Egg, Bacon and Avocado Breakfast

I meant to blog this last weekend but got busy and totally forgot about it.

It's a very simple, very quick and fairly healthy breakfast. And the best part? It tastes amazing. I loved it!!

Here's what you need (for 1 person):

2 Eggs
1/2 ripe Avocado
4 slices of Bacon (mmmm, bacon)
2 slices of toast (I use multi grain or whole wheat)
Salt and Pepper to taste (optional)

Step 1: Cook the bacon. Simple and it makes my apartment smell awesome. Once cooked, put in on some paper towel to soak up the excess grease.

Step 2: Poach the eggs. The best trick I ever learnt was to add 1 tbsp of white vinegar to the boiling water. It  helps the egg stay together in the water. It's really cool and unless you plan on keeping the eggs in the water for a half hour, you can not taste the vinegar. When poaching the eggs, poach them as you like them. If you like them a little less runny, cook them a bit longer. They should be cooked for 2-4 minutes.

While the eggs are cooking, toast the bread and slice the avocado. I sliced it fairly thin.

Once everything is done, start by putting the avocado on the toast, then the bacon and put the egg on top. You can butter the toast or use mayo if you'd prefer that. Sprinkle with salt and pepper if you're using them. And you're done! Cut into it and enjoy!

I had thought about adding cheese, but the avocado adds a creamy texture to the whole thing so I didn't notice that the cheese was missing.

See? Really simple and very, very yummy.

Enjoy!

Sarah

Pumpkin Pie - from scratch!

Have you seen those cute little pumpkins in the grocery stores and road side market stands? Not the super tiny ones that people like to paint faces on but the ones that are 3-5lbs?
You know, the ones like this:

Anyhow, it's those little pumpkins that make amazing pumpkin pie. They're often called Pie Pumpkins or Sugar Pumpkins. In order to make a pumpkin pie, you need pumpkin puree. Here's how to make that:

Get a 3-5lb pie pumpkin. Cut it in half. Using a spoon or ice cream scoop and clean out all of the seeds and the stingy bits (you can save the seeds to roast if you like). Put the pumpkin halves into a large glass dish or pan and cover with 1/4" of water. Bake at 350F for 45mins-1 hour. Poke the pumpkin with a fork or knife to check and see if it's done. Let cool. Once cool, scoop the flesh away from the skin. Using a blender or food processor, puree the pumpkin until cool. Put the puree into a mesh strainer and let it sit while the excess water drips out. You can use the puree right away or keep it in the fridge for 5 days. You can also freeze it.

Now for the pie!

You'll need:

2 cups of Pumpkin Puree (fresh or canned - just becareful not to buy pumpkin pie filling)
1 1/2 cups of Evaporated Milk
2 Eggs
1/2 cup Sugar
1/3 cup packed Brown Sugar
2 tsp of Pumpkin Pie Spice
1/4 tsp Salt
1 pre-made pie shell ( I can't make pie dough to save my life. So I use the Pillsbury one that comes in the box - you just let it warm up to room temp and un-roll it and press it into the pie plate and you're done! )

Pre-heat the oven to 425F

In a large bowl, beat the 2 eggs together. Add in the pumpkin puree and evaporated milk. Stir together with a whisk. Add in the sugars, spice mix and salt. Whisk well to combine. Pour into the prepared (uncooked) pie shell.

Put it in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Turn down the temp to 350F and bake for another 35-40 minutes. When the pie has set and is firm, it's done. Since this is a custard style pie, it won't be firm like a cake but more like a set pudding. Let cool and enjoy!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Sarah