggs, milk and butter were never brought to a logging camp. 
We also like eating this when camping. Its super easy to make over a fire, is excellent hangover medicine, and the wood smell adds to the taste. 


Sara's Breakfast Skillet 
(Or whatever witty name my followers come up with)
Ingredients:

• 5-7 Medium Potatoes peeled & sliced
• 1/2 Cup Chopped Onions
• 1/4 C Butter or Margarine
• 1/2 Pound Bacon (Your favorite flavor will work), chopped. 
• 1/8 Cup Light Brown Sugar
• 3-4 Slices of cheese
• 5-6 Eggs
• 3 Tbsp Milk
• Pepper

In large skillet:
On medium heat, add half the butter and all the potatoes. Fry 1-2 minutes until butter has melted. 
Add Onions and the rest of the butter. Stir. 
Add sliced up bacon to skillet. I usually just take a pair of scissors and cut it over the pan. 
Add small amount of pepper. 
Cover and cook, stirring occasionally to ensure potatoes don't get stuck to the pan. 
Continue to cook until potato are soft and bacon is done. 
Drain entire mixture in strainer to get most of the grease off. Put back in skillet and continue to cook on Warm/Low. 

Potatoes, Onions, Cut Bacon 

In second (small) skillet: (Scrambled Eggs)
On medium heat, combine eggs, milk, and pepper (to taste). Cook until almost firm.

Combine:
Add Scrambled Eggs to Potato Mixture and stir until combined. Mix in Brown Sugar. Layer cheese over entire mixture. Cover and let warm until cheese is melted. Enjoy!




Possible Variations:

• Try Ham, Sausage or all three instead of just bacon!
• Add salsa, chives, or purple onions for more color. 
• Milk can be removed for those who cannot have it, the eggs just won't be as fluffy. 
• Red potatoes can be used with their skins still on. 
• Use any type of cheese you like (or none at all)! This time we used a mix of provolone and mozzarella. The best in my opinion is regular American sliced cheese. 
• You don't have to use the brown sugar, I just like the sweetness it adds to the potatoes and bacon. 

Goes great with Orange Juice!

Overall Cost: $6.00. Meal Serves: 4 ($1.50 per serving!)

***Check back soon for new posts!!! Thanks for stopping by! ***

Well, I think I may be starting to get the hang of this. It reminds me a lot of MySpace... remember those days? Anywho...

As an attempt to save money I have been cooking at home. Our family went from eating out three to five times per week, down to once or twice per month (the pizza places are bummed out). Although it is less convenient, it saves a huge amount of money (Well, duh Sara... ) and I am home all the time now so it doesn't bother me to cook everyday. One of my goals is to be able to get my meal cost around eight dollars (for four people). Its going well so far.

Another game I play is to try at least one new recipe per week. I usually find them on the web, searching by what I have in my kitchen or based on my grocery list. I plan on reviewing the recipes on this blog. This past week I tried my hand at a Bacon and Cheese Quiche. I have to tell you, I was a bit apprehensive when I came across it, as so many people hear how cooks hate cooking Quiches' (or would that still be Quiche?). Why? They deflate if bumped in the tiniest of manner! Fortunately, I found out it doesn't really ruin it just makes it less fluffy, and in that case I could feel better about trying it. I did not want to make something new, have it be inedible and be out that money spent on the ingredients. Let me share the recipe with you:

Easy Bacon and Cheese Quiche

You will need:

1- 3oz can Bacon Bits

1/2 Cup-  Chopped Onion

5oz-  Shredded Swiss Cheese

3oz- Grated Parmesan Cheese

1 (9 inch)- Frozen Pie Crusts  

(Pillsbury has these in packages of 2. Usually you can find them for around $2.50)

4 eggs- lightly beaten

1 Cup- Half & Half

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400° F (200° C)
2. In a medium bowl, mix the bacon, onions and both cheeses. Place mixture in the pie crust.
3. Mix the eggs and half & half in a  bowl. Pour the egg mixture over the cheese mixture. 
4. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350° F (175° C) and bake for and additional 35 minutes, until top of quiche is turning brown.  

Tips:

• Make sure not to disturb the quiche while it is baking. I literally tip toed around my home while it was cooking.
• If you have to open your oven to see if it is turning brown, make sure to close the door gently. 
• Let it stand for about five minutes before serving. 

Recipe courtesy of Allrecipies.com

Before the oven:

It kind of reminds me of an Egg Bake recipe I have. There were air bubbles popping up as I took this photo, so expect that. The smell in the air while it was cooking reminded me of an Onion Tart, maybe I will try that next! 

After the oven:

I actually forgot to add the onions in the cheese mixture and ended up tossing them on top (before I poured the egg on). That is why you see so many onions. I was super excited that it did not deflate!

Overall, it was fantastic! Cully (my other half) ate a good portion and finished the rest off for breakfast the next morning. I enjoyed mine with Ketchup (of course!) and he put Sour Cream on his. I was nervous thinking the Swiss would be overpowering, but it was quite good. Would I make it again? Yes! 

Total overall cost for this dish about $9.00. I can't even feed two of us at McDonald's for that! I think next time I will have to delve a little in to my grocery shopping process but its time to get something done around here, so until then!