A Retro-Meal for Breakfast

When I first got married, I had one cookbook, which had belonged to my Grandma DeMers: The Betty Crocker Cookbook from circa 1950.  Burt and I were in upstate New York from October through April (and as an aside, there is still nothing more wonderful than winter in upstate NY), and I had no job, no kids, and very little to do while living around his rotating shift work.  So I decided to learn to knit and learn to cook.

Twenty-five years later, I have put away the knitting needles for other pursuits, but the cooking goes on.  That dear old cookbook, which finally just disintegrated, was my doorway.  I often threaten to get a copy of the nostalgic reprinting of it.  There were so many tips in it which speak to another time, such as to be sure that you have a vaiety of colors and textures at each meal.  I'm pretty sure that ol' Betty was talking aesthetics at that time, but from a health standpoint, it is also a good rule to follow, and one that I have never managed to live up to.  I am the Queen of the Monochrome Meals.  But at that time, I took her tips as gospel truth and agonized over my uncolorful, texturally blah dinners.  (Oh, to have only that to worry about!)

Before the book fell apart, I had several recipes committed to memory: baked macaroni and cheese, baked chicken, pot roast, and creamed eggs on toast.  I love making creamed eggs on toast!  And after several years of serving this for dinner and then eating the leftovers for breakfast, I realized -duh- that this would be just as good cooked on its own as a breakfast meal.

It takes about 10 minutes to hard boil eggs from start to finish.  It takes about 4 minutes to make toast, and it takes even less time to make white sauce, so don't let white sauce scare you.  You can do it all at once if you are a quick mover in the kitchen.  I usually prefer to go ahead and boil the eggs and just let them sit, and then make the toast and sauce when the boys get up.

This morning, we had three leftover cornmeal-rye waffles, so I toasted those while making the sauce.  I'd like to say that they boys gobbled it up, but they didn't.  They ate the waffle and one NTY bite of the eggs.  It's OK, I tell myself, they'll come around someday.  I, on the other hand, thoroughly enjoyed the eggs, creamy sauce, and crunchy waffles.  With an orange on the side for a little color!

Creamed Eggs on Toast
From Betty Crocker
Feeds 4

• 4 hard boiled eggs
• 4 slices of toast
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 2 Tablespoons flour
• 1 cup milk
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Boil your eggs, and when cool enough to handle, peel them and cut into quarters longways.  Put in a serving bowl.

2. Get your toast toasting.

3. Melt butter in saucepan and then stir in the flour.  Let it get just a tiny bit brown.

4. Add the milk and whisk around to prevent lumps.

5. Keep stirring until it thickens.

6. Add salt and pepper, and then pour the sauce over the eggs and stir gently.

7. Put your toast on a plate and top with eggs and sauce.