Kicked Up Egg-in-Toast

Egg in the basket, egg in the hole, toad in the hole, etc. etc. The list of names for eggs fried inside of a hole cut out of a piece of bread is endless, but it seems that variations on this recipe are pretty limited. Most people stick to plain and simple egg, bread slice, salt, pepper, butter and that's it. Sure it tastes alright, but why not kick your egg-in-toast up a notch! I got this idea from my sister (one of the reasons why I have called this "egg-in-toast," a reference to her boyfriends name) who wanted to experiment when making breakfast one morning. By adding just a few other ingredients, she was able to transform the traditional egg-in-toast in the same short amount of time! This recipe is great if your in a hurry. It's super fast to make and is a great source of protein and fiber.

Ingredients:

1 egg

1 piece of bread (I used a piece of 9 grain bread, but you may use whatever type you like)

1 tbsp butter

1 slice swiss or jarlsberg cheese

2 tbsp tomato sauce (you can use your favourite jarred sauce)

salt and pepper to taste

red pepper flakes to taste

fresh basil

Directions:

1. Cut hole (about 1 1/2 - 2 inches in diameter) out of bread. You can use a cookie cutter (heart shapes for something special!) or the lid of a jar.

2. In a medium non-stick pan, melt butter on medium-high heat.

3. Add bread to pan and break egg into the hole of the bread. Spoon tomato sauce over bread and top with pieces of cheese. Season egg and sauce with red pepper flakes and pieces of basil. Season egg with salt and pepper.

4. When bread has toasted on the side facing down on the pan, flip the toast and egg using a large spatula. Cook until other side has toasted. Carefully remove from pan and mmm mmm what a tasty and simple breakfast!