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Close to a month ago I wished Hive account@intothewild a happy birthday on this post. He knows I am a total foodie and needless to say challenged me to put forward a "steak and eggs" breakfast post. "Pronto" was the demand of the day, which is a ball I dropped, but better late than never...right?!

As a mother I cook every single day of the week, so my "foodie" posts go through stages really... primarily because in order for me to actually POST about it - I absolutely HAVE to be inspired, and when you spend a large part of your EVERY day in the kitchen, it can become challenging to find inspiration to not only prepare and cook something creative, but to document the process in between everything else you have going on around you.

Interestingly enough, I have been having some pretty late nights recently - or should I say, early mornings... yet, my gas tank has been FULL! So very, very full! I have had this "challenge" in the back burner of my mind for a while... because I like to push creative boundaries... but I needed to be in the right head space to make something worthwhile of it. I have had a few "foodie" convo's with Hive account@galenkp of late and I know that "breakfast for dinner" is something he enjoys - so this one goes out to him :)

Breakfast for Dinner - "Jaynie Style"

There are a few simple things which (to my mind anyway) are required on a breakfast plate. Egg, bacon, tomato, mushroom, onion and steak if it is the best kind of breakfast. So here it is... My take on "breakfast for dinner".

Probably one of the simplest and most deliciously decadent plates of food known to mankind - leave it to me to complicate it though, haha! Challenge accepted. Fried tomatoes are normally the order of the day on a breakfast plate, but I opted to roast them... with a little finely chopped rosemary, salt, pepper and literally a grain or two of sugar.

I would normally drizzle the tomatoes with a little olive oil before shoving them into the oven at 250 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes, but there was a little bit of bacon left over from the pasta dish I made the other night and I am VERY much a "waste not want not" kinda gal... Also, what breakfast would be complete without a bit 'o bacon ;)

So, I decided to finely chop the already cooked bacon, and add it to the spread of tomatoes which were ready for roasting. Whilst the roasted tomatoes were set to be roasted and juicy, I wanted those little bacon bits to be charred and crunchy. They were tiny enough in size to get away with that bold level of flavour.

Once the tomatoes and bacon were done and dusted, I got the onions on the go. Onions on a breakfast plate come in MANY varying forms. Personally, I love them all - but considering there would be steak on the plate WITHOUT an actual sauce (other than the yolk of the egg) I figured a nice caramelised onion would go down well!

I sliced two onions into thick-ish rings, threw them into a pot with a little olive oilliciou, salt, balsamic vinegar and our South African "Mrs Balls Chutney". Fried those up until the excess liquid was gone and they turned deliciously golden looking.

Next on the agenda was the tatoes! The MOST important part of the plate in my opinion... because I am a total CARB JUNKIE!!! lol! I par-boiled some baby potatoes. This means putting them into already boiling water for approx. 7 min. Drained them and left them to cool. Once they were cooled, I sliced them in half and allowed them to cool further.

The tomatoes had just come out of the oven so I shoved another oven tray with a little oil in while the going was good. Gave it five minutes to heat up and whilst that was busy, I took the cooled, halved par-boiled jacket potatoes and tossed them in some salt and potato spice.

Baked those babies for a good 30+ min, tossing them every 10 minutes or so. Being that they were par-boiled, the cooking was not really an issue - only the browning and crisping. Once done, I shoved them into a dripping tray o get rid of the excess oil.

Next up on the prep menu was shrooms of the normal kind lol. I chose baby mushrooms, because.... well, they are just CUTER! Popped those into a pot with nothing other than a little veg spice and olive oil. Fried them for a good 10+ min. Got them good and golden!

Almost there... up next was the steak. I am a "matured" and RARE, blood gravy kinda girl... I wanted the steaks to be really PEPPERED! Prepped a plate of olive oil, salt and plenty a pepper for each stack of meat to lay down and bathe in. I am busy listening to Marilyn Manson's "7 Day Binge" song whilst I write this... think it's influencing the descriptions much? lol!!!!! I de-railed.... STEAKS!

1.5 min per side for me and 3.5 for those less inclined to rare. Put those aside in foil to rest. I made use of an old bowl to create the "surround" for sides and pretty much "threw" all the above mentioned around it. All that was left was to add the onion base, steak and then the egg. I was pretty happy with the end result....

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After removing the bowl, I decided this would be the perfect foundation for the caramelised onions....

and then, last but most definitely NOT least... the EGG!!! I have NEVER been a fan a "perfectly" shaped egg, but given the rustic style intended for the plate - I thought it would make a good balance and was willing to make the exception.