Toes back in the breakfast waters: Cooking alongside the Pioneer Woman herself

Okay, okay...don't let the title fool you.

I did not get invited to Oklahoma to create in the kitchen of the Ree Drummond herself. But I did buy her cookbook this weekend and I fell in love.

Reading her story made me feel normal...how a foodie and food enthusiast can fall in love and marry a "meat and potatoes" man and produce a whole herd of offspring who snub new tastes and textures. I am so there.

I've also took a two or three month hiatus from this brand new blog for a million reasons. Mostly related to the holidays and the first-trimester energy suck I was experiencing. It SUCKED!

But I did cook during my blog vacation and I still have my trusty apprentice, Boo, with me most of the time. In fact, even if I am unloading the dishwasher or wiping down a counter, the kid thinks I might sneak a saute or a boil in without him and he starts yelling "I cook! I cook!" as he drags a dining room chair into the kitchen. No amount of protest will convince him.

But I digress...

I've planned about a million restarts for this poor blog and they've all gone on my "good intentions list" but I finally found one small and humble enough to use.

Ree has a recipe for chicken fried steak. One for migas. One for friend chicken. Another for anoutta-this-world looking, man-pleasing sandwich that you can bet your bee-hind I am going to try. But first?

Eggs in a basket!

C'mon. Be excited! I know it sounds sorta kitchsy and goofy, but I had never made one before and with the Pioneer Woman's help, holy patooties, I fell in love. And it is breakfast and I sorta am keeping up with that whole theme I started in November. Win-win, see?

I was even able to use our cheap storebrand wheat bread with it (despite the fact that I craved some over-priced 9-grain something that morning!) and it came out delish. Tell me, what is not to love?

Her Pioneer-ness calls them Egg in a Hole, but I am too much of a juvenile to say that without a snicker. So I'll go with:

Egg in a Basket.

Simple ingredients:

• Bread
• Pat or two of butter
• An egg
• A frying pan
• Some salt
• Some pepper

Even simpler instructions:

• Cut a hole in your bread slice with a biscuit/cookie cutter or rim of small juice glass.
• Melt butter in your frying pan.
• Flop the hole-y bread in hot pan, add egg to hole.
• Let cook at least a minute before flipping.
• Flip!
• Two to three minutes for an over-medium egg.

Boom. Comfort food in a handy, butter-crusted package. It was a hit with P on Sunday morning and a definite keeper. Sorta like Ree's cookbook...and blog...and well, her whole entire existence.

Yes, I am a fan nerd. And you still love me.

Happy cooking!