The Incredible Edible

Hello blog-world,

I’m happy to swing open the doors and return to my weekly postings. Saying that almost makes me feel the fresh air on my cheeks and smell the cherry blossoms.  I apologize from the bottom of my heart for my absence, but I had some things to attend to that took me away from my favorite perch: a great handmade, wooden table at Porchlight Coffee on 14^th, writing to you!  I got married, I finished grading a load of final papers, I went on a blissful honeymoon, and, at long last, here I am.  Whew!  It’s been a crazy month.  April finds me incredibly happy, and only teaching one class!  It also leaves me wanting to get back to good, simple days (before all the craziness), with homemade food, and the lovely rituals that make up life.  

One of my favorite rituals happens in the morning, when I get up and boil an egg.  I know.  It doesn’t sound very romantic, but in the time it takes an egg to boil, and the twenty minutes that follow, there is a great window of day that would otherwise go by completely unnoticed.  It reminds me to be here now.  It gets me thinking about ideas for my novel, it gives me time to clean up the house, and on other, lazier days, it gives me time to catch up on a little reading in my bathrobe :).  Too busy to be here now?  Just boil a bunch at once and put them in the fridge for later.  It’s a win-win. 

I like to put my egg on a colorful plate when it’s done, and grind a little salt on one side of the dish, and a little pepper on the other.  Then I put a dollop of stone ground mustard below those and finish it off with a slice of toasted buttered bread.  I’m telling you, I could eat this breakfast every day of the rest of my life. It is that satisfying, and it’s the easiest thing EVER.  

Here’s how I like to do it:

1. Put your egg(s) in a pot with water covering them.  (Old wives like to say that if you don’t put it in a stainless steel pan the shells will be harder to peel, but this new wife doesn't have one and it usually works just fine.  I think it depends on the eggs, really.)

2. Cover the pot and turn it on high. 

3.  Go read a poem, or write your love a note about how much you adore him or her.  Call your mom. Do a little meditating. 

4.  When the water boils you’ll hear the pot lid pop up and a little steamy sound of the water seeping over the edge, telling you it’s time to take it off the burner.

5.  Put it on one of the off burners, and set the timer for 20 minutes. 

6.  Dance around the house to your favorite song. Or, if you’re family is still asleep, plan out your day, before it’s planned for you.

7.  When the timer beeps they’re almost done!  Pour out the hot water and add some cold water to the pot, covering the eggs.

8.  While they’re cooling, toast a piece of hearty bread, and get the plate ready.  Grind some salt on one side and some pepper on the other, put a dollop of stone ground mustard below that.

9. When the toast pops, butter it.  Then set it on an empty island on the plate.  P.s. it’s okay to get a little artistic with this set up.  It makes it more fun.

10. Now pour the water off of the eggs, crack the top of the egg on the sink and start peeling.  Make sure to get your fingers under that layer of skin between the shell and the white of the egg.  If you can get this going, the whole shell will just slide right off.

11.  Ta da!  It’s ready.  Put it on the other empty spot on your plate, wherever it looks best.  Then pour yourself a glass of juice and relish the simplest, most satisfying, breakfast on earth.  Enjoy your day!