When I order a breakfast sandwich, I want it to be messy. Back when I worked for a big publisher, the chef who did breakfast in the office cafeteria would always crack the egg yolk with the side of his spatula when cooking my ham, egg and cheese. It drove me bonkers. I like the yolk runny so that it bursts into your mouth, perhaps leaving a little drip on your chin (pass the napkin, please!). Finally, I just asked one day if there was a reason he did that — was it a safety issue? Nope, just that most people don’t like their yolks dripping out of the sandwich.

I do.

So after that, I learned to remind him never to break my yolk. About 50 percent of the time he’d remember when he started cooking seconds later. Eh, 50 percent is better than nothing.

As I was making this sandwich this morning, I couldn’t help but think how it was a little messy. The threat of errant water from the egg … the runny yolk. Yep. Messy. And I like it that way. Read the rest of this entry…

When I went on vacation with my friend’s family as a teen, I was nervous. I wanted to be the model guest. So, I was well-behaved and had good manners, but I still felt nervous — especially when it came to ordering food. Maybe it was silly to be so concerned about, but I worried about it.

When it came to breakfast at a nice restaurant one morning, I deferred to my friend’s mom for advice on what to order. She recommended a Swiss and Asparagus Omelet — and a love affair was born.

Honestly, I only ordered the omelet because she suggested it. I liked asparagus — but not enough for that item to jump out at me. Thank goodness I listened. That was the point where asparagus suddenly got elevated in my mind. It wasn’t just another vegetable — it was an amazing one.

This version of the omelet is a little lighter than the original, made with just one egg and one slice of Swiss, but still just as delicious.

Did you ever travel with your friends’ families as a teen? What did you get nervous about?
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I love this salad. I love this salad. I love this salad.

Should I say it one more time? I think so.

I love this salad.

All in all, this can be made in about 20 minutes (as long as you get the egg and the asparagus going at the same time), perfect for lunch if you are near a kitchen. Or you can make it ahead and assemble just before eating. Either way, it’s delish and can be eaten warm or cold.

But what about the flavor? The fresh asparagus, roasted until ever so slightly sweet and tender, is fantastic with the creamy egg and salty feta. And the drizzle of Caesar makes the whole thing magical. You could double the dressing if you really want to, but I prefer to keep the dressing light.

So, where do you start? Make the egg.

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Last night, after a rushed day, my husband and I did something together that doesn’t happen enough these days: we power-cleaned the house. In short order, my office was transformed from neglected storage space to usable thinking space. By the time we were done, the bathrooms were sparkling and the living room picked up. It was a great feeling to wake up to such a tidy house today.

And having a tidy house? Well, that makes me spontaneous. Seriously. I was driving to the store today when I had an inkling that today might be a good day to invite someone over for lunch. I did – or tried to – but it didn’t work out. The quiche, on the other hand, was fantastic. The kids just ate it up.

I started with two big shallots. After chopping then into rings, I sauteed them in some olive oil, swishing them around with my favorite wooden spatula until they were all soft and caramelized. It’s important to smash them a bit while they are cooking so that they break up a little. The caramelizing brought out their wonderful subtle sweetness.

When it came time to make the quiche, I layered the shallots with some crumbled Danish blue cheese. Danish blue cheese is creamy and blends well. Some blue cheeses, like Maytag blue, have a major bite, but Danish is a little more subtle. Although it’s sharp, it mellows a lot when melted into the egg mixture. The result is this amazing flavor combination that is sweet, salty, savory and super … all at once.

After it baked up, the kids and I dug in and devoured it. Mmm, and was it ever good. This would make a perfect lunch with a nice green salad (we skipped that today) and some toasty bread. And best of all? It’s ridiculously easy to make. Totally perfect for an impromptu lunch date.

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If Will had his way, we’d eat Blueberry and White Chocolate Buttermilk Pancakes every single morning. Actually, scratch the ‘we’ – he’d eat the whole batch himself every day.

Not that I can blame him … they are delish.

But could we really eat pancakes daily? My schedule and waistline say no way, so I try to mix it up with easier options (yogurt, fruit and toast, scrambled eggs) and some alternative more-involved dishes (French toast, waffles, homemade muffins).

This quesadilla is heartier than your standard quesadilla and crammed with flavor. Yes, it’s more-involved, but it’s also a big family favorite. Serve it up plain or with a dollop of salsa, sour cream or guacamole.

What’s your family’s favorite breakfast? Read the rest of this entry…

Some days, I write and write and write. I think Sunday was one of those days. But today, I just want to share a delicious recipe with you.

On Easter, I wanted a special frittata to grace the table and this was the result. I used the Joy of Cooking method, adapted slightly, to craft this recipe. Cate of Sweetnicks had suggested a similar frittata from Ina Garten, which sounded divine but had a few too many steps for me. So this is the simplified version with similar — but not the same — flavors.

I made it with egg substitute to keep it a little heart healthier. And the goat cheese and dill are just perfect with the salty smoked salmon. This is a perfect brunch dish.

Coincidentally, when I recently wrote about eating quiche for breakfast, I felt like the only one who considers it a breakfast dish after getting several comments about brunch, lunch and dinner. I guess I think eggs and that leads right to breakfast for me. Doesn’t anyone else make quiche for breakfast? What about frittata?

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It has taken me years – years -  to get to a point where I consistently make the effort to eat breakfast. The morning meal and I have just never been bosom buds. In the mornings, I am not really that into cooking. I just to burn everything I tried to cook before noontime (fortunately, I have conquered that problem). I’ve never really been a cereal girl. I used to love oatmeal, but an unfortunate incident involving a medication that I refused to take killed my taste for that, so I don’t crave it any longer. Honestly, if it wasn’t for my kids, I would probably have never really bought into the “most important meal of the day” stuff.

Fortunately, I have discovered a few foods that are good in the morning … to me at least. Pancakes, English muffins with delish cheese, tomato jam and an over easy egg can be a great treat. And any style of eggs can be a good thing in the morning too.

But I prefer easy. Before 11 am, easy trumps all else. Fortunately, quiche, as fussy as it sounds, is actually really easy. It’s, at most, 10 minutes hands on (less if the veggies are already cooked) and then completely hands off until it comes out of the oven. This recipe makes a quiche that is fluffy like a souffle, like little eggy clouds of cheese and broccoli when you bite in. It also reheats really well in the oven, keeping the crust crunchy. Paige loved it. Unfortunately, Will just wasn’t a fan.

Maybe it’s a guy thing? Read the rest of this entry…

Souffle. It’s one of those words that conjures up notions of complexity and difficulty. It just sounds so fussy. But with some cheese begging to be used and egg whites calling my name, I decided to bite the bullet and try Blue Cheese Souffle from Barefoot in Paris, one of Ina Garten‘s cookbooks and the latest addition to my cookbook collection (thanks, Shawn!).

It really was my first souffle ever. I have never made or eaten one, actually.  Will pulled over a chair to see what I was doing but unfortunately couldn’t do much more than watch since the recipe involved a lot of stirring on the hot stove, chopping and whipping raw eggs.

I have to admit, I whined never again after working feverishly to pull the dish together (about 30 minutes hands on!) and then sliding the dish into the oven. But when I pulled out the fluffy souffle and took my first bite, it won me over. And Will and Paige liked it too … Thank goodness, because I would have otherwise likely eaten it all.

Have you had a souffle before? This one is light as air. It makes Angel Food Cake seem like a dense crumb. The rich blue cheese gives this a robust and comforting flavor. It’s the kind of thing that you slide into your mouth and stop, pause and just take it all in. Simply put: you have to try it.

So delish. Read the rest of this entry…

Mmmm, extra local, farm fresh, free-range eggs. We’ve just entered the depths of winter now, where fresh food in Connecticut is but a dream and all we can hang onto is memories of delicious summer delights like the salad you see … Oh, how I miss those lovely, wonderful eggs.

Poached eggs are an easy method of cooking eggs that doesn’t impart any additional fat (like an egg over easy would). Making them is a breeze. Hopefully this guide will have you poaching fresh eggs in no time. Read the rest of this entry…

For a few years now, I’ve had this fascination with frittatas. Convinced that they would be too thick, too dense, too eggy and so on, I swore I would never make one. Yet, I coveted every photo that my fellow food bloggers snapped of the interesting egg dish.

Finally, in search of an easy breakfast recently, I decided to just make one. It would use up the eggs in the house so that I wouldn’t feel guilty buying a dozen at the farmer’s market and it would get this unhealthy frittata obsession out of my system. Read the rest of this entry…