When you own a bunch of chickens like I do, fried eggs turn up on the breakfast menu at least three times a week. Even though my family enjoys fried eggs sunny side up, occasionally I’ll get a little creative with breakfast and fry the eggs in fun shapes. Here are a few of our family favorites.
Frog in the Hole. I first had Frog-in-the-Hole at summer camp in second grade. Also known as Bull’s Eye, Eggs in a Basket, or Rocky Mountain Toast, this super simple breakfast dish is nothing more than a piece of bread with an egg cooked in the middle.
To make this dish, use a biscuit cutter or your fingers to carve a hole in the middle of a piece of bread. Lather up with butter on both sides and toss it into a skillet set at medium temperature. Crack an egg into the hole; fry the bread until lightly browned, then flip. Continue cooking until the egg is the desired consistency.
Cooky cutter eggs. Another easy way to fry eggs into silly shapes is with metal cookie cutters. The set I use the most to fry our breakfast eggs is Mom’s old “bridge party” cookie cutter set in the shapes of hearts, clubs, diamonds, and spades. Star and Christmas tree shaped cookie cutters will also work; anything more intricate than that will need to have the inside sprayed with a little cooking oil to prevent sticking.
Since the high temperatures of a skillet will melt plastic cookie cutters, it’s best to stick with metal cookie cutters when preparing this breakfast fare.
Veggie shaped. Fried egg sandwiches are another family favorite, especially when served on a hamburger bun with some melted cheese and a slice of Virginia ham. So that the eggs will fry up in the right shape to fit a bun, I dig into my veggie crisper for peppers, onions or zucchinis that can be turned into edible egg molds.
Peppers can be sliced width-wise to make funny shaped egg molds. Onions also work; I slice them across the middle to make an assortment of rings that can be separated with the fingers. To make an edible mold out of a zucchini, slice off a 1/4″ disc and core out the center. (This is also a great way to use up monster zucchinis!)
Place the veggie ring on a preheated, greased skillet, drop the egg inside, and cook until the veggie is lightly browned. Flip, and continue cooking until the egg is the desired consistency.
More by this contributor:
Delicious substitutions for pancake syrup.
After school snacks to make with a dehydrator.
Three easy Fall-themed cake & cookie frostings to try.
