It’s time for a challenge! I’ve posted before about my love for collecting cookbooks. I’ve been realizing more and more that despite having some great books and magazines around, I typically end up just doing a quick Internet search for recipe ideas. I’m obviously all for digital recipes and food blogs, but I thought it would be fun to challenge my kitchen creativity a bit with a cookbook only cooking challenge. I’m not totally sure how long this will go on (a month?) or even how strict I’m going to be on myself…but I think it’s going to be super fun to learn some new recipes that have been sitting on my shelf just hoping to be used.
I’m including magazines too mostly because I have recently become obsessed with Everyday Food Magazine. I got an email that the issues are free on the iPad so I downloaded a few for my latest plane ride. A plane is like the worst place to read food magazines by the way – so hungry! The issues are short and sweet, but I got tons of ideas and couldn’t wait to start my challenge. I based my shopping list on a few of their recipes, so this week will probably be mostly Everyday Food posts! Starting with this one – baked eggs and grits. I love me some grits! Always have (I’m a southern baby). This was a delicious start to the day and something I’ll definitely continue making. From start to finish it only took about 30 minutes and 15-20 of those minutes were spent waiting for the eggs to bake. I made some minor changes to their recipe (which is here if you can’t get your hands on the latest issue) based on what I bought. I’m sure there are tons of ways you could adapt this! Have fun! My adaptation is listed below.
Cookbook challenge is off to a great start! I feel inspired already. I hope you all enjoy the challenge and feel free to join in!
Baked Eggs + Grits (Adapted from Everyday Food Magazine May 2013)
2 servings
– butter or oil for brushing
– 1/4 cup instant grits
– about a 1/4 cup of chopped leeks
– 1 or 2 tablespoons chopped sage
– 1 ounce cheese of your choice (I used a few chunks of provolone…)
– 2 eggs
– salt, pepper, and parmesan
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter or oil two ramekins. Cook grits according to package instructions. Stir in cheese, leeks, and sage. Season with salt and pepper and stir until cheese is melted.
2. Pour half of grits into each ramekin. Make a well in the middle and crack 1 egg into each well. Season egg with salt and pepper. Sprinkle any leftover leeks, sage, or cheese over the top. Bake for about 20 minutes until whites are set. Rotate pan after 10 minutes. Serve with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese and black pepper.
Love your style! Need to explain to me exactly what grits are though! Not a thing we have in the UK.
Ah, it’s kind of like a porridge made of ground corn…also similar to really creamy polenta. It’s a popular breakfast dish here in the southern states. I’ve been eating it since I was a kid, so I love it! And thank you! : )
Wow1 Ok…can you eat it with savoury dishes like polenta then?
Sure! I think you could use it anywhere you would use polenta…It makes a nice side for savory dishes. I’ve only had it alongside hearty breakfast meals with herbs and cheese melted in. I’ll have to keep trying new combinations!
Love the idea of adding grits to baked eggs –looks delicious! 🙂
It was an excellent combination! I hope you like it if you try it! : )
I’m Australian, but my father comes from Southern US, and fried eggs on home-ground grits were a morning staple. And right now an intense craving! Thanks for the reminder of one of my favourite comfort foods! It might just be lunch today.
Aww that is so nice. So glad to provide some nostalgia!
Yumm, I might have to try this 🙂
Awesome! Hope you enjoy!
Yay! I just got a little booklet of Everyday Food with my Living subscription and I totally ripped this recipe out as soon as I saw it. Dying to give it a try and I’m so glad to know it was a tasty as it looks! I think I know what I’m making for breakfast this weekend…
Oh, perfect! It’s so easy. Let me know how it goes!