365 Days With Kiddos - #12 - Make Your Child A Special School Day Breakfast

We love breakfast around here. We have many leisurely ones but there are also days when we need to get out the door for preschool and we don't have as much time. My daughter would eat toast every day (Have you ever read Bread and Jam for Frances? which is, of course, a snap to make. I like to find ways I can make a quicky breakfast that is extra special. Recently I was thinking about this and remembered Egg in a Hole. I have to admit I never had this as a kid but a boyfriend of mine made this for me. It became part of my repetoire then but I had all but forgotten about it by the time I had kids. I started to make it again recently. And then just yesterday I was reading a vintage copy of The Better Homes and Gardens Junior Cookbook and they have a version that uses a bun, an egg, the oven, and a slice of cheese. My version is made on the stove, is as fast as frying an egg, and I may start to mix it up by melting cheese on top...

Egg in the Hole
By Tiffany Teske

Ingredients
- a slice of bread
- an egg
- butter
- cheese, salt & pepper, optional

Directions
1) Tear the middle of the bread out of the center of the slice so that you have a hole. This can be toasted in the pan along side the slice of bread, as a wee piece of toast to have on the side of your toast ;).
2) Spread a bit of butter on each side of the slice. Also, melt a thin layer of butter in the pan so the egg won't stick, if you are using cast iron, like me. If you are using teflon or some other non stick you can omit the extra butter.
3) Place the bread with the hole in the pan, which should be on med to lo medium. Crack your egg and then drop it in the middle of the bread. Cook until it is solid on the bottom, then flip to cook the other side. Season with salt and pepper. If you are using cheese, place it on top, and cover the pan so it melts.
4) If you want the egg to look picture perfect you can cook it without flipping but I would toast one side of the bread first, and cover the pan while cooking. You may have to fiddle with the right temperature so you don't burn the bottom of the bread before the egg is cooked through. You can also cook all of this in the oven at 350 F if you have the time and prefer to do so.

If your child is vegan or allergic to dairy you can still make special toast by using cookie cutters to cut it into shapes, then spread with assorted nut butters. If your child is allergic to nuts you can use jams. If your child is gluten free, you can use gluten free bread. I guess the point is not so much what you make for your child as long as you find something fun and special that doesn't take a lot of time. This way you won't be stressed but your child will feel they are extra special when they are sent off to enjoy the day...