Auga me Ntomata--Eggs with Tomatoes

I'm not typically a breakfast person. As much as I love food and cooking, there's something about eating (be it toast, cereal, croissant, eggs, pancakes, etc., etc.) early in the morning (say, before 10:00 a.m.) that makes my stomach turn. It's been a problem since I was a kid: my mom would obviously want me to eat something before school and follow that something with a tall glass of milk ... I get nauseous just thinking about it. Don't get me wrong--I love all types of breakfast foods and I especially like milk, but again, after about 10:00 a.m. Before then, it's just a simple cup of coffee with a splash of milk/half and half and I'm good to go.

On weekdays, I make breakfast for the kiddies around 7:30 a.m. and I'll stick with my coffee and some water until about 10:00 a.m. when I'll usually snack on some bread and cheese. Or, if I'm swamped with housework, errands, writing or blogging I won't eat anything until I make a quick salad at around 11:00 a.m.

On weekends though, as we're all home and there's no morning rush, I like to make more elaborate breakfasts for the family. Pancakes, crepes, French toast, omelets ... they're all crowd pleasers. One of my favorites though is fried eggs with tomatoes. It's a common dish in Greece (and we'll eat it any time of day, not just in the a.m.) and one that varies a bit cook to cook. Some like their eggs scrambled, some fried, some like to grate their tomato and some like to just chop it instead.

Personally, I'm a fan of the version I've posted below: coarsely chopped tomatoes, a little roasted red pepper and a runny egg yolk oozing over top ... serve with a slice of fresh bread and a slab of Feta and you're good to go.

Auga me Ntomata--Eggs with Tomatoes

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 small tomatoes, roughly chopped

1 roasted red pepper

2 tablespoons parsley, chopped

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Eggs (I use three to four eggs with this amount of ingredients)

Heat olive oil in a medium-large skillet and stir in the tomatoes and red pepper. Season well with salt and freshly ground pepper. Cook the mixture, until most of the liquid has evaporated (about 10 minutes).

Carefully break your eggs over the tomato-pepper mixture. Season the egg yolks with a little salt and pepper then spoon some of the remaining liquid in the skillet over your eggs to more evenly cook them (should take about 5 minutes). Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve with bread and Feta.

Keik me Fraoules kai Karydia--Strawberry Walnut Loaf

Strawberry season is on and our local fruit and vegetable markets are brimming with containers of these ripe red berries. The kiddies can eat an entire quart in the blink of an eye so I barely ever get to set some aside for anything (or, ehem, anyone) else. But as strawberries now are ridiculously fresh and really inexpensive, I didn't hesitate to buy a few extra the other day.

I love quick fresh cakes that double as a breakfast option and a healthy snack. So it was a no-brainer that any extra strawberries on hand would make it into one such sweet treat. Moist, just sweet enough and loaded with fresh strawberries this Strawberry and Walnut Loaf is the perfect way to put your strawberries to good use.

As Happy Cook of My Kitchen Treasures is hosting the event Strawberry Feast, I am sending this her way.



Strawberry Walnut Loaf

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 cup sliced strawberries
1/3 cup walnuts, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a loaf pan. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract.

Stir in half of the flour mixture, then all the yogurt and finally the remaining flour. Mix in the sliced strawberries and walnuts until just combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake in center of oven for about 40 minutes, until golden or a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on wire rack.

Note: To dress this simple treat up, drizzle a simple glaze over top or serve with freshly whipped cream.

Rosemary and Mandarin Muffins

I've never really been a fan of rosemary. My Giagia used it only in her revithia (that's Greek for chickpeas) and my mom ... well, I don't think my mom has ever used rosemary. Needless to say, it's never been an herb I've gotten excited about. I used it with some lamb chops a while back (it may even be four years already), but there weren't any oohs and aahs emanating from the dinner table that evening and I haven't bought another bunch of rosemary since. That is until last week.

I decided to give this fragrant herb another shot. I used most of what I had purchased in a pork dish, which--I must admit--turned out great (stay tuned next week for that recipe). And then I got to thinking of what I could do with the rest. For some reason unbeknownst to me, my thoughts turned straight to muffins. Plus, having just glanced over at the crate of mandarins my husband brought home a day earlier, it was really a no-brainer--Rosemary and Mandarin Muffins it would be.

The muffins were moist, with a hint of rosemary and sweet mandarin. I imagine they'd be perfect with brunch. I personally enjoyed two today--one with my morning coffee and one with my mid-afternoon cup of Chai (which I just started drinking and--much to my surprise--really like).

Rosemary and Mandarin Muffins

Makes about 18 muffins

1 stick of butter, softened

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Pinch of salt
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup thick Greek yogurt (or sour cream)
1 tablespoon rosemary, finely chopped
Zest and juice of 1 mandarin

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tin with baking cups.

Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a bowl.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in rosemary, mandarin zest and juice.

Blend in one third of the flour mixture, then half the yogurt, alternating between the two until done. Fill the muffin cups 1/2 to 3/4 full and bake until golden (I didn't pay attention to the exact timing, but when they start getting some color, just insert a toothpick into the center, make sure it comes out clean and voila!).