Breakfast Cups

We always try to do something special for breakfast on Conference Weekend and these little breakfast cups did not disappoint.  They've got a crispy toast bottom and an egg, cheese and bacon top.  It's similar to a breakfast casserole, but not nearly as generic and much more fun to make.

Start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees.  

In a skillet, cook 6 pieces of bacon until just underdone. You want the bacon to still be pliable.  I promise, they will finish cooking in the oven.

While the bacon cooks, spray a large muffin tin with cooking spray.  Line the bottom with regular white bread, cut into circles with a cookie cutter or in my case, a glass cup.  Top with some shredded cheddar cheese and place in the over for about 3 minutes, or until the cheese melts.

Crack an egg into each cup, line with a slice of the almost cooked bacon and sprinkle with pepper.  I suggest omitting salt because the bacon itself is plenty salty, and more salt would just be too much salt.  So leave out the salt.

Place back in the oven for 8-10 minutes, or just until the egg white is cooked through.  The bacon will become crisp and the egg yolk stays nice and creamy, making almost a sauce.

They were so easy to make!  So yummy to eat!  And that's why they made it to the Recipes I Love section of my blog.

Raspberry Almond Scones

I love the combination of Raspberry and Almond, especially when the raspberries are from my garden and they are combined into a buttery, flaky scone.  These would be perfect for Sunday brunch, a bridal shower, or in our case, to nibble on all day long.

• 3 cups Flour
• 1/3 cup Sugar
• 2 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• 3/4 tsp Salt
• 1 1/2 stick Butter, cut into cubes
• 1 cup Buttermilk
• 1/2 tsp Almond Extract
• 1/2 cup Raspberries (plus more to top)
• 1/4 cup Sliced Almonds

Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl.  Cutter in butter, either by hand (which I prefer) or using a food processor (which keeps your hands clean).  Next, add raspberries and almonds, then toss together.

In a measuring cup, combine buttermilk and almond extract.  Add to dry mixture until well combined.

Turn out onto a floured surface, divide in half and use your hands to form into 2 disks, roughly an inch think.  Use a knife to cut into wedges.  You should end up with at least 12 scones.  Brush the tops with an Egg Wash, and sprinkle sugar if you like a nice, crunchy top.

Bake at 425 for 10-12 minutes.

I then mashed a bunch of Raspberries in a bowl, added some powdered sugar, and poured over the top of the scones while warm.  Yum.