Egg Nests and Pig in a Blanket Pancakes

Marley wanted to be part of the "one-new-recipe-per-week" fun. She got a new cookbook from Tom and Karin for Christmas and has been wanting to try out some of the recipes. Tonight was her big night. She made two dishes for our supper. Steve and Glenn are enjoying the new recipe excitement, and have gotten it into their heads that they are to "rate" the new foods. They liked tonight's dishes, and both of them gave both dishes an A+.

Marley generously invited Hayley and Abbey to help her, so our meal was lovingly prepared by a 10-year-old, a 7-year-old, and a 2-year-old. (Amy and I provided a safety back-up.)

Egg Nests

6 slices of white bread, with crusts removed and rolled flat

6 Tbsp. diced ham

6 Tbsp. grated cheddar cheese

6 eggs

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat 6 cups of a muffin tin with cooking spray, oil, or butter. Tuck a flattened slice of bread into each muffin cup, with the corners sticking out. Sprinkle 1 Tbsp. ham and 1 Tbsp. cheese into each cup. Crack an egg into each cup over ham and cheese. Place muffin tin in a large baking dish half full of water and place it on the middle rack of the oven. (I placed the baking dish in the oven first, added water, then set the oven to preheat. When it was hot I carefully placed the tin in the baking dish.) Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until eggs are cooked through. (We had 12 people to feed, so we quadrupled the recipe - very easy!)

Pigs in a Blanket Pancakes

1 c. all-purpose flour

1/4 t. salt

1 Tbsp. sugar

2 t. baking powder

1 egg, beaten

1 c. milk

2 Tbsp. cooking oil

1 c. diced ham

Mix all ingredients. Batter should be slightly lumpy *before* adding ham. Cook pancakes on medium heat in skillet with oil or butter until done. Again, we quadrupled this recipe. Served the pancakes with Log Cabin syrup, butter pecan-flavored syrup, and maple butter. (Thankfully, no one asked for ketchup.) They were very tasty.