Brunch Toast Cups

 

Gran used to make these for us in the school holidays and she said she used to use them as a smoko option for the shearers when they were farming. They have become my weekend go-to for a light lunch or if I know we need something quick or transportable (and little people love them too!). They are perfect for sending off in the lunch bag with the farmer for days of mustering when they need the energy but a hot lunch isn't an option and you can put pretty much anything in them, making them perfect for using up left overs too. 

INGREDIENTS

• 6 pieces of bread
• Butter for spreading on the bread
• 1/2 tin of spaghetti
• 1/4 cup chopped spinach
• 2 rashers of bacon (New Zealand farm raised please)
• 6 eggs (or 3 eggs mixed with 1 cup cream)
• 1 cup Grated Tasty Cheese

METHOD:

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celcius. Grease a large muffin tin. Butter the bread and place butter side down into the muffin tin. Mix the spaghetti and spinach together and then spoon into each bread cup, using even amounts in each. Chop the bacon and place even amounts in each cup. The eggs can be cracked in to each cup whole or beaten and pured into each cup. I prefer beaten because it soaks into the bread and makes it a little bit like french toast. Top with grated cheese. Place in the middle rack of the oven and cook for 15-20 minutes.

TIPS:

• I prefer beaten because it soaks into the bread and makes it a little bit like french toast
• If you are short on eggs or like a more french toast texture, beat three eggs and 1 cup of cream together and pour evenly into cups and let it soak into the bread.
• Swap the spaghetti for baked beans
• Swap the bacon for slices of cooked sausage (or keep both!)

40 Second Omelette

I believe anyone can have a cooked breakfast everyday, even the busiest of us can spare 40 seconds to make this delish and healthy start to our day!

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 eggs
• 2 Tblsp water
• salt and pepper
• 1 Tblesp butter or olive oil
• 1/4cup fillings- your choice; ham, cheeses, mushrooms, green peppers, chopped onions, bacon, cooked chicken, olives, sun dried tomatoes, tomatoes, spinach (pretty much anything that is in your fridge)

METHOD:
Get your fillings ready first, if they need cooked then do this first. I like to chop mushrooms, onions and a little bacon or ham and cook in a pan, then I turn off the heat and add fresh spinach at the last minute and let the heat of the mushrooms and onions cook it a little.
Beat water and eggs together with a whisk until fluffy.
In a non stick pan, heat you butter or oil and cover the surface. Add the the egg mixture.
With a  spatula (non stick friendly of course)  pull cooked portions of egg from the outside of the pan into the center so the uncooked egg runs onto the hot surface. Tilt your pan as you go so that the omelette remains round. Do this until the egg will no longer flow but is still wet on the top (this takes about 20 seconds).
Sprinkle your filling on one half of the omelette. Slide your spatula under the omelette to half way, fold the unfilled side over the fillings. Set aside your spatula- now comes the tricky/potentially messy bit.
Holding the pan in one hand and your plate in the other, turn the pan upside down to flip the omelette out onto the plate.
Garnish with fresh shopped parsley and/or chives.
Enjoy x
A

Scrambled eggs with black pudding

The farmer and I love scrambled eggs and even more so when you add some hearty ingredients to start the day. Not everyone is a fan of black pudding but I ask that you give it a try because you just might be surprised how good it is. This is a great weekend brunch to throw together, don't be restricted by what I have put in the ingredients list, anything in the fridge is fine! So boil the billy for a cuppa and cook up some of these- best start to the weekend I promise!
 
INGREDIENTS:

• 6-8 eggs per person
• 2 tsp butter
• 1/4 cup milk
• Salt and pepper to season
• 4 rashers streaky bacon, chopped into pieces
• 1/2 cup spinach
• 1 cup chopped mushrooms
• 1/2 round of black pudding (optional), sliced into small pieces

METHOD:
Melt 1 tsp of the butter in a frypan, cook the black pudding, bacon and mushrooms through, once they are cooked add the spinach and turn the pan off.
In a saucepan melt 1 tsp of the butter over a medium heat. While the butter is melting, break the eggs into a small bowl.
Add the milk and a pinch of salt and pepper and whisk lightly with a fork. When the butter is bubbling reduce the heat to low.
Pour in the beaten egg and when it starts to set, stir the mixture gently with a wooden spoon until it forms soft curds and there is no runny egg left.
Tip the eggs into the frying pan with the black pudding, bacon, mushrooms and spinach and toss through. Season well with salt and pepper and serve on toast.



Enjoy xx
A

Corn Fritters

Corn fritters remind me of university days, such a  good lunch for the flat. Actually if our flat was a country then corn fritters may have just been our national dish (if you don't count Speight's as a meal). They take two minutes to throw together, cost about two bucks a batch and can make a great brunch, lunch or easy tea when cooking is not on the motivation list.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 can cream style corn or kernels depending on what you prefer
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 Tblsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 beaten eggs
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/3 cup diced red pepper
• 1/4 cup diced onion

TO SERVE:

• 3 rashers bacon
• 2 Tblsp sour cream
• 1/2 Tblsp fresh chives chopped
•  1/2 Tblsp fresh parsley chopped
• 1 Tblsp tomato relish
• basil leaves

METHOD:
Make a batter from the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, eggs and milk. Beat until smooth. Add the corn, red pepper and onion. Drop a tablespoon of the mixture onto a non stick frying pan. Cook until golden and then turn and cook the other side.
Cook the bacon until crispy. Mix the sour cream, parsley and chives together in a small bowl.
Serve the fritters in a stack with the bacon, sour cream and relish. Finish off with the fresh basil leaves.
yum!!

Enjoy xx
A

Rustic mushrooms and bacon on toast

 

If you’ve been following A Spoonful of Country, you know that I’m all about cooking quick, rustic dishes using whatever I have in my kitchen with only a handful of ingredients. Mushys are so good, not to mention easy and delicious, it’s a simple pleasure of mine and I like to make it for myself as a quick lunch or a hearty weekend breakfast for the farmer and I.

The possibilities are endless with the ingredients, as long as you have mushrooms, bacon and a few slices of bread. Any combination of mushrooms would work. I like the Swiss Brown button mushrooms from the supermarket but field ones picked fresh are by far the best. If you are feeling indulgent, you can add some cream to make a sauce but it isn't necessary.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2-4 slices bread, toasted
• 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 250gm mushrooms, roughly chopped
• 3-4 rashers of bacon, roughly chopped
• 2 teaspoons herbs (parsley, thyme and rosemary would work)
• 1 onion sliced or chopped
• 1-2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon cream (optional)
• salt and pepper, to taste

METHOD:
 In a pan, sauté garlic and onion in olive oil on medium heat for a minute. Then add bacon pieces, mushrooms and herbs to pan and cook for 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. In the meantime, toast your bread slices. In pan, season with salt and pepper, then stir in cream and butter if you are using cream. Serve mushrooms on top of buttered toast with a good cup of tea of course!

Egg in hole

Sometimes it’s the simplest things that are the best food for the soul. The farmer LOVES egg in a hole. I think it is comforting even to the hardiest of men to have food that their mums made for them when they were a ‘snork’ (that’s a word the farmer uses for small children- some will remember the TV show in the 80’s that had these little creatures- anyway- rambling now).
Called “Egg-in-a-Hole” by his mother who made them for him during his childhood, I’ve learned not only to love them through our years together…but to need them. These little guys are comfort food; I mean the serious type of comfort food that change a day from potentially stressful, crazy busy into something bearable and even pretty good. Your Labrador could have a crack at making these they are so easy …. They are not going to save your life, but some mornings it feels like they just might.

INGREDIENTS:

•  1 slice of your favourite bread (wholemeal is best)
• 1 Tblsp butter
• 1 egg
• Salt & Pepper

METHOD:
With a biscuit cutter or the rim of a glass, press a hole in the center of the slice of bread.
Next, heat a frying pan over medium-low heat and melt a Tablespoon of butter in it. When the butter is all spread out, place the piece of bread in the pan and crack the egg straight into the centre of the hole.

Cook for at least 30 seconds or so before attempting to move the bread or things could get messy. Sprinkle the egg with salt and pepper to taste. After about a minute, flip it over with a spatula and salt and pepper the other side. Now move the whole piece of toast around the pan, soaking up all of the glorious butter. Let it cook until the yolk feels, to the touch, still soft without feeling over-wobbly. The secret is to cook the egg perfectly and not burn the toast. But if it isn’t perfect it is still going to be soooo good. 

 Enjoy xx
A

Bacon egg rolls

This is my version of egg rolls for a lazy dinner when there isn't much in the cupboard or no one can really be bothered with tea. You can add your own twist to what you put in them and they are ready in about two minutes.

INGREDIENTS: (per roll)

• 1 rasher bacon (or 2 strips)
• 2 eggs
• 1 Tblsp water
• Salt & pepper
• mozzarella cheese
• tomato relish
• 2-3 basil leaves 

METHOD:

Put two eggs and the water in a bowl and whisk until fluffy. Add your salt and pepper. Heat either a large non stick frying pan or your crepe maker. Pour the egg mixture into your pan a swirl to coat the pan (depending on the size of your pan you may have to swirl a few times until the egg has created a layer and there is none running any-more). Cook for about 1 minute until the egg is just cooked. Turn out onto a plate and top with cheese, tomato relish and bacon. Roll up to complete and put your basil leaves on the top.
Repeat for as many people you are feeding (or at least twice for the farmer who always wants more than one!).

TIPS:

• You can replace the water for cream for a lovely velvety egg roll
• You can add the grated mozzarella while the egg is still in the pan and it melts and goes all creamy.
• Oven roasted cheery tomatoes are yummy to put in when they are in season also.

Enjoy xx
A

The Farmers favourite omelette

Eggs- nature's super-food, thanks to my chooks!

This omelette should strictly speaking be called a frittata, however in our house it is referred to as omelette and more often than not, "mean omelette". This is a weekend brunch and not because it is cooked late in the morning, but because there is no way you can eat one of these and then lunch. I must admit this recipe is sometimes also used as a quick dinner when one of two things happens- I haven't been to the grocery store in way too long or we have both worked late and I just can't be bothered making a 'proper' tea. Now I have offered three variations on ingredients but the cooking method for all is the same, you can reduce the amount of egg to 2 and then 1 if you choose.

INGREDIENTS 1:

• 1 Tblsp olive oil
• 5 eggs
• 1 small chopped onion
• 2 rashers of bacon chopped into small pieces
• 1/2 cup grated cheese
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley and chives chopped finely

INGREDIENTS 2:

• 1 Tblsp olive oil
• 5 eggs
• 1 small chopped onion
• 1 sliced tomato
• 1/2 cup grated cheese
• 1/4 sliced red capsicum
• 5 sliced mushroom

INGREDIENTS 3:

• 1 Tblsp olive oil
• 5 eggs
• 3 slices of ham, chopped into small pieces
• 1 tsp grainy mustard
• 1/2 cup grated cheese
• 1 sliced tomato

METHOD:

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius on fan bake. Take 3 eggs and beat them with a small amount of cold water (about 2 Tblsp) until fluffy. Heat a non stick pan that is oven proof (most are) and add the oil. Then pour in the 3 beaten eggs and scrape from the sides into the middle with a spatula, allowing the runny egg to fill the space you have made and become cooked. Keep this up right around the outside of the pan until there is no runny egg left. Take off the heat and add all of the remaining ingredients except the other two eggs. Beat the two remaining eggs with a little cold water (about 2 Tblsp) until fluffy. Pour these over the fillings in the pan and put into the oven for 10-15minutes until the omelette is cooked through. Take out of the oven and flip out of the pan onto your plate. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

The farmer would like you to know that tomato sauce is permitted as a topping xx

TIPS:

• The water is what makes the eggs fluffy and light- milk is commonly used but water is best
• Be creative and put whatever fillings you like into these, they are a great for leftovers

Bacon breakky buns

The herbs make a much better impact on the dish when chopped and eaten, I just love this 80's food styling!

These buns are a great Sunday brunch, particularly if red wine featured on Saturday. The farmer will munch through about 6 of these, so it's lucky they are so easy to make on mass. You can change the toppings to suit the contents of your fridge too. So next Sunday, see if you can't convince your farmer to whip some of these up while you pull the duvet up around your chin and wish you hadn't had that last glass of red......

INGREDIENTS: (makes 8 buns)

• 4 Bread buns (turkish or ciabatta is particularly good)
• 1 clove of chopped garlic
• 2 Tblsp melted butter
• 8 rashers of bacon
• 8 Tblsp tomato sauce (homestyle is best)
• 1/2 cup grated tasty cheese
• 1 Tblsp fresh chives or parsley

METHOD:

Cut your buns in half horizontally so that you have 8 halves. Place these on a baking tray (I recommend baking paper). In a small bowl combine your garlic and butter . Spread a thin layer of this garlic butter onto the buns (if you intend on taking these back to bed where there is a possibility of kissing- skip the garlic!). Put these into the oven on grill, at 180 degrees Celsius for 3 minutes or until they are starting to go golden.

In a pan or under the grill, however you prefer- cook your bacon until crisp. Place one rasher of the cooked bacon on each bun. Then 1 Tblsp of tomato sauce on each.

Top this with the grated cheese.

Place under the grill for 3-5 minutes so that the cheese is melted. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the chopped herbs over the top. Season with some salt and pepper.

So good- enjoy xx
A