The time change this weekend will mean when I get off work at 5:00 p.m. it will be pitch black.  No more coming home to walk the doggies in the hills near our home (too many scary critters might be lurking up there) or a little quick garden maintenance after work.

Okay, no, I don't live or work on the water, but wouldn't it be nice to leave the office or the house and see this?

That said, being the kind of gal that looks for a silver (or brushed nickel) lining in any perceived negative (not that Pacific Standard time is a negative but I do love the extra hours of daylight) the time change will mean I come home from work, change into workout pants (I know, elastic is a waistline’s enemy), start a fire in the fireplace and pour a glass of Chardonnay.  Dinner plans will ensue and one of the menu items always welcome in the winter months is breakfast for dinner.

Do you ever prepare scrambled or poached eggs and toast for a simple dinner?  The recipe below is a favorite of mine and hubby.  It’s from Barefoot Contessa, Back to Basics cookbook Note:  I ordered the new “How Easy is That?” for a friend but haven’t ordered one for myself yet as I’ve been advised Christmas is only a couple of months away and that there might be a few people interested in something like this as a gift for me.

Since I prepared this for hubby and I the size of the recipe worked well.  If you have to serve more than 2 I’d suggest using 2 oven-proof skillets.

You could probably divide this in to quarters unless you have a hungry man in the house that you've convinced this is a one dish meal!

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon good olive oil
• 3 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 cup Yukon Gold potatoes, unpeeled, 1-inch-diced
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 5 extra large eggs
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon fresh chives, chopped

Cooking Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Heat the olive oil in a 10-inch ovenproof omelet pan over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook for 3 to 5 minutes over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is browned but not crisp. Take the bacon out of the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside on a plate.

Place the potatoes in the pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Continue to cook over medium-low heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until very tender and browned, tossing occasionally to brown evenly. Remove with a slotted spoon to the same plate with the bacon.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, beat the eggs, milk, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper together with a fork. After the potatoes are removed, pour the fat out of the pan and discard. Add the butter, lower the heat to low, and pour the eggs into the hot pan. Sprinkle the bacon, potatoes, and chives evenly over the top and place the pan in the oven for about 8 minutes, just until the eggs are set. Slide onto a plate, divide in half, and serve hot.

Since I’m always interested in easy meals on weeknights I would love to hear what some of your favorite ‘go-to’ weekday meals are.

Happy Friday!