Hi, lovelies! First things first. I have missed you… I hope you haven’t felt neglected. Life does what life does and mine has been a little over the top crazy the past few months. I keep thinking that at some point I will find myself and feel grounded/settled/stable – wouldn’t that be fantastic? Yes, yes it would.
But let’s get to the point of this post – because I could ramble on all day AND night about the search to be more joyful/at peace/fulfilled.
I called my friend, Matthew, recently and talked him into food shooting with me again. It gave me an excuse to see him and his adorable daughter, Eden. It gave me an excuse to feed him and maybe do a little day-drinking. (all for research and development… of course)
The food I have been eating lately is super simple, clean and easy to throw together. My babies have been keeping me really busy so time is of the essence every day…. like every other mother/father/human out there. We are all in this together, people! I won’t overwhelm you with any intricate dishes right now when we are all just trying to keep our kids from killing each other during this last end of the year push.
One of my life philosophies is that putting a fried egg on top of everything will make it better. I didn’t always feel this way, but I have grown up and can’t remember life before. Now, let’s not test this theory with fried egg-topped chocolate pudding or fried egg covered peach pie. But fried egg on a nice burger? Or in the middle of a cast iron skillet full of braised greens? Or draped over a sinful plate of chicken and waffles? Someone stop me! Let’s just agree to meet in the middle and say that a fried egg on top of a very long list of things makes life worth living. Yes, that’s better.
I know I tend to exaggerate sometimes.
And let’s be honest – we are ALL obsessed with avocado toast, yes? If you’re not, then I don’t think we can be friends. I tend to crave avocados in the summer like it’s my JOB. Anyway, back to the point at hand. Avocado toast with heirloom tomatoes, ham and a glorious fried egg. That is the point at hand, my friends.
Here’s what you need:
First things first… toast your bread however you like it. In a toaster or a cast iron skillet with a little salted butter!
This is Eden, Matthew and Jen’s lovely daughter. She is absolutely one of the most entertaining humans on the planet – I adore her. And she adores bread… obviously. So toast an extra piece or two for whatever little toast-lover rugrats you have running around. (LOVED having her in my kitchen!)
While your bread is toasting, peel and slice your avocados. (swoon!) Top the toast with some thinly sliced ham (or turkey…). Place your thin slices of avocado and tomato on top of the ham.
Be careful not to drop any directly into the mouth of your dog that is patiently waiting for you to drop something directly into their mouth.
Heat a cast iron or non stick skillet over medium high heat and then add 1T of salted butter. Drop an egg into the butter and fry for about 2 minutes. Season the egg with a little salt while frying.
After the white has set, stream a tiny bit of water into the skillet and then COVER for another 60-90 seconds. This will quickly steam the egg so that everything is set but the yolk remains runny. If you don’t like runny yolks, cook the egg for an additional minute or so until it’s well done. But there comes a time in each of our lives when we need to grow up and learn to love runny yolks. I finally did about two years ago and my life is infinitely better.
Slide the egg out of the pan and onto the avo toast.
Season well with salt, freshly ground black pepper and a little crushed red pepper if you’re feeling feisty. And I do hope you are always feeling feisty…
Cut open the egg so that the yolk can run out and get all messy. Man, that’s just the best thing ever.
I know this post is super simple. I know this dish isn’t a revelation – you are all probably making this exact same thing in your kitchens already! Bravo! If you’re not, I hope you’ll assemble this little beauty soon and love it as much as I do. Let’s all be nicer to our bodies and try to feed ourselves simply and beautifully.
I sure do love you all! (especially YOU!)
-Abs
WHAT YOU NEED
Makes 2 servings
2 slices whole grain bread
1 ripe Avocado
2 eggs
1 tablespoon salted butter
A few slices of heirloom tomato
Thinly sliced ham (or turkey)
Kosher salt and pepper
Crushed red pepper
WHAT YOU DO
Active time: 10 minutes
1. Toast your bread.
2. While the bread is toasting, peel and slice the avocado.
3. Top your toast with the ham then the sliced avo and sliced tomato.
3. Heat a cast iron or non stick skillet over medium high heat and then add 1 tablespoon of salted butter. Drop an egg into the butter and fry for about 2 minutes. Season the egg with a little salt while frying.
4. After the white has set, stream a tiny bit of water into the skillet and then COVER for another 60-90 seconds. This will quickly steam the egg so that everything is set but the yolk remains runny. If you don’t like runny yolks, cook the egg for an additional minute or so until it’s well done.
5. Slide the egg out of the pan and onto the avo toast.
6. Season well with salt, freshly ground black pepper and a little crushed red pepper
