Put All Your Eggs in a Basket! Then Bake

When it comes to holidays and days off, I always think big breakfast. I don't know why that is, to be honest, because growing up I don't think my mom really made anything big or fancy for breakfast on holidays and days off. She DID make her famous Sticky Buns for Christmas, but that's all I remember.

At any rate, this time of year, I've been thinking a lot about yummy big breakfasts. I've already shared with you my idea for Festive French Toast, which was a delicious and easy adaptation of a traditional breakfast food.

Today, we're going in a slightly different and slightly more complicated direction, one that's definitely fit for a holiday! Holidays are meant to be special, so it's only fitting to take a little more time and effort (and perhaps even expense) than you would on just any ol' day.

Having said that, these little eggs-in-baskets still manage to fall more or less within my parameters of QUICK, EASY, CHEAP and HEALTHY. The big plus is that they are also elegant enough to serve to guests or to make any holiday special. Oh, and they're delicious, too: always very important!

So go put your eggs in baskets! Then bake. And proceed to have a very happy holiday.

Eggs in Baskets
For each serving, you will need:
1 dinner roll
1 egg
1 tsp heavy cream
1 tsp grated Parmesan
salt and pepper
a sprinkling of mixed herbs (suggestions: parsley, chives, tarragon, thyme)

Slice the tops off the dinner rolls, then use a grapefruit spoon (or your fingers) to gently remove the middle of each roll. Your goal is to create enough room to put an entire egg in the space, but leave the shell of the roll intact. Place the rolls on a greased cookie sheet. Crack one egg into each dinner roll, then carefully pour the cream  on top of the egg. Sprinkle each egg with salt and pepper, seasonings and Parmesan. Bake at 350F for about 20 minutes, or until the eggs are set and the bread is lightly toasted.

Serve with bacon, fresh fruit and yogurt.

I found this recipe to be very QUICK, actually. From beginning to end, it takes approximately half an hour. Perhaps that's too much to spare on a regular weekday morning, but for holidays, evenings or days off, it's just the right amount of time!

It's super EASY, too. I will tell you a little secret: my DH actually did most of it! I made the rolls and prepped them for him, but he did the rest. And he said it was easy, so I think it's pretty safe to say that it is easy indeed.

It's also very CHEAP, especially if you make your own rolls and find the eggs at a good price. Sure, heavy cream is expensive, but you don't need very much of it at all for this recipe (I currently get my cream at Costco for a great price. I don't remember exactly what it is, but I've noticed that their price for 1 quart is the same as many stores' price for a pint).

It's HEALTHY, too, IF you make your own rolls. Of course, store-bought white flour dinner rolls would look much more elegant, but I kind of like the rustic beauty of my homemade oat and whole wheat rolls.