“ eating breakfast, even if it's 5 o'clock in the afternoon, is a sign that the day has just begun and good things can still happen. Having lunch is like throwing in the towel.”
Johnathan Goldstein
It'll come as no surprise to most of you that Sunday is Mother's Day. And we're not really going to talk about that.
No, I'm not going to spend the week rehashing my mother's favorite meals, or dinners my mother cooked, or the favorite meals of my own children's childhoods,or get all sappy about the connection between mothering and nurturing and feeding. Because I've become curious about how in the world one particular Mother's day tradition has become as ubiquitous as phone calls and flowers. You know,this one:
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| Her smile is saying "gee thanks",but her eyes are saying "Who thought it was a good idea to wake me up? Why did I wear red lipstick to bed? Where did these perfectly dressed children come from? What level of disaster is waiting for me in the kitchen?" |
I absolutely LOVE breakfast! The problem is that breakfast so often happens in the morning, when I and all my sister muses are busy,
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| sleeping off all that late night inspiration. |
Muses are not often morning mythical beings.
But if breakfast arrives any time after, say 10 a.m., then it's absolutely, positively, my favorite meal of the day. And breakfast is going to be arriving every night this week, oh, around dinnertime.
Friday: seared salmon with asparagus and hollandaise Yet another way of cooking salmon! From what I've read, the magic trick here is starting with a heavy skillet (thanks again, Rache, for my cast iron Christmas pan!) and get it smoking hot. The internet promises that this gets the outside crispy while the inside stays moist. And we all know that the internet keeps its promises.
Two reasons that I'm looking forward to these omelettes: 1. Mozzarella! I think I've gotten a little stuck in a cheddar rut as far as omelettes are concerned and 2. Last winter, I planted some pansies. And then in March, on a whim, I put a couple of sage plants in the same pot. And even though I am a very bad, learn-by-killing sort of gardener, NONE OF THEM HAVE DIED YET!!!!! See?
Breakfast for dinner for a whole week! I'm nearly giddy with the naughtiness of it! And really curious about why eating healthy, comforting food that happens to be labeled "breakfast" feels so wonderfully wrong; so self-indulgently, sensationally naughty. What's up with that?
We'll be starting this breakfast in bed for dinner week with an old favorite:
I'll be using a rotisserie chicken for this, and some canned black beans- and I'm lucky enough to have some stale tortilla chips on the pantry shelf and some use-it-soon-or-toss-it salsa in the fridge. It's a brilliantly flexible recipe (so many of these dishes that started as a way to use up leftovers are) so have fun. I'll be pan roasting some tomatoes to go alongside and topping it with a poached egg.
Inspiration here comes from the heavenly brunch menu of the Devil's Food Cafe in Denver. The recipe I've linked is Pioneer Woman's super easy chilies rellenos casserole, and if I use that, I may skip the bacon.
If the mood and energy align, I may try for something a little more authentic- the rellanos at Devil's Food were the real deal, just stuffed with scrambled egg, bacon and feta instead of the more traditional beef and queso. I think I want to try that. Here's the recipe I'll use if I do. If you try it, think about saving those egg yolks for tomorrow's hollandaise sauce.
Friday: seared salmon with asparagus and hollandaise Yet another way of cooking salmon! From what I've read, the magic trick here is starting with a heavy skillet (thanks again, Rache, for my cast iron Christmas pan!) and get it smoking hot. The internet promises that this gets the outside crispy while the inside stays moist. And we all know that the internet keeps its promises.
I love hollandaise, though I think it tastes better when someone else goes to the trouble of making it. Here's what looks like a relatively fast and easy recipe that I think I'll try. I just get a little excited when I think of the lemony creamy goodness of hollandaise with salmon. If you gotta have carbs, try these amazing buttermilk biscuits or stir up some grits or polenta.
the salad is simple- make the potatoes from scratch, or use the frozen cubey hash brown potatoes, lay them on a plate, top them with salad greens, top the greens with crisp bacon, top the bacon with an egg, and add some dressing. Flying biscuit uses a balsamic vinaigrette and a chipotle aoli. Which is, as demonstrated here, mayonnaise mixed with lime juice and chipotle juice. This is just a killer salad- I could eat my way through the entire Flying Biscuit menu, and yet every time I go there, this salad is all I really want.
(I'm planning on leftover potatoes and leftover salmon from Friday night- it'll make this Salmon and potato hash an easy choice for Sunday lunch or Monday dinner)
Sigh. I love breakfast and I adore breakfast restaurants. Devil's Food and Snooze in Denver ,the Flying Biscuit cafe in Charlotte, NC...
been there, ate that, got the t-shirt. No, really-
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| I got the t-shirts |
(I'm planning on leftover potatoes and leftover salmon from Friday night- it'll make this Salmon and potato hash an easy choice for Sunday lunch or Monday dinner)
Two reasons that I'm looking forward to these omelettes: 1. Mozzarella! I think I've gotten a little stuck in a cheddar rut as far as omelettes are concerned and 2. Last winter, I planted some pansies. And then in March, on a whim, I put a couple of sage plants in the same pot. And even though I am a very bad, learn-by-killing sort of gardener, NONE OF THEM HAVE DIED YET!!!!! See? |
| it's really a bit of an accomplishment. |
So, I have fresh sage! We'll be using Aidells chicken sausage, which is consistently yummy and easily available, and the grape tomatoes are easy: just put a skillet full of tomatoes in a little olive oil, and cook them until they're all lovely and caramelized.
Do you know what happens when you have breakfast for dinner? You scramble things up.
When breakfast is for dinner, it's no longer about trying to make your belly unempty before you dash out of the door. It's about fun and comfort, given and received.
It upsets the accepted order of things, and gives you time to enjoy something that life usually requires you to rush through.
It puts beginnings where endings ought to go.
I hope this week that you feel well breakfasted: sharp,and strong, and cared for; ready for a day full of possibilities.
I hope this week that you feel well breakfasted: sharp,and strong, and cared for; ready for a day full of possibilities.
And I hope that this week, every breakfast you have, no matter when you have it,
Feels like the dawn of a truly
beautiful day.
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