Heather Rode enjoys photography, baking, antiques, and hair care.

Hungry Heather, party of me, my table is READY! photo and cooking by Heather Says

A Tasty Egg Pie

Okay, so the name isn't final and the name isn't really important. My husband usually says,

"Oh you made that yummy egg thing!"

You can also make this yummy egg thing. This dish incorporates all of the great things about a frittata, an omelet, and a quiche (in no special order). I have a hard time truly classifying what it is, so we'll just agree to call it delicious!

Shortly after moving into our new house, I kept seeing frittata recipes on tv and in magazines. I love eggs and never had a frittata before, so I was dying to try one. Finally one day, I thought, "I'll just make my own!" In fact, I didn't think it to myself... I remember declaring it loudly. I hit two snags though:

I didn't have an iron skillet (still don't) I can't eat spinach

Okay, so number 2 isn't really the end of the world. It's just that all the really yummy-looking frittatas had spinach. Unfortunately, the vitamin K in leafy greens like spinach counteracts with my blood-thinning medicine. So for the last year and for many more to come, I can only look at spinach and remember the love affair we once had ;)

So again, I declared

"I'll make it without spinach and it'll be even better and I'll use Pyrex and everything will be great!"

And it was.

Don't pay too much attention to the ingredients of this recipe. I'm sharing the idea and the process with you to show that you can really do whatever you want with this dish and it will always be fantastic. I enjoy experimenting with this and I make it a little bit different each time. I use ingredients that we already have, and in preparing for this hub, I didn't even go shopping. I used what we had. It was a great way to finish up some odds and ends in the frig before we leave for Disneyland. Enjoy!

Absolutely Beautiful! Heather Says

To me, an omelet seems like a poor man's frittata. The frittata is visually-pleasing, easy to cut and serve, and when plated looks quite elegant. Now don't get me wrong, I have seen some beautiful omelets. I perfected (well, in my mind I did) the art of omelet-making during my first and last food job back in college. I can flip 'em in a pan like a pro, and they come out so light and fluffy! But, I have given that all up for my crazy egg pie. Omelets are great, but try serving a piece of an omelet to a dinner guest. It's crazy talk.

My crazy egg pie has the beauty of a frittata, especially the cute triangle portions that make you think you're rich and famous, and a personal chef (whose name escapes you because you're too rich to remember) has prepared it JUST for you.

My crazy egg pie has the hearty-ness (and airy fluffiness) of a build-it-yourself omelet, like the delicious kind from some 24-hr diner that may or may not be a franchise but you can eat this at home and not deal with the teenage waitress and the drunk college kids in the booth next to you.

My crazy egg pie also has the beautiful crust like that of a quiche, and in the right light they could be mistaken for twins, but my crazy egg pie is the twin who will call you back after a blind date.

Okay, let's get down to business.

Must Haves

Between 6 and 9 eggs* depending upon your pan size

A pan, pie plate, or skillet**

And whatever else you want

*If you only have three eggs on hand, you can make another version of this dish, My Egg Pizza.

**The great thing about using a skillet is that you can begin making it stove-top-style and then stick it in the oven to finish it up. As a skillet-less member of the population, I did just fine using a Pyrex pie dish. In fact, I love being able to see through my dish and see if it's getting too dark.

clockwise from top left: frozen tater tots, fresh yellow onion, fresh yellow bell pepper, sliced sandwich turkey, Heather Says

my very first crazy egg pie, although my prototype was thicker and more square Heather Says

Ingredients

For this particular crazy egg pie, I used:

6 large eggs

two handfuls of frozen tater tots

half of a yellow onion

half of a yellow bell pepper

a small pkg of OscarMayer roasted turkey sandwich slices

my last two slices of Kraft singles

about a dozen saltine crackers (crust/topping)

I used whatever we already had in the frig. Do the same. You know what you like to eat, and you know what food items taste good together.

In other crazy egg pies have also used:

2 cups frozen shredded hashbrowns

1/2 cup salsa

green bell pepper

ham

bacon

club crackers (for crust/topping)

tortilla chips (crust/topping)

cook onions first 1 / 6

Steps

In a frying pan, I begin cooking my chopped onions with a little margarine. After about 10 minutes, I add my tater tots. I have cut my tots up because I am using tater rounds which are harder to break up than tots. I cook tots until they are nicely browned and broken up like hash browns. Next, I add my thin-sliced and chopped deli-style turkey. This is optional, but I like it browned a bit. I add my peppers dead last as I don't want them to be soggy. I only cook them for about 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, I have beaten my eggs. And I mean really beat them. I use my electric hand-mixer with the whisk attachments for a good 5 or more minutes. I want everything blended nicely and lots of bubbles and foam. I beat my eggs and then I am ready for this next step. I don't let any time pass or I will lose my beautiful froth.

In a Pyrex pie dish that I have greased with margarine, I spread some extra on the sides. This is important for our crust. The margarine will melt down and do its magic. I'm also going to claim that the margarine makes the pie and crust taste better than if I had used shortening or spray. I will also claim that it probably tastes even better with real butter. I have no evidence to support these claims.

I pour just enough egg batter into my dish to coat the bottom. Then I add my ingredients from my pan and anything else I like. I like to pat them down gently or give my dish a little shake to get them evenly distributed throughout the pie. Sometimes I put cheese in during this step and in this particular pie, I put in my cut-up Kraft singles. I prefer to use shredded cheese and lots of it, but oh well, we had none.

I pour the remaining eggs over my ingredients and use a spatula to scoop and scrape every last bit into my dish.

While my ingredients are cooking, I like to multi-task. During this time I usually grease my dish, make my topping/crust and then beat my eggs very last.

I sprinkle my topping on. I have crushed up crackers in a Ziploc bag. Crush them as coarse or fine as you like. You can use a rolling pin. I use a Coke bottle. I need to buy a new rolling pin, as I am skillet- as well as rolling pin-less. When they're crushed to my liking, I transfer them to a measuring cup or small dish, as this makes sprinkling them evenly across the top of my pie much easier. I put a few pats of margarine on the top of my crumbs, but this is optional. (It makes the crust awesome!)

Bake it up! I put my dish on a pizza pan before placing it in the oven. This makes it easier to grab/hold and also protects from any over-bubbling (although I have yet to bubble over). I do 400 degrees for about 30–40 minutes. Since I always make it different and some pies are filled with more ingredients, I just watch it. I do a jiggle test and if it jiggles, it needs to keep on cooking. When it seems like a solid mass and no longer jiggles, I stick a toothpick in various places (especially the middle) and ensure it comes out clean. If it has runny egg on it, it needs to bake longer.

At this time, I turn on my broiler and give my crust one last little hot push. Broiling is bad for Pyrex, but I do it for about 60 seconds. I will literally watch it through the window. When it's brown, I then shut my oven off, open the door, and remove it. When you take it out, your crazy egg pie might still be singing or whistling. So I give her about 5 minutes of standing (or sitting) (or time out). At this time she should be settled down and less likely to burn you.

I serve this pie crust down or crust up. If you want the crust on the bottom, carefully (and with oven mitts) put a plate on your dish upside down, hold both and gently flip. I cut it with a knife or pizza cutter into beautiful triangles and then serve. And eat it all up! This is delicious AS IS, but a little ketchup or sour cream never hurt anybody (just not both at the same time—that might hurt you).

Leftovers taste even better! I reheat in the oven or in a pan until warm throughout but never in the microwave.

dinner's ready! cheddar and potato pierogies, onion and red pepper potato latkes, and some crazy egg pie. Heather Says

Heather Says: My crazy egg pie is neither original or my own. It borrows the best elements from other dishes I love and I hope you love it too. The simplicity of this dish allows you to experiment and make it your own. And then you can name it, too. You can't screw this up, I PROMISE! It's a breakfast, it's a lunch, it's a dinner... it's a keeper ;)

What Do You Think of My Egg Pie?

© 2012 Heather

Sherry Hewins from Sierra Foothills, CA on April 12, 2012:

It looks delicious, it would be great for Christmas morning. I like the name, it's catchy and memorable. I also love your layout and the detailed photos. Well done. I'm pinning this one!

Marites Mabugat-Simbajon from Toronto, Ontario on April 07, 2012:

Ummm, and I like the set up of your photos too! Will bookmark to try one breakfast. Voted up for a yummy hub!

Heather (author) from Arizona on April 05, 2012:

Thanks, livingpah2004 :) Good luck with yours ;)

Heather (author) from Arizona on April 05, 2012:

Thanks for reading and commenting, vespawoolf :)

Vespa Woolf from Peru, South America on April 01, 2012:

Your crazy egg pie sounds delicious, and I feel very entertained after reading your hub! Voted up, funny and useful.

Milli from USA on March 28, 2012:

Interesting Hub. I like the way you have described the procedure. I will sure give it a try. Voted up! Thanks.