hole in the middle, three ways

morning things that make me happy, in no particular order:

1. eggs 

2. eggboy

3. eggboy strum strum strumming on his guitar

3. eggs in a basket

4. toads in a hole

5. hole in the middles

6. coffee

7. hole in the middles made by mum

8. hole in the middles made by other people (even when eggboy makes them and breaks the yolk, which happens 100% of the time)

9. skyr with cacao nibs

so what i am saying is that the hole in the middle is my desert island breakfast, my ultimate morning comfort food, my favorite way of celebrating the new day. there was a time in my early years when i ate these guys every single day, and during that time my mum nailed down the science behind perfecting it: crispy toasted bread, firm whites, a runny yolk, almost too much salt and pepper (which means that it's just right).

in those days i ate it by first poking at the yolk until it broke, dipping the circle into the runny part, and then eventually working my way out to the crust. i always left the smiling crust.

my approach these days is more of a fork and knife method. i cut off a corner or cut out a triangle, i eat all of the mothership trying to get a good egg to bread ratio in each bite, and then i sop up the remaining yolk with the circle, leaving behind a crystal clean plate. 

i like to think that as my mother's daughter, i have inherited the hole in the middle gene, so today i am sharing the family hole in the middle recipe over on cup of jo! it's followed by a few  fun variations that include kale, pesto, avocado, and (my new favorite) pimiento cheese. check it out here!

-yeh!

king cake

you guys! eggboy and eggdad broke out the most insane carpentry skills this weekend to build the prettiest butcher block countertops ever in the world. they are so thick and sturdy and (almost) ready for all the tasties i simply cannot wait to make. today the plumbing and my new massive sink go in, right beneath a window that looks out to the farmstead, so i can make faces at the eggs while i wash my vegetables. these guys really shouldn't have done such a good job with the countertops because now i see myself delaying their planting season by requesting custom tables, vanities, and cheeseboards. (or maybe i should get off my bum and learn how to make a cheeseboard myself. i think that is what a real farm girl would do? eggsister is always doing cool wood crafty things, i think i'll take a clue from her.)

we are officially back in the market for wallpaper. the toile samples we've had taped up just aren't cutting it. i'm thinking it might be fun to get wallpaper with maps all over it? or a massive wall-sized comic strip? i don't know. life would be so much easier if willy wonka wallpaper was for real. any suggestions?

oyoyoy, i am so excited for the farmhouse kitchen. aside from the wallpaper, there are still a number of things to do, like figure out a range hood and rip up the carpet, but after experiencing these countertops this weekend, it feels so much closer to being finished. i wish the farm wasn't so far away from all of you so i could have everyone over for the inaugural high tea, complete with crumpets and marzipan.

speaking of marzipan: i took a little liberty with my king cake decorations. is it awkward to have a no sanding sugar policy? i fear i've offended some mardi gras die-hards, but tell me, is it so bad to want marzipan on everything? you can get the recipe over on food52 and use sanding sugar to your heart's content. please celebrate mardi gras with a little extra oomph this year so you can make up for the fact that egg and i will be spending the holiday caulking and sanding.

how were all of your weekends????? and did you eat waffles????

-yeh!

RYE PANZANELLA SALAD

all of the people these days are done with winter and ready for spring. they want pastels and ham and no more snow. they want to run outside (?)

and while i do love a good spring onion and my springtime birthday, i am cozied up here making cookies just begging winter to stay for a few more months because this whole farming off season thing, with eggboy free for impromptu road trips, and the pretty snow everywhere, and all the reason in the world to spend days and days baking is absolutely the best ever.

and it's like, well, if you wanted me to invite you over to eat cookie dough for breakfast in our jammies and then spend the day making a layer cake, why didn't you just say so? then you will know what this winter has been to me. then you will know. 

especially in your butt. (bc actually your girl could use some running outside, if you know what i'm saying.)

the recipe i have for you today is a winter panzanella salad, and just looking at its worried face, i think it knows its brussels sprouts will soon be replaced by tomatoes, its crispy shallots by ramps.

...oh did someone say tomatoes and ramps? well, i guess the changing of the seasons isn't that bad. but for the record, i do plan on wearing my ugg boots and fleece lined pants until someone delivers me a ramp to my doorstep.

my winter eye panzanella salad with brussels sprouts, salami, and dijon vinaigrette (as its birth certificate actually says) is up on betty crocker's site. it should be known that after i took these photos, i sat on my couch with that massive red bowl and a fork, watching made-for-tv christmas movies in total pastrami winter heaven.

-yeh!

asian breakfast tacos

between the triple loop triple lutz triple axel thingies on the telly and the six quarts of muhammura that came out of my kitchen and the egg grandma birthday and the bit of jazz at the venue in a back alley, this weekend trumped a lot of other weekends. 

as of this weekend i have two new favorite people: meryl davis and charlie white. ohhhmyyygahhhh i have never loved ice dancing so much. i always thought it was just something that my mom and other people her age like. (and i even did a twizzle once.) but davis and white float about the ice like a disney princess and her shaggy midwestern knight and it is just the most goose bumpy thing i ever done saw since pelletier and salé. i still don't fully understand this whole team figure skating event at the olympics, but i am so glad that i get to see davis and white skate to my fair lady again. i might even make a cake about it. am i too old to be fangirling so much? 

speaking of being old: another highlight of the weekend was investing in a humidifier. soon my skin will be less like a prune and more like a grape! we've named the humidifier pat, which i think is the ultimate sign that we need to get out more and that we need this upcoming arizona trip.

and speaking of arizona: tacos! there are few things i love more than a taco and a margarita. and there are even fewer things i love more than a taco and a margarita before noon. so i made breakfast tacos, complete with gochujang roasted potatoes and other asiany flavors. they are now up on betty crocker!

-yeh!