Breakfast

One thing my stomach always wants is breakfast. Some days, a yogurt will suffice. Some times I need more. Today, I needed a monster feast. I woke up STARVING. And when I thought about it, my stomach was right yet again. I really haven't eaten very much this weekend. I got caught up in other things, I had a different schedule, and I forgot to eat. And my stomach let me know this morning that it was NOT HAPPY with my choices.

I would say about once or twice a week I get a message like this from the gut. Basically, it just tells me to eat and eat and eat and eat. Until I get full. Now, you might think, hey, I thought you were letting your stomach make all the choices, so why don't you always eat until you are full. And I promise you, I do. But this is a different kind of full. This is a kind of full that can only be obtained when I am STARVING. I don't know how to describe it, other than saying it is painful, but exciting. I really enjoy eating and eating and eating.

Before, when I let my brain do the thinking, I would be STARVING and I would just eat a normal amount. Sometimes I even enjoyed the pain. It would, of all things, make me feel skinny. Which is just stupid. And later, after I enjoyed the pain, I would reward myself. With a cookie. And then, hey why not another cookie. And, you know, I did such a good job ignoring my hunger earlier that I could probably have some ice cream. And eventually I would fulfill my hunger. But in a way that made me feel gross. Now, I acknowledge and treat the hunger. And I try to make the most of it.

So, to appease the devil that is my stomach, I made a delicious spring breakfast today. I had orange french toast from a baguette and strawberry rhubarb sauce. I can't be too proud, because the sauce recipe was from my cooking class, and french toast is so easy to make, but I can still be a little proud. And I am. It was delicious.

If your curiouos, here is what I did. The strawberry rhubarb sauce is adapted from Cynthia Lair.

3 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon sugar
1 stick rhubarb, diced
3 eggs
3 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon orange juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 12" long baguette, sliced in 1" pieces
1 tablespoon butter
10 strawberries, halved with stems removed
Juice from half a lemon

Heat water in small saucepan over medium high heat. Add sugar and mix until dissolved. Add rhubarb and cover, simmering over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add strawberries and lemon juice, reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes, or until completely soft and easily mashable with a fork. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

While the sauce is cooking, combine the egg, milk, orange juice and cinnamon. Mix thoroughly. Soak the baguette slices in the egg mixture, turning to make sure they are completely covered.

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add butter. When butter is completely melted add slices of french toast to the skillet, filling but not over crowding. Flip the bread when bottom is slightly browned, about 2 minutes. Let the other side brown the same amount and remove from skillet. Repeat until all bread is gone.

Serve French toast with strawberry sauce on top.