Saturday, September 17, 2005

Cooking Tips 3: Breakfast in Bed

Okay, so you've made dinner twice, and now if you're really going to bowl your significant other over, you're going to have to turn up the heat (pun definitely intended). Now that Sweetest Day is coming up, find a way to break into your loved one's living situation and surprise him/her with breakfast in bed. Now, the past two cooking segments were painfully easy to cook, and this one is about ten minutes of work in total and so easy to make. But it's time to branch out a little, and use tools and a stove.

What we're going to be making is an invention of mine called Scrambled Eggs Carbonara. It's based on a pasta sauce called carbonara and it's also low calorie and fat. Bonus! You're going to need a small bowl, a whisk (left), a spatula (right) and a frying pan. As for ingredients, you'll need grated cheese (get the good stuff, please, not the kind that comes in a can with holes at the top), bacon bits, parsley, skim milk and eggs. When you crack the eggs, don't be afraid to hit it rather hard against the edge of your bowl. Most of the problems people have with cracking eggs is they do it too gently, then they have to pry it open with their fingers, then they get shell in the eggs...it's terrible. Just give it a good whack against the edge of your bowl and you'll get a clean, deep break. Whip the two eggs with the whip until it's fully blended. Then add1/4 cup of milk and whisk that. Then add 1/2 cup cheese and whisk that. Then add 1/4 cup of bacon bits and whisk that. Then add 1 teaspoon of parsley and whisk that. You should have a well mixed blend of a rather ugly conglomeration.

Add some non-stick spray to the pan and put the stove on medium-high. I prefer spraying a little olive oil on the pan, but you can use whatever you prefer. While the pan is heating (it will only take a couple of minutes), stick a couple of slices of whole wheat toast into the toaster. The toast will be done around the time your eggs are done. Now that your pan is hot, add the egg mixture and let it sit until the edges start to turn a lighter color yellow. Now take your spatula and scrape the outsides of the mixture toward the inside of the pan. Keep doing this, just stirring and turning the egg mixture in the pan until there is no more liquid parts. After a couple of minutes you will have a mostly solidified mixture - this means you're almost done. Keep cooking and turning and stirring until it looks like what scrambled eggs should look like. This end result looks pretty good. Add a little garnish if you'd like, serve with juice, fresh fruit and toast, and don't you look like the chef of the year! Your honey will flip for this breakfast.