As the Midwest was in the middle of it — the long, sometimes never-ending seeming, winter cold season. During this stretch, the world is a combination of white and gray, of fresh snow sparkling in the sun and days cut short with early setting sun. Being in the middle of this time, I went in search for something colorful and warm inspiring. I found this brunch menu item fit the bill.

It’s been a while since we’ve done a brunch style weekend morning. So much so, I almost forgot how nice it can be to throw together a fun meal for when it’s light out. Being the time of year where it’s the same dark(ish) when I leave for work and when I come home, cooking a meal with sunlight coming thru the blinds almost made it feel like summer evening meals…that is until you open the patio door to let the dog out and realize how cold it really is (I believe that day was somewhere in the single digits…brrrr!)

This meal was fun to put together. It included this Fried Egg dish and a roasted red onion, heads of garlic and grapes served with goat cheese, toasted ciabatta bread and crackers, and a side bottle of Rose wine.

As per usual, the best part of the meal was that I could serve this to family. Eric’s mom came over and the three of us dined at the table with recipes made and/or adapted from a new cookbook that was a Christmas present from my sister in law. All things family set the stage for special moments in life…especially, wonderful brunches celebrating on a random Sunday with the sun shining.

And let’s not forget the food…this dish is simple, fresh, vibrant and worth adding to the rotation. Sometimes cherry tomatoes do not have as full a tomato flavor as their larger cousins, the heirloom or the Roma. It has been our experience that blistering or roasting with a little salt, pepper, extra virgin olive oil, amps up these little guys to another level. Add in with that a medium fried egg with a little runny yolk and fresh avocado, and when you close your eyes, you can pretend it’s summer.

Fried Eggs with Blistered Tomatoes & Avocados

Ingredients:

• 4 green onions, chopped into 1 inch pieces, both green and white part
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, multicolored if available
• 2 avocados, halved, slice in shell, and removed with spoon
• 5 eggs
• Salt and fresh cracked pepper
• 2 Tbls extra virgin olive oil

Preparation:

Heat olive oil in a large, non-stick pan over medium heat. When hot, add green onions and tomato and cook for 4 minutes, stirring regularly. Add avocado and cook for another 5 minutes.

Using your stir spoon, move stuff around to make five areas to put your eggs. Crack eggs into open areas. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 5-7 minutes. Serve right away.

Happy Brunching!!!

*Recipe from Jamie Oliver’s Together cookbook.