Growing up, my family absolutely loved cranberry-orange bread.  All of the goodness of sweet cranberries, paired with that yummy citrus zest and loads of glorious carbs — it was always a definite crowd-pleaser!  The only tiny downside was that this deliciousness came from (ahem) a box mix.

So when I had a cranberry-orange craving last week, decided to make some cranberry-orange muffins from scratch!  Sure enough, found a quick recipe online that didn’t even require me to pull out the mixer.  It was a basic muffin recipe with a handful of cranberries plus lots of delicious orange zest thrown in.  And then (the best part) you dip the muffins once they have baked in a fabulous sweet orange glaze.

Honestly, these required little more time together than the box mix.  So quick and easy!  And my friends agreed that they were super tasty!!  Definitely a fantastic recipe for a small loaf of bread, or a dozen quick muffins.  Look forward to making this old favorite with the new recipe again soon!

Cranberry Orange Muffins Recipe

Ingredients:

Muffin Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 egg
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. finely grated orange zest
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup (half stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 1/4 cup sour cream
• 3/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Glaze Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. finely grated orange zest
• 1/4 orange juice (freshly squeezed from the orange you zested, if you would like)

Method:

To Make The Muffins:

Preheat the oven 350 degrees. Grease a muffin pan or prepare with baking cups; set aside.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk the egg until combined, about 20 seconds. Add the sugar and whisk until the mixture is thick and thoroughly combined. Stir in the orange zest until evenly distributed. Slowly whisk the vanilla and butter into the mixture until combined. Add half the sour cream, whisking until just combined, repeat with the remaining sour cream.

Add the flour to the sour cream mixture and fold with a spatula until the batter comes together. Add the cranberries (and nuts, if using) and continue folding the mixture until the berries are evenly distributed.  Do not overmix.

Evenly divide the batter in between the cups of the muffin pan (about 3 tablespoons of batter per cup). Bake for 20-23 minutes, or until light golden brown, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer the muffins to a wire cooling rack and allow to cool for 5 minutes before glazing.

To Make The Glaze:

While the muffins are baking, combine 1/2 cup of the sugar and orange zest in a bowl until the zest is evenly distributed; set aside.

In a small saucepan set over medium heat, combine the remaining sugar (1/4 cup) and the orange juice, bring to a simmer. Stir occasionally to dissolve the sugar and continue simmering until the mixture becomes syrupy.

Generously, brush the tops of the muffins with the orange glaze. Once all of the muffins are glazed, dip the top of each muffin into the orange sugar, being sure to cover the top of each muffin. Serve warm.

Ali’s Tip:

These are heavenly when also paired with my favorite Crustless Spinach Quiche!

Source:

Adapted slightly from Bakingdom.

I have fond memories of grapefruit breakfasts growing up.  Every year, the kids in the youth group at church would have a “fruit sale”, and my mom was always that parent you could count on for a fantastic order of grapefruit.  Our family loved it!!  I remember flying down the stairs many a morning before school, and seeing my dad or mom standing there segmenting out a grapefruit for me to enjoy.  (I know, I know, I was a spoiled grapefruit eater!)  And then of course, squeeeeezing out every last bit of delicious juice after all of the slices had disappeared.  Mmmmm….

Nowadays, of course, I have to segment my own grapefruit!  But I still love it, and love experimenting with different ways to enjoy it!  Without a doubt, broiled grapefruit is one of my favorite go-to breakfasts.  It literally just takes a second to slice the grapefruit, sprinkle on some brown sugar (or some other add-ins I’ve mentioned below, if you want to get fancy!), and then pop it in the broiler or toaster oven for a few minutes.  And then a heavenly, warm, and wonderful sweet but tart grapefruit is yours to enjoy.

Healthy, quick, and delicious.

My kind of breakfast or snack anytime!  :)

Sugar-Broiled Grapefruit Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 grapefruit, sliced in half
• 1-3 tsp. brown sugar

Method:

Preheat oven to “broil”, with the rack on the top shelf (so that the grapefruit will be about 1.5 – 2 inches from the heat).

Arrange grapefruit halves, cut side up, in a broil-safe pan.  (You may need to use a knife to slice a small part off the bottom of each half to make sure they are sitting level in the pan.)  Sprinkle evenly with brown sugar.

Broil for 5-10 minutes, or until the sugar is melted and the edges begin to brown.  Remove and then use a knife to segment the grapefruit slices.  Serve at room temperature.

Ali’s Tip:

Some other ingredients you can mix with the brown sugar include:

• crystallized or ground ginger
• vanilla extract
• cinnamon or other spices
• agave nectar

Why hello, new favorite muffins!

Seriously — I did not expect this recipe to be this good.  But these muffins rock!!

For the fourth recipe in “Zucchini Week”, I decided to try a random one I found online for breakfast this week.  The ingredients sounded delicious, and definitely a little healthier than many muffins.  And since I happened to be craving some ginger, I added in an extra pinch to round out the seasonings.  Ha – the one kitchen lesson I learned, though, is that “shredded” carrots are definitely different than freshly “grated” carrots.  The only thing I had in the fridge was a bag of shredded carrots, and those little guys are as crisp and strong as little twigs!  As you can see in the photo below, they were poking out of the muffin batter all over the place!!

However, once they baked up, the silly orange spikes gracefully cooked into the muffins.  And lo and behold, they turned out delicious!!!  Definitely exceeded my expectations.  And since I made a double batch (which I definitely recommend — you can always freeze the extras), they were especially enjoyable knowing that there were four cups of carrots and zucchini in there.  I will most definitely be making these again soon!

Carrot & Zucchini Muffins Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 Tbsp. canola or vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup grated zucchini
• 1 cup grated carrots
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, toasted (optional)
• 1 cup white whole what flour (or all-purpose flour)
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

Method:

Preheat oven to 375.  Prepare a pan with 6 standard muffin cups (or 20 mini-muffin cups) with paper liners or cooking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, oil, salt, and egg.  Add zucchini, carrots, cinnamon chips (if using) and pecans.

Whisk together the remaining ingredients in a separate bowl, then add to the batter.  Stir until just combined.  Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups.  Let the muffins rest for 10 minutes before placing them into the oven.

Bake the muffins until the edges are lightly browned and they feel firm if gently pressed, about 18 to 25 minutes.  A cake tester inserted into the center of a muffin should come out clean.  Cool muffins in the pan for 10 minutes; transfer to a rack, and cool completely.

Makes 6 standard muffins, or 20 mini muffins.

Ali’s Tip:

If you only have zucchini or carrots on hand, you could just include 2 cups of the one vegetable (instead of 1 cup of each).

Source: Adapted from Multiply Delicious.

I can’t help but smile when I hear the word “waffles”.

Waffles.  Waffles.  Waffles.

Definitely as much fun to say as they are to eat.

And you’ll have all the more fun eating this delicious recipe knowing that they are made with a mound of shredded zucchini and white whole wheat flour!  But I promise that the only hint of a veggie your kids may notice will be the cute green flecks decorating the waffles — the zucchini taste all but disappears in that vanilla-cinnamon-y goodness.  They are absolutely delicious, and the perfect waffle fluffiness too.  :)

Keep checking back for more delicious recipes during “Zucchini Week” here at Gimme Some Oven!

Zucchini Waffles Recipe

Ingredients:

(Makes 8 waffles)

• 1 large zucchini, ends trimmed
• 1-1/2 cups white whole wheat flour (or all-purpose unbleached flour)
• 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1-1/2 cups milk (I used skim)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Method:

Preheat waffle maker to 400°F.

Grate the zucchini on the large holes of a box grater. Use a strainer or dishtowel to then squeeze some of the moisture out of the zucchini, then set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and sugar. Stir together.

In another large bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, and vanilla extract. Add the dry ingredients (the flour mixture), and beat until smooth. Fold in the zucchini and mix well.

Spray the waffle maker with cooking spray (top and bottom plates). Spread half of the batter evenly over the bottom of the waffle maker (generally about 1/2 cup per waffle), and close the top. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the waffles are as crisp as you like them. (Different waffle making equipment will cook at different rates, so please follow the instructions that come with your machine.)  Repeat with remaining batter.

Serve hot, topped with butter and maple syrup.

Ali’s Tip:

These can be made with an electric mixer, but they are also totally easy with just a whisk and a mixing bowl.

Source: Adapted from The Perfect Pantry.

Ok, I know I just did a post about making 2011 a healthy new year.   But hey…traditions are traditions.  :)  And this is one of my all-time favorites!  So allow me to present to you…the famous….monkey bread!!!

I admit that I only allow myself to make this utter deliciousness three times a year — for Sunday brunch on Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter weekends.  And I only make it when lots of friends/family are coming over to help eat it (and spread out the calories!).  But my friends and I eagerly look forward to it every year!

For anyone out there who has never tried monkey bread before, you must. This buttery, cinnamon-and-sugary goodness is wonderfully irresistible!  (I’m pretty sure we have never had leftovers!)  It’s also quite simple to make too — perfect especially for any kiddos who like to help out in the kitchen.  And it only calls for 5 ingredients.  Always a nice plus.  :)

So for anyone out there who has never tried monkey bread, or for anyone who’s looking for an excuse to try it again (“all things in moderation!”), here is my favorite tried-and-true recipe.  I guarantee you’ll love it!

Monkey Bread Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 large cans (16 oz.) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar (be sure that clumps are broken up)
• 2 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
• (Optional: 1 cup pecan halves or walnuts)

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a bundt pan generously with non-stick spray.

Prepare two dipping bowls.  In the first, pour the melted butter.  In the second, whisk together the sugars and cinnamon until well-mixed.

Place the biscuits on a cutting board, and use a large knife to cut them into quarters.  Then dip each piece first in the melted butter, then transfer it to the second bowl and roll it in the sugar until well-coated on each side.  Then place each piece loosely in the bundt pan.  (Don’t press the pieces together — they will expand when baked!)  Repeat.  If you would like to add in pecans/walnuts, just add them in with the dough at random.  Then pour the extra butter over the top.

Bake for about 40 minutes or until the top springs back when touched. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully invert onto a plate, and serve immediately.

Ali’s Tip:

Be sure that your butter stays well-melted and thin during the dipping process.  If it begins to cool and thicken, just pop it in the microwave for another 10-15 seconds to warm it up.

My goal is to make this December a considerably healthier month than in years’ past.  And so far — thanks to a little self-control, and less time in the kitchen than usual (December is kind of a busy season working in a church!) — that mission has been mostly accomplished.  :)  But I can’t let December go by without a little gingerbread in my life.  So in addition to making a batch of cookies this week, I also decided to try this recipe I stumbled across for gingerbread pancakes.

It’s not that often that I eat (or much less, make) pancakes, but when I do, I like them to be flavorful.  Otherwise, I tend to add on a little too much butter and syrup to compensate!  So when I saw that this recipe called for all of my favorite gingerbread spices, and included some healthier ingredients such as whole wheat flour, low fat milk, and only a small amount of brown sugar — I was stoked!

As a proud gingerbread fan, I’m happy to say they were a total success!  Easy to prepare, nice and fluffy (although a little thinner than most pancakes), and full of that delicious gingerbread flavor.  I did top them with a little syrup and butter (not quite as much as in the picture!!), but as hoped, found they were flavorful enough to hold their own well.

So if you’re also a fan of gingerbread, or are just looking for a new and healthier breakfast idea for the season, I definitely recommend these!

Gingerbread Pancakes Recipe
(Adapted from Tracey’s Culinary Adventures & Gingerbread)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups whole-wheat flour (white or regular)
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 tsp. orange zest (optional)
• 1 large egg
• 2 cups milk (I used 2%)
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 5 1/2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
• maple syrup, for serving (optional)

Method:

In a large bowl, whisk together the whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg and orange zest.

In a medium microwave-safe bowl melt 3 tablespoons of the butter.  Let cool a bit then whisk in the milk, egg and vanilla extract.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk just until combined (some lumps are fine).  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or overnight.

***If you want to make all of the pancakes before serving, preheat oven to 200 F.  Place a baking sheet lined with foil on the middle rack.***

Using the remaining butter, heat about 1 teaspoon butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Add 1/4 cup of batter to the pan for each pancake (you can probably make 2 at a time if your pan is large enough).  Cook until bubbles appear on the surface of the pancakes and they begin to brown just a bit around the edges, about 2 minutes, then flip and cook on the other side for about 2 minutes more.  Move the pancakes to the warm oven (if you need to stack the pancakes on the baking sheet, do so between layers of parchment paper).  Wipe the pan with a paper towel, melt another teaspoon of butter and repeat the cooking process.

Makes about fourteen 4-inch pancakes

Ali’s Tip:

To cut down on butter, you can also just use cooking spray to cover the skillet before cooking the pancakes. :)

My cabinets may or may not have an unusually plentiful supply of pumpkin this year…

Ha – I can’t seem to help myself!  Ever since last year’s pumpkin shortage, an extra can always seems to make its way into my grocery bag whenever I pass by it in the store.  Apparently my subconscious is worried I might have to go another (gasp!) two months without pumpkin this winter.  Oh well, I guess my hoarding habits could be worse… :-)

So suffice it to say, we’ve been enjoying quite a few pumpkin recipes this season!  One of my recent favorites was a pumpkin pie biscotti recipe adapted from Jamie at My Baking Addiction. As soon as I saw it, I knew it would be one of my favorites.  It’s everything I love in a biscotti — lots of great flavor (and pumpkin pie spice!), only 2 Tbps. butter in the entire recipe, and easy to make!  Since I also have a bad habit of drizzling white chocolate over my biscotti, this batch also received an extra touch of sweetness – yum.

I shared this one with some friends and family, and they all said to tell you it’s a keeper.  Hope you enjoy it too!

Pumpkin Pie Biscotti Recipe
(Adapted from My Baking Addiction)

Ingredients:

• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (see tip below for substitution)
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 Tbsp. vanilla paste (or 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract)
• 2 Tbsp. butter or margarine
• 1 1/4 cup pecans or walnuts, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup melted white chocolate, for drizzling or dipping (optional)

Method:

Preheat oven to 350*F.

Combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice in a large bowl; stir well. In another bowl, combine pumpkin, eggs, and vanilla, stirring well with a wire whisk. Slowly add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture, stirring until dry ingredients are moistened. (Mixture will be very crumbly; it will gradually become moist after stirring.)

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat; add nuts. Cook, stirring constantly, until nuts are browned. Remove from heat and cool completely.

Knead or gently stir cooled nuts into dough. Place dough on a lightly floured surface and divide into 2 portions. Lightly flour hands and shape each portion into a 2 x 10″ long log.  (Or I just made one large 8″ x 16″ log.) Place logs 3″ apart on lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake for 24 minutes; cool logs 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300 F.

After some cooling, move a loaf to a cutting board and cut diagonally into 1/2″ thick pieces. Do the same to the other loaf. The interior of each biscotto should still be just a little moist (while the exterior is nice and hard). The crust of the loaf will probably be quite hard, so use a large serrated knife such as a bread knife for this job.

Place the biscotti with a cut side facing up on a half sheet pan and bake for 8 minutes. Remove the pan and flip all the biscotti over so the other cut side is now facing up. Bake for another 7 minutes. Set all the pieces on a wire rack to cool making sure that none of the biscotti are touching each other. If the biscotti are placed too close together, they could get a little soft or soggy as they cool.

Once the biscotti have fully cooled, they can be consumed as is, or white chocolate dipped or drizzled.  To melt the chocolate, pop it in the microwave and heat for 30 seconds, then stir.  Then continue heating in 15-second increments (carefully) and stirring in between until chocolate is melted.  (I usually add in a little shortening to help it melt and avoid burning.)  Then just dip a fork in the chocolate and swish it over biscotti to drizzle, or you can pour it in a Ziplock or pastry bag (with a tiny corner snipped out) and squeeze it out.

The biscotti tastes best during the first few days, but will keep for up to a month in a sealed air-tight container.

Ali’s Tip:

If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice, you can substitute in:

• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

One of the definite highlights of my college years was getting to be roommates with my friend, Natalie.  In addition to being a wonderful friend, and my first serious walking buddy (seriously – we lived together during the year I had to stop running, and she graciously gave up her jogging to walk a few miles with me each day…such great memories!)….Natalie is also a fantastic cook.  :)

So needless to say, we had a blast in the kitchen that year.  (I threw in a picture below of the two of us and the “creation” we made for a Christmas dessert contest!)  At the time, I was obsessed with all sorts of ethnic recipes.  Whereas Nat was raised in a small town, and was the pro at all things “comfort food”.  So we had a great time swapping tips and recipes!  (And…consuming too many calories, but hey – that’s where the walking came in!)

Without a doubt, one of my favorite recipes from Natalie is her famous sour cream coffee cake.  Oh my heavens.  We made this often while we were roommates, and I have made it a few times a year ever since.  In short — this recipe is coffee cake perfection.  The texture is perfectly moist and fluffy, flavored with all of that wonderful buttery-cinnamon-sugary goodness, and people go NUTS over it.  I always get requests for the recipe.

So cheers to amazing cakes, and amazing college roomies!  Love you, Nat!!

Sour Cream Coffee Cake Recipe
(From my friend, Natalie)

Ingredients:

Cake Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 (12 oz.) container of sour cream (I use reduced-fat)
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Topping Ingredients:

• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

Method:

In a mixer, cream together butter and sugar.  Add eggs to the mixture, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture alternately with the sour cream and vanilla.  Mix until combined.

Then pour half of the batter into a greased 9″x13″ baking pan, and sprinkle with half of the topping.  Add the remainder of the batter on top, and sprinkle with the remaining topping.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.

Ali’s Tip:

The batter will be pretty sticky, so I recommend adding your second layer in small spoonfuls all over the pan (rather than just adding the remaining batter in one big blob).  This may make it easier to spread out over the cinnamon-sugar layer.

(We took 1st place!)  :)

I recently saw a recipe for potato and zucchini hash and loved the idea!  (But wasn’t all that crazy about cooking up two russett potatoes.)  So I tried mixing it up by adding some sweet potatoes (way healthier, plus I love the sweet/salty combo!), a little bit of onion, and zucchini and yellow squash (yay, color!)….and voila!  This is definitely one of my new favorite breakfasts!

The ingredient combo ended up being completely delicious!  And totally simple – the “hardest” part was just cutting up the veggies.  Which, I should point out that I somehow defaulted to habit and only halved instead of quartered the veggies — oops!  So my “hash” looked more like half-medallions.  :)  But of course, they tasted the same.  And even just being seasoned with salt, pepper, and cooked in some olive oil — this was completely yummy and flavorful!  All the better when paired with an egg, cooked however you’d like.

So cheers to getting your veggies for breakfast!

Sweet Potato & Zucchini Hash Recipe
(Adapted from Martha Stewart)

Ingredients:

Method:

Rinse potatoes well under cold running water, then drain and thoroughly pat dry. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add onion and potatoes and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until potatoes are almost cooked through and golden, about 15 minutes.

Add zucchini, reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring, until zucchini is soft and potatoes are cooked through, 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper; divide among four plates. To serve, top with eggs.

Ali’s Tip:

To fry an egg sunny-side-up, melt 1 Tbsp. of butter in a skillet over medium-heat.  Once the oil is heated (if you add a drop of water in the oil, it will sizzle), crack open your egg and gently pour it into the pan.  Reduce heat to low.  Cook slowly until the whites are completely set and the yolks begin to thicken, but are not hard.

Ok, this was one recipe I had to try…  :)

Recently came across it in an issue of Martha Stewart Everyday, and was definitely intrigued.  Seemed like my kind of a twist on eggs and toast — so cute!  Since I’ve been stocking up on bell peppers this summer (both in my garden and at the farmers’ market – yum!), decided to give it a go!

But I have to admit…my first attempt wasn’t so “cute”.  My first inclination was to go with the biggest, roundest bell pepper in my fridge.  But as soon as I cracked the eggs, I quickly discovered that they would hardly fill the “hole”…much less rise to the top!  So I ended up giving it another try with some skinnier bell peppers, and also sliced them a little thinner than the full 1/2-inch that the recipe required.  (Mine were maybe a centimeter or so high.)  Sure enough, voila — four charming, perfectly-cooked and perfectly-filled “bell pepper egg-in-a-hole” creations, courtesy of Martha.  Cute, cute, cute…and delicious!  :)

I ended up following the rest of her recipe to a tee, resisting the urge to throw in some extra herbs, and we agreed they were quite nice!  Definitely liked the extra Parmesan on top.  And the whole meal (which could easily serve four for breakfast, brunch, or lunch!) took less than 10 minutes to make.  Love it.  And definitely recommend it!

Bell Pepper Egg-In-A-Hole Recipe
(From Martha Stewart)

Ingredients:

Method:

In a large cast-iron or nonstick skillet, heat 1 teaspoon oil over medium-high heat.  Add bell pepper, then crack 1 egg into the middle of each pepper ring.  Season with salt and pepper and cook until egg whites are mostly set but yolks are still runny, 2 to 3 minutes. Gently flip and cook 1 minute more for over easy.

Sprinkle with Parmesan and use a spatula to place each egg on a slice of toast. Toss salad greens with 1 teaspoon oil and season with salt and pepper; serve alongside eggs.

Ali’s Tip:

To give this more of a Southwestern flare, you could add some finely chopped jalapeno (and maybe some finely chopped mushrooms!) inside the bell peppers when you first add them to the skillet.  Then just crack the egg on top of them, and immediately sprinkle with a pinch of cumin and chili powder on the egg.  Then garnish with some chopped fresh cilantro!