AN INSPIRED BREAKFAST
Friday, June 8, 2012 at 11:26AM 
This morning as I was going through my Twitter feed, I came across a tweet from Hannah sharing a link to a blog post about why you should start a food blog. What Shanna said in her latest post on her blog, Food Loves Writing, about having that post sitting as a draft for weeks resonated with me as I have two posts sitting unfinished and a myriad more than I've never posted.
My inhibitions include wondering whether or not to post something so simple as a berry smoothie, not having a cute story to go along with the post, not coming up with a recipe all by myself (fearing the recipe attribution police), or the absence of a whole collection of step-by-step "perfect" photos (unlike the imperfect one above where a speck of a thyme leaf was embedded in the yolk - it bothers me, but I'll have to get over it). In addition, having three small children coming into my office every few minutes asking if they can have the iPhone or tattling on each other create a distraction that oftentimes pulls me away from the computer and from finishing up a post to the point where I simply give up. Of course, the challenge is to get better organized so that I can successfully execute my blog posts - taking photos before or after they've been fed and planning out and lining up the shots in my head that I wish to execute. Baby steps.
After reading Shanna's post, I was inspired to come up with my version of a healthy egg breakfast with whatever I had on hand. It started with using the local eggs I discovered at Whole Foods last week. I saw a guy grabbing for a brand I've never before noticed and decided to try them after seeing that they were from a local farm. They were a bit more pricey than the eggs we usually buy, but definitely worth it. The yolks were more orangey which made the egg taste close to the ones I remember from breakfasts in Croatia - fresh from the chicken every morning.
I didn't have any kale, so I selected the few good leaves of spinach from the water-logged container (after having the spinach sit in a melting ice chest). I know, it's not from the farmer's market, but sometimes it's what I do. I chopped the handful of spinach leaves and added them to the eggs as they were frying. I have to admit that it's difficult to shoot any photos at the stove due to the low light. It would be nice to have a skylight above the stove with the stove in the middle of a large kitchen, but for now Lightroom will do. Also, the angle at which I took the photo also bothered me - again, I need to get over it. One day I hope to have a large kitchen with a skylight, two ovens, two refrigerators, a huge pantry, lots of storage for baking pans, a sink overlooking a beautiful "real" garden with gorgeous morning sun, and...I could keep dreaming.
If I had more spinach, I would have wilted the spinach first - instead of chopping it and adding it to the top of the eggs. I sprinkled a little Portuguese Flor de Sal and topped the eggs with fresh thyme leaves from my little container garden and some crumbled Greek feta. Chives would have also been a good option if I had any (growing them in a container has proven unsuccessful). Aleppo pepper would also be good or freshly ground black or green pepper. The possibilities are endless. I think next time I'll cover the eggs while cooking for a more poached egg dish instead of the hard fried exterior.
Simple, healthy, and delicious. No real need for a recipe, but here it is as I made it this morning...
Eggs with Spinach and Feta
Serves 1
INGREDIENTS
butter, enough to coat the bottom of the pan
2 large eggs
handful of spinach leaves, chopped
pinch of sea salt (I used a coarse grain Portuguese Flor de Sal)
fresh thyme leaves
Greek feta
INSTRUCTIONS
Melt butter in 8-inch frying pan over medium heat.
Crack two eggs into pan. Sprinkle with salt and add spinach after one minute or so. Cook uncovered, about 5 minutes or to your liking (you can also cover the eggs - something I'll try next time).
Serve on a colorful plate and top with crumbled feta and thyme leaves.
* Thank you Shanna for the inspiration! I love that quote from "Cold Tangerines".
Reader Comments (8)
What a pleasure to read this post and enjoy breakfast with you via your blog. I love the idea to make a breakfast up from what you had on hand--that is how some of the most delicious things come to be. And PS FYI your photos are just lovely!
Thank you for your compliments. It was truly inspiring to read your blog post this morning and to discover another "new" (to me) blog. So many times I've stopped myself for posting due to one reason or another, so I needed this inspiration to simply do it!
As someone who just started her own blog, I have the exact same insecurities and questions going through my mind. I say, don't sweat it, write about what you love and are passionate about, and just keep doing what you're doing, which is writing an amazing blog and taking absolutely gorgeous photos!
Yes, I thin everyone goes through the same thing. The delicious eggs were a great choice.
I actually came over from that post by shanna on her blog, when I saw your comments. It's so true, what she said, When i first started my blog, I felt so intimidated and I thought to myself "why would anyone bother reading my blog? It's gonna be a waste of time" But I just felt I had to. I don;t know why. I just wanted to do sth that I love, purely that. And I'm so glad I did.
It was lovely finding you and your blog x
Thank you Nancy. I know that months down the road I will be glad to have taken the time to write down what matters to me and to not worry about the little things that tend to get in the way. I'm glad to have discovered your blog. It must be quite a welcome change from being a criminal defense lawyer.
I agree, El. I keep meaning to go through your beautiful blog and make some of those delicious desserts - such as the Brown Sugar Chocolate Mousse Cake and the Lemon Cake (need to find the gelatin sheets first).
Shu, thank you for stopping by my blog. I love the graphics on your site and am happy to learn of another "new"blog - well, new to me. I think that starting a blog simply because we want to do it for ourselves (and find pleasure in doing so) is the best reason. Having someone else find our blogs is a plus.