Chronicles of a Curly Head: Early Valentines Day

Why hello there!

My hair is curltastic today!

I think that's a good omen.

This is a slightly Valentines Day themed post.

Although it isn't VDay yet - i'd like to get everyone in the spirit!

I'd also like to provide somewhat helpful tips (food related of course).

-The way to a person's heart is through their stomach-

So for VDay try baking or cooking for someone special.

Let us begin...

[[Today's music]]

JOHN LEGEND & ESTELLE - YOU ARE

Such a lovingbeautifulsexy song. Love it.

[[Today's restaurant]]

HEART ATTACK GRILL

[[Today's Random]]

A SCENE FROM: IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE

This is one of my favorite movies of all times. Also one of my favorite scenes.

[[Today's Valentines Day kitchen gadget(s)]

[[Today's food clip]]

LIDDABIT SWEETS

Liddabit Sweets: Small Batch Candy w/Unique, Nostalgic, Seasonal Flavors from SkeeterNYC on Vimeo.

[[Today's curly head]]

MEG RYAN

One of my favorite actresses of all time.

[[Today's Valentines Day Breakfast Tips]]

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day

so what better than making your special someone breakfast in bed?

Like I've previously stated - mrbreakfast.com is the best breakfast site I've come across.

Mr breakfast has so graciously put some 'Breakfast in Bed' tips on his site.

A few of his tips include:

The surprise is the thing:

"If you share a bed with the person you're cooking for, you should have an excuse ready if they wake up too soon.

"Go back to sleep. i'm just getting up to 'blank'. Be sure to give yourself plenty of time to prepare before that special someone would ordinarily rise."

Show the love:

"If you're making something with love, let it show. Heart shaped cookie cutters are just the thing to make romantic pancakes. Scissors are all you need to make heart shaped toast. For those of you with an expense account for love, a heart shaped waffle maker can provide years of smiles. A simple splash of red- strawberries, cherries or jam- can give any plate a feeling of something special."

The little things:

"A bowl of cereal is one thing, but that same bowl on a doily with a vase of flowers, a handsomely folded napkin and fine silverware is another. From salt and pepper to cream and sugar to the morning paper, leave no excuse for your loved one to get out of bed. As Julia Cameron once said, "Art is born in attention. It's midwife is detail."

For the rest of the tips on Breakfast in bed you can find it here:

http://www.mrbreakfast.com/feature_breakfast_in_bed.asp

[[Today's Valentines Day recipe]]

EGGS IN A BASKET

**Keep in mind: The only thing you want to avoid is cooking the egg yolks all the way through. The whole point of this recipe is to have a runny center so you can use the surrounding bread to dip into the yolk. If you don't like runny yolks, then i suppose you can cook them until they're done. But you'll be missing out!**

::Ingredients::

1 piece of whole wheat bread

1 egg

Seasoning of some sort (S&P if fine)

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

::Directions::

-Take a small heart cookie cutter and place it in the center of your bread.

-Use a serrated knife to cut around the cookie cutter until the bread pops out- leaving you with an empty heart space.

-No heart cookie cutters? No problem. Just use a knife and free hand it the best you can!

-First heat your skillet on high heat for about a minute

-Add a generous amount of olive oil to the pan (cover the pan with a thin layer) and let it heat up for 30 seconds to a minute.

-Turn the heat down to medium high heat

-Add the bread to the skillet

-Prior to adding the egg- you might want to put a little more olive oil in the center of the bread so that the heart is well oiled

- Crack the egg open - directly inside of the heart

-Shake a good amount of your seasoning directly on top of the egg.

(Now this next part is kind of tricky, so don't get too upset if you have an epic fail on your hands. It takes some practice.)

-When the bottom of the egg sets (lift up the bread and check, or use your best judgement) gently put a spatula directly under the bread and give it a flip.

**Often when I try and lift my egg it sticks. This is because I never add enough olive oil from the get go (you think I would learn lol) When this happens I just wiggle the spatula back and fourth a little with my hand until I can easily lift the bread. Once I lift it up I add more olive oil to the pan, then flip it to the other side of the bread**

**Notice how (in the picture above) the whites have broken and a little egg yolk is peaking out? This is because my egg stuck a little and I had to wiggle the spatula around to pick it up. The egg white ripping was a result of this. No need to panic. It will taste exactly the same - it doesn't need to look perfect. Also take note of how the yolk is still runny- this is a good sign.

-After you flip the bread- shake some more seasoning on top.

-Once the whites are once again set (It will probably take 1-2 minutes) remove from the pan.

-Plate the breakfast up nicely and serve.

(Presentation is very important)

The photo below is how eggs in a basket typically looks when I make it. I don't go through all of the heart mumbo jumbo on a regular basis lol. It's nice to do every once in a while!