Photo: Elena Veselova (Shutterstock)
Thanksgiving is coming in hot, and for some households, dinner prep will be non-stop from 5 a.m. until the forks hit the plate. I know some will claim to fast until the big meal, but I don’t ever think you should hit the court without warming up first: There’s no shame in Thanksgiving breakfast, but there is a lack of time. Instead of taking valuable seconds away from your meticulously thought-out dinner-prep schedule, batch-bake some hand-held eggs for your family, then shoo them right back out of the kitchen until the main event.
For an easy Thanksgiving morning breakfast, use your limitations to your advantage. The stove-top is probably off limits, but your oven is on, has two racks, and is already cranking away at 325°F - 350°F. Generously butter a 12-well cupcake pan. Crack as many eggs as you need, one in each divot, and sprinkle with salt. I abide by the two eggs per person rule, but live life as you like. If you’re feeding more people, and you have the oven space for a hot minute, use two muffin tins. Fifteen minutes before you’re ready to eat, slide the pan onto a free section in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes, depending on how set you’d like the yolks. If you have an extra sheet pan, invert one on top of the cupcake pan. This is certainly not a must, but it can shave a few minutes off the cooking time, as it will create a bit of steam and direct heat closer to the surface of the eggs.
Once the eggs come out of the oven, you can easily scoop them out of the pan with a spoon. The assembly is up to your family members. Grab one and eat it hand-held, pop one on an English muffin with cheese, or wrap it up in a tortilla with hot sauce. A sturdy, quick breakfast like that will keep folks from roaming around your workspace looking for a snack, and your tummies will be warmed up for the double-header of dinner and dessert later.
If you have the fridge space, prep this breakfast ahead of time by buttering the cupcake pan and loading it with eggs the night before. Just make sure to cover it well so the eggs don’t dry out. If you only have a small footprint available, crack the eggs into a measuring cup the night before, cover it and keep it in the fridge. The next morning you’ll have to butter the pan, but you won’t have to bother with cracking eggs. For those who can’t help but add flavors, make mini baked omelets. Prepare everything the same way, but scramble the eggs, and add some herbs, or chopped bits of ham and cheese to the cupcake wells. Portion out the egg mixture into the cupcake pan, and bake as usual.
