Snowy Sunday Morning Brekkie

Well the snow is definitely here to stay.  It is a winter wonderland outside.  Sometimes I think all we do here is complain about the weather.  In the summer it is too hot, or too rainy, or not hot enough.  In the winter it is too cold, there is too much snow....the list goes on.  It is actually quite pretty outside right now and not too cold at all.  (Cold being a relative term here.  Some of us are just more used to the cold than others.)  In all honesty I do enjoy the changing seasons.  I don't however enjoy the longer hours of dark that goes along with our fall into the winter months. Thank goodness we now have some snow to help light things up bit.

The sad looking garden donkey covered in snow.  The snow is still falling.

All of this fresh snow on a Sunday morning means a hearty breakfast is needed.  After all, I must make sure the teen has the energy needed to shovel all of that freshly fallen snow!  I have been dying to try out the bacon we found at the grocery store.  It is a hickory smoked, peppered thick cut bacon.  Looks so good before I even cooked it!

Snowy Sunday Morning Brekkie

• 1 lb bacon of your choice (today we used a thick cut peppered and hickory smoked bacon
• 6 - 8 red potatoes (or whichever you prefer or have on hand), cubed
• 1/2 large sweet onion, diced
• 1/2 red pepper, diced
• green onions, chopped
• 1 chili pepper
• 8 eggs
• some 1/2 and 1/2 or milk
• salt and pepper

 Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F and spray a baking sheet with non stick spray.  Lay the slices of bacon out in a single layer on the sheet.  Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until cooked to your liking.  I give a large gap in time because some people prefer their bacon more crisp than others.

While the baon is in the oven, preheat a non stick frying pan to medium. Once the pan is hot add:

• 2 tbsp butter

Let the butter melt and add:

• the cubed potatoes

Give the pan a shake to coat the potatoes in melted buttery goodness, sprinkle on some salt and pepper.  Slap the lid on the pan and let it work its magic for about 10 minutes.  Remove the lid and add to the pan:

• the diced onions

Give the pan another shake, slap that lid back on and cook for about 5 minutes.  Remove the lid again and add:

• the diced red peppers

Shake the pan, slap the lid back on and cook for another 5 minutes.  After this last 5 minutes is up, remove the lid for good and shake up the pan.  (you can also use a utensil to stir things up, just be careful not to break or mash up the potatoes.)  Let the taters cook and brown some more until ready to serve.  Add salt and pepper to taste before serving.

**This recipe works well in the oven as well but you need to be careful and add the onions and peppers later so they don't burn.  The oven will need to be at a hot 400 degrees so if you are cooking something like the bacon low and slow, then the fry pan method is best. **

Once the bacon is done, feel free to trasfer the potates to a 400 to 450 degree oven to finish, especially if you need the stove space to make the eggs. 


Since eggs cook fairly quickly, I cook them last.  Preheat the fry pan to medium-low. 

In a bowl, crack open the 8 eggs and add about 1 tbps of 1/2 and 1/2 per egg to the bowl.  (here it was about 1/2 cup, but honestly, I didn't measure today, I just eyeballed it) 

Add some salt and pepper to taste.  Scramble the eggs with a fork, making sure to break up all of the yolks and mix in the milk. 

Add a pat of butter to the pan and let it melt.  Pour the eggs into the preheated pan and let them sit for a moment.  Stir the eggs with a spatula every so often to scrape up the gently cooked curds and let the liquid hit the bottom of the pan.  If you prefer smaller curds of egg, stir more often.  Continue cooking until eggs are cooked the way you like.  Top with diced green onions and sliced chilis.  Some grated cheddar is also nice here. 
Remember to start toasting at some point while the eggs are cooking... place a couple of pieces of your favourite bread in the toaster and toast away!!

The view from the front door this morning.