VcMuffin

So here we have a VCK version of a McMuffin--a VcMuffin, if you will. And you should. Because McDonald's is evil. Really, I haven't eaten there in a very, very long time. Like, years. Since I don't eat meat, none of the burgers appeal to me. I didn't even really like the French fries, since I worked at Dairy Queen for two years, and DQ's fries were far superior. Plus, oftentimes they were free. Don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating for one fast food joint over another.* It's just that I was in the kitchen at the DQ and knew, at least, where my frozen French fries had been before I ate them.

I'm not a proponent of any fast food. I think it's a once-in-a-while indulgence (I mean, I get a mean Taco Bell craving when I'm...how shall we say?...inebriated). But I think a lot of Americans look to fast food as a quick-fix to the "I'm hungry" scenario and never really think about what's going into their bodies. There's really nothing wrong with a beef hamburger with a nice, thick slice of (real) cheese on top on a whole wheat bun every once in a while. But when there's a day's worth of sodium, cholesterol, trans fat, sugar (really? In a burger?) and other countless bad things in a single item of food, well, I don't care who you are, you know it's bad for you.

That's why I try to make homemade meals for me and Cookie Monster every day. I think the body is so important and so many people take it for granted. Am I perfect? God no! Do I try to give my body the things it needs to thrive for years and years to come? Yes.

So anyway, this long and drawn-out tirade is simply a way to introduce the breakfast sandwich I made for Cookie Monster a few days ago. I used a sort of Egg in the Hole recipe, which basically entails cutting a hole in a piece of bread, toasting it in a pan, and then cooking an egg in the hole while the other side toasts. Simple.

I used a mini whole wheat bagel as my bread vessel (which, conveniently already has a hole in the middle! Thank you, inventor of bagels, you lovely, wonderful Polish Jews!). I toasted one side of the bagel in a skillet with a little Earth Balance. Then I cracked the egg and put it in the middle of the other side of the bagel. I melted some white cheddar cheese on top of the cooking egg, and then got really excited when I remembered we had some proscuitto in the fridge. Yes, I am amused and titillated by small things. So sue me.

Now, since I'm a half-assed vegetarian, proscuitto oftentimes turns me off. The fat develops a chewiness that I absolutely loathe about meat. But, when you put proscuitto in a hot pan for about 10 seconds, it makes a great sizzling noise, shrinks down to half its size and, best of all, gets crunchy, like bacon, thereby taking the yucky fatty chewiness out of the equation. So, that's what I did. Nevermind that I was making this VcMuffin for Cookie Monster, not me. Oh well. Sometimes I project my food weirdness onto him. He didn't mind. He got a warm breakfast.



So, the moral of the story is, after one of my longest posts to date about a freakin' breakfast sandwich: Well, I'm not quite sure. I guess it's: Don't eat fast food. It's really, really bad for you. And have breakfast. It doesn't have to be anything fancy (but it can't be a Krispy Kreme either). And read ChezVCK regularly.

*Ok, so the one fast food restaurant I will defend is the best fast food chain in the world: In 'N Out Burger. I will defend them for this reason: there is nothing that comes out of the freezer in this restaurant. Everything is fresh and made on the premises. You don't see any Sysco trucks delivering anything at this place. I mean, you can watch the employees stick a whole potato into a device, and then, magically, you have the makings for French fries! I defy any McDonald's, Burger King, Jack in the Crack or any such ilk to do the same! And I'm advocating for a fast food joint, and I don't even eat their meat! I eat their grilled cheese, which is the burger with everything except the burger! Yes, I'm aware that I'm strange. Let's move on. Sadly, I do not live anywhere near an In 'N Out, so I have to drool at their website occasionally. There's no shame in having pity on me. I'll let you.