Scrambled Eggs & Mushrooms - Video Recipe

It's the Golden Age of cheap fungi and I'm taking advantage of it especially in the morning, with my earthy and pungent Scrambled Eggs and Mushrooms.

All kinds of small packages of fresh mushrooms have been showing up in my local 99c only Stores. Everything from shitake to portabella, and oyster to regular white or brown button.

Baby Bella Crimini & White Button

Champignon

Oyster & Portabella Mushrooms

I mainly like to cook them one way, sauteed for a few minutes in butter. So tender and woodsy in flavor with a slightly salty/sweet rich buttery taste. I will inhale sauteed mushrooms in butter on their own, like scooping peanut butter from a jar.



I like Cheese and Mushroom Omelets like this, but for ease and quickness I'll saute mushrooms in butter and go right to adding a couple eggs for a scramble. It's a no fuss, no muss way to start the day.

And use your favorite scrambled eggs recipe. Do you whip the eggs first or just crack them right into an oiled pan? Do you like a splash of milk in your whipped eggs, too? Hey, go for any way you like it.

You can use any packaged mushrooms on sale, or if none are available discounted, then buy 2 or 3 loose button mushrooms per scramble - that's all you'll need for my cheap$kate recipe.

Click on any photo to see larger.

I've been picking up 8-packs of medium size eggs at my local Dollar Tree lately. For this recipe I use 3 eggs per Mushroom Scramble. Of course it's okay to make a quickie one or two egg scramble.

My Scrambled Eggs and Mushrooms recipe is simply delicious and I know you will return to this recipe often....once you give it a go.

Scrambled Eggs & Mushrooms - VIDEO

Play it here, video runs 1 minute 47 seconds

 My YouTube video link for viewing or embedding, just click here.

Ingredients (1 serving)
2-3 eggs - I used 3 medium sized eggs for this recipe, but okay to use as little or as many as you like.
2-4 button mushrooms - sliced. Amount of mushroom is up to you. Okay to use any type of favorite mushroom.
Butter or cooking oil - about a tablespoon total. Just enough to saute mushroom and scramble eggs.
Salt and pepper to taste - If I use salted butter, then all I add is a little black pepper.

Directions
Brush off dirt on mushrooms, if needed. Slice or break apart mushrooms into bite-sizes so they will cook faster and evenly.

Add mushrooms to a heated pan with butter or oil. Saute until mushrooms are soft, about 3-5 minutes.

Add a little more butter or oil if necessary, before you mix in eggs.

Make an egg scramble any way you like. You can blend raw eggs in a bowl, or just crack eggs right into sauteed mushrooms.

Scramble eggs to desired doneness. Depending on heat of pan, it takes a couple of minutes, or so.

DIG IN!

Best Spinach & Cheese Omelet - Video Recipe

Veggies wrapped in creamy scrambled eggs is a great way to start the day. And adding your fave cheese is over-the-top decadence. A Spinach and Cheese Omelet is one of my favorite breakfasts. Go ahead and dig in below.

Play it here. Video runs 1 minute 39 seconds.

It comes together quickly, as fresh spinach sauteed in a hot pan only takes a minute to become tender.

Click on any photo to see larger.

You can use thawed frozen spinach or spinach from a can, too. Just make sure to drain any packaged or canned cooked spinach, or the omelet will be too soggy.

Any cheese you have on hand can go into this omelet. I used a mild soft white French cheese, but go ahead and fill the omelet with good old American cheese, or even pungent Swiss or feta cheese.

For the eggs, I like to scramble them first in a bowl, then pour into a low to medium-hot pan. Not too hot because I want to catch the eggs while they are slightly moist before I fold the omelet over the sauteed spinach and cheese.

Of course, cook the omelet the way you like it; old-school truckstop or diner-style with a slight crusty brown on the outside and solid on the inside. It's all deliciously good!

I went all out and topped the omelet with a pat of butter, and chopped chives from my small garden.

All the ingredients are the right price for this penny-pinching egg-flipper. Lately, I get an eight-pack of eggs from my local Dollar Tree and fresh spinach from the 99c only Store. I get cheese from both budget stores.

This is an omelet filled with greens made quickly while the coffee is still percolating. So go ahead and start the day with this cheap$kate breakfast, a 99 Cent Chef Spinach and Cheese Omelet.

Ingredients (one large omelet)

• 3 eggs - okay to make it a 2 egg omelet. I used medium size eggs.
• Spinach leaves - about a handful or a packed cup. Okay to use frozen or canned spinach, just make sure to drain the spinach or your omelet will be very soggy. 
• Cheese - about a slice, but add as much or little as you like. Okay to use any favorite cheese, like: mozzarella, Swiss, Jack, string, cheddar, or plain American.
• Butter - about 1 teaspoon. Okay to use a favorite cooking oil.
• Salt and pepper to taste. I find that cheese is salty enough for me, so I just sprinkle on some pepper.
• I finished omelet with some fresh chopped chives - optional.

Directions

Prepare cheese if necessary. Slice or crumble cheese.

I just saute and stir spinach leaves in a medium-hot pan until tender. The leaves will collapse and moisten. As soon as the spinach is soft remove from pan. Wipe the pan clean if necessary.

Add 2 to 3 eggs to a bowl, I made mine with 3 medium-sized eggs. Whisk eggs to blend well.

Over medium heat, add a teaspoon of butter or fave oil to omelet pan. Spread oil or butter over bottom of pan.

Pour in beaten eggs into medium/hot pan. Lightly scramble eggs. Let the omelet cook until eggs are starting to firm up, but still wet. It takes a minute or two, depending on heat of pan and how many eggs you used.

Spread out eggs to cover bottom of omelet pan as eggs firm up.

Add cheese first so it will melt quicker, and lay on the cooked (and, if necessary, drained) spinach.

Gently roll the omelet to cover cheese and spinach. If you are cooking old school, just fold it in half. Cook omelet to desired doneness, about another 30 seconds to a minute. It's up to you how well done the omelet turns out.

Just slice into the thickest part of the omelet to check for preferred doneness. Of course, you can cook the omelet any way you like. A hot omelet will continue to cook until eaten.

I finish the Spinach & Cheese Omelet with a little black pepper, a pat of butter and fresh sliced green chives (optional.)

It's okay to use your fave omelet cooking technique, like just letting egg firm in the pan without scrambling. Adding cheese and spinach when the egg is firm, then folding it in half. Click here to see my truck stop diner-style omelet.

My YouTube video link for viewing or embedding, just click here.

Country Gravy with Sausage - Video Recipe

Breakfast is heavy. I grew up in the South where calories are king, and Country Gravy with Sausage was often the first meal of the day.

During my childhood weekend mornings, my Dad would get us kids started with this Southern staple for breakfast. There was nothing better than tearing up hot biscuits and drenching them in Country Gravy with Sausage.

And it is easy to make, if you use ready-to-bake biscuits. Now this is an extreme shortcut for biscuit purists, but some mornings I'm just too lazy to make homemade ones.

If you have a biscuit recipe then pair it with my Country Gravy with Sausage recipe. But if you are drowsy and cheap, then this recipe with store bought biscuits will do just fine.

Click on any photo to see larger

I use cheap ground breakfast sausage that tends to be quite fatty, but all that rendered grease will be put to tasty use when mixed with flour and whole milk. Of course, it's okay to pour out some of the grease, but do leave a little, as it adds so much lush flavor to country-style gravy.

You can even use any lean sausage meat substitute as well, but be sure to drizzle in some tasty oil for a richer gravy.

I use whole milk and regular white flour as the gravy base. Again it's okay to lighten things up with low fat milk, or even a milk substitute. You can use healthier whole wheat flour instead of traditional bland white flour.

Okay to use milk substitute like Almond Milk. 

All the ingredients are cheap enough as I get it all from my local 99c only Store and Dollar Tree. Breakfast sausage comes in 8 to 12 ounce packages. You can use as much sausage in the gravy as you like. And milk and flour are cheap enough.

The recipe comes together quickly, in the time it takes to bake biscuits for about 15 minutes. Just brown the sausage as the biscuits bake.

Once the sausage is cooked through, then sprinkle in flour and cook for a few minutes. Finish up by stirring in milk. Along with a little salt, I like a lot of black pepper in my Sausage Gravy, so don't be skimpy with it.

You don't want to serve this calorie bomb too often, but, boy does Country Gravy with Sausage hit all your flavor buttons.

Country Gravy with Sausage - Video

Play it here. Video runs 2 minutes, 27 seconds.

My YouTube video link for viewing or embedding, just click here.

Ingredients (about 2-3 servings)
5 biscuits - I used ready-to-bake. Okay to use your favorite biscuit recipe.
Breakfast pork sausage - about 8 to 12 ounces.
2 cups milk - whole or low fat. Okay to use milk substitute like Almond Milk.
1/4 cup of flour - white or wheat.
Salt and plenty of pepper to taste.

Directions
It takes about 15 minutes to prepare the gravy - about the same time it takes to bake biscuits. So you can start both at the same time. If the biscuits take longer to bake, you can keep the gravy at low heat, until ready to eat (stir in a tablespoon of milk at a time if gravy thickens too much.)

 Typical store bought biscuits cook in about 15 minutes at 350 degrees. 

While biscuits bake, in a large pan or pot, over medium heat, add raw pork breakfast sausage. As sausage browns, break it apart into smaller pieces. It's okay to use formed sausage patties or links, just break them up as they cook.

It's best to get the sausage nice and brown, at least on one side. The caramelizing adds a lot of flavor to the gravy. Cook the sausage all the way through for about 5 minutes (depending on the size of sausage pieces.)

 Breakfast sausage tends to have a lot of fat, so it's up to you how much rendered grease you want to keep in the pan. It's okay to pour out some grease to lower calories, but do leave a tablespoon for extra richness and flavor.

Next sprinkle on a quarter cup of flour. Stir into the cooked sausage and saute for 2 to 3 minutes.

Slowly pour in the milk and stir to mix well. Keep stirring so any flour lumps break down. Once the gravy is brought up to a low simmer, it should begin to thicken in a couple of minutes. Once the gravy is thick and hot it is ready to pour over biscuits.

Almond milk version

My gravy recipe is for a thick one. You can add a tablespoon of milk at a time to thin it out some, if that's the way you like it.

Biscuit cooking time may vary, depending on the type you buy or make, so time the baking so both gravy and biscuits are done about the same time. You can get the gravy started first, as it is easy enough to keep warm, or just heat up at the last minute.

Serve hot biscuits covered in my delicious Homemade Sausage Gravy. Some like to tear their biscuits apart first, then spoon on the gravy. I just lay out a couple of them and cover it all with Sausage Gravy.