Birdies in a Basket

I accomplished quite the feat today...

 

1.  I woke up before I usually do.

 

2.  I made breakfast.

 

3.  I made breakfast for my co-workers and at last check, nobody had gotten sick.

 

I'm not a morning person.  NOT at all.  And as a result, I don't cook breakfast.  After all, isn't that why protein bars were invented???  I don't understand why I would get up before I have to, make a mess in the kitchen, clean it up and THEN start my day...???  It just doesn't make sense.

 

But each and every Wednesday, we have our weekly staff meeting and each Realtor takes turn bringing in treats.  This week happened to be my week and as of last night, I had no clue what I was bringing.  The grocery stores are always great for baked goods, but I was in the mood for something more savory...and that meant I'd probably have to cook.

 

Which brings me back to my original point--I'm not a morning person and I do not cook before noon.  However, since my coworkers were counting on me for THEIR breakfast, and I was being picky about what I wanted, my only option was to cook.

 

I went online and tried to find something quick, easy and cheap--and that didn't involve a casserole.  Maybe it's a food aversion, but a bunch of eggs mixed in with who-knows-what just isn't very appealing right now.  But when I stumbled across a recipe for "Birdies in a Basket," I knew I had my solution.  After all, the Pioneer Woman had her own version of the recipe so if she's made them, they must be good, right???

 

It looked pretty simple...pretty quick...and pretty savory.  After a quick run to the store, I had everything I needed and it was time to hit the sack...

 

I woke up this morning and the panic kicked in.  What the hell was I thinking by trying a new recipe AND serving it to people that I would have to see on a daily basis?!  Oh well, it was too late to turn back!  It was Birdies-in-a-Basket or bust!

 

 

 

Like I said, the recipe is pretty simple.  I took a bag of REFRIGERATED hash browns (most reviews said the frozen ones turned out awful)...

 

A muffin tin...

 

 

And stuck some foil cupcake liners in the tin...to make sure the eggs would pop out, I hit the liners with a touch of Pam.

Then, I put some of the refrigerated hashbrowns in the bottom of the tin.  The recipe said to press hashbrowns up against the sides of the tin/cupcake liners, but at 6:30 in the morning, that just wasn't going to happen...

 

 

At this point, I popped the tins into the oven at 350 degrees and baked them for a while.  How long?  I don't know.  Maybe 10-15 minutes???  Just long enough that the hashbrowns were no longer wet, and they were beginning to feel a bit cooked but not turning brown yet.  Lots of help, right?!

 

The cupcake tins came out of the oven, and then I sprinkled a bit of Italian cheese on top of the hashbrowns...of course, the dog can hear a bag of cheese opening a mile away, so I had to sprinkle some cheese on the floor for Miss Mitzi, too.  And we wonder why she's a bit round in the belly?!

Then, the fun part--crack an egg into each of the cupcake liners.  Easier said than done when the sun hasn't even come up yet.  I have a hard time keeping shells out of my cracked eggs at mid-day, let alone when my eyes are still half shut!  If you manage to successfully complete this step, sprinkle your eggs with a touch of salt and black pepper.

 

 

Next, top the eggs with two halves of a sliced grape tomato...

 

 

And then about a teaspoon of prepared pesto...if you're new to pesto, make sure you stir it really well--otherwise, you'll have nothing but olive oil in your spoon.  And a teaspoon of olive oil on top of an egg just doesn't sound appetizing.

 

 

Now, it was time to put the tins in the oven and hope and pray that they'd turn out okay. To better my odds, I made sure I was in my high heels, starched dress, apron and perfectly pinned hair, in my perfectly clean kitchen when I did this.  Ha!  I wish :-)  I really looked like a homeless bum.  Anyhow, I kept the oven temperature at 350 degrees.  The first tray went in for about 22-25 minutes.  The second tray stayed in for about 27-32 minutes.  I cannot--and I repeat, cannot-- stand runny yolks so I made sure some of the birdies would be hard enough for me to eat! 

 

 

When time was up, the Birdies in a Basket looked pretty darn good...but I wasn't getting my hopes up until someone tried one!  Into the crockpot they went and I was on my way to the office...

 

Turns out, my biggest fear was nothing to worry about--the hashbrowns DID cook all the way through!  I was so worried my co-workers would bite into half-frozen, soggy potato strands but they didn't :-) Which made me think--how did we ever survive before you could read recipe reviews???  My other worry was the combination of pesto and eggs--I'm always up for new combinations, but would everyone else be willing to try it?  Fortunately, nobody complained!  

 

But the real sign that the Birdies-in-a-Basket went over well (besides nobody getting sick)?  When one of the other Realtors asked if it was a tried-and-true family recipe, I laughed and said, "Nope--pulled it off the internet last night!" and one of the other agents (who isn't chatty and only speaks when he has something important to say) quirped, "Those were good--you need to bring those again!"

 

And there you have it, folks.  If you ever need a quick and easy recipe for a brunch gathering, tailgate, whatever the occassion is, get up and pin your hair, put on your Sunday's best with matching heels and pop a tray of Birdies-in-a-Basket in your oven!