“I have measured out my life with coffee spoons” ~ T.S. Eliot
Photo Credit – Instagram – @vsco
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“Don't stress about dinner; anything will be great.”
He? Traveling quite a bit as of late. Me? Busy with school papers, work, the crazy amount of leaves in the yard, and helping children from afar. Both of us far away from the kitchen timer dinner waltz: something hot and bubbly on the stove, fresh bread in the oven
Now, where'd I leave the opener for the wine?
I'd missed his company
“Leaving Chicago now. I'll be home by six,” I hear him say as I hang up the phone and pad out to the kitchen to assess the dinner situation. I tune the radio to college football and start to chop veggies
An egg bake it would be. An old friend. Whether it's for breakfast or dinner, they're truly hard to beat. Easy to make ahead of time and pop into the oven about an hour before it's time to eat
I learned the make-ahead trick long ago. One should never go against her better judgment, attempting to squeeze a leisurely Saturday dinner into a frenzied Tuesday evening we-need-an-idea-for-dinner-in-thirty-minutes time slot
A note: the we-need-an-idea-for-dinner-in-thirty-minutes time slot is always my downfall
Maybe it's a sign of age, but I'm far happier as a slower creature (spirit animal = sloth?) When multi-tasking, I can be kind, or I can be fast. I cannot be both. Not in this season, nor the one before that, nor even my early college years when I was a waitress
? How to make my World-Famous (Eggs-aggeration) Veggie Bake out of nothing (or everything)
- Peer into the fridge. Survey the state of your arugula, your grape tomatoes. Decide that yes, they’ll do. Also, find a few good bell peppers, some spinach. Things are looking up
- Thaw some bacon, sausage (or even left-over meatballs from Spaghetti Saturday) from the freezer. Wash and dice the sweet potatoes your neighbor left on your doorstep
- What’s this you’ve found? Extra mushrooms and an onion left-over from the Hamburger Stroganoff? The zucchini that never quite made it into zoodle? You're in luck
- Start the bacon baking
- Throw into a pan all of the veggies and heat on medium-high over copious amounts of ghee
- Add in an irrational amount of garlic powder and a healthy grind of black pepper
- Saute the veggies until they're soft (but not soggy), throw in arugula, spinach, cut green beans. Or really, any green produce on its last leg. Just get it in there
- Open the fridge again. What else is in there? Cheese? Hallelujah. Parmesan, feta, goat, cheddar. Add one or none
- In a big bowl combine the eggs + cottage cheese + sauteed veggies + bacon
- Bake until bubbly and delicious, about an hour or so. Maybe more, maybe less
- Slice and serve warm or not warm
- Have a salad. Have a wine or coffee
- Feel good; you did great(!)
Admittedly, my Saturday afternoon egg bake was a bit rocky from the get-go. At the first sizzle of the ghee, I stepped on a piece of Sally's bone that she'd left in the middle of the kitchen floor.
I silently blamed her for not putting it in her saving-spot, like she usually does before she goes outside. Then I blamed my husband for not being here to supervise all things dog toy and bone-related. And then I blamed myself for being tired and out of sorts
Good grief, it was only a bone
The bacon began to turn crispy, and the dogs began to bark, and the day’s texts began to ding and – “Harry .. will please stop kissing the cat?” As the time frame for pulling it all-together grew smaller and smaller, I could feel my level of anxiety begin it's upward tick
I thought of the podcast I've had on repeat. A lesson on recognizing our reactive patterns and instead of judging ourselves .. extending a spirit of love instead. I began walking through the steps in my mind
— — —
There are days when the space between the person I want to be, and the person I am are so vast, so wide, so far apart that I wonder how I've made it this far
But the funny thing about a wide space is that it leaves lots of room for surprise, for good, for other people (and furry creatures). We're puzzle pieces trying to fit together with all of our edges and gaps. Sometimes on a Saturday afternoon, the gap feels big, and I've convinced myself I'm certainly the worst person to receive the immense privilege of loving those around me
“Perhaps all the dragons in our lives are princesses who are only waiting to see us act, just once, with beauty and courage. Perhaps everything that frightens us is, in its deepest essence, something helpless that wants our love” ~ Rainer Marie Rilke
But then I'm reminded that I'm just one woman falling short of perfection, trying her best and making a slew of mistakes. I must allow room for compassion and love (for myself as well), and surly my burnt bacon won't ruin anyone
As the sun began to set later that evening, my egg bake emerged from the oven looking perfectly hot and bubbly; all was again well with the world. We sat down at the kitchen island for a proper dinner.
Toasting hearts full of grace, forgiveness, and most of all, for each other.
Enjoy!
xoxo
** A note about the recipe: As long as you have eggs, it's flexible enough to work with whatever you have in the fridge. It's truly hard to go wrong
~ Adapted from Taste of Home
A Very Egg-ceptional Veggie Bake
Ingredients
- Veggies
- 8 oz mushrooms, sliced
- 2 bell peppers (any combo of red, yellow, orange, or green, diced)
- 2 cups small potatoes (purple, red, or white, diced)
- 1 medium zucchini, diced
- 1 small onion, diced
- 5 - 6 oz spinach
- Egg Bake
- 12 eggs, beaten
- 2 cups cottage cheese
- 4 cups shredded cheese
- ½ cup flour I've used oat, and whole wheat pastry flours
- 1 tsp baking soda
- fine grain sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Veggies
- In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, heat a glug of olive oil
- Add the veggies and cook, stirring occasionally, until they're tender, but not mushy (~ 5 minutes)
- Add the spinach and toss until wilted (~ 5 minutes)
- Egg Bake
- Preheat oven to 350° F
- Prepare a 9x13" baking dish
- In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, cottage cheese, flour, baking soda, a strong pinch of salt, and a couple of grinds of black pepper
- Add the shredded cheese, sauteed veggies, and combine
- Pour the egg/veggies mix into the prepared baking dish.
- Bake until the eggs are completely set (~ 1 hour)
54 Comments
I too often say, Don’t stress about dinner .. anything will be great. But if that anything can be made delicious with such simple recipes, then,, hmmm…. Guess I should be saying.. Just look it up on that blog:) Hope my wife obliges!
This reminded me of a book I recently read – This is Water by David Foster Wallace (it’s actually a speech he delivered which they then made into a book). It’s a pretty compelling read. Finished it in 10 minutes. Have a crack at it (no pun intended though your egg back looks delicious!).
More often than not we are hard on ourselves. I get easily worked up, and then take a second to breathe, and reassess the situation. As you said, allow room to love yourself, be compassionate with yourself. And soon the pieces fall back into place. Thank you for sharing. And your recipe looks dee-lish.
Make-ahead cooking tips are always appreciated. Egg bakes, like casseroles and soups, are a great way to use up leftovers. Which makes you a less harried woman, and smart, too.
Ah yes the podcast that you sent me was brilliant and you are right it taught me a lesson on recognizing our reactive patterns, something I had closely thought about previously. I also agree from personal experience that we can be hard on ourselves I should know I am my own worst critic! We need to sometimes be ok with our flaws and in doing so we can move forward and live our lives with happiness. On another note the veggie bake looks delicious!
I completely agree, we tend to be too hard on our ourselves. It is so important to be kind and compassionate with yourself. to lead a simpler life. Great post! Great recipe!
Yes, it is so important that we sometimes ignore up things and the “gaps” you’ve mentioned between who you are and what you want to be. When we look back, they give you a whole bouquet full of surprise. Egg bake looked delicious.
I am also being quite critical these days of myself and i feel that sometimes we need to let go. I do not eat eggs but this looks and sounds delicious!
I’m always so critical of myself and I worry far too much about others opinions of me. Sometimes the pressure to have everything together and be perfect at home, work wherever is immense. It’s good, as I get older, to just stop and slow down and allow myself to breathe. We all have to allow ourselves that. I will say that I love those “clear out the pantry” recipes, we have a great one with pasta, bacon, onions , olive oil and garlic. quick and so tasty.
You know, we can really be our own worst enemies, I should know I am for me lol! But I do and pray to be a bit better, but maybe I can be with this egg-cellent dish.
I am at times too hard on myself but I am working on letting that go. Life is way too short. I used to judge myself so much but it is worth it to love yourself first and accept and embrace everything,flaws and all.
i really like the way, you have put across your thoughts. We all need some kind of motivation to kick start our selves and do something big.
I loved how you incorporated variety of veggies with egg bake. Hey you use GHEE because that it used by Indians generally. I love ghee and so it caught my attention. Thanks for sharing great recipe.
A wide space between the person I want to be and who I am. I love that. It’s so true. I feel that everyday.
I sometimes feel the person I want to be and the person I am are in so much conflict because of time. I have travelling husband as well. Thank you for allowing us to see a bit of you which resonates deeply.
I love this combination of reflecting about such an important issue in life and the wonderful recipe. It’s like a various-level-recipe <3 The excellent pictures make me want an omelette right now. Ooops, 'right now' – here it is again….
Sometimes it’s fun to peer in the fridge and make dinner based on what’s inside. I feel like I can almost smell your veggie egg bake and it sizzles away in the oven.
I love your statement about multi-tasking! It’s me in a nutshell. “I can be kind or I can be fast, but I can’t be both.”
Your egg bake looks delicious and since it can be made ahead of time what a time saver. Make ahead for those calmer days when I have time and pop in the oven for that busy day. We still get a wonderful home cooked meal.
Yum, this egg bake looks amazing! And don’t worry if things aren’t perfect. Trust me, I burn dinner like 99% of the time, but I stink at being in the kitchen.
I love that you created a yummy looking dish with foods that needed cleaning out of the refrigerator. Clever! And what a time saver to plan ahead for hectic days!
I think that we should be easier on ourselves because I think we are our own worst critics. This meal looks delicious and I know our family would gobble it down.
This looks delicious and I am a daily egg eater. We definitely are our own worst critics…but life is really to short to even consider being perfect.
Oh wow YES – this looks so so so so so good! A show stopper dare I say? What an easy crowd pleaser… I know it would definitely make my mouth happy!
I try to keep my stress to a minimum and worrying over meals isn’t one of them. Even with the stresses of family, work and well, life. Mealtime should be as stress free as possible. My kitchen is my sanctuary.
I like your thoughts on not being perfect and making mistakes. the veggie egg bake looks really tasty and eggceptional.
I love the idea of a good meal when we are coming back together. This looks like the perfect solution for easy but so delicious.
I love your attitude, there’s really no need in stressing about cooking, it’s supposed to be fun. This looks DELILCIOUS!! I’m not a fan of eggs ordinarily but I would eat this!
Your pictures make we just want to dive in and enjoy this delectable recipe! Seriously, YUMM! And that fact that you can make it the night before makes it that much more appealing for me and my family, thanks!
This egg bake just looks like sheer perfection – and yes, yes, and yes about “making ahead” the meals. It couldn’t help my routine any better. I’m totally with ya with the sloth being my spirit animal! Much like you, I like taking my time and would rather do things right and relaxed.
Yes, sometimes it has to be kindness or speed for me, too. It’s hard to be both at the same time. This looks delicious – I love that it’s made with stuff I have on hand already.
I am always looking for new recipes to try. I am sure this will be a big hit in my house. I will have to add it to the meal plan for next week.
I’m not a big egg person but occasionally I have a hankering for them. I’ll be saving this recipe for one of those days ,because this this looks oh so yummy. Cannot wait to whip this up one weekend
I’m sorry to hear you were having such a busy busy day but you still pulled off an amazing looking dinner. I can’t wait to try your recipe.
I love how versatile egg bakes are. They really work well with any produce that you need to get rid of.
This looks incredible. I am for sure going to make this as I know my husband will go nuts for it, so I am doing it this weekend. So delicious!
Surprisingly my daughter is a HUGE fan of eggs. I think she would love this because of the veggies too. I am always looking for new recipes to try. I will have to add it to the meal plan for next week. Meal planning is kind of my thing…with out it I would be stressing every day over dinner.
I tend to panic in those last-minute dinner situations. The egg bake sounds like a reliable recipe to fall back on!
Hubby loves a good quiche, he’d enjoy this. Anxiety can be distracting, and challenging to overcome.
This is my kind of post. I love eggs and cheese. I am going to have to give this a try one day. Looks very delicious.
I have the dinner in 30 down to a science these days . . . I really don’t know how I do it, but I have so little time so it’s all about what tastes good and takes the shortest amount of time on the grill. The grill is my best friend at dinner time. Check out the book Goliath Must Fall by Louie Giglio – great read! ☺
That phrase, “Don’t stress about dinner, anything will be great” is music to my ears! Preparing a weekly menu plan is so stressful. Then there are days you slave over the stove to make a great dinner and then no one comes home to eat. Ugh. Anyway, it is part of life. Success, disappointments, and what nots. It is the struggle to keep moving forward and staying happy is what matters most.
Dinner isn’t always a big planned thing for us as usually there’s just the 2 of us, but I count on leftovers. I love having breakfast for dinner. I would probably do a light salad and call it done with this.
I love making things like these that ensure I use up all that’s left in my fridge. I’m not a big fan of waste but I’m always guilty of it! Hope your foot wasn’t harmed too badly from stepping on that bone!
Oh my gosh that looks amazing. I could practically live on eggs so this is right up my alley. And I love simple meals like this that are still packed with nutrients.
I love reading your posts. It makes me feel like you’re connecting with me because all the things you talk about are parts of little things I feel. I think we are all far from perfect and little mishaps of life are all little lessons and bumps through it.
This dish actually made my mouth water. I love egg dishes! Sometimes it’s great with burnt bacon too!
You sound like me, playing the blame game and having anxiety. I would’ve blamed the dog for sure. As far as bacon: don’t burn it and give me some extra with the veggie egg bake.
I try my best to not stress about dinner. I have to cook two dinners at least 4 times a week. This veggie bake looks amazing!
I find myself craving a good egg dish and it’s not even in the morning time for breakfast! I love that this recipe is flexible with any items that I have on hand. I cannot wait to try this when I have a craving.
This is a great recipe! I love when a whole meal can be made out of ‘whatever you have in the fridge’. I will save this recipe as a reminder when I’m not inspired for what to cook:-)
Oh my gosh, this looks phenomenal! You just made me so hungry lol. I’m going to the store tomorrow, if it fits into my budget I might get everything I need to make this! 🙂
My husband says that if I was left alone I would eat eggs every day. I love omelets and I too open the fridge and throw just about anything in them. Except arugula which I can’t really stand 🙁
I love this dish and I am SOOOO tempted to try learn how to make it myself! I really don’t experiment with cooking .. I just want other people to allow me to eat their deliciousness LOL I had to post on this post.. bc when I was doing a show in VA the director would make this for the cast all the time.. and it was so freaking good. Yummy.. doesn’t seem hard… eek! Maybe I’ll try.
I was introduced to egg bakes by my dad’s side of the family in Michigan. They’re super easy to prep the night before and they feed a huge crowd. We make them every Christmas morning and bring them to a few elderly neighbors as well. No special flavor combinations just whatever’s on hand. I really like feta/spinach/sundried tomato but my family in Michigan always does white bread, cheddar, and mild pork sausage.
This dish is so up my street definitely perfect for days when u don’t want to make much of an effort.