One-Eyed Jacks

This recipe comes by way of my good friend Styles, who uses the simplest of ingredients for a quick, healthy breakfast that will please everyone from cherub-faced wee ones to hungover household hippies:

You will need:

- 1 egg
- 1 slice bread, any type
- Butter
- Salt & pepper
- 1 drinking glass (the mouth should be smaller than a slice of bread)
- Cutting board or clean level surface

Directions:

- Preheat a pan or griddle to medium-high
- Lay slice of bread on cutting board
- Turn glass upside-down and carefully cut a circle in the bread using a twisting motion
- Lightly butter the pan
- Briefly lay slice of bread in pan to soak up some butter, then flip to soak other side
- Crack egg into the "eye" of the bread and cook for 2-3 mins
- Flip with a spatula to cook other side for another minute
- Season to taste and serve with a side of hash browns

Optional:

- Try melting a slice of cheese on the one-eyed jack and serve with hot salsa
- For a sweet n' salty variation, try using cinnamon raisin bread

Goat Cheese Omelette

submitted by Jeff Wolfe, King of Prussia, PA

A recipe for the kind of omelette that you make for breakfast or brunch on a Sunday morning or early afternoon, and you end up not having to eat anything the rest of the day 'cause it’s so rich n' satisfying!

When I thought about writing this down, I immediately got discouraged; all I know how to do is to throw the ingredients together and make a couple of omelettes from it.

First, I hesitate to put exact measurements in this recipe. I give a basic guideline, then you get to do your own thing, and put more or less of a certain thing, whatever that may be, in or out of the mix. Clear? Good!

Second, I make no claims of dietary benefit/damage/excess in regards to the recipe. It does have some healthy stuff in it, but who knows if it’s still healthy when you combine it with other not-so-healthy stuff!

Finally, I didn’t learn this recipe from anyone - I made it up. I may have been hung over when I did. I’m not sure. I encourage you to add, subtract, omit, etc. anything you want in the preparation/presentation/seasoning/combination of this dish. Hopefully, if you do decide to experiment with this particular dish in such a fashion, it may even inspire you to make up your own recipe. Or not. Whatever. Isn’t that what America is all about?

Peace in the Middle East,

Jeff

Ingredients (for approximately two omelettes):

- 6 eggs or so
- A splash of milk per omelette
- 1/2 red onion
- 1/2 Vidalia or sweet, white type onion
- 1 shallot bulb
- 1-2 garlic bulbs (or some pre-chopped garlic that comes in a jar or something)
- 1-2 vine-ripened tomatoes (Roma or Hothouse are good)
- Handful of fresh basil (or oregano)
- Teaspoon or so of olive oil
- 4 oz. or so smoked salmon
- One of those logs of goat cheese

Preparation:

Chop, dice, or cut up the onions, garlic and shallots. In a pan over medium heat, sauté with olive oil until translucent (a little clear, not browned). Set aside.

While this cooks, dice tomato and pluck basil from stem and chop lightly.

In a bowl, whisk up 2-3 eggs, using a splash of milk to fluffify. Add tomato and basil to mixture.

In omelette pan, use a non-stick vegetable spray on the surface. Over medium heat (important - you don’t wanna burn the son of a gun!), pour egg, tomato and basil mixture in pan. Use a spatula to continuously poke at the egg surface, creating holes for the runny parts to fill up. This insures your omelette isn’t too undercooked on the inside.

When egg mixture is nearly cooked (barely any runny stuff on top), then place the onion, shallot and garlic mixture on one half of omelette, along with the smoked salmon (slightly torn apart in pieces) and the goat cheese.

Use spatula to fold omelette over in half, let cook for additional 30 seconds on each side. Put directly on plate and feast on my brother, feast on.

Serve with coffee and try to watch some football or something. This is food for the weekend, my friend!

S'more Pancakes

In honor of the first day of Autumn: a leaf-crunchin', fire-cracklin' recipe from Down Under:

You'll need:
- 1 pkg. graham crackers (sugg: w/cinnamon), crushed
- 4-7 large-sized Hershey bars, crushed
- 1 pkg. marshmallows, crushed
- Pancake batter (sugg: bottled mix - just add water!)

This recipe is quite easy! Preheat your pan on medium-high and grease thoroughly with a pad of butter when hot. Add premixed pancake batter of your choice. Liberally add graham cracker in a circle on the wet mix. Next add marshmallow, then chocolate in the same manner. Allow the ingredients to soak through the wet mix to the center of the hot cake. Flip when browned. Brown until desired. Remove. Serve hot with syrup if desired. Smoke pot. Relax.

submitted by Terry Wompelstomp, Queensland, AUS
Author, "Breakfast In The Bush"

Mickey Mouse Pancakes

This is a good morning surprise for the kiddies, who will instantly recognize the breakfast version of our favorite cartoon rodent. When making pancakes, pour the batter for a large, head-size pancake and two smaller, attached ear cakes.

Make a face with raisins or chocolate chips (Fig. 1) Take care when flipping that the ears stay on! Serve on a place face up with a healthy side of hash browns and some maple syrup.

Dial "BM" for Bloody Mary

Fernand Petiot, an ex-pat who bartended at Harry’s New York Bar in Paris in the 1920’s, is credited with inventing the legendary Bloody Mary.

The story goes that when he mixed tomato juice and vodka, a patron suggested that the drink be named the Bloody Mary, because it reminded him of the Bucket of Blood Club in Chicago, and a girl there named Mary. Another account is that the drink is named for Bloody Mary herself: Queen Mary I, famous for her persecution of the Protestants.

The drink quickly became popular in the US when Petiot began bartending at the St. Regis Hotel, and spiced it up for his classy New York clientele.

These days the Bloody Mary can be enjoyed in many manifestations – with beer instead of tomato juice, extra spicy peppers, or even yogurt. The bottom line is use your imagination. Tomato juice (or perhaps clamato juice) can stand up to a lot of experimentation, so have fun!

Source: http://www.drinksmix.net/bloody_mary_history.htm

Here's the classic Bloody Mary recipe. Enjoy!

1 1/2 ounces (1 jigger) vodka
1/2 cup tomato juice
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Worcestershire sauce to taste
Tabasco to taste
1 celery stick for garnish
1 lemon wedge for garnish

Combine vodka, tomato juice, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, 1 cup ice cubes, and salt and pepper to taste, shake the mixture well, and strain it into a tall glass filled with ice cubes. Garnish the Bloody Mary with celery stick and lemon wedge. Serves 1.

Espreggo!

If you only have 60 seconds in which to make scrambled eggs, please look no further - you have found your recipe (you need access to an espresso maker). First, crack an egg into a cup or mug. Beat thoroughly with fork. Next, steam the egg on the espresso valve, as you would milk for cappuccino, drawing the cup quickly as the egg fluffs and fills the cup. Scoop out onto bread or plate and consume wildly.

Johnny's Porridge

(from Johnny's Diner in Newton Center, MA)

Ingredients:

- 3/4 cup rolled oats (old fashioned type - absolutely NOT the quick cook kind!)
- 1 small apple, cored and chopped (preferably tart, like a Braeburn or Granny Smith, leave skin on)
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 1/4 cup dried sweetened cranberries
- 1-1/2 cups water
- dash salt (optional)

Directions:

- Put water in medium pot. Add salt if desired. Bring to a rolling boil on stovetop
- Slowly stir in oats, apple pieces, raisins, cranberries
- Very briefly return to boil and stir. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover
- Cook covered about 5 minutes, stirring once (try not to burn it, jackass)
- Turn off heat. Leave covered for about 3 minutes
- Serve in ceramic bowl
- Consider adding a splash of milk or maybe a bit of brown sugar and cinnamon
- Enjoy

Note: If you'd like, any dried fruits can be substituted for the cranberries and raisins - BM especially recommends dried bing cherries

submitted by Michael Long, Basking Ridge, NJ

Baked French Toast

- Cut a loaf of French bread into one-inch slices
- Beat five eggs and add 3/4 cup of milk, 1/4-teaspoon baking powder and one tablespoon vanilla extract
- Pour mixture over both sides of bread then cover and let sit overnight in the refridgerator
- Grease lasagna dish well
- Pour one 20oz. package of thawed strawberries (add blueberries, raspberries, blackberries if desired) into the bottom of the greased pan
- Pour 1/2 cup of sugar over fruit
- Place slices of bread atop fruit mixture
- Sprinkle cinammon and sugar to taste over bread
- Bake in pre-heated 450-degree oven for about 30-35 minutes, or until berries are bubbling and the bread is golden brown
- Serve and enjoy!!!!!!!!!!

Submitted by Christine Fitzsimons, Media, PA