Spinach Quiche

BEST OF THE TASTY CHEAPSKATE

This past week, I went to my friend's house and had her delicious quiche. It reminded me how very much I love quiche. And, as my friend stated, it's the perfect food. You can eat it warm or cold, for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. It's a vegetarian meal, but with lots of yummy proteins. And at this time of year when hens start laying more (and eating more vitamin-rich bugs and plants if they're free range), it's the perfect time for a perfect quiche. We just adopted a couple of our friends chickens and so we've been rolling in eggs (not quite literally). But I've definitely been looking for egg heavy recipes lately.

Even better: This meal can be made in 45-60 minutes even if you make your own crust. If you use a store-bought crust, it's a solid 30-minute meal (okay, maybe 35 if you don't want to burn your mouth on the quiche).

And it's cheap. If you make your own crust each serving (1/6 of the quiche) is about $.50. Even a bowl of cereal struggles to beat that people (and it cannot even begin to compare in taste or nutrition). A store-bought crust adds an extra $.20 to each serving. Still a deal and a half.

The cream cheese (and other cheeses) in this recipe rescue it from being too spinach-y or too eggy. Enjoy!

Spinach Quiche
adapted from smittenkitchen
Serves 8 
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes plus a few minutes to cool/set
Cost: $2.25 with crust: $2.90 (This breaks down to about $50/serving--1/6 of the quiche)
(spinach: .70, cream cheese: .40, milk: .10, eggs: .30, Cheeses: .75)

Note on spinach: The original recipe calls for 10 oz. We made several times with about half that and loved it (meaning that I loved it and Kip liked it). This last time I decided to live dangerously and used about 8 oz. spinach. It did not go over as well, which is what I get for living dangerously. I liked it, and Kip ate it, but didn't eat the whole serving--which was large, but still--and hasn't had any leftovers.) So use more spinach at your own risk.

3 oz cream cheese, room temperature (if you happen to think about it; otherwise throw it in the microwave for 20 seconds)
1/3 C half and half or milk
3 eggs
4-5 oz spinach, frozen (thawed and drained) or fresh (chopped)
1/2 C shredded cheddar
1/4 C shredded Parmesan
1/4 tsp onion powder (or a few sliced green onions if you and yourn like to live dangerously)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Heat oven to 425. 

Beat cream cheese. Beat in half and half, then eggs. Add seaonings, cheese, and spinach. 

Pour into a pie crust.

Bake for about 25 minutes or until you can stick a fork in it and come out clean (between 160 and 180 on an instant read thermometer). Cool a few minutes before serving so it sets up.

Crust:
Cost: $.64
(flour--combo white and whole wheat: .14, butter: .50)
(Yeah, you can buy one, but if you have a food processor this takes only about 10 minutes and it tastes so so much better. And of course, even with that real butter, it's cheaper too.)

1 1/4 C flour (I use half whole wheat and half all-purpose)
1/2 C butter, cut into tablespoons
1/4-1/2 C cold water

Stick flour and butter in the food processor and process until you've got pea-sized chunks of butter (if you accidentally make them smaller, it's okay). Add water, starting with 1/4 C. If it comes together in a ball, proceed to roll it out. If not, add more water by the tablespoon until it does. (Alternately, you can cut the butter in with 2 knives or with a pastry cutter if you don't have a food processor or if you are a purist when it comes to pie crusts.)

Take dough out  and roll it to 1/8 inch thickness. Put in ungreased pie pan and shave off overhanging sides. Or, if you're me, cut and patch because your roll-out job wasn't perfectly round or even close and you have places that need more and places with too much overhang.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Dutch Babies with Whey (with option Lemon Butter)

I think that one of the secrets to super cheap eating is that sometimes (as in at least once a week), you eat a meal that is intensely cheap.

Dutch babies (otherwise known as German pancakes) are the perfect fit. Generally made with eggs, milk, flour, and a bit of butter, a pan-ful can usually be made for about $.50. They can be topped with savory toppings like sauteed greens or mushrooms. Or sweet things like syrup, powdered sugar or fruit.

(oh, look, it's like a 3-eyed strawberry monster with creepy blueberry teeth--and this is what happens when i try to pose my food)

These are even more exciting because they use whey. Okay, so that's only exciting if you make homemade yogurt or cheese. (Note: If you don't have whey you can absolutely use regular milk in these.) If you make yogurt or cheese (and this crock pot Greek yogurt is as stupid easy as they come), you will know that after all is said and done you have a bunch of whey. Now some of those foods (like crock pot Greek yogurt--shameless 2nd plug) are so cheap to make that throwing out the whey is not a terrible financial crime, but whey does carry with it some of the proteins and calcium from the milk. And sometimes it feels a shame (and a waste) to just toss those nutrients out. And yet, if you've ever made yogurt or cheese, you know that you can be just drowning in whey. What to do with it all? This is just one idea. And it's a good one--it doesn't feel like you're subbing in whey at all. If feels like it was born to be made with whey.

And cost? This meal comes up to about $.12/serving. And, yes, that is what I mean by a super cheap meal. I will confess that a serving of Dutch babies might not fill you up (depending on how big/hungry you are), but two servings (at $.25) would more than fill me up, plus they leave plenty of wiggle room in the budget for a side of fruit, salad, nuts, or whatever.

Dutch Babies with Whey
adapted from Smells Like Brownies
serves 4
Makes 1 10-inch skillet of food
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Cost: $.55
eggs: .30, whey (free, but milk would be .10), flour: .10, butter: .15

Notes: 
-This is for a 10-inch skillet. I only have a 12, so I added an egg and upped the whey and milk by a couple tablespoons each and that worked.
-You must use a skillet that is oven proof.
-If you'd like you can double this and make it in a 9x13 inch pan.

3 eggs
2/3 C whey (or milk)
2/3 C flour
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp butter

Preheat oven to 450 (yup--hot). As it preheats, put the butter into the pan and let it melt while the oven heats.

Mix together eggs, whey, flour, and vanilla. (A few lumps are no big deal.)

When you're butter is melted and your oven is HOT, pour the batter into the pan, right over top the butter (some of the butter will likely come to the top of your batter--that's okay).

Bake for 15-20 minutes (I pulled mine out at 17). This is going to puff up into a crazy puff monster and the edges will brown. You'll know it's ready when the edges are brown.

Take it out of the oven. (Note: Don't forget to use a hot pad. Maybe that sounds like a no brainer, but when you see a pan, sometimes you just grab the handle because it's, well, a pan. This pan handle is 450 degrees. For the love of epidermis, do not grab it without a hot pad.) It will immediately deflate like this (see that butter up top).

Cut and serve. We served this with some lemon butter (1/8 C melted butter, 1/8 C powdered sugar, 1-2 Tbsp lemon) and fruit. (Note: The lemon butter will add $.45 to the cost of your meal.)

PRINTABLE RECIPE

German Pancakes

One of my cheapskate codes of conduct is that if someone offers you a food that you do not hate (and that is healthy), and asks if you can use it, you say, "Yes." Even if using it will require a little bit of effort or creativity. Such a thing happened several weeks ago when a friend who has chickens brought by no less than 4 dozen eggs right after I had just bought 2 dozen eggs and one of our ducks had decided to start laying. "Can you use them?" she asked.

"I'm sure I can," I said.

But as the days went by I wasn't making my way through them very fast. Six dozen eggs plus a few duck ones called for a few drastic measures. I made this egg bake and these waffles (doubled). I made crepes. Also, I remembered this recipe for German pancakes (sometimes called Dutch Babies) that my sisters had introduced me to. It was easy enough to assign to a 7-year-old (minus a certain hot butter step), used half a dozen eggs, tasted good, and could be eaten with savory or sweet toppings. Also, it puffs up in this groovy kind of way. Perfect.

My kids were a little skeptical, but when I told them they could sprinkle a bit of powdered sugar on it, they agreed (oh, how gracious of them) to give it a try.

German Pancakes
makes 1 8x8 inch pan, thick OR 1 9x13 inch pan, thin (we opted, sort of accidentally for the 8x8)
Prep time: 3 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Cost: $1.35
eggs: .60, flour: .10, milk: .15, butter: .50

1/8-1/4 C butter (you'll use 1/8 in a 8x8 inch and 1/4 in a 9x13 inch)
1 C flour
1 C milk
6 eggs

Heat oven to 450 and set rack in middle. As it heats, put butter in pan and stick that pan int he oven so the butter melts.

In the meantime, mix eggs, milk, and flour until mostly non-lumpy (mine always retains a few lumps and they are never noticeable in the finished product).

Take out your pan of butter, wait for the oven to finish heating, and then dump (careful not to splash the butter) your batter in and put it into the 450 degree oven. (Note: The butter won't all stay on the bottom; some will swish around and even get on the top of your German pancakes. Not a problem.)

Bake for 15 minutes or until eggs are at least 160 degrees and preferably a little hotter (they'll be firm when a fork is inserted and just beginning to brown at the edges).

Remove and top as you like. You can use sweet things (my favorite one is powdered sugar with a sprinkle of lemon juice) or savory ones (roasted tomatoes anyone?).

Note: These stay hot for a while so don't chomp right in and burn your mouth. I think the butter keeps them extra hot for a little longer than you'd expect, especially if you made the thick ones.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Classic Egg Salad (Only Better)

(Yeah, you can see a little of that blue/green dye leaked on to the eggs. Don't you just love Easter traditions?)

When I was growing up, we took our extra eggs and rolled them down a hill to see whose shell would come off first. I recall it being a race of some sort, although I don't remember if the winner was the first egg down the hill or the first egg to lose its shell or the last egg to lose its shell. At any rate, it was loads of fun. In fact, cheapskate or not, I count it as a great way to use up those Easter eggs because it was such a squeal-with-delight Easter activity.

However, I recognize that there are those among you who would rather not roll their eggs down the hill or perhaps have so very many eggs that you can roll your egg and eat it too. In this case, let me recommend these egg salad sandwiches.

Which isn't a recommendation I give lightly. You see, I don't really care for egg salad sandwiches. Every year on Easter or the day after we whip up a batch. Every year they look pretty good. And every year I take a bite or two and call it good.

This year, I decided to do something radical. I decided to consult a cookbook. And sure enough, there on page 122 of my Best Recipes (Cook's Illustrated) Cookbook was a recipe for egg salad. It didn't look too earth shattering, but then I had nothing to lose so I made it.

They recommended cutting (as opposed to mashing with a fork) the eggs. I actually didn't think I'd like it since I'm a greater lover of mayonnaise than of hard boiled eggs, but I decided to exercise a bit of faith. It called for mayo, onion, a little bit of lemon juice, celery and parsley. I subbed onion powder for the onion and left out the celery, knowing that those ingredients would deter the only reliable egg salad eater in the family.

And when it was done? Oh me, oh my. It was GREAT. I still don't know quite why it was so great. I think I have the larger bits of egg to thank (apparently, egg paste and I just aren't on good terms; who knew) and the lemon, which adds a something something I never would have thought to add on my own (even though recently I read that egg and lemon were really good bedfellows; I wasn't quite a believer, but now...).

So even if you aren't an egg salad aficionado, you might want to give this just one more try. If you're not planning to hurtle some defenseless eggs down a hill, you've got nothing left to lose.

Classic Egg Salad
adapted from The Best Recipe Cookbook
Prep time: 5 minutes if eggs already cooked
Cost: $.90
eggs: .60 (more like .30 around here lately), mayo: .20, other stuff: .10

6 hard-boiled eggs
1/4 C mayonnaise
2 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp Dijon mustard (regular will do too)
small dash onion powder (probably 1/8 tsp)
1/4 tsp salt
pepper
1-2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped small
1 Tbsp fresh tarragon, chopped small

Hard boil eggs if you haven't. (Bring to hard boil, cover, turn off heat, and let sit for 10 minutes.)

Remove shell from eggs. I recommend giving the top and bottom a good bonk on the counter and then rolling the middles back and forth. Then peel starting at the end with the air pocket. This usually makes it easier for me to get those eggs out.

Dice eggs into 1/2-inch bits. Add remaining ingredients and mix to combine.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Curried Deviled Eggs

These were incredible.

I have to confess that I often think about what I'm going to post before I actually complete the recipe. For this I thought about announcing how I always get a hankering for deviled eggs at this time of year (true) or that this seemed like a good pick because I've been wanting to try curried deviled eggs for a long time and the chives are just starting to come up in my herb garden (also true). Naturally, I was tempted to begin with some reference to the Incredible Edible Egg (thank you Saturday morning cartoons of the '80s). And then, of course, I could have just begun by telling you that this is my pick for the Secret Recipe Club and that I was assigned the amazing Savour the Senses as my blog (very true and lucky for me).

But after I made this simple side or party or (for me) lunch dish, I just couldn't get over the synergy a few simple ingredients could have with the humble egg. Truth be told, as soon as I tasted the yolk mixture, I was just about ready to scrap the whole photo shoot/blog thing and just eat the rest of it straight up out of the bowl. My four-year-old felt the same way and she did manage to steal a few scoops as I was being an adult and assembling the eggs.

Now that I know what curry and mayonnaise and egg yolk can do, I don't know that my life will ever be the same. Thank you, Jenny, for a wonderful recipe.

Curried Deviled Eggs
adapted from Savour the Senses
Serves 6
Cook time: 10 minutes
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooling time: 10 minutes
Cost: $.80
(eggs: .60, mayo: .15, other stuff: .05)

6 eggs
1/4 C mayonnaise
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp milk
1/4 tsp salt
sprinkle pepper
chives and paprika for garnish

Hard boil your eggs. (Boil for 10 minutes and then cool in cold water for about the same amount of time--add new cold water if your cold water gets warm.)

Take the peels off (the less fresh the egg, the easier this is to do). Cut eggs in half and remove the yolk.

Mash up those yolks in a bowl. Add mayo, curry, salt, pepper, and milk. Please, try to exercise a little restraint and not just eat this stuff straight up out of the bowl, because it's surprisingly irresistible.

Put the yolk mixture into the whites (if you haven't lost all control and consumed it, that is--if you have just feed the whites to someone on a diet or, um, something like that).

Sprinkle with chives and/or paprika.

Amazing.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Breakfast Bar Casserole

Cheap Eat Challenge, Part 2: Watch as our family of 6 eats on less than $10/day.

(Psst: Have a look here for our first ever giveaway.)

Tonight we revisited my favorite breakfast casserole. We did it in ramekins and everyone could put in the fillings they wanted, potato bar style. (I went with sausage and cheese and would have had spinach too if we'd had any). It was fun. It was easy. You just make the base recipe: eggs, sour cream, cheese, salt and pepper and then you make have the fillings available (mine were leftover from a potato soup we had last week, which is partly what inspired me to do this tonight).

And do you know another great thing about this recipe? It demonstrates how a simple every day 30-minute meal can still benefit from an instant read thermometer. You see, I have issues with eggs. The problem is that I very sincerely want them done. If I cut into them and those whites are all runny--well, it gives me pregnancy flashbacks of running to the bathroom. And no one wants that at dinner. As a result of this heartfelt desire for done eggs, I often overcook my eggs. This sickness ranges from the simplest scrambled egg to the basic over easy to the breakfast casserole. And then we have very firm, rubbery, sometimes even chewy eggs. When what we wanted was not raw, but light and pillowy and perfect. Cue: Instant read thermometer. Use it and you will not have to eat eggs the consistency of shellac to be assured that they are cooked. Because you will know they are cooked to a safe point at 160 degrees. You will know that you can go several degrees over that if you want them a wee bit firmer (I do), but that you needn't have eggs reading at 220. You will pull them out at the appropriate time. Sure, certain of your kids will still cover them in obscene amounts of ketchup as though you had just fed them a hairy pig's ear and demanded that they eat up or no Halloween candy, but you will know that they are good. You will know that they are perfect. And you will eat them in pillowy-egged bliss. Amen.

So join our giveaway.

Below is the breakfast casserole recipe. Have a look here for the original post and cost information.

Breakfast Bar Casserole
Serves 4
Prep time: 5-10 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes

Basic Recipe:

6 eggs
1 C sour cream (we use full fat)
1/2 C Swiss or Cheddar cheese (Swiss is my favorite, but we only had Cheddar tonight and it's good too)
salt and pepper (about 1/4 tsp of each)

To this you can add:

Crumbled bacon
Crumbled sausage
Onions--cooked with the meats or raw or green
spinach or slightly wilted chard
tomatoes, chopped with seeds and most of the juice removed
olives, chopped
more cheese
hot sauce
bell peppers or hot peppers
zucchini
mushrooms
cooked potato cubes
Or whatever--let your imagination go wild. If it'll work in an omelet, it'll work in this.

Grease 4 ramekins (I believe mine are 4-oz, but they might be 6-oz.).CorningWare French White 4-Ounce Ramekins, Set of 2


Have extra fillings cooked, chopped, and prepared and allow family members to sprinkle in what they will. And then give it a little stir.

Bake on cookie sheet at 375 for 20-25 minutes or until instant read thermometer registers at least 160 (I like to go a little higher than this and settle in the 170 or 180 range--I told you I had issues. They're still pillowy; I promise.) They'll rise up high above the ramekins and them fall a bit as they cool.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Bacon Swiss Egg Bake

Cheap Eat Challenge: Watch as our family of 6 tries to eat on $6/day.

I suppose you could eat this for breakfast. It would be especially good on a day like Christmas or Easter when most of the day will be spent sending your glycemic index into places it should never go. However, like so many yummy breakfast foods, our family eats it for dinner. It's good; it's fast; it's simple.

The leftovers are excellent used in biscuit or English muffin sandwiches with a bit of mayo and ketchup.

Bacon Swiss Egg Bake
Makes 9x13 inches worth (we always half it and do an 8x8)
Prep time: 5-10 minutes
Cook time: 20-25 minutes
Cost: $3.25
(bacon: .30, eggs: 1.20, cheese:.75, sour cream: 1.00)

Note on cheese: I love this with Swiss, but Cheddar is also excellent as is a mix of Cheddar and Parmesan. I bet you could also use mozzarella or Monterey Jack.

Note on meat: This recipe originally called for sausage. Kip doesn't like sausage so we used crumbled bacon. I still like sausage best, but they're both awesome. You can also omit the meat altogether to very good effect.

3-4 strips bacon (or 1/2 lb sausage)
12 eggs
2 C sour cream
1 C Swiss cheese
handful spinach (about 1 1/2 C) spinach, chopped
1/4 tsp onion powder or 3 chopped green onions
1/4-1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
dash hot sauce (optional)

Cook bacon till it's on the crispy side, but not burned. Take out of pan and drain on paper towel. When cool enough, crumble.

In a bowl, whisk eggs. Add sour cream and whisk. Add seasonings. Add cheese, chopped spinach, and crumbled bacon.

Pour into lightly greased 9x13 inch pan. Bake 20-25 minutes or until an instant read thermometer reads between 160 and 180 degrees.

Alternately you can bake these in 8 ramekins. One fun thing about this is that you can make a base with the eggs, sour cream and salt/pepper and then let people add their own cheese, vegetables, and meats.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Classic Deviled Eggs

Cheap Eat Challenge: Watch as our family of 6 struggles to eat on $6/day without giving up an excessive chocolate habit (wish us luck).

I'm not really an egg person. I mean, we eat them fairly regulary--usually in scrambled or over easy form--they're easy, fast, and a good source of cheap protien. Occasionally, I'll even get a hankering for them, meaning that every once in a while I'll see someone eating a pretty little egg and get a wee craving. But generally, they're just not something I get that excited about. In fact, the last several years after Easter, I haven't even been able to choke down a single egg salad sanwich (the green and blue blotchiness left over from dying them, not helping at all) and although Kip has done his part, we've still managed to waste several eggs. This is not something I like to do, but when a food seems gross to you, a food seems gross to you. It's best not to fight those urges. Apparently, I prefer to eat my eggs in brownies. Oh dear.

However. Lately, I've been craving deviled eggs. Not kind of wanting, not thinking it sounds okay for dinner, but pining after, longing for, and preparing even when inconvenient.

One of the fun things about deviled eggs is that you can start with a basic recipe and dress them up in a bunch of ways. People use bacon, cheese, capers, olives, basil, dill, chives, tuna, onions, and even anchovies to accomplish such fancy schmancy-ness.

And the other great thing about deviled eggs is how well they go with spring salad greens. Spring perfection in every way.

Hopefully I don't burn myself out before Easter.

Classic Deviled Eggs
adapted from The New Best Recipe
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 14 minutes
Cost: .80
(eggs: .70, condiments--oh, let's say .10)

Note on boiling eggs: I admit I just did mine the boring way and boiled them for 10 minutes, but The New Best Recipe (Cooks' Illustrated) claims that the very very best are done by bringing the water to a boil, then covering the pot, turning off the heat, and letting it sit for 10 minutes. I believe them and plan to do this next time. Besides it being, per the amazing Christopher Kimball and crew, the best hard boiled eggs, it's also an energy saving technique.

Note on mustard: The higher quality, Dijon-ish mustards you have, the better. However, if you just have crappy generic mustard this recipe still turns out just great. Yes, I know that from experience.

Note on mayo/Mircale Whip: Which to use? Which did you grow up on (if you liked what you grew up on, that is)? Whichever you grew up on is probably the one you'll prefer. Or live dangerously and mix the two. It's like Romeo and Juliet only more dramatic.

Note on vinegar: I liked the cider, but I'm confident that any vinegar you've got or love will do.

7 eggs, hard boiled
3/4 tsp mustard
3 Tbsp mayonnaise or Miracle Whip
1 1/2 tsp cider vinegar
1/4 tsp something else (here's the part where you get to improvise. The New Best Recipe suggests Worcestershire sauce and that's yummy, but you could also use dill, basil, chives, a dash of cayenne, or a combination of things--go wild, people)
salt and pepper to taste
paprika, for garnish

Boil eggs. Then, you can throw them in the fridge to cool them if you're the type of person to think ahead (or if you're trying to plow through the Easter eggs). Or you can run cold water on them for a few minutes (of course this will negate any energy saving techniques you used in boiling them without the heat on).

Cut them in half the long way. Pop out the yellow parts. Mash them up. Add the remaining ingredients and mix it all together.

Put the yolk mixture back in the empty egg whites. The New Best Recipe suggests using a pastry bag to do this to perfection. I think that Martha Stewart must have snuck something into their coffees before they wrote that part because it's clinically insane. If you are not Martha Stewart or clinically insane and if you drink coffee that hasn't been tampered with or better yet, no coffee at all, you will take a small spoon and simply scoop little blobs of yolk mixture back into the egg whites. And then you will eat them with salad greens. Because it is spring. On a plate.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Potato, Bacon, and Cheddar Egg Bake

Cheap Eat Challenge: Watch as our family of 6 eats on $6/day.

Man, talk about boring titles. But I was really struggling with this one. Oh, sure, I toyed with a few different things:

The Fat and Starch Egg Bake
The High Cholesterol Egg Bake
Artery Infusion

But for some reason, I just wasn't feeling it. So we're stuck with the bland, but accurate Potato, Bacon, and Cheddar Egg Bake.

And if any of my failed titles have discouraged you from making this, I assure you that they're just throw-backs from the 80's. These days eggs are hip, normal-fat cheese is cool (thank goodness) and bacon, well, bacon never really went away. It just had to hide in the closet for a few years until people couldn't hide the love any more.

Seriously, though (in case you don't think I've been serious enough to convince you to eat something I called "Artery Infusion"), this is very good and it is my opinion that it is also good for you. It is my opinion that eggs and potatoes are nothing short of virtuous (A, B, C-vitamins, fiber, etc.). And as for the outed bacon, I only used 2 slices and I let my daughter nibble on a bit of one of those slices, so you really need very very little to add some flavor and loveliness to this. Furthermore, it could totally support some carrots or some chopped spinach or kale if you wanted to make it even more nutrient dense. And now I realize that I could have used kale in mine and called it Colcannon Egg Bake, which would have been both a fabulous title and perfectly appropriate to today and healthier than what I made. (Excuse me while I bang my head on the desk a few times. And, hey, no stealing that idea and publishing it in your upcoming cookbook with cute, clever recipe titles, okay. The patent is pending and stuff.)

And now, the recipe.

Potato, Bacon, and Cheddar Egg Bake
adapted from Barefoot Contessa at Home
Serves: 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook times: 30 minutes
Cost: $1.47
(bacon: .20, butter. 07, potato: .13, onion: .05, eggs: .50, milk: .02, cheese: .50)

2 slices bacon
1 Tbsp butter
1 C red potato, diced with skin on (1 medium potato)
1/4-1/2 onion, shredded (see note)
5 large eggs
2 Tbsp milk
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
a few scallions or chives, chopped
4 oz (1/2 C) cheddar cheese, diced (mine was scant and still worked great)

Note on onion: I shredded mine (in the little shredder holes), which makes it into a sort of pulp. Why would I do such a thing? Because Kip has a texture problem with onion. When you shred/pulpify it, there are no chunks of textured onion to get in the way, but you still get good onion flavor (which he can handle in non-overpowering doses).

Note on cheese: You can use shredded, but it will float to the top. The diced is nicer because it's heavier and will sink a bit. We used shredded and lived to tell the tale, but I like those chunks of cheese.

Preheat oven to 350.

Cook bacon in cast-iron skillet or something else oven-proof. (If you don't have such a skillet, just cook the first part in a regular skillet and then pour it into an oven-proof pan--probably a 9-inch cake pan would work or a 9-inch square pan.)

Remove bacon and drain on paper towels. Don't let your 3-year-old eat it all. Add butter to the pan (make sure your pan isn't too hot or the butter will burn instantly--with cast iron, you'll probably be set at medium low). Add potato and onion. Cook for about 10 minutes, tossing occasionally until the potato is tender but firm.

In the meantime, whisk eggs, milk, salt, and pepper. Sitr in scallions and cheddar. When potato is ready, throw the bacon onto it and then pour the egg mixture over it all. Place the pan in the oven for about 15 minutes (at least 160 on an instant read thermometer) or until the center is done.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

Green Eggs, No Ham

Cheap Eat Challenge: Watch as our family of 6 tries to eat on $6/day.

I hesitated to post this picture. I suppose it's pretty obvious why.

And I missed Dr. Seuss's birthday. For purposes of this blog anyway. We had this for dinner on March 2nd and I figured by the time I got it posted everyone would have already eaten their non-Seuss inspired dinners. But then I figured that we still have St. Patrick's Day to go, so what the heck. My mom used to dye our milk green and we kids thought it was fun. Maybe your kids will think green eggs are fun. For the record, mine did not. Correction: they thought it was plenty fun; everyone was excited I was making green eggs. But when it came time to eat them, well no one was very excited about that. Truth be told, even I was a little hesitant.

They were just so tremendously...green. And the texture was slightly different than normal scrambled eggs--they were a little more, how can I say this--blob-like.

So, are you totally stoked to make these, or what?

But wait, don't sign off just yet. Because these eggs have several things going for them. For starters, they are incredibly healthy. For each egg, you're getting about 1/2 C spinach.

Secondly, although they taste somewhat different than regular scrambled eggs, they are more alike than different. They taste basically like scrambled eggs.

And finally, they really are fun. If your family gets into holidays and is somewhat adaptable to different foods (which I assure you mine is not), these are perfect for Seuss's birthday (next year) or St. Patrick's Day or, you know whatever green-themed functions you may be involved in.

Green Eggs, No Ham
adapted from Deceptively Delicious
Cook time: 10 minutes
Cost: $1.40
(eggs: .50, spinach: .80, butter: .07, milk: .03)

Note: The original recipe contained a shocking 1 lb spinach, which is a good 3 times what I used. (Forgive me, but the fact that her children will purportedly eat such a food officially disqualifies them from being considered picky at all forever.) Anyway, if you and your kids try such an amount, I beg you to let me know how it turns out and if it resembles eggs at all or is firmly in the cooked spinach department. And did your kids eat it? If so, I salute you. And your kids.

3 C (about 4.5 oz) spinach
1 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp milk
6 eggs

Add 1/2 Tbsp butter to pan, melt, and add spinach. Cook until wilted. Add milk and let it cook a bit more till most of milk has cooked in or evaporated.

As it cooks, whisk 5 of the eggs.

Puree spinach in a blender. (With such a small amount it's tricky, but it worked. Add 1 egg to the mixture and give it a quick blend so as to capture any spinach that didn't get pureed, but be careful not to whip the sha-ding-dang out of the egg.)

Pour the spinach puree into the whisked eggs. Whisk them into pure greenness.

Put the other 1/2 Tbsp butter into the skillet and let it melt. Add the eggs and cook as you would scrambled eggs. (As the bottom begins to cook, paint through it with a spatula, moving the eggs around without stirring them to death.)

When they're done, close your eyes and take a bite. They're not half bad. If you'd like (or if you need a little decoy to all that green), add some cheese or ketchup (for a Christmasy effect! ho ho ho) or serve it on toast with butter.

PRINTABLE RECIPE