Easy New Year's Brunch

When I was a little kid, my mom and I made all kinds of baked goods like teddy bear bread and cookies. But one of the things I loved best of all was Pillsbury sweet rolls, either cinnamon or orange. They were so much fun! It was fun to pop open the tube, fun to separate the rolls and place them in a cake pan, not so much fun to wait for the oven to preheat, but lots of fun to slather the hot rolls with glistening icing.

Turns out Jeannene loved them, too, and still does. She especially loves picking up a couple tubes when the boys are in town. She wants gorilla bread Christmas morning, but we always have a tube of prefab rolls in the fridge during the holidays. Boot especially loved them as a kid and would eat as many as he could get away with and always gravitating, like his stepmama, to the ones most heavily iced.

I didn't want to spend all of New Year's Day cooking, so I came up with a quick and easy brunch that also felt special. Jeannene had said, a couple days ago, that she was in the mood for eggs in a nest. So, I made those with the orange rolls we had on hand and home fries made from last night's leftover baked potato. The home fries are so easy. Just slice leftover baked potatoes and fry in a combination of butter and olive oil until they're golden brown on each side.

To make eggs in a nest for two, cut or tear holes about 2" in diameter from the center of two slices of bread. I love to use a cookie cutter to make hearts, suns, stars, or whatever shape seems fun. It was hearts today, using a vintage cutter that belonged to my grandmom, a little way of including her in my 2014. 

Melt a tablespoon of butter in a skillet on medium heat. When it begins to foam, add the bread & the cut-outs. Carefully crack an egg into each hole. Season with salt & pepper and cook about 3 minutes, until bottoms are golden. Flip carefully and cook another minute or so. Serve with the cut-outs.