Baked Eggs in Whole Roasted Tomatoes

Baked Eggs in Whole Roasted Tomatoes

I recently started getting a magazine in the mail called whole living. I wasn't too impressed with the magazine overall, but the recipe section has proved to be a winner. While glancing through it, this recipe popped out at me! 

 These are simple, tasty, and best of all- healthy! 

Although they are simple, they were still pretty tricky to make. Scraping out the insides of the tomatoes with out poking a hole through the side is quite difficult. For me at least. So I would not recommend this recipe for beginners.

This is the second time I've made these, and both times the tomatoes have split on the sides. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. I'm thinking it may have something to do with my oven not being level, therefore putting more pressure on one side of the tomato and causing it to crack..? Then again, that may just be an excuse for my poor cutting skills.

 Either way, they may not be incredibly pleasing to the eye, but they sure are to your taste buds! 

Ingredients Serves 2

• 2 large tomatoes
• 2ish tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Coarse salt and ground black pepper
• 1/2 Tbsp. Tuscany Bread Dipper (Wildtree) Thyme can be used in replacement.
• 2 large eggs

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Slice the top third off tomatoes and use a small spoon to remove core and seeds. Arrange in a baking dish, drizzle with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with seasoning (Thyme). Roast until tomatoes are tender and caramelized, about 30 minutes.
2. Crack an egg into each tomato and season with salt and pepper. Bake until eggs are just set, 7 to 9 minutes more.
   
   
   Recipe adapted from  Whole Living

Real Vanilla Bean Cupcakes with Strawberry Whipped Cream Topping

Real Vanilla Bean Cupcakes with Strawberry Whipped Cream Topping

So it's Easter time, and I wanted to make something extra special for the Special day. I had seen this recipe a long while ago (probably in the fall), and wanted to make them. Not only because they looked and sounded delicious, but because I had gotten some vanilla beans for a bridal gift last spring and needed to use them up on something scrumptious!

This was only the second time I've ever made a cake from scratch. Growing up my mom was never a fan of baking (and still isn't), so we always did boxed cakes & brownies. Which are tasty, but just not the same as the real deal!

(You'll have to forgive me for the poor pictures. I made them at midnight, and the lighting was terrible. So I had to snap a few pictures the next day.)

These were the tastiest, most moist, heavenly cupcakes I've ever had!! And I don't even like cupcakes.

The Ultimate Vanilla Cupcake Recipe

Yield: 16 cupcakes

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 vanilla bean
• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (I used salted)
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup canola oil, vegetable oil, or olive oil
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup 2% or whole milk

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. In a small bowl, combine sugar and seeds from the vanilla bean.
3. Using the back of a spoon, move around the bowl and apply pressure to break up any clumps of seeds and to better infuse the vanilla flavor into the sugar. Then mix very well in with an electric mixer. Set aside.
4. In a medium-sized mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, mix together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
5. Add the vanilla bean sugar and mix until well combined.
6. Add butter and mix on medium-low speed for three minutes. Because there is so little butter, you'll end up with a very fine crumb texture.
7. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, sour cream, oil, and vanilla extract until smooth.
8. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined.
9. Slowly add milk and mix on low speed until just combined. The batter will be liquid. (Don't worry, you didn't do anything wrong. It's supposed to be that way.)
10. Spray the cupcake liners. Fill just over 1/2 full.
11. Bake for 14 minutes and then test to see if they are done. They are done when a toothpick comes out without wet batter stuck to it. The cupcakes should appear white with specks of vanilla bean. They should not turn a golden brown. If they are not done, test again in two minutes. If they are still not done, test again in another two minutes. (Mine took 16-18 mins.)
12. When the cupcakes are done, remove them immediately from the tins and leave them on a cooling rack (or just on your counter if you don't own a cooling rack) to cool.
13. Remove from greasy cupcake liners, and put into new ones.

Recipe adapted from: Cupcakeproject.com

As for that delicious Strawberry Whipped Cream Topping, it was incredibly easy to make! Just 5 minutes, and you're done!

Strawberry Whipped Cream Recipe

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 4 tablespoons food processed strawberries (take some fresh strawberries, wash them, remove the stems, and throw them in the food processor until they become a thick, seedy liquid)

1. Whip cream until it looks like whipped cream.
2. Mix in sugar.
3. Mix in strawberries until just combined.
4. Be sure to frost your cupcakes before you eat all of the strawberry whipped cream.

Recipe adapted from: Cupcakeproject.com