Egg in the Basket

As I have shown in the past I barely keep any food in my refrigerator. So when times are tough or when I'm too lazy to go out an get some quick food I scramble whatever food I have into a quick meal.

One of my go to recipes is called egg in the basket and is one of the simplest and quickest meals you can make. I found out about it while watching the film V for Vendetta. There was one scene were they were cooking it and I was very interested in trying to replicate this meal. I saw a quick tutorial and was easily able to reproduce it.

All you need to make this is

1 Egg

1 Piece of bread & butter.

You cut out a hole in the center of the bread using a small cup or anything you can find with a small enough diameter to fit in the middle of the bread. Next you butter what you have left and put it on a hot pan. Lightly toast both sides of the bread before putting your egg on.

(Egg in the Basket)

After this is done put your egg to cook on both sides. The amount of time you cook it depends on how you want your egg done. I do it for no more than 1 minute on each side because I like my egg runny, you can cook it longer if you want your egg solid.

This literally takes no more than 5 minutes to cook and is both light and healthy if you have the right kind of bread. I add a pinch of salt, tabasco and a hint of mustard to make a quick breakfast or post run snack. A quick Youtube tutorial can be found here if you need more help

SPAMaroni & Cheese

It is very seldom that I make meals from scratch. It is arduous and inefficient for those who live by themselves. I am also lazy when it comes to cooking meals. So when I am short on cash or don't feel like eating out I make quick meals that take no longer than 30 minutes to prepare.

My living and eating habits preclude me from having a fully stocked refrigerator and pantry. I usually find myself having to be very creative in my food combinations. As you can see from the picture below I usually have limited options (this picture is probably rock bottom).

(My fridge)

One night I was sifting through my pantry when I found a can of SPAM. It seemed to be the only thing I could eat that night at which point I felt as though I had hit rock bottom. I hardly ate SPAM and when I did I had them with eggs which I didn't have at the time. I happened to look at the back of the can of SPAM and noticed that there was a recipe for SPAM with macaroni and cheese. Luckily I had a box of Velveeta so I decided to take a leap of faith and try this out.

(SPAMaroni & Cheese)

The recipe was simple, it calls for

1 can of SPAM

1 box of Velveeta

A couple dashes of Cayenne pepper

A couple dashes of Paprika

You can use the classic Macaroni & Cheese but I prefer to use Velveeta because it is creamier. I dice the SPAM into tiny little cubes and sear them on a skillet until the are golden brown. I then add them to the macaroni and cheese and let that simmer on a low heat for about 5 minutes. After that I add my spices for an enhanced flavor.

The saltiness of the SPAM along with the richness of the mac and cheese yield a satisfying food combination. The dish while deviously delicious can take it's toll on you in a matter of bites. There have been a number of instances where I crossed the tipping point and have been tossed in a state of food hell.

It is for this reason that I recommend this dish only as a side to your meal and something you enjoy only on a monthly basis. You should definitely give this dish a shot, I was a doubter but have since eaten my words.

Gordon Ramsay's Scrambled Eggs

I am going to take a quick break from my food adventures to present you one of my favorite home made dishes. I like a number of you grew up on scrambled eggs for breakfast. Both my mother and father had their own spins on this dish. I vividly remember looking forward to eating them , especially during the weekend when I could take my time.

Flash forward to the future and I find myself branching off and trying to create my own version of this classic dish. After various attempts I left feeling unsatisfied at which point I turned to the experts for help. I stumbled upon this video which is Gordon Ramsay's recipe for "the perfect scrambled eggs". For those of you who don't know Mr. Ramsay is a famous eccentric Scottish chef raised in England whose claim to prominence came with his popular T.V. show Hell's Kitchen.

(The Perfect Scrambled Eggs)

If you watch the video his recipe calls for.

- 3 Eggs

- 1 Teaspoon of butter

- 1/2 Tablepoon of creme fraiche

- 1 Slice of sourdough bread

- Chives

If you want to make it I recommend you watch the video as it is a semi-complex process. I have tweaked the original recipe by substituting the bread with whole wheat and not adding the creme fresh, mainly because I don't use it that often.

Both recipes are solid and make for a great breakfast. The chives really add an extra dimension that is hard to live without. I have become so spoiled with this dish that eating eggs any other way has become boring and even inferior.

Luther Burger

Opening the new year I decided to circumvent the traditional backstop of starting anew, mainly eating healthy as is observed in the USA and decided to try one the most unhealthiest burgers in America.

I invited a hand-full of friends over to try the infamous Luther Burger. The origins of this caloric catastrophe are debated time and time again, but what can be agreed upon is it's allure. It's rise to prominence is a recent phenomena due mainly to the intrigue and disgust that it raises.

Some see it as the culmination of American gluttony, others as an unbreakable impediment towards sliming up American's waistlines. I saw it as something new and interesting to try.

My first exposure to this was on CNN and later on a Food Network special. I looked up the recipe from various sources including Paula Dean and the St. Louis Baseball stadium that serves them. The recipe calls for krispy kreme doughnuts, ground beef, bacon and cheddar cheese. It took about an hour to make them from scratch. With each second that passed my anticipation to devour this devilish concoction grew exponentially.

The first bite I took was preceded with both fear and excitement. Once I dug in a wave of guilt hit me because I could not believe that it was deviously delightful. The sweetness of the caramelized sugar and savoriness of the bacon and cheese produced a flavor combination that is becoming increasingly popular.

The only other meal that reminds me of this is the bacon ice cream and waffles that I had at Restaurant 13, other than that I cannot fully explain what I experienced that night. I was also astonished that I felt fine after finishing it.

There are two ways that you can make it, you can cut the doughnut in half and sandwich it in between the burger or you can be adventurous and use two doughnuts. While I am adventurous I decided to pass on the latter and chose the former. My friends on the hand chose the latter and did not have any problem finishing off their burgers.

After all of this I can stand here and say that I will make these burgers in the future. The taste was very interesting and the experience was even better.