Some of my married girlfriends cook dinner for their families EVERY NIGHT. We’re talking meat, vegetable, grain style. Now on the other hand, one friends’ husband is lucky if his wife heats him up a Lipton side (girl you knooow I just called you out!). Still other couples BOTH enjoy cooking(yay Kristen and Mike!). Sadly this is not the case for us – I was gone for a few days last week and my husband told me he didn’t even WALK INTO the kitchen. Who does that?
Long story short, every family does what works best for them. I like to cook breakfast foods, and my husband likes to eat breakfast food (and isn’t complaining that someone is feeding him in general). For this reason, we have “breakfast for dinner” at LEAST once a week. When I put together this particular conglomeration, my husband declared it a “keeper”. I used a pepper you may have seen but been confused about – long hots! I don’t know if this is the technical name for these peppers, but it’s what my Italian relatives call them. They look like this:
I had gotten a big bunch (for a dollar!) at a Jersey Farm stand, and I couldn’t WAIT to fry them up. Paired with scrambled eggs and creamy, snappy provolone cheese on a hoagie roll – forgetaboutit.
For those of you who hate on breakfast for dinner and demand a meat, let’s chat. An egg has 7 grams of protein. My sandwich had 3 eggs (21 grams of protein) as well as 2 slices of cheese (another 10 grams). 31 grams of protein is comparable to a big ‘ol piece of chicken, so back the heck off! On one sandwich you’re getting LOADs of protein, dairy, veggies, and grains. That sounds like a fantastic dinner to me, and it comes together much quicker than any pasta dish! Also, if cooking for family members who walk in the door unannounced and starving, dinner is wrapped in foil and waiting in the oven (the oven makes it even BETTER – roasty toasty).
Breakfast for dinner is a nice change of pace, and an easier meal for whoever is the “cook” in the family. Disclaimer, don’t cook long hots if you can’t handle some heat – you eat the seeds of this skinny pepper and the seeds carry most of the heat, so prepare yourself. If you like the idea of this sandwich but not the spice, try it with sauteed bell peppers instead.
Long Hots, Provolone and Egg Sandwich
Makes 2
4 long hot peppers, trimmed*
2 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. kosher salt, divided
1 tsp. butter
5 eggs
2 tbsp. milk
pinch black pepper
4 slices provolone cheese
2 Italian style rolls
*to trim long hot peppers, just chop off the stem end
1. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Heat olive oil for about 1 minute and add peppers.
2. Let peppers cook for several minutes or until lightly browned. Flip peppers and repeat on other side, cooking until browned.
3. Reduce heat to low and add 2 tbsp. water. Place lid on pan and let cook for about 20 minutes, adding more water as necessary (at this point, peppers are steaming to soften completely – don’t let the pan get dry).
4. When peppers are evenly browned and soft, remove to a plate. Sprinkle with 1/4 tsp. kosher salt.
5. Wipe out skillet and add butter. Heat pan to medium. Heat oven to 250 degrees.
6. In a small mixing bowl, beat eggs and milk. Add to pan when butter/pan is hot.
7. Scramble gently and add remaining 1/4 tsp. salt and the pinch of pepper. When eggs are just barely set (still slightly runny), arrange into two piles.
8. Top piles with two slices of cheese each. Cover with lid until cheese melts.
9. Open rolls and place peppers on one side. Top with cheesy eggs.
10. Wrap sandwiches in tin foil and place in oven for 10 minutes (or until ready to eat).
