Hey Party-Makers,

I’m sitting a couple of days away from having lived a quarter century, and I’m feeling really grateful for all the love, adventures, and good food it’s been filled with. In our house we’ve technically been celebrating since April 1st, which is a nice way to explain that I’ve been claiming “birthday month” as my excuse for allllll things.  As always celebrating my birthday also means we’ve been eating good food. The most concentrated part of that will happen this week, as it’s my birthday week (!!!!!). This weekend we’ll have a celebration full of tacos, Latinx sounds, and most of my favorite (local) people (anyone in Georgia who wants to surprise arrive this weekend is MORE than welcome to; I’ll keep the guest room ready).

Speaking of coming to visit me, if you’ve ever been in our home in the morning, you know that breakfast/brunch are of supreme importance. My dream day starts slowly and is full of coffee with too much creamer, a fridge full of breakfast food inspiration, and avocado roses. For me, a big, hearty breakfast just kind of fuels my day and sets a tone that I’m going to take care of myself. It doesn’t hurt that most of my breakfasts are generally big enough to keep me full through lunchtime, with a few fruit or vegetable snacks in between, so I can stay focused and motivated.

Today I want to share with you a breakfast dish that is definitely NOT for the faint of heart. I generally like to make food that is accessible to all my people–but this recipe would be almost impossible to replicate in a vegan, GF way, because it is full of cheese, puff pastry, butter, and eggs. That having been said–it is stunningly delicious + delightfully easy!

I’m not kidding about it being easy. Sometimes I’m kidding, but this is not one of those times.

Here are some of my favorite aspects of this meal:

• It has a lot of cheese
• It looks super fancy
• It’s ready in 15 minutes
• It can feed a large crowd
• It’s an all-in-one meal

I made this for our Easter brunch last weekend, and it was a hit! AND it even had kale on it. So I guess you could say you can make it healthier? But I wouldn’t count on it. Either way, because this isn’t a meal you’ll be eating every day (although it would be very tempting), I’m not too worried about it. Everything in moderation, you know.

Things to keep in mind

This recipe is totally customizable. Maybe you hate kale, but love turnips so you add those instead. Maybe you want to add some prosciutto. Maybe you want to layer it like a lasagna. It’s a forgiving dish–play around with it! There aren’t too many ways to go wrong with buttery dough + cheese. Feel free to play with the ingredients to your liking.

I ended up adding some cayenne pepper just before putting it in the oven and the light kick made my tastebuds dance a bachata. I’ve also been cultivating my collection of Jacobsen Salts, and the black garlic salt really jived with all my other ingredients.

Feel free to cook for less than 15 minutes if you want to have a runny yolk with your eggs. Mine were well done around 13 minutes, and I broiled for a few minutes to brown the edges of the crust. Sometime around 8-10 minutes would probably be the sweet spot for lightly undercooked yolks.

At the very end, I decided I wanted something garlic-y (because why would you not?), so I sautéed some baby portobello mushrooms and garlic in ghee, and added them to the top of my slice. And because it’s breakfast, I added some avocado flowers and half an orange because we at least have to create the illusion that this is healthy.

Lastly, make sure to ENJOY! There is a time to think about calories. There is a time to take care of your body. A once-in-a-while wonderful brunch is not that time. So wear your loose pants, pour the mimosas, gather your favorite people, and eat this delight.

I hope you all enjoy this one! I know my birthday week is seriously all the better for it.

A quarter-century full of love,

Breakfast Pizza

A quick breakfast or brunch dish that you can whip up when you have a large crowd to feed, not a lot of time, but still want to wow your guests.

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Servings 8

Ingredients

  

• 1 Package Frozen Puff Pastry Sheets
• 8 Oz Fresh Mozzerella (plus some additional for sprinkling)
• 1.5 Cups Chopped Kale
• 4 eggs
• 1 Teaspoon Salt
• 1 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
• 1 Tablespoon Italian Seasoning
• 1/2 Teaspoon Pepper
• 2 Tablespoons Grated Asiago or Parmesan for sprinkling at the end

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lay sheets of puff pastry on a 13x9 baking sheet until the pan is covered. with a small cup (you can also free hand with a knife) cut four small circles in the middle of the pan. Using the dough from the center, create little crusts around the craters.
  
• Crack and pour eggs into the craters, and season with salt, cayenne, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Spread mozzarella and kale around the craters.
  
• Bake for 12 minutes at 400 degrees (or until desired done-ness) and broil for 1-2 minutes to crisp up the edges. Sprinkle with grated cheese, any additional craved toppings, and enjoy!
  

Mary-Beth Johnson

Mary-Beth is a creative, food-obsessed, Georgia transplant living Chicago. She is proudly and fiercely Latina, and more specifically Chapina. In her day to day she is a food educator to students around Chicagoland aged 3 to 80+, both virtually and in-person. She is passionate about cultivating the truth that every person has an understanding of food that deserves being brought to the table, and that time in the kitchen can be sacred, passionate, and an act of love for self and others. Outside the kitchen you can find her at the intersections of infertility, chronic illness, and a deep love for the dignity of all humans. She hopes to create a space that is holistic about the role of food in the social, political, relational, and physiological dynamics of our world.