“Brinner” a/k/a Breakfast for Dinner

Well, I had every intention of proofing my cranberry/clementine bars last night so that I could get that recipe posted, but when I got home I realized that I did not have enough dates to make the date paste so…since I am committed to using what I have and not splurging on unbudgeted items right now…the bars will have to wait.  I did, however, use this opportunity to use up some red peppers and onions that were in need of being eaten. 

When I ask the kids what they want for dinner, and no one can seem to agree, the default meal at our house is "brinner" (a/k/a breakfast for dinner).  This was the case again last night, which was actually rather fortunate because, at the moment, eggs are in abundance at our house, and I happen to have some onions and red peppers in my freezer from last summer's bounty.  These seem perfect for brinner. 

My middle child volunteered to crack the eggs, my youngest volunteered to chop veggies, and my oldest meandered off to read.  Eh, two out of three ain’t bad.

This is what we came up with:

Brinner Muffins**

Ingredients:

12 eggs

1/4 c. red peppers, diced

1/4 c. yellow onion, diced

1 med. potato, baked or boiled in skin and cooled, then cut into 1-inch cubes (we used one left over from a previous meal that I had stuck in the fridge for just such an occasion)* 

1/4 c. cheddar cheese, shredded

salt and pepper to taste

* the potato (like everything here, really) is optional, but it tastes awesome and reminds me of a Spanish tortilla, so it was a no brainer for me.

** Note:  In a perfect world, I would suggest organic everything, and cage free eggs, too, but the world isn’t perfect, and my budget isn’t perfect--most likely yours isn’t either--so you just do the best you can, girlfriend…I won’t judge you.

Directions:

Crack the eggs in a large bowl, add the diced pepper and onion, add the cubed potato (seriously, if you have one on hand, you should toss it in), add the shredded cheese, and some salt and pepper.

Pour the egg/veggie mixture into 12 standard size muffin cups that have been sprayed with olive oil or some other such oil.  (If you are so inclined, you can line the inside of the muffin cups with a slice of ham.)

Bake for about 20-25 minutes at 375 degrees, or until muffins are puffed and set.

Other tasty fillings might be:

tomato chunks

sausage

green onions

chives

herbs of your choice

This is definitely one of those really adaptable recipes that can change with the seasons.

We took the leftover "muffins" and put in a covered container in the refrigerator.  They heat up really well the next day, too.  (So you can feel like a rock-star when you give your kiddos something other than cold cereal for breakfast...or maybe that is just me.)

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