Fried Bread and Eggs

It’s one of the simplest breakfasts I know. All you have to do is fry a big ol’ thick slice of nutty bread in lots of butter, throw a couple of over-easy eggs on top, and serve with some breakfast sausage.

The good thing about it is that you can do almost infinite variations on this, depending on what kind of bread you can find at the bakery, and what kind of butter and/or jam/jelly you have in your pantry.

The last time I made this, I used a little jar of mango-flavored butter I picked up in a specialty food store, and some cranberry-walnut bread that I got at Whole Foods Market.

Ingredients

·         NUT BREAD, 1 slice, at least one-inch thick

·         BUTTER, unsalted, 2 tablespoons

·         FLAVORED BUTTER, as much as you want

·         EGGS, 2, over-easy, sunny side up, or scrambled

Directions

1.       Melt the butter in a non-stick sauté pan.

2.       Fry one side of the bread slice until it’s toasty.

3.       Turn over and fry the other side.

4.       Transfer the toasted nut bread to a plate and spread flavored butter on top.

5.       Top with the eggs and serve with breakfast sausage.

Chicken Cacciatore

I got my first chicken cacciatore recipe from the 1965 edition of the Better Homes & Gardens New Cook Book, which I bought when I transferred college to Los Angeles.

As the years went by, I changed it, adding ingredients and altering the measurements to cater to my own tastes.

This is a very easy recipe. Once you have your mise en place set, everything moves along quickly.

Ingredients

·         CHICKEN PIECES, 6 to 10

·         OLIVE OIL, ¼ cup

·         ONION, 2 medium, large chopped

·         GARLIC, 2 cloves, minced

·         CARROTS, 2 medium, diced

·         CELERY, 1 stalk, diced

·         MUSHROOMS, 8 ounces, quartered

·         TOMATOES, 1 28-oz. can, chopped

·         CHICKEN BROTH, ½ cup

·         GARLIC SALT and FRESHLY GROUND BLACK PEPPER

·         THYME, dried, 2 teaspoons

·         OREGANO, dried, 3 teaspoons

·         BAY LEAF, 1 or 2

·         RED WINE, ½ cup

Directions

1.       Brown the chicken pieces in the olive oil in a Dutch oven, remove and set aside.

2.       Add the onions and garlic, season with salt and pepper, cook until tender but not browned.

3.       Add the remaining ingredients.

4.       Return the chicken to the pot, season again, cover and simmer for 45 minutes.

5.       Remove the cover, and cook for 20 minutes more until chicken is tender and sauce is thick.

6.       Skim the excess fat, remove the bay leaves, and serve with pasta or rice.