At times it’s easy to make things too complicated. This goes for life in general and food in particular. We seek the newest, the most innovative, the most complex. Which isn’t bad, necessarily, but we often get caught up in seeking what we don’t have or don’t know, when instead we could focus on something simpler, or something we already have.
One of the things I really like about breakfast is its simplicity. Which makes writing about it an uphill battle, at times: it’s not as sexy as cocktails or mobile food or the newest lunch spot downtown. But the simplicity of breakfast often forces you to focus on other things, like the company you’re with, or the skill of cooking a simple dish very, very well. Over the years, I’ve been most impressed when a cook can make the perfect scrambled eggs (a little wet and undercooked) or can grill up potatoes just right (crispy edges, soft middle, lots of salt and pepper). And I’ve most appreciated those times when I get to spend time over a meal with people that matter most to me.
For Lent this year, we gave up sweets in our household. We’ve stuck to it mostly (darn you, Girl Scout Cookies!), but for me it’s really translated into fore-going multiple visits to Buckeye Donuts per week. Still, it’s an opportunity to celebrate and enjoy some of the simple meals we can make together. One of our favorites, for both breakfast and dinner, is scrambled eggs on toast. It’s a simple as can be: toast some bread and butter it. Scramble some eggs. Add salt and pepper, cheese if you like. Enjoy. It’s always one of my go-to meals: I love soft eggs on a crispy toast. Buttery and salty all together. It nearly brought tears to my eyes the day my oldest son first piled scrambled eggs on toast just like his father.
Whatever your beliefs, I encourage you to gravitate toward uncomplicated things right now. Starting with your morning meal. What are the simple breakfasts you enjoy?
