How to Cook Eggs in a Coffee Cup in the Microwave ♥ Happy Birthday, Alex!

Today's easy breakfast recipe: Eggs cooked in a coffee mug in a microwave. Quick and easy and so very adaptable. Yes, mine includes veggies, spinach and red pepper. And for any naysayers? It's surprisingly good!

Hey Vegetable Lovers, This recipe is dedicated to my sister's son Alex, my nephew, who turns 21 next week. If you have any quick and easy recipes that a young man should learn how to make, would you leave them in the comments? Links from bloggers welcome!

Dear Alex,

Forgive me, won't you, Alex, for remembering the sweet time when you and I first bonded? It was Thanksgiving Day and your mom and I were busy in the kitchen, stuffing the turkey, mashing the potatoes, stirring the gravy. Your seven-month self wanted attention! So I spent the day cooking with you in my arms: it wasn't efficient but it's my very favorite Thanksgiving memory. As you've grown older, Alex, your Generous Heart gets bigger and bigger, it's no wonder that at Stevi and Tony's wedding last month, a certain four-year old flower girl was smitten by your attention, gifting you her last cake pop to say goodbye.

So here's the thing. My birthday "present" is a small kick in the you-know-what, aiming you toward the kitchen. It's time to learn how to cook a few basics. Eggs are a great place to start. They're cheap, they're good for you and they can be cooked a hundred different ways. So this is your first recipe, it's not even really a "recipe" – you can be as creative as you want, you can make it your one favorite way or you can make it different every time. It's a lot like your mom's Homemade Egg McMuffins which we all love so much. But this is even easier, you just mix it all up in a big coffee mug!

Here's all you'll need, Alex. Check the kitchen, it's all there, I promise:

A mug, a fork and a microwave
Some eggs
A little milk, mustard and cheese
A little bread

Happy Birthday, Alex! And Happy Cooking!

Love, Auntie Al

PS And if you like the eggs? Here's an NPR story that has recipes for making homemade mac 'n 'cheese in a mug, also a brownie in a mug. You could be a coffee mug chef, Alex! Oh! And I've asked my blogging friends for their ideas too!

RECIPE for How to Cook Eggs in a Coffee Cup in the Microwave

Hands-on time: 10 minutes
Time to table: 10 minutes
Serves 1, easily multiplied

GATHER YOUR STUFF
A microwave-safe mug, for cooking
Cooking spray
A fork, for mixing

NOW MIX THE EGGS
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon mustard
A good pinch of salt
A good grind of pepper
Splash of hot sauce like Tabasco
Optional: garlic powder or onion powder or other seasonings

ADD OTHER STUFF
A little chopped red pepper
A little chopped fresh spinach
Cooked bacon or chopped ham
A half slice of bread, torn into small pieces (your mom's leftover pancakes would be awesome, so would a flour tortilla)
Some cheese, grated is good, so are tiny cubes

GATHER YOUR STUFF For two eggs, choose a large mug that holds about 1-1/2 cups. For easy clean-up later, spray the inside of the mug with cooking spray. You can mix everything right in the mug but if you're a neatnik like me (and I know you are ...), mix everything in a bowl first, then pour it into the mug once it's all together.

NOW MIX THE EGGS Use the fork to whisk the eggs, milk, mustard and salt and pepper, you want the eggs to look all creamy-yellow and ropey, no stripes of yolk or white. Are you adding any other seasonings? Dump them in now, mix it with the fork again.

NOW ADD THE OTHER STUFF Stir in the other stuff, be creative, look for color and what tastes good to you! There may be leftovers in the fridge, they'd be good here. And yes, put some veggies in there because y'know, you wouldn't want your Auntie Al to be all embarrassed, would you now?

NOW COOK! Pour the mixture into the coffee mug, it should be no more than half full because it's going to p-u-f-f up while it cooks. Put the mug in the center of the microwave and set it for 1 minute. Stay close though, you'll want to watch what happens! After one minute, check the eggs, you'll probably want to cook them for another 30 seconds, even another minute. But don't just set the microwave to 2 minutes, it helps the food to cook more evenly by taking a short break. You might even flip the eggs at the one-minute mark.

YOU KNOW WHAT'S NEXT, RIGHT? Dig in, these eggs are best when they're hot!

TODAY'S VEGETABLE RECIPE INSPIRATION Inspired by Coffee Mug Quiche.

NUTRITION INFORMATION Per Serving: 245 Calories; 12g Tot Fat; 5g Sat Fat; 432mg Cholesterol; 425mg Sodium; 11g Carb; 1g Fiber; 5g Sugar; 19g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS: WW Old Points 5.5 & WW PointsPlus 6

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MORE FAVORITE EGG RECIPES
~ Baked Eggs in Cream with Spinach ~
~ Easy Spinach Nests ~
~ Asparagus Eggs Benedict ~
~ more breakfast recipes ~
from A Veggie Venture

~ Gashouse Eggs ~
(this is Grandfather's recipe, why they're called "Kellogg Eggs")
~ Homemade Egg McMuffins ~
(do you recognize your mom's recipe?!)
~ Alex's French Eggs ~
(named for you, Alex!)
~ more egg recipes ~
from Kitchen Parade, my food column

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