Eggs and Sausage Gravy Over Hash Browns

Printable version

In the town of Churubusco, Indiana there is a small diner called the “Ramble Inn.” It has served the 2,000 residents of Turtle Town USA since well before I was born. When I was in college at Ball State University I would work during the summer break and return to Churubusco, where I grew up. The Ramble was the only place in town that was open 24 hours, so it was a favorite stop for me and my friends after a night out on the town. I would always order the restaurant's signature breakfast called the He-Man, with a half order of biscuits and gravy on the side.

(I was a child of the late 70s and 80s. After Star Wars there was nothing more Awesome than He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. I still think that Castle Greyskull was the greatest play set made in the 1980s - Even cooler than the Millennium Falcon! Which is saying a lot cause I'm a Star Wars Nut)

I was a sucker for the He-Man because of my obsession with the toys in the past. It included two eggs, hash browns, sausage or bacon and toast. Thrown in the biscuits and gravy and you got all of my favorite breakfast flavors.

For this recipe, I take my favorite parts of the He-Man with biscuits and gravy and combine them on one plate. The result is fried eggs and sausage gravy over a huge hash brown.

I have been making this plate for a long time. I love hash browns and there is nothing better than sausage gravy, I consider it nectar of the breakfast Gods, and I summon great powers from ingesting it. (Well, that’s a little dramatic, but this is my version of a breakfast named He-Man after all.) It may look like a mess on the plate but this is my favorite morning bite and would eat it everyday if it were a little more healthy.

BEHIND THIS BITE
This was the 100th print column that I have published. It’s a milestone that I’m really proud of. The introduction that ran in the paper was totally different because the readers are familiar with the restaurant and town so I reworked it for webland. It is the first time that I have completely scraped the print intro, which is roughly 200 words. It was nice to not have a word count when I started this post. It is much more difficult to write a 200 word story than it is a 400. Sounds ironic but it is the truth. It forces you to edit, and that can be the toughest part of writing.

Eat well, cook often ...

Peanut Butter Cookies with Bits of Toffee

Recenlty my aunt, who is also a good friend and mentor, was informed that she was in for a pretty tough fight, health-wise. This prompted those who know and care about her to organize a benefit to help with the cost of expensive medicines and treatments that she will need to prolong her life.

Printable version

Part of the benefit involved a bake sale. I really don’t have much experience with baking. Most of the dishes I make seem to be what one would typically eat while watching football. I took the bake sale as a challenge and decided to make cookies.

My favorite candy bar is a Heath Bar – made of chocolate covered toffee. My favorite cookie is peanut butter. For this recipe, I combine the two, and create a peanut butter cookie with chunks of toffee covered in milk chocolate. It took me a couple of tries to perfect, but in the end, I was able crank out a large quantity for the bake sale and every one of them sold. The benefit was a great success and it inspired me to create a yummy new cookie recipe.

BEHIND THIS BITE

Recently on this blog, I mentioned that I was back living in New York City. I had been there for almost a month with my girlfriend when my aunt got sick. I decided (with my girlfriend's blessing) that it was a good idea to be around my family to help out with the situation. I packed up my belongings and returned to Churubusco, Indiana.

My aunt was diagnosed with lung cancer and given 18 months to live.

It was a huge shock to our close-knit family.  Everyone is dealing with it well and my aunt has settled into her treatments and is doing great, given the circumstances. I've been spending Wednesday evenings with her. We hang out in the kitchen and I've used those nights to experiment with recipes.

This cookie recipe was created in her kitchen.

The first batch was a disaster, the second was good. The third try - well, this is the third try. These cookies are outrageously good and you get lots with this recipe. After all, it's designed for a bake sale. For a snack version at home, just use half of all the ingredients.

Life can throw a punch from time to time, so you always need to be prepared to remain upright once one lands. I'm grateful to be in a situation that allows me to spend time in New York and then, if I need to, back in Indiana with my family. I hope my aunt can defy the odds and make it through this disease, and I hope to make many more recipes with her.

Eat well, cook often ...