Actually, since this happens on the grill (Spider doesn’t grill!) this is from Sandy’s trick bag, but you could just as easily do this in the broiler.
This is bright and tasty on its own, as a side dish, or in lots of other ways (ideas after the jump.) Also a good home for leftover fresh veggies past their peak.
So who says that breakfast has to be cereal, pancakes, or eggs and toast? I do like breakfast. Don’t get me wrong on that. I love to go out on Sunday morning to diner and have a ham and cheese omelet with hash browns! (By the way, the best omelets in Chicago are at the La Saber Diner at Montrose and Damen. YUM!!!)
But as a single person, completely in charge of my dining destiny, I have broken the rules and created what I call “Lawless Breakfast”.
It started one morning as I was enjoying my usual cup of dark roast coffee; I was not sure what I wanted to eat. Now also keep in mind that I don’t normally have breakfast at the crack of dawn as some people do. With my uneven schedule it could be anywhere from 8 to 11:30. Sometimes I just go right to lunch.
So I was looking in the fridge at about 9:30am and I saw some eggs, some black olives, and some rice from the night before and some parmesan cheese. So I heated up a pan with some cooking oil, beat the rice and cheese into the eggs and added the olives. It was so fluffy and delicious, I was surprised. It was some sort of a brunch item.
Another unusual thing that I love when I need to eat and am in a hurry is a piece of rye toast with Dijon mustard and sardines. It is so tasty and good protein. I know that one may not appeal to non sardine fans, but I like it. You could also do that one with some smoked salmon if you prefer.
Or another quick one is sliced fresh tomatoes on a piece of toast with a little parmesan cheese and black pepper. Light and delicious!
One of the stranger ones I did was some left over Italian sausage that I cut up in small pieces with onion and mixed it up with some left over potatoes. Then I heated it in a frying pan in a little olive oil and served it with an egg on top, sunny side up!
I have made use of everything from a piece of a pork chop to white beans, to left over cous cous in scrambled eggs with herbs!
So that is how the lawless breakfast can be. I just hope this segment did not put you off your lunch……..so to speak!
Cool. Crisp. Colorful. Easy, but satisfying. That's what I had in mind when I created this summer meal. 
This is an omelette I made the other night. I looked in the fridge and came up with this filling. What’s in your fridge that would make a good omelette?
(I like this with the summer salad on the side (see below))
Beat two eggs with a tablespoon of water, some salt and pepper.
Prep a pan with vegetable spray, a light coating of olive oil or a little butter. Heat the pan.
Pour in the eggs. Slosh them around so they’re spread nice and thin and leave them there for a minute or two. Once the edges start to set a little, take a spatula and scoot it around the perimeter. Scoot scoot. Slosh slosh. While the eggs are still runny add
1 teaspoon of capers
and 2 slices of fresh mozzarella cheese to the center
when the eggs are just about set but still moist, add
4 fresh basil leaves
to the center, flip up the sides and serve.
You can always count on eggs.
This salad just tastes like summer to me. I use it as a side dish or spoon it on top of additional greens to make it a main dish. If I really want to make a meal of it, I just throw a few grilled shrimp on top.
Toss this all in a bowl:
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 ripe avocado, cubed
1/2 pint grape tomatoes, halved
4 thin slices white onion, separated
Top with:
1 Tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
the juice of one lime
salt & freshly ground pepper
Meow. Summer.
It really doesn't take much to make something more elegant, more flavorful and feel a little more special. It's worth the effort to keep a few things on hand to plus any meal. From time to time I'll give you a peek inside my pantry. This is the stuff I almost always have on hand. Bonus: when the rest of the cupboards are bare, I can always whip something up from the pantry.
You’ve just gotten home from a long day at work. My long days at work are usually long nights at work. I get home from a gig, it’s close to midnight or past, I’m hungry, exhausted, a little revved up. This is a situation where taking the time to cook for yourself may seem counterintuitive, but it’s more important than ever--I wind down, nourish myself, and get a really good night’s sleep after.
The key is to be prepared. I have a couple tricks in my bag, and a bag of frozen shrimp in my freezer is one of them.
It’s good to have a couple of easy quick dishes you can make with what you have on hand to turn to when you’re too exhausted to think. This is one of my favorites:
Angel Hair Pasta with Garlic Shrimp and Red Peppers
Angel hair pasta
4 Tbs olive oil
1/2 chopped red pepper (in 1 inch pieces)
Splash of white wine
1 clove garlic, crushed
6 frozen shrimp
Romano cheese
Take the frozen shrimp out of the freezer and sit them in a bowl of water to thaw while you put a pot of water on for the pasta. In the meantime, put the olive oil and a splash of white wine in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and red peppers and sauté until the peppers are tender.
Once the water boils, cook the pasta along with a generous pinch of salt. See if the shrimp are thawed. If not, hurry them along by draining and adding some warm water. When they are thawed, strain and toss into the olive oil mixture until they are just heated through.
When the pasta is ready, toss it all together and top with some grated Romano cheese. For bonus points, add a few stalks of the blanched asparagus that’s been lounging in the fridge.
Don’t forget to pour yourself a nice glass of wine.
I could never understand why someone wouldn’t want to treat themselves as well as they would their guests.
Table for One is about the real glories of living alone. The way you honor your life. What better place to begin than how you nourish yourself every day? When you give some attention to feeding yourself well, you’re laying the foundation for living life to the fullest. You deserve something better than a sandwich over the sink!
I discovered the importance of this unexpectedly. About a year ago, my husband of 19 years died suddenly of a heart attack. We were both creative people who had no children and a very social (and well-fed!) lifestyle. I am a professional singer, actress and playwright who also loves to cook and give dinner parties. When Bob died, I found myself in a new place in my life. Living alone. I decided it was more important than ever to embrace the life that I have, and do the things that I love. I wasn’t about to put away the china and the Cole Porter champagne glasses.
So I’ve made some adjustments. New recipes, new strategies. And I’ve paid attention--to my surroundings, to my friendships, to the little things that make up a day. I believe it’s made a difference, and it’s helped me move forward, with joy. This blog is a place to share those ideas. And I hope it can make a little difference for you too.
Meow,
Spider
