Easy Brunch Treats

I love to cook. I've always enjoyed cooking, a trait my ex-wire did not take sufficient advantage of. The kitchen was her domain. She controlled the food, the cooking space, even the methods of cooking. So I mostly stayed away from the stress. When I did cook, it was usually with her permission, or even insistence, for our large family dinners. Most often this meant cooking a turkey or on occassion making some sort of multi-layered pasta and cheese dish, where I bought the cheese so it didn't come out of her household budget. Once again, I avoided the stress of fighting over food.

These days it is becoming increasingly difficult for me to make a decent meal. The work involved leaves me beyond just a little tired. Usually if I prepare a large meal, I'm too tired to eat. The funny thing is that small meals take just as much out of me as large meals. Things are getting increasingly difficult to lift. I drop things, which means taking a great amount of effort to pick them up. I spill things, so I have to tidy up more often, whether it is a large meal or a small meal.

One of the really sad things is how easy it is to make an interesting meal, without a lot of work. Even some of these are difficult for me now. Eggs Benedict is a good example. It has to be, hands down, one of the simplest brunch treats to prepare, if you know the tricks.

Basically, if you take an Egg McMuffin, take off the top bun, smother it with Hollandaise Sauce and serve it on a plate, you've got Eggs Benedict. The only difference is that McDonald's uses some crappy egg mix instead of poached eggs. But think of it. An English Muffin, toasted and buttered. Some Canadian Back Bacon, fried a bit to warm it through. A poached egg. Hollandiase sauce.

So what are the tricks? Well first of all, I poach my eggs in the microwave, using a third cup of water and a half teaspoon of vinegar. I poke the yolk with a toothpick so it doesn't explode, then nuke it for about a minute. Perfect poached egg every time. You can even do three or four at a time this way. Dead easy. Then, I use a mix for Hollandaise Sauce. I used to make my own, but this mix makes it a ton easier. On the other hand, you can make Hollandaise Sauce in a blender using melted butter and egg yolks. It's easy.

Those two things make it so simple to do Eggs Benedict for brunch, so easy that I teach my home care workers how to do it. It's beats the hell out of the montony of fried or scrambled eggs, the occasional omelette, or some other egg based concoction. I've also taught my HCA's how to make a simple crepe which can be filled with jam or brown sugar, and covered with maple syrup.

You see, cooking can be very simple if you know how. The problem for me these days is that even simple takes it out of me. I continue to remind myself of the rule of ALS. Nothing is easy. Nothing is fast. It all wears me out.