Love to cook..Love to bake: Lazy Girl Breakfast

My Story

I've always loved being in the kitchen. Isn't that the gathering place at parties and get togethers! That's where the action is, where delicious smells come from, and where I go to create some really great stuff! My Grandma was my inspiration. She lived her life in Baltimore and she was ALWAYS in the kitchen (or down at the VFW for a crab feast and beer) but Alice created so many wonderful meals for our family. I remember there was always soup before the meal, usually a steaming bowl of crab soup with a rich tomato broth and lots of vegetables. Her crab cakes were incredible, a recipe I use today, and undeniably the best. I would challenge ANY other crab cake recipe to match my Grandma Alice's. The first meal I made for my mom was macaroni and cheese from The Fannie Farmer Cookbook back when I was about 7 years old. I was very proud of it, and it was really good..a creamy white sauce combined with good old cheddar and shells sprinkled with toasted bread crumbs..yum. So off I went through life, cooking and baking, and came to realize that baking was the shizzy. I loved finding a great recipe and making it even better. Funny my kids didn't like sweets much, so I showered friends and neighbors with treats. Later down the road, when some real decisions needed to be made, I decided to attend the baking and pastry arts program at The California Culinary Academy. I was 47 years old and had no idea what I was in for (another blog). So I mastered the art of baking thanks to a dedicated and talented team of instructors. I did a gig in the basement of well known pastry kitchens and had a wonderful time working for a small caterer cooking with a great bunch of gals. But here I am now, still cooking, still baking and loving it, in my own kitchen where I can share my love of this sport with the world. I take all my own photos (another passion) and I hope you will have patience and stay with me in this newest adventure. So thank you Grandma Alice for all those delicious memories, stories and inspiration. Stay tuned..

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Lazy Girl Breakfast

Since my husband and I dined on our favorite frozen yogurt for dinner last night, we both woke up slightly famished and in need of some protein. Trying to stay on the healthy side of things this morning, and still feeling a bit sleepy, I pulled out organic eggs, whole wheat bagels, low fat cream cheese and went to it. That's what my husband had for breakfast. But as I stood at the stove flipping his eggs to his desired "over hard", I spied the two green tomatoes sitting on the counter. I had picked them up last week at the farmer's market with the intention of frying them up..(salt and pepper the slices, dredge in a little flour, fry them in a little olive oil until golden brown) but just never got to it. So being the tomato lover that I am, added the green tomatoes to the mix. This is what I came up for my lazy Saturday morning...

Lazy Girl Bagel
one whole wheat bagel
1 organic egg
light smear of low fat cream cheese
2 slices green tomato

Toast the bagel, add the cream cheese~Use a tiny bit of oil to fry up the egg~Salt and pepper the tomatoes, then fry them up (same pan as the egg) until their golden on each side~Plop the egg on the bagel, then the tomatoes on top~A bit more salt and pepper...Yum.