My kids and I have a secret obsession….. it’s watching the Food Network’s cooking shows! We don’t turn the television on during the week {because we’ve learned we never get homework done otherwise}, but when the weekend strikes… the kids and I do love a little downtime watching a few of our favorites together…. especially the Pioneer Woman, the Barefoot Contessa, and Trisha’s Southern Kitchen {or Ree, Ina & Trisha… as we call them around here}! This recipe is one that I recently tried out from Ree {the Pioneer Woman}. I decided to be a loving wife and make Husby a little breakfast upon coming home from a 48-hour shift at the fire station. I am actually allergic to eggs… so I was not able to sample the dish, but I will say that it smelled heavenly… and Husby did devour two pieces and said he thinks it’s even better than FRENCH TOAST!!
It’s funny, because I actually had never heard of this dish, but when I read the reviews {which were nearly all 5-stars} I found that everyone had a different name for this breakfast…. birdie-in-a-nest, egg-in-a-basket, bullseye, popeye, nest egg, eggs-in-a-nest, toad-in-a-hole and frogs-on-a-lilypad… to name a few! The best part of reading the reviews was the excitement you could sense as people reminisced about their grandmothers preparing this for them {more than half a century ago} as a child! One woman was 86, and recalled her mother making it for her! Pure sweetness! There were several reviewers that stated they first learned how to make the dish in their Home Economics High School Class or in Girl Scouts!
It really doesn’t get much simpler, as far as breakfast is concerned! With only three ingredients…. you can whip up this delicious dish in under 5 minutes! Amazing, right? So here it is….
Egg-in-a-Hole from one of our all-time faves…. The Pioneer Woman!
Egg-in-a-Hole
Ingredients
- 1 slice of bread {use your favorite type}
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 egg
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper {to taste}
Instructions
- With a biscuit cutter or the rim of a glass, press a hole in the center of the slice of bread.
- Heat a skillet over medium-low heat and melt in the butter {this is important... if the pan is too hot, the bread will burn before the egg is cooked}. When the butter is all spread out, place the piece of bread in the skillet and crack the egg straight into the center of the hole.
- Cook until the egg sets a bit on the bottom, 30 to 45 seconds. Sprinkle the egg with salt and pepper. After about a minute, flip it over with a spatula and salt and pepper the other side.
- Move the whole piece of toast around the skillet, soaking up all of the butter. Let it cook until the yolk feels soft. Here's the key: golden brown toast, white (not brown/burned) whites, soft unbroken yolk. Perfect!
Notes
Calories: 224; Total Fat: 17 grams; Saturated Fat: 9 grams; Protein: 8 grams; Total carbohydrates: 10 grams; Sugar: 1 gram; Fiber: 0.5 grams; Cholesterol: 217 milligrams; Sodium: 459 milligrams Adapted from Pioneer Woman
I must confess, I didn’t read very carefully! I didn’t realize that I could have used the rim of a glass to make the cutout! Instead I used an entirely too fancy scalloped edge cookie cutter. It was probably a bit too large for my not very big slice of bread! Yours will come out prettier… I promise!
POINTERS:
*Make sure the skillet is on medium to low heat! This is important because you don’t want to burn the bread before the egg is cooked!
*Don’t forget to throw the bread circle into the skillet! Toast it up nice and brown on both sides and enjoy it as part of the meal! Maybe even break out the jam?!! Yum…!
*Some additional add-in ideas to make this one scrumptious meal: bacon, sausage, a sprinkle of cheese, fresh berries, avocado, and/or tomato slices!
*To make this breakfast even lighter… you can spray the pan with butter flavored cooking spray, or butter both sides of the bread before putting it into the pan.
I hope that you enjoy this simple breakfast and that it becomes a family favorite in your home for generations to come!
