Two Sides to Breakfast

Last week I had to bring a casserole to a special breakfast we were having at school. I have limited experience with making breakfast casseroles other than my Crab and Roasted Red Pepper Strata.
My thoughts wandered back to a dish that my friend, Jen, made for a little get together we had. I remember eating one serving and then casually passing by the food table about 100 more times to keep getting more.
I wish I had gotten a picture of this dish last week, because they look so yummy! By the time I thought of taking a picture, they were practically gone!

Ham and Cheese Sticky Buns
~These are quite the crowd pleaser~

• 24 party size potato rolls
• 1/2 lb. sliced swiss cheese
• 1/2 lb. sliced ham
• 2 sticks (1cup) butter
• 1/3 c. brown sugar
• 2 Tbls. Worcestershire sauce
• 2 Tbls. mustard
• 2Tbls.poppy seeds

1. Slice rolls in half and place bottoms in 9 by 13 baking pan.
2. Layer on cheese and ham and top with roll tops.
   
3. Melt butter in a saucepan and add sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard and poppy seeds. Bring to a boiland let boil 2 minutes.
   
4. Immediately pour over rolls and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Can be made ahead and heated when ready to serve.

These sticky buns may be delicious, but they are not great if you are calorie counting. I was browsing my June 2010 edition of Everyday Food Magazine and saw this healthy twist on the traditional "Egg-in-a-hole", which is usually made by frying a slice of bread with an egg in the center. I made them for dinner tonight and we were delighted with the result!

Bell Pepper "Egg-in-a-hole"
~This took less than 10 minutes to make!~

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 bell pepper (any color), cut into four 1/2 inch thick rings
• 4 large eggs
• Salt and Pepper
• 2 tsp grated Parmesan (I actually shredded some sharp Cheddar instead)
• 4 slices multigrain bread, toasted
• 8 cups mixed salad greens (I scrapped this and make some home fries with a potato I had laying around)

1. In a large cast-iron or nonstick skillet, heat 1 tsp oil over medium-high.
2. Add bell pepper, then crack 1 egg into the middle of each pepper ring.
3. Season with salt and pepper and cook until egg whites are mostly set but yolks are still runny, 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Gently flip and cook 1 minute more for over easy. Sprinkle with Parmesan (or Cheddar) and place each egg on a slice of toast (I put the eggs between two slices of toast to make a breakfast sandwich).
5. Toss salad greens with 1 tsp oil and season with salt and pepper, serve alongside eggs (like I said before, I didn't do this because I didn't have any greens...but I made some home fries instead).

Since I made this for dinner, we finished it off with some old fashioned oatmeal chocolate chip cookies that I made last night as a "Series Finale of LOST Special Treat". I found the recipe online at allrecipes.com

Chewy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
~These are my husband's favorite cookies~

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 cups quick cooking oats
• 1 cup chopped walnuts (I skipped these)
• 1 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; stir into the creamed mixture until just blended. Mix in the quick oats, walnuts, and chocolate chips. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets.
3. Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.