The other day, I waited approximately 1 hour and 49 minutes with two of my besties for a table at The Fat Hen.

At that point brunch hour had turned into late lunch hour, and the three of us were no longer homies (just kidding about that part… kind of.)

By the time we sunk into our chairs and embraced the heated space, my body had become numb in numerous places (that’s what happens when you wait outside in February and sit your rear on a hard as* bench), my stomach was having hangry outbursts every 27 seconds, and no one was in the mood to utter another syllable… except for the fragments of English required to order our carefully selected dishes.

Let me tell you, some of the most difficult decisions I face involve what menu items to choose.

Especially after waiting forever because frankly that is not going to happen again any time soon.

Patience is a virtue that I usually do not have.

So, after going back and forth between the avocado Eggs Benedict partnered with roasted potatoes and lightly dressed greens, and the tomato basil baked eggs with ooey gooey mozzarella accompanied by fresh baguette, I finally settled on the Eggs Benedict.

Because, let’s be real, usually Eggs Benedict involves a fat slice of ham.

Or nearly raw “smoked” salmon.

Which is enough to make me keel over with queasiness.

Now don’t get me wrong, the potatoes were nice and hot, plus perfectly seasoned and roasted, and the greens were uber fresh + crisp.

The Eggs Benedict itself, however, was slightly disappointing.

I squirmed a little in my seat as I forced the bits of poached egg down that were way too runny for my taste and took a few side glances at the baked eggs that my friend had ordered, which were still runny but at least the whites were solid.

Perhaps Eggs Benedict just isn’t my thing.

Let’s go with that.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained… right?

So instead of rushing back on over to The Fat Hen (which I will visit again sometime in the future), I decided to whip up my own baked eggs with freshly grated Parmesan instead of mozzarella.

And a slice of whole grain toast is necessary because we’re going for healthy, well-rounded breakfasts here.

You too, can avoid the wait and bake your own tomatoey eggs.

All you have to do is saute a bit of yellow onion in extra virgin olive oil, add some garlic and red pepper flakes for a kick, then dump in juicy diced tomatoes (the canned variety) and simmer it down. Stir in a pinch of dried parsley, a sprinkling of dried oregano, fresh ground black pepper and salt before cracking your eggs into that happy sauce and baking em until they’re done to your liking. Pull the bubbling dish out of the oven and top everything off with fresh basil leaves and a handful of nutty Parmesan cheese. Dunk your toast in there and laugh out loud because that was way too easy.

P.S. This recipe serves about 2 people. Y’all are going to have to fight over that third egg. Or just include a fourth egg if you foresee this situation getting overly violent.

P.P.S. It never hurts to add more cheese.

P.P.P.S. Don’t burn your precious fingers on that hot pan handle. Clearly I did.

P.P.P.P.S I’m pretty sure “Eggs Benedict” is supposed to be capitalized. But don’t quote me on that one.