.hashbrown baskets.

breakfast is the most important meal of the day. i know you've never heard that before. (wink wink) actually, i have no idea which meal is the most important and if you ask me, they all win the gold medal for kind-of-a-big-deal. breakfast is in fact important and for me gets special attention on the weekends when i have more time than one minute to microwave something and scarf it down on my drive in the dark to work.

the next time you're not in a big ol' rush, treat yourself or your family (or a combination thereof) to these hashbrown baskets. what do i carry in these hashbrown baskets you ask? some cheesy, veggie egg goodness. let the good times roll. mix together in a medium sized bowl 2 cups of defrosted, or mostly so, hashbrowns with 3/4 cups shredded cheddar cheese and a little garlic salt and pepper.

preheat your oven to 375 degrees. spray six wells of a muffin tin really well. evenly distribute your hasbrown mixture to each well. you are trying to create little baskets to later hold your egg mixture so make sure to press them in and around the sides too so that they will bake that way. bake them for 15-20 minutes.

while the hashbrowns are getting all toasty, dice up 1/2 of a small tomato and chop up 1/3 cup spinach. if you are using frozen, make sure it is defrosted and patted dry.

beat your three eggs with a little more salt and pepper to taste and mix in the tomato, spinach and 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese.

when your hashbrown baskets come out of the oven, fill them up with the egg mixture. you may feel they are leaking through the weaving of potato and cheese in the basket and not filling up the well, but trust me when i say they will puff up nicely when they begin baking. sprinkle some parsley on top for good measure.

bake your full baskets for 12- 15 minutes and just keep an eye on them. you do not want them to be jiggly or wet, but you also don't want them so over cooked that they taste like rubber egg.

when these darlings are done cooking, they could give you a bit of a hard time coming out of the muffin pan. don't let them give you any smack. take a butter knife or a similar tool and work your way around the basket until you get it wiggled out of there. see, now we're all happy.

these are best served immediately and have a lovely layering of flavors in each bite. there's some texture play with the crunch of the potato and the softness of the cheesy egg. the spinach and tomato are a healthy additive, but aren't so healthy that little ones will be turned off by it.

enjoy your morning, enjoy your breakfast, enjoy a little time with what you love.

hashbrown baskets
what you need
for 6 filled toasty baskets
2 cups defrosted hashbrowns
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese for hashbrowns
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese for eggs
garlic salt and pepper
1/3 cup spinach fresh or defrosted
3 eggs
1/2 small tomato
little parsley

what to do
mix 2 cups of defrosted or nearly defrosted hashbrowns with 3/4 cups shredded cheese in a medium sized bowl. add garlic salt and pepper to taste. spray a muffin pan and preheat your oven to 375 degrees. line 6 muffin wells with the cheesy hashbrown mix and press down a little to make room for the eggs to come. you're essentially making a liner of hashbrowns.

bake for 15 to 20 minutes and then remove from the oven. while they are baking, dice up your tomato and chop up your spinach. in a medium sized bowl (feel free to use the same one you used to make the cheesy hashbrowns) beat your eggs and then add in the tomato, spinach, 1/2 cup shredded cheese and a little more salt and pepper.

once your hashbrown baskets have been removed from the oven, evenly distribute the egg mixture to each basket and top with parsley. put it back in the oven for an additional 12-15 minutes. if you remove it from the oven and the egg still seems wet, bake it a little longer.

removing these from the muffin pan may be a little tricky. if yours is sticking be patient and work a butter knife around the edges to wiggle it free.

serve while warm.