Frugal Floozie Friday - Bell's Diner

Bell's Diner, today's Frugal Floozie Friday feature, is a place which - as it states on its menu - invites you to "Call it your home." Very friendly, it's a great place to go for breakfast, lunch, or just to find "good, homemade food in a casual and cheerful atmosphere." It's an Ann Arbor institution.

Many, many options qualify for our mandatory $5 per person budget, and it's really hard to choose among them! But since Craig and I were there in the early afternoon, I was feeling more inclined towards lunch than towards breakfast.

Thus, I ordered the Deluxe Cheeseburger, which offered a choice of American, Cheddar, Swiss, or Jack cheese and was served with either fries or onion rings. Most places charge extra for an option other than the potatoes, but this full plate of food fell perfectly within our limit at $4.99.

Craig ordered breakfast, as he's a traditional kinda guy when it comes to food and this was his first meal of the day. While his generously-filled plate snuck just above our limit to $5.29, you can order this entire meal without the hash browns - thus, "2 eggs with bacon, sausage, or ham and toast" - for a mere $4.59. It was so much food that Craig even shared some of the bacon to supplement my cheeseburger!

Some other choices include homemade sausage gravy with a biscuit for $3.59; two large pancakes with one egg for $4.29; or a three-egg cheese omelette served with toast for $4.59.

Regular sandwiches (served with potato chips, pickles, and cole slaw) that meet our budgetary limit include the grilled cheese, the egg salad, the BLT, the hot dog, and the Coney Island. Deluxe sandwiches (served with lettuce, fries or onion rings, cole slaw, and pickles) that qualify are the grilled cheese, the egg salad, and the hot dog.

All of the regular burgers (same terms as the sandwiches, above) are great frugal options; or you can order a deluxe hamburger or cheeseburger.

One of the many great aspects of Bell's is that it serves both diner food and also Korean classics. So you can even enjoy a six-piece plate of Mandoo - "seasoned vegetables wrapped in pasta and deep fried" - with sweet and sour sauce for only $3.99.

If you just want dessert and a cup of coffee, Bell's offers fresh pie for $2.49, or enjoy it a la mode for $3.49. A hot fudge sundae also costs $3.49.

Stop by Bell's for a warm welcome, a cozy atmosphere, and great food for very inexpensive prices!


Bell's Diner
2167 W. Stadium Blvd.
Ann Arbor, MI 48103
734-995-0226
Monday: 6:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Tuesday - Saturday: 6:30 a.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Sunday: 8 a.m. - 8:30 p.m.



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Baked Eggs with Cheese

Jeremy has decided that he wants to learn how to cook. So he's asked me to look up a new recipe each week that he can make for dinner.

He already knows how to make burgers and pasta; so I want to expand his horizons a bit, but without nudging him to make anything too terribly complicated and frustrating. Cooking is supposed to be fun, after all!

So I thought that a lovely egg dish - perfect as a light supper or as a breakfast/brunch dish, too - would be a good one to start with.

And while these baked eggs are ridiculously simple - crack eggs into small dishes, top with cream and cheese, bake - they are really, really good. They're also sufficiently sophisticated that the end result far exceeds the sum of the very pedestrian parts.

Jeremy made an exceptionally nice dinner, and I'll happily encourage him to keep cooking delicious things!


Baked Eggs with Cheese

(adapted from the recipe for Shirred Eggs in The American Lighthouse Cookbook by Ed Jackson and Becky Sue Epstein)

kosher salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
12 eggs
4 tablespoons half-and-half
4 generous tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese
2 medium scallions, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 425F. Grease 4 6-ounce ramekins or shallow baking dishes and place them onto a baking sheet. Sprinkle the dishes with salt and pepper.

Break 3 eggs into each of the dishes. Top each dish with 1 tablespoon half-and-half, 1 tablespoon Parmesan, and a sprinkling of the scallions.

Bake the eggs for 15 minutes, until set but slightly soft in the center; bake for a few minutes longer if you want the eggs to be firm. (Yes, Judy of Cranberry Morning, I'm noting this just for you, knowing how you loathe those runny yolks!)

Serve hot, accompanied by fruit, bagels, etc.

Makes 4 servings.

Frugal Floozie Friday - The Northside Grill

Jeremy and I enjoyed a great breakfast at The Northside Grill this week, thus making it today's Frugal Floozie Friday feature. Tremendously friendly service, a festive atmosphere, and great food made it a wonderful place to visit!

I debated many options, as always, from the classic dish of an egg with hash browns and a biscuit to an assortment of side dishes to splitting a sandwich. But I settled upon two items, for a bit of variety: fried eggs served "over easy" plus a warm bear claw proudly made in-house. Generously filled with walnuts and fragrant with cinnamon, the pastry was perfect with my vanilla-flavored coffee. It was a tremendous value at only $2.29.

The eggs - costing a mere $1.25 each, ordered a la carte - were perfectly cooked, and were a nice complement to the sweet treat.

Jeremy, as usual, was much more decisive than I was and readily settled upon the short stack of buttermilk pancakes for $4.39. This was an enormous serving that fully covered the plate, and I can't even imagine being able to finish a full portion! Tender and light, with just a hint of tartness in contrast to the syrup, Jeremy told me he can't remember the last time he enjoyed a plate of pancakes so much.

Another option, had we not been there for breakfast, would have been the Brownie Sundae "topped with ice cream, chocolate syrup, whipped cream, walnuts and a cherry. Enough for two!" At $5.75, this would readily have met our per person budgetary requirement.

From an assortment of side dishes to pastries, from muffins to soups and chilis, and even plate-sized single pancakes or servings of French toast, there are many frugal options to choose from at The Northside Grill. That you also get a warm welcome, free coffee refills, and the comfort of a neighborhood hang-out only makes the deals that much better.

The Northside Grill
1015 Broadway
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48105
734-995-0965
Open 7 days a week from 7 a.m. - 3 p.m.



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Frugal Floozie Friday at Angelo's

I recently asked Jeremy where he wanted to eat, on a morning when we were both free to go out for a late breakfast. I offered a couple of suggestions, but he immediately countered with "Angelo's." We hadn't been there in so, so long - what a fabulous choice!

We set off with our mandatory $5 per person budget in mind. And so, Angelo's is today's Frugal Floozie Friday feature.

This Ann Arbor institution is justly famous for its handmade raisin toast, which Jeremy knew he would order no matter what else he saw on the menu. At $2.50 for an order of two thick slices, this was a substantial and delicious treat. This is not a fluffy Wonder bread or a cinnamon-y sweet variety; and it's clearly not made in a box (otherwise known as "the sacrilege that is a bread machine"). It's real bread - the kind you'd make at home with your own two hands, if you had either the time or the inclination. (But since you likely have neither, you can also buy a loaf to take home.)

To supplement the toast, Jeremy also ordered two eggs, scrambled, for $2.30. This was an ideal portion, and together the two items came in at $4.80 for a simple, but really good, breakfast.

I debated whether to get the $4 oatmeal served with raisins, brown sugar, and cinnamon; one egg for $1.30 and an order of breakfast potatoes for $3; or one egg served with potatoes and toast, for an even $5.

But I decided to order the enormous, fluffy short stack of 2 plate-sized pancakes for $4.75. I sprinkled them with some of the cinnamon sugar served at each table, which was a perfect accompaniment to the dish.

At lunchtime, sandwiches are very generous and could easily be split by those who are inclined to do so. Lots of "extras" that fall within our mandatory budget - from regular and sweet potato fries to a scoop of chicken salad to chili cheese fries - can be ordered a la carte for prices ranging from $1.25 to $4.75. A bowl of soup is available for $3.75; and a $4.50 bowl of beef chili can be supplemented with cheese ($4.75) or both cheese and sour cream ($5). Another option is the house salad for $4.

The portions at Angelo's are huge, the service is friendly and efficient, the restaurant is bright and cozy, and the food is fabulous. What more could you ask for, especially at such reasonable prices?

Angelo's
1100 E. Catherine
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
734-761-8996
Monday - Saturday: 6 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Sunday: 7 a.m. - 2 p.m.



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Frugal Floozie Friday - The Broken Egg

Craig and I enjoyed a spur-of-the-moment lunch at The Broken Egg the other day, when my office closed early and I had some free time in the afternoon. Comfort food was calling; and so we enjoyed a meal at a place which excels at it, and which serves breakfast all day.

The Classic Belgian Waffle was Craig's choice - huge and fragrant and wonderful. Unfortunately, it just exceeds our $5 per person budget at $5.50. It's large enough to share, but I know how folks get a bit testy when I divvy up dishes. We did split a side order of bacon for $3.25.

For $4.75, I ordered The Light Side: 2 eggs, an enormous quantity of hash browns, and a generous serving of toast. I chose to have my eggs cooked "over easy," and I picked the rye bread. Although I'm a good eater - Craig and others can attest to this! - the plate was more than I could finish. It was very good - perfectly cooked. But a lot of food for a tremendous value.

Other breakfast options that qualify for our project are the thick-cut toast, either studded with raisins or with cherries and walnuts. Oatmeal, bagels, and sides of sausage or bacon or ham are other suggestions.

If you're not interested in breakfast, chili and soup both qualify for our mandatory frugal budget, as does the House Salad. Sandwiches are generous, and are served with chips and pickles; they could easily be split, and all come in at under $9 total, for a per person share of $4.50 or less.

We arrived at the restaurant around 2:15 p.m., and were warmly welcomed despite having gotten there just a short time before closing at 3 p.m. We weren't rushed or pressured, and the staff was wonderfully friendly, making us feel like old friends.

The Broken Egg is just the sort of place you'd want to be a regular, with its wide variety of fabulous menu items, many of which are readily affordable on a frugal budget.


The Broken Egg
221 N. Main St
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
734-665-5340
Monday - Saturday: 7 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Sunday: 8 a.m. - 3 p.m.




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Pasta ca Sucu Fintu (Pasta with Fake Meat Sauce)

One of the most memorable books I've read is the late Vincent Schiavelli's Bruculinu, America, the actor's remembrances of growing up in Brooklyn with his extended Sicilian family.  The depictions of the scenes, the characters, and - especially - the elaborate dishes prepared by his grandfather, a retired master chef to a baron, are vivid and striking.  Vincent wrote beautifully and lovingly about it all.

So when he wrote a sequel, about his first visit to Polizzi Generosa, his family's hometown in Sicily, I had to read that, as well.

Both books contain many recipes, and the latter offers a dish with an inexpensive sauce designed to replicate one that contained costly meat.  As Vincent writes: "In Sicilian, pasta cu sucu means pasta with a hearty meat-tomato sauce.  In times past, this luxury was not available to poor farmers very often.  To compensate the palate, they devised their own fintu (false) version."

And so, Vincent offers a recipe for a beautiful, rich sauce which doesn't contain any of the newfangled soy-based products now available for vegetarian dishes, or even any mushrooms that are often utilized for their "meatiness."

Instead, this very traditional recipe uses hard-boiled eggs - coated in an egg wash and cheese before frying - as an inexpensive protein to imitate meat balls.  The golden, cheesy eggs are so unique!  And the simple tomato sauce is very fresh and wonderful.

I not only love cooking, but I particularly cherish opportunities to learn about international and ethnic cuisines - they fascinate me.  So much can be learned about people from their language and from their meals.  As Vincent notes in his first book: "In addition to providing sustenance, (food) served to nourish our heritage.  Food is, after all, edible culture."

Pasta ca Sucu Fintu
([PAH-stuh kah SOO-koo FEEN-too] = Pasta with Fake Meat Sauce.  Doesn't it sound better in Sicilian?)

(adapted from Vincent Schiavelli's Many Beautiful Things: Stories and Recipes from Polizzi Generosa)

4 hard-boiled eggs
1 tablespoon + 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped fine
1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup shredded Pecorino cheese, plus extra for serving
1/4 cup chopped parsley
12 ounces spaghetti, linguine or fettucine

Peel the hard-boiled eggs and halve them horizontally; set aside.

In a medium saucepan, heat the 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat; add the onion and cook until translucent.  Add the tomatoes, salt, pepper and sugar; cook until the sauce just starts to bubble

Place the 2 eggs in a small bowl and beat them.  Place the 1/2 cup cheese into a small bowl.

Heat the 1/4 cup oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat.  One by one, take each hard-boiled egg half, dip it into the egg and then coat it with cheese.  (The cheese won't adhere everywhere.)  Place into the skillet, and repeat with remaining eggs.  Cook 2-3 minutes per side until the eggs are golden.

Add the fried eggs to the sauce; simmer while preparing pasta according to package directions.

Place the pasta onto a serving platter, then top with the sauce and sprinkle with more cheese.

"In the traditional style," according to Vincent, "eat the pasta as a first course, then the eggs out of the same bowl as a secondo."

Serves 2-4.

Dijon Devilled Eggs + Giveaway Winner

Okay, first things first: Mazal Tov to Candace, of Mi Chiamo Candace - she's the grand winner of the Whole Foods mango giveaway ... yay!!!  (Do your best Kermit the Frog arm wave while you say that!)  I'd have sent mangoes to everyone, if I could have!  I'm hoping to do another giveaway of treats (cookies - another yay!) in the next few weeks, so stay tuned for that one.

Next item on the list: Unfortunately, there was a delay in getting my Once Upon a Loaf guest post going on Monday ... computers, meh!  Whaddya gonna do with 'em???  Necessary evils.  So, go on over today and read all about my adventure in making matzah for the first time - it was so much fun!

Now, on to today's entertainment ....

At one of the Seders I attended at Passover, the topic of devilled eggs came up.

Everyone has a favorite recipe; some add chopped ham or salami, some add hot sauce, some add horseradish, some add dill.  There is no wrong way to make these simple but delicious treats!  And since I always like to tinker with things, I make the base with mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, and dill, but often add other items according to my whims.

These are one of Jeremy's favorite foods, so I usually make them for holidays.  They were ideal for both Passover and Easter, but can be served at picnics and barbecues and "just 'cause."

Dijon Devilled Eggs

6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled, halved lengthwise
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon dried dill
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon prepared horseradish

Carefully pop the yolks out of the eggs and place them into a small mixing bowl.  Place the whites onto a serving plate.

To the egg yolks, add the mayonnaise, mustard, dill, salt, pepper and horseradish; mix well.  Use a small cookie scoop (if you have one) and place the filling into the cavities of the egg whites.  Decorate the plate with pea shoots or fresh dill or edible flowers or some other colorful splash.

Makes 12 devilled eggs.

Poached Eggs with Spinach and Hash Browns

It's Groundhog Day, but don't worry - I'm not Andrew Zimmern and I'm not roasting any rodents!

Instead, I'm inspired by two sources for today's simple but comforting recipe that would be great for a breakfast, light lunch or supper.

For starters, we must honor Punxsutawney Phil, whether he sees his shadow or not.  According to Animal Planet, "groundhogs go wild for succulent green plants."  Well, spinach is one of the most vividly green vegetables there is, with many nutrients and fabulous flavor no matter how it's served.

And then, of course, there's the Bill Murray movie "Groundhog Day," in which the main character lives the same day over and over again until he has learned some necessary lessons.  He is redeemed as he purges himself of his narcissism, realizing that others have needs and learning to contribute to - rather than only take from - the universe.

How this character and his repetitive, self-absorbed existence relate to poached eggs, spinach and hash browns is an inside joke which I'm not going to explain; but trust me - today is the day to serve this dish.


These items combine to make a really delicious meal that is a testament to the beauty of what can be accomplished with just a few simple ingredients, as long as they're well chosen. There's no need for rich sauces, cheese, bacon, or other accoutrements; this is perfect just as it is.


Poached Eggs with Spinach and Hash Browns

Hash Browns:
4 tablespoons light olive oil
2 cups frozen shredded potatoes
generous pinch of sea salt

Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the potatoes and press down to make a flat layer. Cook for 5 minutes, carefully flip the potatoes (it's okay to flip them in sections then press them back together), then cook for another 5 minutes until both sides are golden.

Eggs:

3 cups water

2 teaspoons cider vinegar

2 large eggs

Bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan, then turn the heat down to simmer.  Break each egg into a 1/4-cup measuring cup, and carefully slide the eggs into the water.  Cook the eggs for 5 minutes.

Spinach:

2 tablespoons light olive oil

1 large garlic clove, minced

4 cups baby spinach leaves

pinches of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.  Add the spinach, salt and pepper; cook just until the spinach is wilted.

To serve:  Place half of the hash browns onto each of two serving plates.  Top with the spinach, then carefully use a large spoon to scoop out the eggs and place them on top of the spinach.  Serve with fruit and with rye toast, if desired.

Serves 2.

Frugal Floozie Friday -- The Bomber

It's Frugal Floozie Friday, and today's feature offers the most gargantuan quantity of food yet for our measly budget of $5 per person! What you see in the photo is the infamous Bomber Breakfast, found only at the Bomber restaurant.

Jeremy recently had an early morning appointment, and his dad, Stuart, and I went along with him. Afterwards, we decided we could use some breakfast; and so we ended up at this Ypsilanti institution:

"The Bomber opened in 1936 as Baldwin's Diner. In the 1940s the name was changed to the Bomber, only to be discarded in favor of Bob's Barbecue in the mid-1970s. Finally in 1986, the name Bomber returned and the current owners John Sebestyen and Johanna McCoy purchased it in 1995".

The restaurant is noted for the historical artifacts linings its walls - everything from uniforms to posters to autographed photos to rifles - not to mention the 24 model airplanes which hang from the ceiling. It is also noted for friendly service, generous portions, and the kind of atmosphere that encourages eating, reading the paper, having just a little bit more coffee, chatting with other customers, and making oneself at home.

The signature dish - the Bomber Breakfast - is so enormous that it was once featured on the Food Network's "Top Five Overindulgences" show. There is enough food, truly, to feed a family of four: a pound of hash browns with cheese and onions, 2 full slices of toast, 4 eggs any style, and a choice of 6 sausage patties or 7 sausage links or 10 slices of bacon or 2 slices of ham. (Our waitress told us, upon seeing our eyes glaze over, that we could mix-'n'-match if we wanted to.)

So, how much does this platter full of food cost?

$9.95.

And since Stuart and I split it - though we couldn't finish it, despite valiant efforts! - it came in at under our mandatory $5 per person limit.

As though this wasn't enough indulgence, Jeremy ordered an obscenely rich and decadent breakfast for himself: Chocolate Hazelnut French Toast. A half order - 2 portions of thick bread filled with luscious Nutella, dipped in batter and drenched in syrup - costs only $4.95.

The Bomber also features weekday breakfast specials for $4.50, featuring everything from traditional pancakes and eggs and oatmeal to breakfast sandwiches. There are many items on the menu which could qualify for our Frugal Floozie Friday mission.

The Bomber is a great place to go for a hearty breakfast or lunch, and is easily a place where you could become a regular.

Bomber
306 East Michigan Ave.
Ypsilanti, Michigan
734-482-0550


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Egg 'n' Onion Sandwich

Although some of my recent posts have been a bit less than noble nutritiously (The Cupcake Station, Brownie Ice Cream Pie) others have been very health-oriented (Cabbage and Fennel Slaw, Tropical Granita).

Well, today I'm making no pretense of preparing anything that's good for me. Today, I'm simply offering something that was good for my soul. Sometimes you've just gotta give in and do that for yourself.

And so, I recently indulged in a toasted bagel with a fried egg and sauteed onion ... an Egg 'n' Onion sandwich inspired by the old Jimmy Stewart movie "Harvey."

I have little use for new movies, and have seen virtually nothing current (which means nothing in the past several years, with the exception of the fabulous "The King's Speech"). One or two others, I might eventually get around to watching; but I'm pretty content not to sit and stare at a screen for 2 hours. (I stare at my computer screen for far too long already, without adding different screens into that mix!)

But I love old movies, MGM musicals in particular. I was raised on them, at the Regency Theater on Columbus Avenue in New York City, which only showed the old standards rather than new releases. And "Harvey" - full of sweet and eccentric characters - is a long-time favorite.

It's a screwball comedy about a man with a drinking problem and the family members who try to take care of him despite his, ahem, oddities. Harvey is the "pooka" - a benevolent character, manifesting as a 6' rabbit not visible to everyone - who watches over Jimmy Stewart's Elwood P. Dowd and helps to create some chaos.

At one point, without sharing too much and spoiling the movie (because I do, indeed, expect you to go straight to Netflix and watch it instantly!), Elwood's sister and niece are caught up in escapades with the sanitarium in which they're trying to commit poor Elwood.

The niece, Myrtle Mae, happens to develop an immediate crush on one of the employees who's been sent to the house to bring back a patient. Fortunately, she rather strikes his fancy, too.

And so Myrtle Mae, not socially adept, asks the man a not terribly romantic or flirtatious question: would he like an egg 'n' onion sandwich?

And he accepts.

It's bashert [bah-SHAYRT], which is Hebrew for "destiny."

Eggs and onions make a great pair, whether in omelettes or any other form. Add a slice of cheddar cheese to the Egg 'n' Onion sandwich, and you've got a perfect combination served on an "everything" bagel.

Egg 'n' Onion Sandwich

1 teaspoon bacon fat or butter
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
1 egg
1 everything bagel
schmear of Dijon mustard
1 slice cheddar cheese

Heat the bacon fat in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until just translucent.

Add the egg, being careful to keep the yolk intact, and nudge the onions into the raw egg to cook together. Cook until the edges of the egg are set and crisping. Carefully flip the egg and turn the heat off on the stove to let the underside cook while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Toast the bagel, and schmear the mustard onto it. Place the cheese on the bottom half of the bagel, top with the egg/onion, and then complete your sandwich with the top half of the bagel.

Makes 1 sandwich, which should be served with a napkin because the yolk will run. This is messy, but it's really good!

National Cheese Souffle Day

Today is a lovely day, despite the cold and dreary rain that has descended upon Southeastern Michigan -- it's National Cheese Soufflé Day!

Now, don't be intimidated -- soufflés are NOT the complicated, overwhelming things that they're made out to be. Despite their reputation, you don't need a culinary degree to make them ... I promise!

You simply make a sauce with butter, flour, milk, cheese and egg yolks; then you beat the egg whites, stir it all together, and place the batter into a baking dish. Cook it, then impress everyone around you with your masterpiece! Truly, it is that easy.

You just need to know a couple of tips to maximize your efforts:

It's best to use straight-sided dishes so that the soufflé can climb.

You need to grease the baking dish and then use flour or bread crumbs or finely grated cheese to coat the greased interior, or else the soufflé has nothing to cling to as it rises.

Serve it immediately after showing off, because it will sink quickly.

You want to use a strong cheese, something well-aged and a bit pungent (i.e.: a sharp cheddar) so that the flavor shines through instead of being too subtle.

But these are all easy quirks to accommodate ....

Cheese Soufflé

4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
1-1/2 cups milk
2/3 cup strong cheese, grated
4 eggs, separated
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 425F. Grease and flour two 6" souffle dishes.

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute; slowly whisk in the milk until everything is combined. Whisk in the cheese until it is melted, then remove the sauce from the heat and whisk in the egg yolks. Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form, then fold the sauce into the whites.


Pour batter into the prepared dishes and bake for 20-25 minutes until the tops are golden and the souffles don't wiggle much when jostled a bit.

Bring an audience to "ooh" and "ahh" over your masterpieces, then serve immediately.

Serves 2 generously.

Jeremy's Favorite Scrambled Eggs

Jeremy spent the night at my new place on the Saturday before Mother's Day, as we had big plans to go thrift store shopping and to the University of Michigan baseball game that Sunday -- our celebratory tradition. (Unfortunately, they lost. But we had a fabulous time, and I even got my first sunburn of the season -- Spring finally arrived!) Thus, I had the opportunity to feed him breakfast when he woke up, which I haven't done in ages.

So, what did I make? One of his very favorites: Scrambled Eggs with Cheese.

Now, this is not a culinary masterpiece or a sophisticated dish in any way -- it just tastes good. And isn't that really all that matters???

Plain ol' eggs are okay, but they're pretty lacking in pizzazz. So I liven them up a bit with the cheese. And while other options are fine, I find the best choice is simply American cheese -- it melts beautifully and really complements the eggs well, retaining their comfort-food properties rather than trying to elevate them into something more chic.

This is quick and easy, and is a good way to start the day ... or to end it, if you -- like me! -- are a fan of "breakfast for dinner" ... :)

Scrambled Eggs with Cheese

1 tablespoon butter
6 eggs
splash of water
salt and pepper to taste
2 slices American cheese

Heat the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat; spread it around the pan. Whisk together the eggs, the water, the salt and the pepper; pour into the pan. Stir the eggs very frequently to keep them soft rather than firming up. When the eggs appear to be about half-cooked, add the cheese and break it up with the spoon. Keep stirring until the eggs are cooked and the cheese has melted into them.

Serves 2, if one of those 2 is a 20-year-old male. It would probably serve 4 people with lesser appetites.

Our First Anniversary

Tom and I corresponded for a long time before we finally met each other face-to-face; he first contacted me on November 20 of last year, after some intervention from our guardian angel -- his sister Anne. But we didn't officially meet until after Christmas, several weeks later. We had breakfast at The Broken Egg, a comfort-food breakfast/lunch restaurant of supreme excellence, on December 26, 2009 ... which means that this past Sunday was the first anniversary of our first date.

So, of course, we went back to The Broken Egg for breakfast!

Neither of us could decide what to eat last year, and ultimately went to opposite extremes: Tom ordered a huge plate of bacon, poached eggs, toast and fried potatoes which was too enormous to finish, and I ordered oatmeal with fat, juicy raisins after he mentioned it as we perused the menu and it just sounded good.

The menu is extensive, God help me, with everything from standard pancakes and waffles to 4-egg omelettes and specialty items. Sunday's features ranged from Elvis French Toast (the famous peanut butter and banana sandwich immersed in custard and fried 'til golden) to the Devil's Breakfast (eggs and vegetables with spicy chorizo and jalapenos). What is an indecisive girl like me to do???

Tom indulged in a repeat performance of last year's feast, as I debated the merits of the Peruvian Breakfast Stew featuring chicken and green olives. But knowing that the portions are huge, I vetoed this excellent-sounding dish; I can't bring fleishig ([FLAY-shig] = flesh, literally) to work because of Jewish dietary laws and the potential mixing of meat and dairy. Therefore the inevitable leftovers would have to stay at home, and we still had plenty of cinnamon rolls and fish pâté and deviled eggs and roast beast and potatoes and gravy and cookies and candies from Christmas. We didn't need to contribute further to that cause.

So I chose the Vegetarian Breakfast Stew, which isn't really a "stew" (but that doesn't matter because it's delicious): scrambled eggs sauteed with red peppers, zucchini, mushrooms, spinach, sweet caramelized onions, and hash browns. Oh, and both meals came with multi-grain toast, because stingy portions are not something The Broken Egg offers!

Tom ate everything but a few of his potatoes and the fattiest parts of the bacon (he's very conscientious about such things, always checking fat and sodium and sugar contents while I'm shoving anything into my mouth that tastes good!). I, on the other hand, despite a truly noble effort -- and anyone who knows me knows I'm an excellent eater who can consume far more than most people believe I can -- still had enough of the stew staring back at me to provide lunch for the next two days ... and we all know, I don't do stingy portions either!

So, here's to the first of many anniversaries, and to Tom's and my 2nd Annual December 26th Breakfast at The Broken Egg ... :)

Monday Morning Mushroom Mania

I happen to love mushrooms -- love them. I'll saute them and put them into omelettes, stir them into cream sauces for pasta, eat them deep fried ... and I feel very deprived, because I don't get to eat them very often. Unfortunately, the men in my life -- Tom and Jeremy -- aren't fans. Jeremy will eat them on pizza, if there's enough cheese to bury them; and Tom defends himself that he likes white button mushrooms, but he won't eat anything stronger or more exotic.

So, what was I supposed to do when I received a box of dried mushrooms from Marx Foods in order to participate in their Blogger Mushroom Recipe Challenge??? (The Challenge involves creating a recipe, posting it, waiting to hear if it's been chosen as a finalist, then begging everyone to vote for it if it's been selected.) My goal, pure and simple, was to make something that Jeremy and Tom might take a bite of without then grabbing their throats, gagging, and pretending that they were about to keel over and die.

A wide variety of ideas meandered through my brain. I fixated for quite some time on a combination of mushrooms and figs: a sauce of fig jam with sauteed mushrooms, served over chicken or steak? A savory bread pudding with sauteed mushrooms, with dollops of fig jam swirled throughout and topped with a good Swiss or Parmesan? This notion is still calling to me, so stay tuned for further experiments.

And then the project veered towards something more familiar, a tweaking of comfort food. Meatloaf, perhaps? It's a favorite of both my "boys". But then my fevered brain went into overdrive again: mushroom gravy? marinara sauce with mushrooms? mix mushrooms into the ground beef, or combine them with cheese for an ooey gooey filling? Too many options, too many ideas, too little direction.

Then on Thursday morning, I read a New York Times article about food in Bilbao, Spain. Apparently "chef Eneko Atxa, who trained with Martin Berasategui, delivers a jolt: a 'reverse egg,' a yolk whose interior has been replaced with black truffle."

And that led to an epiphany: take out the yolk of a fried egg, replace it with a mushroom mixture of some sort, and create a yellow-ish sauce with the yolks to pour over the lump of mushrooms to resemble a yolk. It started to come together ... bacon, of course ... good cheddar ... toast ... possibly hash browns. I just needed to quit my job and rush off to cook. But alas, I had to wait until I got home despite enthusiasm and creativity swirling through me.

I soaked the porcini mushrooms until they were tender. I separated the eggs. I grated cheese. I chopped onions and bacon. I used up a lot of dishes and saucepans as I tinkered and tweaked, which precluded having any available space to make hash browns (though I definitely support Tom's idea to serve this on potatoes). I toasted some rye bread. And there it was -- my idea having come to fruition.

I plated the dish and brought it to Jeremy; Tom was at home that evening, so he wasn't available to be a co-guinea pig. Much to his credit, Jeremy didn't wrinkle his nose or roll his eyes at the presentation. And he didn't just sniff and nibble and refuse my offering.

He cut the egg in half and said that he thought it would be good to plop the egg onto the bread to make an open-faced sandwich.

And then he opened wide and bit in, as I waited anxiously for some semblance of a positive response ... or at least a polite and courteous negative response. In all honesty, I was waiting for him to start an Oscar-worthy performance as he retched and gasped for his last breath, accusing me of poisoning him.

But to my surprise -- actually, to my utter shock and amazement! -- this is what Jeremy said to me (edited slightly for a family-friendly audience):

"You know you're not getting any of this, don't you? This is f***ing DELICIOUS!!!"

So, there you have it -- my son's rousing and whole-hearted endorsement of a food he normally loathes and rejects. Mushrooms ... my son ate mushrooms. And he enjoyed them. He loved them! He refused to share them! And he devoured every morsel on his plate ... after eating a sandwich, no less. Jeremy was determined that we would have no mushroom left behind.

The recipe is going to seem more complicated than it actually is -- it's really very easy to put together. Whether you serve it for breakfast, for a light lunch or a supper is up to you. But do serve it. Either you'll be rewarding those who love mushrooms already, or you'll be converting those who don't realize that they do ....

Fried Eggs with Bacon and Mushrooms in Cheese Sauce

1 1/2-ounce packet Marx Foods dried Porcini mushrooms
1 cup boiling water
3 strips bacon, chopped fine
1/2 small red onion, chopped fine
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt
pinch of kosher salt
pinch of freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup skim milk
4 eggs, separated
1/4 cup shredded white cheddar cheese
1/4 cup shredded orange cheddar cheese
4 slices caraway rye toast, buttered, each slice halved

Break up the dried mushrooms and place them into a bowl.

Cover with the boiling water and let rest for 30 minutes.

Place the butter into a small saucepan and melt it over medium heat. Whisk in the flour until well combined, then whisk in the seasoned salt, salt and pepper.

Slowly whisk in the milk and the egg yolks until smooth, and bring just to a boil.

Lower heat to simmer, then whisk in the cheeses until smooth and thickened. Keep warm, stirring occasionally.

Drain and finely chop the mushrooms.

In a large skillet, saute the bacon for 2-3 minutes. Add the onion and saute for another 2-3 minutes, until the onions are tender. Add the mushrooms and saute for 2 minutes; place mixture into a small bowl and set aside.

In the same skillet, carefully place the egg whites so that they don't touch each other; it's easiest to do this 2 at a time.

Cook just until the outer portion is set but the center is still soft; place 1/4 cup of the bacon mixture over the center of each egg white.

Cook for 1 minute, then place one bacon-topped egg white onto each of 4 plates. Spoon a scant 1/3 cup of sauce over the mushroom mixture, to resemble the yolk of a fried egg. Drizzle any excess sauce around the plates once the eggs are ready.

Serve immediately, with toast. And if you have both the time and the inclination, placing the egg over some nice crispy hash browns would likely be a perfect touch.

Serves 4.