While flipping through some old Everyday Food Magazines, I came across this Egg in a Hole recipe. Super simple, but gives a boring, old fried egg a little something more.

This was the perfect way to try out our fresh eggs from our newly laying chickens!

Egg in a Hole

2 teaspoons butter
1 bell pepper (any color), cut into four 1/2-inch-thick rings
4 large eggs
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 teaspoons of your favorite grated cheese

In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 teaspoon butter over medium-high. Add bell pepper rings, then crack 1 egg into the middle of each pepper ring. Season with salt and pepper and cook until egg whites are mostly set but yolks are still runny, 2 to 3 minutes. Gently flip and cook 1 minute more for over easy. Sprinkle with cheese. Serve once cheese is melted.

More Egg in a Hole Ideas:

Recipe Source: Adapted from Everyday Food
Photo: By Jen Grove and Everyday Food

By golly, I think I’ve found my new FAVORITE cake!

A few years back, friends of ours used to get a Tres Leche Cake for their kids birthday every year. I had never heard, nor tasted one before this & boy were we missing out!

A Tres Leche cake is a cake that is soaked in 3 different kids of milk, which makes it so sweet, moist & tasty! It really is nothing I’ve ever tasted before.

While thinking of our good friends, who have since moved to Arizona, I decided to make my own Tres Leche Cake.

Tres Leche Cake

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted and cooled, plus more for baking dish
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
5 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
1 cup whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
5 cups fresh fruit (optional), I used Peaches, Blackberries, Blueberries, Raspberries & Strawberries.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat eggs and 3/4 cup sugar on high until pale and thick, about 4 minutes. Add vanilla and beat to combine.

With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture and beat to combine. With a rubber spatula, fold in melted butter until incorporated.

Transfer batter to dish and bake until top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes, rotating dish halfway through.

In a medium bowl, whisk together milks. Poke warm cake all over with a wooden skewer or toothpick, then pour milk mixture over top and let cool to room temperature, about 1 hour. As the cake cools, it will soak up all of the milk.

Whip the cream and 1/4 cup sugar to medium peaks. To serve, spread whipped cream evenly over cooled cake. Top with fruit if desired.

Recipe Source: Everyday Food
Photo: by Jen Grove

My friend Judy brought this dish to Bunco Night last year & I knew I had to have the recipe. Perhaps, the act of me having not 1 or 2 servings, but 3 helpings of this yummy goodness was a sign this would soon become a family favorite.

It’s great as a side dish, but in our house it’s a main dish!

Creamy Orzo

1 pound orzo (rice-shaped pasta) – reserved the left over pasta water!
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large shallot, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic & oregano (or any other seasonings) , juices drained
1 1/4 cups whipping cream
1 cup frozen peas, thawed (I normally dump the entire bag in) 🙂
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Bring a heavy large saucepan of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the orzo and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a heavy large frying pan over medium heat. Add the shallot and garlic, and saute until tender, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook until they are tender, about 8 minutes. Stir in the cream and peas. Add the orzo and toss to coat. Remove the skillet from the heat. Add the Parmesan to the pasta mixture and toss to coat. Stir the pasta mixture until the sauce coats the pasta thickly, adding enough reserved cooking liquid to maintain a creamy consistency. Season the orzo with salt and pepper, and serve.

*NOTES:  Make sure you remove the pan from the heat when you add the Parmesan.  You can even wait a bit for the pasta to cool down before you add it.  If the pasta is too hot, the Parmesan will clump into gum ball sized cheese balls.  Although, still edible, it is not the ideal consistency.

Recipe Source: Adapted from Friend Judy & Everyday Italian
Photo: Courtesy of FoodNetwork.com

This recipe takes 15-20 minutes TOPS to prep & get going. You can even do it the day before, throw it all in the crock pot, refrigerate & take out/turn on the next day when you’re ready for it. Simple, Simple, Simple and so delicious!

My only issue with this recipe is that the lasagna is only as big as your crock pot. For me, that means it’s not guest friendly as my crock pot is only big enough to feed the 5 members in my family (with a few leftovers). Other than that, it’s a great, quick hot meal that takes very little time.

*Note: You can turn this into a Vegetarian Lasagna by using grilled eggplant vs. the sausage.

Slow Cooker Lasagna

1 pound bulk Italian sausage
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
53 ounces of your favorite tomato sauce (more or less, depending on how saucy you like your lasagna)
2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Kosher salt & pepper to taste
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 container (15 ounces) part-skim ricotta cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
15 uncooked lasagna noodles

In a large skillet, cook sausage and onion over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onion is tender & sausage is no longer pink, 6-8 minutes; drain.

Stir in tomato sauce, basil, oregano, Italian seasoning and salt.

In a separate bowl, mix 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese, ricotta and Parmesan cheese. (Refrigerate remaining mozzarella cheese while lasagna cooks.)

Cover bottom of crock pot with sauce. Not a lot, just enough to cover.

Spoon 1/4 of the sausage mixture on top of sauce; top with 5 noodles, broken into pieces to fit. Spread with half of the cheese mixture.

Repeat two more times with Sauce, 1/4 of the sausage mixture, 5 noodles & cheese mixture. *Note: sauce will dry out during cooking time. Make sure you add enough to your liking.

Cover and cook on Low heat setting 4 to 6 hours or until noodles are tender.

Sprinkle top of lasagna with remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese. Cover and let stand about 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Cut into pieces & serve.

*Tip: Don’t know what to do with left over Ricotta? Make a dip! Add ricotta with a little milk, garlic, onion, dried dill and salt & pepper. Mix all together to desired consistency. Serve with carrots & celery.

Recipe Source: Adapted from Betty Crocker