Saturday, February 5, 2011

Whoops...



Yeah... that happens. 

Lessons learned:


1.Set a timer.

2. If your dough has deep seams... add some water and work it until it seals.

3. Be RESILIENT! (And it helps to marry someone who is clever...)

As I was dismaying at the sight of my forgotten and burnt loaf... Ross said "Well, the inside isn't burnt... what can we make with the inside of the bread... EGG-BAKE!"

And that is exactly what we did. 

A valuable kitchen skill is knowing how to use up those mistakes and leftovers - and after a while, it becomes instinctive. Egg-Bake, or Egg-Casserole, is a great way to use leftovers. Egg-Bake was probably invented by Lutherans, and it is thought to have originated in Minnesota. I couldn't find any references or articles about its origins on Google or Wikipedia, though its closet relative would be the French Quiche. Ross and I are considering writing Wikipedia's very first Egg-Bake article. 

You can use up those last few slices of staling bread, or the heels no one really likes to eat, whatever you have around! The "fillings" can be whatever it is you have on hand. For instance, my mother-in-law, who introduced me to the wonderful world of Egg-Bake, (and I should note that she is a Lutheran from Minnesota) made a ham & cheese and a veggie burger & cheese Egg-Bake on the morning of our wedding. The veggie burgers were leftover from the rehearsal dinner BBQ the night before -it was delicious and utilized those leftovers!

To make your very own Egg-Bake, take a 9x13 inch baking dish or something similar in size, grease it, and then tear up the bread.



Then look in the fridge, see what's there, and top with fillings of your choice. We had onions, tomatoes, peppers, and cheese in the fridge, so that's what we used.


Then season with salt, pepper, chili powder, or layer with salsa.

In a blender, crack 6 eggs, add 1 cup of milk, and blend until foamy. Or use a bowl to mix - it really doesn't matter. In fact, use 5 or 7 eggs... we only had 5 left, so we went with it. Also, we ran out of milk, and thus used rice drink. Tasted just fine - and we were utilizing whatever we had in the kitchen.


Pour the liquid even over the bread and fillings, and store overnight in the fridge.


Sleepover with the spring mix and pomegranate juice! 



In the morning, bake for 40 minutes at 375°F covered with foil. Then bake for an additional 10-15 minutes uncovered. This way the cheese doesn't burn.

And you have a delicious breakfast full of veggies and protein.







2 comments:

Mountain Chaplain said... Best Blogger Tips[Reply to comment]Best Blogger Templates

That looks delicious! My favorite part was the "sleepover w/ the spring mix & pomegranate." Way to go, Minnesota Lutherans!

Bonnie said... Best Blogger Tips[Reply to comment]Best Blogger Templates

Yummy AND clever.