Egg-splosion

If you've read this blog regularly, you know that I am not a great fan of eggs.  Scrambled, yes, omelets and frittatas, sure, especially if they're filled with cheese and other flavor masking ingredients.

But if forced to choose between skipping a meal and a boiled/poached/fried egg, I'd absolutely wait for lunch.

Recently, however, I've been forced to start making soft-boiled eggs.  My teen daughter has taken to heart the old adage "Breakfast like a king, Lunch like a prince, Dine like a pauper" and has requested soft boiled eggs, toast, fruit, milk--essentially, a regal repast to start her day.  While I'm thrilled at her attention to health, I was less enthused by her egg selection seeing as I had no idea how to make a soft boiled egg.  But, never one to shy away from culinary tasks, and feeling confident in the kitchen, I cracked Betty Crocker's Basic Cookbook and followed directions.

The first attempts put to mind the children's story Goldilocks and the Three Bears.  Despite my vigilant attempts to time the beastly orbs, I was invariably greeted (justifiably, I readily admit) with comments from my daughter ranging from "This is too runny"  to "This is hard-boiled".

The procedure seemed simple enough:  put an egg into a saucepan of water, making sure it is covered by at least 1 inch of water.  Bring to boil  Remove from heat, and leave in hot water for three minutes.  Place in egg cup, slice off top, and consume.  My results were hit and miss, until this morning.

I grabbed a saucepan, and followed the instructions.  But I have to admit, I don't think I fully covered the egg by one inch with water.  When I removed it from the pan and cut off the top, the egg was purely liquid.  My husband suggested that I pop it into the microwave for a few seconds.  I thought that sounded genius, so I gave it a 30 second zap.

Imagine our dismay when the egg exploded in the microwave, spewing yolk and white everywhere.

I made a second attempt at my daughter's breakfast, less catastrophic in terms of the mess, but still substandard in terms of the result.  I then threw in the proverbial towel.  I told my daughter I would be pleased to make her spectacular omelets, cheesy scrambles, even poached or fried eggs every morning til the end of days.  But my soft boiled egg career is at an end.

Have you had any allegedly simple cooking tasks that you simply couldn't master?

Breakfast Fare at the Market

My foodie partner Keri and I have an ongoing disagreement.  While she is a huge fan of breakfast, she is a downer on brunch, because it falls in that dead zone between breakfast and lunch (and she's a stickler for etiquette.) 

For me, brunch is a languid breakfast -- one of those ultimate indulgences that you only get to do, very occasionally, at the weekend or when you're on holiday and can have a lie in...

What we both agree on, however, is the importance of a hearty breakfast to set you up for the day. 

You'd think that this would be an indisputable truth, but according to the medical website, WebMD, the majority of people still grab a coffee on the go and call that breakfast.  WebMD asserts that "making breakfast a daily habit can help you lose weight -- and keep it off."

In a post entitled Lose Weight: Eat Breakfast, WebMD cites several studies to back up their claim including a study using data supplied by The National Weight Control Registry.  As WebMD maintains: "Eating breakfast is a daily habit for the "successful losers" who belong to The National Weight Control Registry. These people have maintained a 30-pound (or more) weight loss for at least a year, and some as long as six years."

Now that we know how important it is to eat breakfast, here's a selection of some of the breakfasts that we've enjoyed at Reading Terminal Market.



1. Down Home Diner's Spinach Omelet, turkey bacon, pigs in blankets, and grilled tomatoes. 



2.The Famous Smucker's Breakfast Sandwiches - their sausage, egg and cheese is a current fave.

3.  Beck's Cajun Cafe--We mourn the fact that Beck's Beignets are only available on Wednesdays and Sundays. For those other days of the week, try Beck's Bourbon St. Breakfast: Red beans and rice topped with a fried egg.

Beck's Beignets

4.  Le Bus.  When you only have time for a grab-and-go breakfast, then the Market's bakeries are the answer...

LeBus Muffins and Rolls

Metropolitan Croissants

5.  Metropolitan Bakery.  See #4.  Their millet muffin is delicious and provides plenty of whole grain roughage

6.  Profi's Creperie.  We like both their sweet and savory options.  The egg/cheese/ham filled crepe fills the gap nicely.






8.  Dutch Eating Place--This is fast food and fast service, but it's good food too.

9 & 10.  Once you're done, stop by Tootsie's for a healthy lunch-to-go, Old City Coffee for a quick coffee, or one of the fresh produce merchants to grab some fresh fruit for a mid-morning snack!

Pancakes bursting with blueberries, or



A protein-packed cheesy omlet.

Which of these breakfasts stoke your fire in the mornings?

RTM Breakfasts for Cold Weather

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  And as the chill winter wind approaches, we need a hearty meal to start our engines.  Good thing Reading Terminal Market has such a wealth of high quality, reasonably priced breakfast options to keep us going til spring!

Molly Malloy's Blueberry French Toast

Beck's Cajun Cafe Breakfast Po'boy

Down Home Diner's Scapple and Scrambled Eggs

Dutch Eating Place's Blueberry Pancakes

Feeling healthy?  Tootsie's steel cut oatmeal will start your day off right!

Can't decide?  Tootsie's Breakfast Bar has plenty of options!

So no excuses. If you don't have time to sit down and enjoy a leisurely meal, there are plenty of speedy takeout, grab and go options. Cold and flu season is upon us and we need all our strength to stay healthy. Your mother was right. You need a good breakfast!