CARBO-LICIOUS EGG BAKE!

Posted by Lori~

Last weekend I spent Saturday night with two of my besties Sara and Kelly.  We go way back…actually I have known Sara since I was one month old (there are photos of me at her baby shower….and I am just over one month older than her…we grew up together).  Kelly and I met in junior high—I believe practicing the running man dance in the junior high ladies restroom.  I know—totally lame, but awesome now!  Pretty sure our jeans were tight rolled—too!  WOW—WE GO WAY BACK!

These girls are great…we love having cocktails, talking, and hanging out.  And one thing Sara has truly perfected is cooking.  She isn’t a tater-tot hot dish kind of girl...She is a wine and cheese kind of girl!  Both Kelly and Sara love this and that’s what I love most about them.

Sara and Kelly in the back with me at
my baby shower

Sara whipped up an awesome egg bake recipe on Sunday morning.  IT WAS DE-LICIOUS!  And I knew it would need to come along on Ethne and my recent Girl’s Trip 2011.  You can hear all about our plans here….and of course we will do a post-GT update for you very soon. 

This recipe actually comes from a food and wine website.

To make the Bacon, Tomato, and Cheddar Breakfast Bake with Eggs you need the following supplies:

1 pound bakery white bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (16 cups)

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 pound sliced bacon, cut into ½ inch pieces

1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced

One 28-ounce can whole Italian tomatoes-drained, chopped, and patted dry

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper

½ pound extra-sharp cheddar, shredded (about 2 cups)

½ pound Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)

2 Tablespoons snipped chives or green onion

1 ¾ cups low-sodium chicken broth

Salt

8 large eggs

Instructions to make the egg bake:

**We recommend that you do steps 1-4 ahead of time, because this will cut-down on time needed on the day you serve the egg bake!** 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly oil a 9x13" pan.  Toss the bread with the olive oil and spread into your pan.  Bake for 20 minutes, tossing until golden brown.

Loaves of bread

All cubed up and tossed in olive oil

In a large skillet, cook the bacon over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp.  Transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain; serve 2 tablespoons of fat in the skillet.

Slice up a package of bacon

Let's get crispy

Add the onion to the skillet and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the tomatoes and crushed red pepper and cook until any liquid is evaporated, about 3 minutes.

Slices of onion into the pan

Chopping ta-maters

This smelled SOOOO good

Return the toasted bread cubes to the bowl.  Add the contents of the skillet, along with the bacon, shredded cheeses, chives and broth.  Stir until the bread is evenly moistened.  Spread the mixture back into the pan and cover with lightly oiled foil (we of course used the MISTO).

Tossing the yummy stuff together

Bread mix in to bake

Bake the bread mixture covered for 30 minutes.  Uncover and bake for another 15 minutes longer until crispy.  Press 8 indentions into the bread.  Crack eggs into each indention and bake for another 15 minutes or until eggs are done.

Careful egg dropping

I broke one yolk - not too bad!

SERVE!  This recipe is time consuming, but well worth the wait!  It is unique and filling!  You, your family, and your friends will LOVE IT!  Who doesn’t love bacon (a condiment in my house), bread, cheese, and eggs? 

5 ladies polished it off pretty well!

Not particularly flattering, Ethne