memorial day barbequed eggs

To lighten up the mood a little bit, 

this needed to be shared.  I truly cannot wait to try out these recipes.  Thanks NPR!  We are off to breakfast with our favorite family in chicago, Julie Ann, Dan, Nora and Levi.  And then my brother will arrive in town to commence the Chicago leg of his bachelor weekend.  Oh joys.  

A Vegetarian Barbecue

by MARK GARRISON

May 28, 2011

Here are two vegetarian barbecue options that go well beyond veggie burgers and grilled vegetables. Oddly, I first tasted both on a meat-filled trip to Argentina. — Mark Garrison, TheSporkful.com

EnlargeJason Gardner/TheSporkful.com

Yes, you can barbecue an egg.

Barbecued Eggs

Argentine engineering makes it possible to cook an egg over the coals without a mess, and you've never tasted eggs so smoky and delicious.

Ingredients

• 1 large bell pepper, the bigger the better
• 2 eggs
• hot sauce, salt and black pepper to taste

Directions

You'll need the bell pepper to sit stably on the grill, or else the raw egg will spill out and make a tragic mess. Place the pepper flat on your cutting board and slice in half parallel to the board. Scrape out the seeds and placenta (yup, that's really what it's called), being careful not to pierce the outer wall.

Crack an egg into each half of the pepper. Try to distribute the egg into the whole cavity.

Place the filled pepper over the hottest part of the grill. It tastes best with the pepper's skin charred. Close the grill. If you're going to eat it with a knife and fork, cooking it to over-easy is fine. But if you're going to serve it as finger food, cook it a bit longer, so you don't have a runny yolk. It's great on its own, but better still with hot sauce, salt and a little black pepper on top.

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Grilled Provolone

Ingredients

• provolone cheese, sliced about 3/4-inch thick
• 1 tablespoons oregano
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
• olive oil

Directions

Let the cheese slab sit and come to room temperature. Rub a thin layer of olive oil on it. Then press in oregano on both sides, adding red pepper flakes if you want a bit of heat.

The fastest and smokiest way would be to put it directly on the grill over the coals. But if you're a minute late pulling it off, you've got a gooey mess all over your grill. Best bet is to put a layer of aluminum foil over the grill, or watch it very carefully.

Cook it until it's a hot, gooey puddle of melty, cheesy joy. No need to flip it. Serve it hot with crackers, crusty bread or all by itself.