New Excitement for the Taste Buds

New Excitement for the Taste Buds

The Microsoft welcome screen on my Surface laptop this Saturday morning suggested that one should seek out new excitement for the taste buds. Hah! I had already gone there, even without their prompting! I had gotten out of bed before 6am and put on the pot of coffee to brew. I then set about the task of cooking myself some “Eggs in a Basket.” This is not an onerous task; else I would have left it undone. But given the proper level of creativity, it can evoke a true explosion for the taste buds. Let me detail some of steps of that creativity for you!

1.     Find a slice of high-quality bread. Then cut a hole out of the center of it using your wife’s favorite cup, much like your kids did with their playdough. Clean the any crumbs from the lip of the cup so that your wife is not displeased with your having borrowed it! Now spread a thin layer of butter onto the bread and its inner disc.

2.     Get out your best, non-stick skillet and put it on the stove at medium heat. Melt a tab of butter onto its bottom.

3.     Separate the disc from the bread and place both, butter side down, into the skillet.

4.     Crack two eggs into the confines of the slice of bread. It is ok if some of the egg white cascades over the side and spreads out into the pan but limit its expanse if possible. I typically break the yokes and stir them up slightly at this point, but that is a matter of preference for how much yellow goo you want to deal with when eating them later.

5.     Now the good part! Sprinkle the top of the eggs with Garlic Pepper. If you do not have any of that, I will be happy supply your need from my storehouse of the substance, uniquely available for my Mennonite friends in Missouri.

6.     Then, to really engage your taste buds in their exciting mission of delivering delight to your palate, sprinkle a healthy coating of crushed red pepper on top!

7.     You are now ready for the next creative step. Cover the cooking egg with a lid and pour a few tablespoons of water around the brim so that it runs down under the lid and fills the area around the egg with steam. This allows the egg to cook quickly from both sides and causes the top to skin over, vastly improving the results when attempting the next step.

8.     Slide a spatula under the contents of the pan, and in one intense act of concentration, flip the whole thing over without allowing it to leave the confines of the pan or landing inside the pan but all crumbled up. Even crumbled up results are still edible, but lack the high-quality appearance seen in fine restaurants.

9.      Now sprinkle some grated, sharp cheddar cheese on top of the eggs and recover for a moment and allow the cheese to melt. When it is satisfactorily gooey, flip the now toasted disc and any of the errant egg white up on top of the egg.

10.  And one more idiosyncratic flare can now be added. Spread a thin coating of peach jam on top! Strawberry also works, but I grew up raising eggs and do not like to see red intermingled with my eggs!

11.  Enjoy, with loud groanings!

12.  It is now time to go back over to the stove and turn off the burner! Leave the dirty dishes for your wife so she is impressed at your industry so early on a Saturday morning!

I wonder if that was what Microsoft had in mind with their welcome screen?