A Waterfowler's Breakfast

Tomorrow is the day.  Tomorrow marks the end of lazy weekends spent watching college football with Holt, date nights in Midtown, and exercising in the park.  Tomorrow is the end of sleeping late on Saturdays and dragging ourselves to church on Sunday mornings.  There will be no more grocery shopping at our favorite grocer in Memphis or afternoons in the kitchen cooking meals from scratch, not for awhile, at least, because tomorrow is opening day of waterfowl hunting in Arkansas...duck season is in!  

During duck season, I lose Holt to his job, yes, but mostly his passion.  Sure he bundles me up and brings me along, but I can see his unconditional love for for the sport as he successfully calls ducks from the skies to the water.  While unconditional is a strong adjective, I am not exaggerating.  True waterfowlers will be in the blind before daylight when it's snowing outside with a smile on their face; in fact, I've heard snow is the best weather to hunt ducks in!  So while tomorrow may be the end of spending time together in my warm home in Memphis, for awhile, it's the beginning of an age-old tradition of man pursuing beast.  It's the beginning of early mornings, afternoon naps, and relaxing by the fire as the morning's spoils cook on the grill.  It's mud, waders, sunsets, a cocktail, and skies full of ducks.  It's a celebration of nature, our livelihood, and the great migration.    

After spending a morning in the frigid blind, calling, shooting, and retrieving (if you don't have a pup), duck hunters come home hungry.  Here's a quick and easy recipe to warm their rumbling bellies.  It's great for a big group because you can make as many as your muffin tins will hold.

Looks cold, right?

Crispy Ham Cups

Sound familiar?  Yes, we made this recipe at the cooking class a few weeks back.  I was a little doubtful that it would be as easy when I had to do it by myself without all the prepared ingredients in front of me, but it was.  So I'm sharing it with you!
Spray your muffin tin with non-stick spray.  Place your ham slices in the cups.  If you have thin ham, use two pieces.  If you have thick, like mine, use one.  Spoon in creamed spinach.  I bought a box of frozen and warmed it on the stove.  If you're ambitious, or have all the time in the world, you could make your own.

Crack the eggs and pour one into each cup.  Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper.  We sprinkled some shredded cheddar on a few of ours, just to use it up.

Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes.  After 15 minutes, watch them closely and take them out when they've reached the desired done-ness, depending on how you like your eggs.  The cheese melted nicely and helped hold the cups together.  Use a butter knife to separate the ham cups from the muffin tin and serve.

Easy, filling, and delicious!
I didn't write a printable version of this recipe because it's so easy (ham, creamed spinach, egg, salt/pepper, oven at 350 till done).  For the next couple of months, most of my recipes will be featuring wild game and waterfowl so grab a gun and a meat tenderizer and meet me back here for some country delicacies!