Last Resort

Have you ever come home from a long day at work to see this waiting for you? (Go ahead, don't be ashamed, nod your head.)

Or this...

This was my reality tonight. Inspiring, isn't it? I know.

Actually, it forced me to get in touch with my inner creative genius (insert laughter here) and whip up something worthy of a James Beard award. Well, ok, that's a little ridiculous, but here's what I managed:

The egg. It it perhaps the most under-rated food ever. I mean, they are like the perfect pair of jeans...you can dress them up or you can dress them down.

I dressed them...

with cheese. And let's face it. Who couldn't use a little more protein?

Ina (I speak of her like she's my next door neighbor) taught me how to make the perfect scrambled eggs. I mean perfect - not too wet and not too dry.

You start with a little pat of butter and let it melt nicely in a nonstick pan. Add your eggs that have been whisked up with a little milk or cream and salt and pepper. Then, with a rubber spatula, just keep it moving slowly and constantly, while occasionally scraping the sides until the eggs are not runny anymore.

It will change your life. I mean it.

To top off my scrambled egg delight, I added a little whole wheat toast and sweet fruit.

Yes, that is a hamburger bun. Don't judge. (It was in the pantry and needed to be used...and the bread had green stuff on it.)

Mighty satisfying if I do say so myself.

I Haven't Fallen off the Earth!

I promise. Life has just been exceptionally hectic, and I've been struggling to carve out time to write all about my foodie adventures...but, there have been many! Stay tuned for good things to come very soon...

Here is a bit of a taste to keep you intrigued...

Headed to the Borough

I just got back from a trip across The Pond. Yep, that's right. I had the opportunity to take two weeks and visit my dear friend, Dr. Nellie, while she was finishing up a bit of studying in London.

My next several posts will be about my adventures with Dr. Nellie...beginning with our trip to London's famed and beloved Borough Market.

I first became aware of this wonderland of food when I saw it on Ina Garten's London special during the holidays last year. Knowing I was headed there in the spring, I have pretty much been obsessed ever since.

The market is made up of of hundreds of vendors selling everything from piping hot Hunstman Pie...

to giant, steaming pots of paella...

to sweet and savory homemade marmalades...

to pastries that will make you want to cry...

and everything in between.

Walking around the market with a zillion of your closest friends takes some patience, but it's hard to really lose your cool when you realize that you are milling through this foodie mecca with your own people.

I mean, how can you fault someone for stopping in the middle of the isle because they just tasted the creamiest, richest cheese of their life? Or for taking 20 minutes in line ahead of you to decide which of the homemade truffles - dark, white, milk, cayenne, chai, strawberry... - is "the" one? I just don't think you can.

If I were an athlete, experiencing Borough Market would definitely be like winning the Superbowl or the World Series.

Dr. Nellie and I roamed and roamed, ogling at all the delights...then, suddenly, there it was: The Flour Station. This is the very vendor where the Barefoot Contessa herself purchased an unbelievably gooey, glistening sweet roll on her trip to Borough Market. I must have one.

I had stood where Ina had been. Happy, happy girl.

After a couple hours of exploring all the cracks and crevices of the market, we picked up some sandwiches and a glass of cold cider to wash them down (I literally watched them pour my cider straight from the cask!) and sat down to rest our feetsies for a bit before heading back to the flat.

Words cannot even begin to describe the swelling in my heart that Saturday morning.  Sheer and utter thrill, complete amazement, crazy wonderment. I felt as if I had come home walking through the market bustling with people, smelling the aromas of the bounties of this earth (and some from grandma's kitchen) and truly savoring every moment.

Cheers!