Breakfast Bake

I have always had a hard time following directions, so when I picked up my first cook book after our wedding and sat down to cook it was no wonder when I simply couldn't. I have such a difficult time following recipes. I finally decided that it would be much better to learn the principles of cooking rather than just following a recipe. This would allow me to cook freely and creatively.
Since those first days after the honeymoon, I have come around a little bit. I still make changes almost every time I do cook with a recipe, but I also enjoy what my darling husband calls, "Experimental Cooking." It is amazing to me when I change things up or try something that doesn't seem like it'd work so well and it comes out delish!
This morning I went to cook breakfast and decided that I was tired of eggs scrambled with vegetables, omelettes and yogurt. I haven't yet bought the stuff I need to make gluten free baked goods, and I simply had no clue what to make for breakfast that would be nourishing and tasty. Nothing came to mind so I started pulling things out of the fridge and pantry. Onions, potatoes, garlic, tomatoes, eggs, milk, hmmm.....I could make something out of this. It turned out amazing! Here's what I made.

Dani's Breakfast Bake
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic chopped
1/2 medium onion diced
2 to 3 medium tomatoes diced
5 sm potatoes (I used red potatoes. If you use russets you may want to peel them.)
6 lrg. eggs scrambled with a little milk, salt and pepper
handful of shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Add olive oil to a skillet and heat on medium high until oil begins to spread. Add chopped garlic and sautee while stirring approx. 1 minute. Add onion and continue to saute until onion looks clear. Add potatoes and tomatoes to the skillet and saute for about 5 minutes more. (Add some water to the bottom of the pan if the potatoes start sticking.) Add about 1/2 cup water to bottom of pan, cover and steam about 10 minutes or until potatoes begin to get soft. Season potato mixture with salt and pepper to your taste. When potatoes are starting to get soft, add the scrambled egg mixture to the top of the pan. Place the skillet in the preheated oven and cook for about 25 minutes or until cheese is melted and eggs are set. Remove from oven and serve!


I can see so many variations for this breakfast bake. Almost any kind of veggie would be divine in this as well as any kind of cheese. What about giving it an Indian flavor by adding curry and cumin? or even a mexican one with ground beef and taco seasoning. The possibilities are endless! Now this is a recipe that I can follow because it has so much room for creativity! I hope you all enjoy!

A New, Fresh Morning

As I woke this morning and began trying to plan for the day, a thought came to me: "Goals are great, but I really have no clue what the day will hold today." My list of things to get done today is so long that I wouldn't be able to accomplish it in a week even if I didn't have a 1 month old who is exclusively breastfed and doesn't like me to be out of his sight as well as a 2 and 4 year old who are currently in "destructo" mode. The house is a mess, groceries are calling to be put away, food needs prepared, gardens weeded, laundry piling up, and children need attention, love and direction. All of this calls to me every moment of the day and screams for my constant attention. Where should I start and which path should I pick to walk down today? I am feeling overwhelmed!
This week I've been hearing a lot about how stressful life seems to be. As a homemaker, wife and mother I feel like I have more than my share of stress to get me through each day. Trying to keep up with housework, boys and having some semblance of a relationship with my husband often takes every ounce of energy out of me... and that's before breakfast! (smiling) How do we make it?
As I started my day today, the familiar voices of uncertainty and self-criticism began to flood my thoughts. "You'll never get it under control, why even try!" "Why is life so overwhelming for me? What's wrong with me?" "Why don't I get help?" "Why can't I keep up with my kids," ETC... What is it about doing the best job in the world... the thing I love doing the most that is so hard every day? Why does every day seem to be a battle that I'm tired of fighting?
There are so many remedies out there for "streamlining" things and making our homes "effective." There are so many rules, objectives and expectations that sometimes we feel like we're drowning! It's time for it to stop! It's time for us to realize that running and organizing our homes is nothing like a project deadline. It is not something that we accomplish or fail at. It is a way that we live. It is something we DO every day! It is a process and a joy like no other. If I can not relax or enjoy life in my home at least some each day, where else can I enjoy life?
There is no secret or special answer to this seeming dilema, but for me it seems to lie in the area of attitudes and habits. This is what this blog is all about! I would like to share my journey, no, my adventure as a mother complete with the good days and the bad. I'd like to share my efforts to seek the Lord and get His wisdom for each day and His insight into which pursuits I need to make to keep my "workplace" running at an even keel. I would like to share my joys about being a mother as well as my miserable failures. I know that this blog is not the answer to YOUR dilema, or even inspiration for your adventure, but I hope that by reading it, you'll gain insight, perspective and maybe an occasional recipe or two (wink)!
I sure hope you all enjoy!