I can’t say I ever remember my kids being picky eaters; other than a few vegetables deemed ‘nasty’, i.e., green beans and peas (which they still don’t eat as adults) – my kids were fond of soups, salads, tomatoes, broccoli, carrots, cabbage – even tuna was acceptable in our house. But if you’re the unlucky parent of a picky eater then Jenny of Picky Palate has you covered.
Geared towards families with kids who might not venture far from peanut butter sandwiches, Jenny has created 133 recipes for even the pickiest of eaters: Maple-Bacon Muffins, Mona’s Mini Corn Dogs and Rigatoni Skillet Dinner are all kid-friendly yet adults can enjoy them as well. I gave a copy to our family to peruse and they happily made several of the recipes including Jenny’s Bacon and Cheddar Florentine Quiche, Peanut-Ginger Chicken Noodles and her Pan-Fried Baby Bacon Cheeseburgers with Special Sauce – all were hits and easy to make with ingredients you’ll probably have in your pantry.
The cookbook is spiral-bound to lay flat with gorgeous photography by the incredible Matt Armendariz and also includes tips on how your children can help with prepping meals – very important for not only your kids having ownership over what’s on their plates, but time together in the kitchen is also perfect for connecting and checking in with one another, so take advantage of that time.
We aren’t picky eaters but we do like quick and easy. One of our favorite breakfast dishes is an egg frittata made with a good cheddar, potatoes with just a hint of rosemary; I took Jenny’s idea of layering an omelette in a ramekin and created this recipe in a muffin tin – perfect for on-the-go weekday breakfast as well as terrific for a brunch table – kids or not, this one’s a winner!
Disclaimer: I was sent a copy of The Picky Palate cookbook at not cost to me; however, all opinions are always my own.
NOTE: You’ll need to bake the potatoes the day before as they need to be cold before slicing/cutting into rounds so plan accordingly; additionally, you’ll have bits of potato left over – just fry them up as extras to munch on while you wait for the rest to bake!
BAKED EGG CUPCAKES
Makes 12 ‘Cupcakes’
INGREDIENTS:
- 2-3 Large Yukon Gold potatoes, baked, cooled & refrigerated overnight
- 1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
- 12 large eggs
- 3/4 cup milk
- pinch of kosher salt/pepper
- 12 Tablespoons cheddar (about 3/4 cup) – I used KerryGold Dubliner
- 2 Tablespoons minced chives or scallion
METHOD:
- The day before, bake yukon gold potatoes, cool and refrigerate overnight
- The next day, preheat oven to 400 degrees; spray a standard 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray. Place a cupcake liner in each well and spray liner lightly with cooking spray too; set aside
- Peel skins from potatoes (discard) and slice crosswise into 1/2-inch slices
- Using a 2-inch biscuit cutter, cut potato slices into 2-inch rounds (you will have leftover potato bits)
- Over medium heat, place olive oil and butter in a cast iron or heavy-bottomed skillet; once butter is melted and bubbling, add potato rounds, add a pinch of salt, pepper and sprinkle rosemary. Fry potatoes until golden and crispy; flip and repeat. Remove rounds to paper towel and gently pat dry
- Add one potato round to the bottom of each liner; top each with 1 Tablespoon cheese
- Add eggs, milk, scallions or chives and salt and pepper to a large bowl and whisk to combine; divide evenly among the liners.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes until eggs are set and tops are golden
The book sounds excellent (I resisted saying “egg-cellent” but I guess I just did. oh well.) Love the sound of this recipe too!
I’ve often boiled up a few potatoes, cut into cubes and fried in butter to have with my eggs. For breakfast and for dinner. I love this idea of doing them all together in the cupcake tins. As Jenny says, your photographs are beautiful!
Hey, I’m making this tonight! I baked the potatoes at lunch, do they just need to be cold before frying or is there magic in the longer refrigeration (I guess I COULD wait to try this tomorrow…)
I was excited as I can make this without a trip to the store. Also thought they’d be good for reheating to give Lydia in the morning for breakfast…
Elaine ~ they need to be cold; so if you’ve baked them this afternoon and refrigerated, you should be good; just make sure to spray both the tin AND the liners w/cooking spray. and yes, can be gently reheated for a quick morning breakfast; in fact, we froze the leftovers and pulled two out to thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then hit the microwave for 30 seconds this morning – and perfect!
Done & served & eaten–yum! Though mine weren’t quite so photogenic (I used regular fluted cupcake liners)…very tasty. Thanks for the idea.
Love what you did here!! Your photos are so beautiful 🙂 xoxo
Nothing beats a good egg in the morning and these look perfect, Deb!