Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Breakfast Sandwiches

It's time to go back to school, which means my lazy mornings of sleeping in and lingering over multiple cups of coffee are over.  It also means that I have to start eating an actual breakfast again.  I'm very particular about my workday breakfasts, I must be able to eat it with one hand while I am driving without making a mess of myself (I have my priorities in the morning, mainly sleep).  These english muffin breakfast sandwiches are perfect for that, plus I can make a bunch at once and keep them in the freezer.  You hardly need a recipe for this, but I'll give you one anyways because that is just the kind of girl I am.  You can make these a million different ways, this is just the basic framework to work from.  A note on turkey bacon, I am opposed to the principle of it and usually call it facon and don't eat it.  BUT something about freezing turkey bacon sits better with me than freezing regular bacon so I use it here, feel free to use regular bacon, or sausage patties or omit the meat all together.    

Start by baking you eggs and bacon, I bake my eggs in well greased ramekins and my (turkey) bacon on a silpat mostly because it's easier to clean that way.  You could add anything you like to your egg cups, salsa, herbs, spinach, peppers, or you could scramble them instead of baking if you like, but my ramekins are nearly the exact circumference of your average english muffin and thus you end up with a perfect egg to bread ratio without even thinking about it so I usually bake the eggs.  

 

Next you assemble, I make 6 sandwiches at a time because english muffins come in packs of 6 and I have 6 ramekins.  If you are eating it right away, toast the english muffin first, but otherwise don't bother.  I like to spread out all of my english muffins on the counter, each on top of their own rectangle of saran warp and then deal out the fillings.

Cheese is delicious and should always be included in the sammie, I like 2 slices, so it doesn't get too gooey.  Cheddar is good, as is pepper jack, as are most cheeses, now that I think about it.

Top the cheese with an egg.  I have a itty bitty offset spatula that I use to pop them out of their ramekins.  It's adorable and has polka dots on it.

Top with facon, I do 1 slice per sammie, or if I am feeling particularly decadent (or want to get rid of my facon) 2.

Wrap tightly and store in a ziplock bag in the freezer.  When you are ready to eat, unwrap the plastic, wrap loosely in a paper towel and zap it then flip it over and zap it a bit more until it's hot and the cheese is melty.  This may have more to do with the quirks of my particular microwave, but I find it so much easier to heat them when I have let it thaw overnight in the fridge, it is faster and the egg doesn't get weird and overcooked.

Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Breakfast Sandwiches

makes 6

6 english muffins

6 eggs

12 slices cheese of your choice

6 slices turkey bacon

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350

Grease 6 ramekins and crack an egg into each one, top with salt and pepper.  Place all the ramekins in a large baking dish and add enough hot water to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins.  Bake for about 20 minutes or until the yolks are set (depending on how wide your ramekins are this may take more or less time).

Meanwhile, place the bacon in a single layer on a cookie sheet and bake until it is crisp, about 10 minutes.

When the eggs and bacon are done, split your english muffins in half and fill each sandwich with 2 slices of cheese, one egg and one slice of bacon.  Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and place in a ziplock bag in the freezer, or eat immediately.  

The day before you want to eat your frozen sandwich pop it in the fridge to defrost.  When it is defrosted, wrap in a paper towel and microwave for 30 seconds, flip it over and microwave it for 30 more seconds or until it is heated through, depending on your microwave.

      

Aldi Challenge: Chorizo Scramble

I have wanted to cook with chorizo for a long time, and so when I saw the chorizo at Aldi I snapped it up and concocted a grand dish around it.  Ok, ok, so it's just fancy scrambled eggs but still.... I'm warning you now that this is not a very photogenic meal, but it makes up for its lack of looks with an incredible flavor.  Next time I make it I would tweak this recipe a bit, instead of mixing the chorizo and peppers in with the eggs, which managed to make them entirely invisible (you could barely tell there were eggs in there) I would make the scrambled eggs separately and top them with the chorizo mixture, or it would be delicious to top the chorizo with poached or fried eggs (love those runny yolks...).  This is a simple weekday dinner to throw together, and everything came from Aldi, including the eggs.

Begin by taking the chorizo out of its casing and sauteing it until it is cooked through.  Add half a chopped red pepper and half a chopped yellow pepper and a bit of chopped red onion and cook until tender.  Crack about 6 eggs into a bowl, and whisk together with a splash of milk and some salt and pepper.  Pour the eggs into the chorizo pan and cook, stirring gently until almost set.  Just before the eggs are done to your liking add a generous handful of shredded pepper jack cheese (if you are sensitive to spicy foods, you can substitute plain jack cheese if you wish).

 

See, told you, it is not very attractive, but it is quite tasty.

Chorizo Scramble

1 package chorizo, mild or hot depending on your spice preference

1/2 red pepper, chopped

1/2 yellow pepper, chopped

1/4 red onion, chopped

6 eggs

splash of milk

salt and pepper

3/4 cup shredded pepper jack cheese

Remove chorizo from casing and brown in a skillet over medium high heat.  When cooked through, add the peppers and onion and cook until tender.  Meanwhile, whisk eggs, milk, salt and pepper in a bowl to have ready to pour into the skillet once the veggies are almost done.  Once you add the eggs, stir gently until they are set to your liking.  Stir in the cheese in the last minute of cooking so that it melts.  Serves 2 generously.