Manly Mondays - Breakfast of Champions

Hello everyone, 

Don't you just think the week would start off so much better with a big breakfast? I am all about breakfast and finding new ways to make it interesting, I feel that if you have something yummy and exciting to look forward to you're more likely to want to get up. Keeping that in mind here is a favourite recipe of Mr.Gingersnap's. I usually make this for him on Sunday, though he likes to "help" by eating my ingredients as we go along! 

I first saw the idea for Bacon Egg Cups over at A Little Freckle and thought they looked too good not to try! They can be made as a big breakfast, a brunch or as a starter depending on how many you want to make. I wrote this recipe as if you are making 6, so 3 each, but in the photos I only made 3, sorry guys. 

You will need: 

• 6 medium-large eggs 
• butter 
• 3-4 slices of brown bread 
• cheddar cheese 
• pepper 
• paprika 
• 8 rashers of bacon 

Firstly you want to grill your bacon until it is almost done, this usually takes around 2 minutes for each side under the full heat of the grill. The bacon should still be a little soft and pink. While you are doing this pre-heat your oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas mark.

Next, prep your muffin tins with a bit of butter for greasing. Just get on in there and smear a thin layer around the bottom and sides of the muffin part of the tin. 

Use a glass to cut circles out of your bread, I find that one slice of bread makes two circles if you go to opposite edges of the slice. Save the left-over bits for the birds, they get hungry over the winter! Place the bread circles in the tins, one in each hole. 

Slice your bacon into strips and wrap it around the edge of the muffin tin, if you have gaps then use some bits from the extra bacon slices to patch it up. If you don't need these bits then just eat them...yum! 

Grate your cheese so you can make a layer of similar thickness to the bread inside your bacon cup. Almost done! Crack one egg into each bacon cup, sprinkle on some black pepper and a teeny bit of paprika and voila, ready for the oven. 

I find that to have a runny yolk it is best to cook them for 11 minutes. If you like a more solid yolk, try 12 or 13 minutes. When they are done it is super easy to scoop them out onto a plate and enjoy! 

This recipe is really quick and easy, you can serve them on their own as a breakfast, with beans and tomato as a bigger brunch or serve on a bed of rocket salad singly for a tasty and decadent looking starter. 

How do you enjoy your breakfast? Let me know in the comments below :-) 

xoxo

Lazy Lounging

Hello everyone! 

Last weekend my parents came up to visit me on their way home from my cousin's wedding and, in the way all parents of uni students do, decided I needed feeding! On the Sunday morning we went out for a little drive and ended up in a nearby town called Heswall. Heswall has a number of lovely cafes and restaurants, but finding one open at 9 a.m on a Sunday and that takes dogs can be quite the challenge, but luckily for us we stumbled upon Otto's Lounge. 

Otto's Lounge is one of the Loungers chain, each one boasting a very retro and vintage ambiance. From the moment I walked in I fell in love with it and proceeded to whip out my camera and take pictures. The decor is kinda Eastern European shabby chic, with lots of mirrors and eclectic paintings. The light sconces were a work of art in their own right! The chairs and tables were beautifully mismatched and the whole place had a very casual, yet oh so cool vibe to it. Quite the hipster spot if I'm honest! I especially loved the book swap bookcase for people to exchange books, I may have to make use of this in the near future...

Now, being a vet student, places that are open to dogs always gain bonus points for me. The waitress was lovely and showed us to the dog friendly area and even brought my little dog her own water bowl and a couple of biscuits. Doggy heaven for her really, she did nothing by wag her tail the whole time! 

I can feel you all asking, but what was the food like?! It was AMAZING! I had thick american style pancakes with chopped strawberries and banana, peach cream and maple syrup, liberally sprinkled with icing sugar of course. Not only did it look delicious but it tasted it too, combined with the rich hot chocolate melting mini marshmallows it went down a treat. My mouth is watering at just the memory. 

I highly recommend that you all head over to the website and find your local loungers, to take a peek at my local one click here. 

Let me know in the comments below your favourite place for hot chocolate! :-) 

xoxo