i think i am at the point in this book-writing marathon that’s equivalent to when actual marathon runners start peeing themselves (that is an actual thing that happens in marathons, right? or no?) since every missed bathroom break is a chance to pull ahead.

ok, no! i am not sitting on my couch with my laptop and peeing in my pants, but it’s gotten to the point where every time i look away from my manuscript* i feel the imaginary magnetic stress-induced pull to come back and edit this bagel dog recipe or find a better way to tell the eggboy fart story.

*to pee/to look outside at the snow and macaroni/to check peach! omg, peach. i don’t even get it at all but booping people is so fun. come find me, @molly is my user name (!) cha-ching.

and it’s ironically gotten to the point where i forget to actually eat until halfway through the day when i staaart typinh all the words liek this.

so that’s when i make this za’atar labneh breakfast panzanella using the leftover za’atar bread that’s going in the book and eggs from macaroni right out of the most kickass chicken egg holster that stoopie and stoopie husband got us for chrismukkah. is this an actual panzanella? no, that’s just a fancy way to say that this salad-type-thing is heavy on the ripped up bread. i’ve had to splurge on some out of season mint for some recipe testing purposes, so my version of this thing has had some fresh summery feelings going on. but if you don’t have access to fresh mint, you can use parsley or cilantro or just skip the herbs altogether. there is nothing precise about this! adjust it to your liking, make a big batch if you’re hungry and a small batch if you’re not. this dish is refreshing and bright while being 💯 satisfying and comforting, thanks to a pile of squishy fried bread.

za'atar + labneh breakfast panzanella

serves 1

ingredients

olive oil
a handful of bread, ripped into chunks
za’atar
kosher salt
black pepper
an egg
a plop of labneh or plain greek yogurt
about 1/4 english cucumber, diced
a few leaves of mint, chopped
a sprinkle of crumbled feta, optional
a squeeze of lemon juice

clues

heat a nice even layer of olive oil in a skillet over medium until hot but not smoking. add the bread and cook, stirring occasionally until it’s lightly fried and browned. cover it with za’atar and some salt and pepper and either remove it from the skillet or scoot it off to the side to make room for the egg. crack the egg in and cook until the white is firm but the yolk is still runny (covering the pan will help move this process along).

spread the plop of labneh or yogurt into a shallow bowl and top with the cucumber, mint, feta (if using), a squeeze of lemon, salt, pepper, and a good drizzle of olive oil. top with the bread and egg. salt and pepper the egg, and enjoy!

-yeh!