New Mama Eggs

I was about to tell you how it's hard to cook with a baby in the house. Well, that it's hard to do anything with a baby in the house other than have 5 pm show up wearing the same thing you woke up in (ok, that hasn't happened in a while, but it did at one point during newborn life). But Lola just woke up from her nap crying. Now I don't have to come up with a creative way to tell you that it's hard to accomplish anything (blog post, for example) with a baby in the house. She did it for me. Thank you, Lola. I'll be back...

Back. It's seven hours later.

In that seven hours, I changed a few diapers, got the darling girl back down for another nap, made some banana bread during that nap, supervised tummy time, took some photos, and made New Mama Eggs for dinner.

What are New Mama Eggs, you ask? They are a breakthrough in my post-baby dinner world. They are really Ina Garten's Herb-Baked Eggs from Barefoot in Paris, but to me, they are something that I can easily pull off with Lola and they feel like something special. Whoa.

Look at them. They are pretty. They look delicious (and are!).

And best of all, they take 15 minutes (if even) from start to finish.  There is some herb chopping and cheese and garlic grating. Then you throw the gratin dishes under the broiler for 3 minutes with a dash of heavy cream and a small pat of butter in them. You add the eggs; top with the herbs, garlic, and parmesan. And pop under the broiler for another few minutes. That is seriously it.

Oh, and I guess you have to toast some bread and throw together a salad. But whatevs to that.

These New Mama Eggs were perfect for tonight as we struggled getting Lola to go to bed for the night--a task that happens right smack in the middle of dinnertime. Everything was prepped so I knew there were only 8 minutes in between go-time (Lola asleep) and us eating. Thanks to New Mama Eggs, we got to eat a hot dinner as soon as it was ready. At a reasonable hour. At the table. Together.

A rarity.

Don't skimp on the bread. Use good stuff, like a good baguette or even thick strips of good whole grain bread. Drizzle the bread with olive oil or give it a once-over with butter. Toast it. Good toast is a must for this dish, to sop up the runny yolks and scrape the browned bits of butter and garlic off the side of the gratin dish.

These are particularly for my new mama friends (the ones who like eggs, anyway). But I think anyone would be egg-stra happy to eat them.

Boo to the bad joke.


Herb-Baked Eggs, adapted slightly from Barefoot in Paris by Ina Garten

1 small clove minced garlic
1/4 tsp minced thyme
1/4 tsp minced rosemary
1 tbsp minced Italian parsley
1 tbsp grated parmesan
6 large eggs
2 tbsp heavy cream
1 tbsp butter
Salt and pepper
Toast

Preheat broiler. Prep garlic, herbs, and cheese, and mix them together.

Grab 2 individual gratin dishes.

Place 1 tbsp of heavy cream and 1/2 tbsp of butter into each gratin dish. Place on baking sheet about 6 inches under broiler for 2-3 minutes, until bubbly and lightly browned.

In the meantime, crack 3 eggs gently into 2 bowls (3 eggs in each bowl for total of 6 eggs).

Add eggs to gratin dishes. Top with garlic, herb, and cheese mixture. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place under broiler for about 5 minutes until egg whites are almost cooked (will continue cooking after removed from oven).

Serve. Eat.

Serves 2 new parents.