Baked Eggs and Sausage in Hash Brown Cups

This winter, I mastered the art of the make-ahead breakfast. Each and every week, I did a few minutes of  cooking on Friday, and reaped the rewards of leisurely mornings on Saturday and Sunday. OK, truth be told, we were hustling everyone onto the ski mountain by 8am, so the mornings weren't really relaxing per se, but knowing breakfast was taken care of {not to mention, delicious and nourishing}, made these family ski weekend mornings much more fun.

This was one of the family favs. Made with just 3 ingredients, these are a keeper. Click here for the recipe. 

First, you spray 12 muffin cups with your choice of cooking oil spray, then press thawed hash browns {that you have squeezed as much water out of as possible} into the base and up the sides of each cup. Sprinkle each has brown cup with salt & pepper. Pop the tin into a 375 oven for about 30 minutes, or until the potato cups are crisp.

You'll see that the potatoes "shrunk" a bit. That's totally fine.

Simply top each potato cup with a few slices of sausages. We like Applegate's Chicken-Apple or Chicken Maple ones.

Next, crack a medium egg in each cup. I say medium because if you try to fit a large or jumbo sized egg it'll probably overflow the muffin cup… not a big deal, but it's kind of messy. I mean, if you can avoid trying to catch slimy egg whites as they roll off the muffin tin all over your counter, you might as well…

Then the muffin tin goes back into the oven for about 10-15 minutes for soft-set eggs and 16-18 minutes for hard-set eggs. Gently run a butter knife around each egg cup to remove it from the tin, and serve them warm.

I typically made them hard-set because then they became a breakfast you could pick up with your hands. And when you're 7, that is wildly exciting.

a big smile mid-week: macarons from sucre

Oh dear. I have another food crush. I mean, a girl cannot live on green smoothies alone, right? And oh how I do love a French macaron... the kind that is crisp on the outside and slightly chewy on the inside. Mmmm.

This pretty box of 15 decadent macarons was waiting on my doorstep when I came out of our latest construction meeting. The sweet folks at Sucre wanted to give one of my lucky readers a box as a treat. I thanked them for the generous offer, but told them I always have to try anything I'm going to give-away or possibly recommend. My job is tough, but someone has to do it.

And that is how I ended up with macarons on my doorstep. Trust me, my life is not nearly as glamorous or decadent on a daily basis.

The taste-testing is done. {And no, I am not going to take another photo and show you how many I ate with my afternoon tea.} Suffice it to say that this goes down as one of my better work days, or days in general.

Packaged to travel well, these macarons will absolutely brighten someone's day. Trust me, I know this firsthand. I cannot wait to have Sucre send a 15-piece box of their Signature Macarons to one lucky full plate blog reader! If you would like to win this special treat, please leave me a comment on this post letting me know why you're a busy mom who deserves a little something decadent and special mid-week. I will use random.org to choose one winner on Sunday, February 24th at noon (Eastern time). Winner must live in contiguous United States. Sucre will ship the macarons directly to you. Lucky you!!

peek at Easter weekend 2012

fabulous weekend together, full of fresh air, adventures and homemade food...

kale/broccoli/spinach frittata + fruit salad + blanched green beans with a simple mustard vinaigrette and slivered almonds + homemade sweet/fingerling potato hash... and a variety of treats + mimosas with friends + a gorgeous weekend to boot

oh, a quick reminder that you have until 3pm (EDT) Monday, April 9th to enter the give-away for 4 (super cute) sectioned plates!

eggs with the devil in them

Trying pants on before bedtime last night, I realize our older son actually does not have pants that fit and are in good enough shape to wear to an egg hunt and dinner this afternoon. So, I'll be spending this morning traipsing around town-- in the rain, two kids in tow-- trying to find pants. Sweet. This is going to leave little time to over think an Easter menu (which might be good...save me from myself). What I do know, is that our casual Easter get-together with the neighbors will include

deviled eggs...or as my little one calls them "eggs with the devil in them". Since the baby chicks hatched in his class last week, he's been understandably a bit skittish about eating eggs. But, I know he digs these so I am thinking a few will go down the hatch.

Eggs with the Devil in Them
(makes 12...double or triple if you're expecting a crowd)

6 hard-boiled eggs
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons finely minced celery
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon minced drained capers

Shell eggs, then cut in half lengthwise. Transfer yolks to small bowl and mash with fork. Mix in remaining ingredients. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon yolk mixture into whites. Can be made several hours ahead, just cover loosely and pop into fridge.

Then, I'll also make a batch of pea dip or

edamame hummus to serve with pita chips and fresh veggies for dipping.

For sides to go along with the ham my neighbor is bringing, I think I'll make a spinach, jicama, slivered almond salad with this super simple yogurt-based salad dressing. Leftover dressing can be used as a fabulous marinade in the week ahead.

And if the rain ever stops, I'll make a big platter of grilled veggies

or maybe I'll just make grilled asparagus and call it a day. We'll see. I still need one or two comforting, decadent sides to please those (like my husband) who grew up with scalloped potatoes. Ideas and links to your favorite Easter side dish recipes are welcome...I'll be going to the grocery market this afternoon.