Home alone. How will I survive? Answer, cast iron…

It’s such a cute little thing… One of our smallest cast iron pans, a great tool in the kitchen for a meal designed for one person.

Today, is Saturday; the day I am typing this post.  This morning my wife and son have left me home alone. They are selling our handmade, off grid, soy wax candles at the Farmer’s Market.  My wife sells her hand crafted candles that she makes in the old cabin on the property using our solar power. If interested in our homemade soy wax candles follow the link here (Yes, this is a shameless promotion). Candles made by the power of the sun! It almost sounds like an orange juice commercial.

How to fry a farm fresh egg… Heat pan, remove egg’s protective packaging, place egg yoke and white into pan, wait. I’m kidding everyone knows how to fry an egg.  Use laser, aim, and fire.

So, here I am home alone working on lessons for my classes, blogging, etc.  Then it hits me.  I am hungry.  I want something that tastes good, has limited dishes to wash, uses food that seems to be lonely, not enough portions for three, and isn’t a piece of toast or energy bar.

First, I check the freezer, low and behold a single lonely English muffin.  I bring it to the kitchen.  What’s next? Butter? Yes! Jam? No, not in the mood for sweet; I need protein.  Egg muffin with cheese?  Yes.  But, sausage or bacon? No, too much effort. Dry Salami? Perfect with a little horseradish stone ground mustard.

Balance is key… I am so glad this lid did not fall off my miniature cast iron fry pan and into the fire.

How to prepare it? No microwave here to defrost the muffin.  I will use the toaster oven and warm it for 10 minutes at 200 degrees Fahrenheit.  Then switch to the toast setting for 8-10 minutes at 300  degrees.   Fry pan of choice is our smallest cast iron pan, 6.5″.  This small cast iron pan will fry a single egg perfectly and keep its round shape for my muffin.  While I am warming /toasting the English muffin, I sliced some delicious Tillamook cheddar cheese, dry salami, and buttered the cast iron pan.

Finishing touches… The English breakfast muffin is “measuring” up.  I forgot to put the tape measure away for this photo.

I gently heated the pan on our propane stove. Once the butter was melted, I cracked one of our farm fresh eggs, from one of the hens in our coop, directly into the pan.  I took a small pan lid, not a good fit for the cast iron pan, but I made it work.  I cleverly placed/balanced the lid on top to help cook the egg on both sides.  When the egg was cooked I turned the flame off on the stove and placed my cheese on top to melt.  While the cheese was melting, I built my English breakfast muffin with butter, horseradish stone ground mustard, salami, and then I placed the egg and cheese on top.  To make it even more enjoyable I added a small glass of orange juice.  The English breakfast muffin tasted great.

Order up… This English breakfast muffin is ready to serve.

Today, I have survived without resorting to my usual peanut butter toast with cinnamon on top.

Please share a quick meal you have discovered that has limited dishes, is relatively fast, and doesn’t use a microwave, or I might just be stuck with peanut butter toast during the next farmer’s market.

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