Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Breakfast Cups

So, it seems that little “breakfast cups” are THE new thing to make.  I’ve been seeing them pop up everywhere.  On Friday, I made those little mini-tarts for my “Get Flap Happy” party, and it gave me an idea… could I make them bigger with more goodies… for breakfast?  I am a huge breakfast fan, as you know.  So I started looking online for ideas.  I found a yummy idea on The Noshery, and then right after that, my friend Diana posted cool recipe for a French toast breakfast cup on her blog, The Chic Life.  That looked tasty.  So this morning I got ready extra quickly and made my own version.  I definitely prefer savory things in the morning over sweet, so I wanted something cheesy, egg-y, and bacon-y.(Now, you know how nuts it is at our house in the mornings… so you KNOW this was easy!)

First, let me say a huge THANK YOU to the best husband ever—Ryan—for getting Sadie dressed and ready this morning.  It was not an easy job today.  You see, the dress Mommy picked out was not the one she WANTED to wear.  There was lots of screaming involved.  Poor husband.

I started by preheating the oven to 400 degrees and throwing 4 slices of turkey bacon in the microwave.  I know, I know… the evil microwave… but when you’re in a hurry, it can be a blessing.  All you’re really doing is pre-cooking it a little.  It will finish in the oven.  Then, I sprayed 6 muffin tins with Butter-Flavored Pam spray.  I used a juice glass as a cookie cutter to cut out 6 bread circles.  You want circles that are about 3 inches in diameter.  This is a little bigger than the muffin cups.  Then, press the circles down into the cups.  They will come up the sides a little, forming “cups.”  By then, the microwave had beeped, so I grabbed the bacon and tore it into several pieces.  I sort-of rolled it and stuck it into the muffin cups. I sprinkled a little Monterrey Jack cheese around the bacon slice.  Finally, I beat 6 eggs in a bowl and poured the egg into each muffin cup so that they were almost full.  Then I just popped them in the oven. I baked them about 15 minutes and they were finished!  And the house smelled like a breakfast diner! 

Delicious, but strange-looking.  Doesn't that bacon look like a big sail or a flag that's about to tip the boat?

 

Let me tell you, these cups were delicious.  I don’t think they were too bad, POINTS-wise.  I've got to do the math, but I don't think they are going to be over 3 points each.  They are perfect for people who, like me, eat in the car on the way to work. 

 

Now, that sounds like a lot, I know.  But really, it all happened in less than 10 minutes.  And then it didn’t take long to cook them at all.  I don’t think I want to go through this process every morning, though.  I thought about making them last night and then reheating them, but wasn’t sure if they would be as good.  Well, there's only one way to find out, right?

This is the superficial part—I also wanted to make them LOOK better.  They tasted amazing, but let’s face it, we want the food to LOOK good, too. 

While I ate dinner...

(mashed potato soup--remember it's leftovers night) I worked on these a bit to perfect them.  (By the way, the Butternut Squash is on hold until Thursday!)  This time I decided to crumble the bacon into smaller bits.  I used a combination of cheddar and muenster cheese in the cups, and I used only a quarter of a slice of bread for each cup this time.  I also added some chopped green onions and some dried parsley for color.  I just sprinkled right over the top, just before it went into the oven. 

Meanwhile, hubby and Sadie snuggled on the couch.  They made up from this morning! :)

I think they look better this time-- although this time the egg rose a lot more and sort of spilled over the muffin tin.  That will be fun to clean up, right?  Here's the final recipe and a picture of the revised Breakfast Cups:

Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Breakfast Cups

Ingredients:
Butter-flavored nonstick spray
3 slices of whole-wheat bread, quartered
10 eggs, beaten
4 strips of turkey bacon, cooked but not quite crisp
1/2 cup shredded cheddar or other cheese
1 tbsp dried parsley
2 tbsp sliced green onions

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray 12 muffin cups well with PAM Butter-Flavored Spray.  Then press each bread quarter down into the bottom of each cup.  Over the bread, sprinkle cheese.  (Just divide the cheese evenly among all the cups.)  Sprinkle the bacon pieces over the cheese.  Then, pour the egg mixture about so that cups are a little over 3/4 full.  Sprinkle green onions and parsley over the cups.  Bake 10-15 minutes, or until tops are golden brown and bubbly.  Serve hot. 

Yields: 12 cups

And my last announcement of the day...

I am so happy and excited to announce that I will be teaching Zumba at Fascinating Rhythms Dance Studios in York, SC on Tuesdays from 4:30-5:30!  I would love for you to come join me!  The cost is $5 per person!