Along the way, the rolling hills, mountains and acres of farmland call out to me, drawing me home. I think the mountains are in my DNA (I was born in the mountains of eastern Kentucky). But as I get closer to Bowling Green, the rolling fields of corn reach out to me, embracing me, giving me a sense of familiarity and peace .
I wish I could show you some photos. But each time I snap any, they never turn out as majestic as the actual view. I did try snapping a photo on a previous trip of one of the "See Rock City" signs on the side of a barn. It's situated beside a beautiful lake, and everything around it is so green. Unfortunately, the photo is taken while moving, and through a tinted, dirty windshield, and with the bridge in the foreground.
Zoom in and see if you can read the barn roof advertising Rock City. :) If you've ever driven along I-24 (and beyond!), you've seen the signs all over the place. It's fun to spot them, especially on barns. You can read the barn painting story (click here).
Since I was gone a good portion of this week, I only have my dad's cooking to share. For years, he's made us his homemade version of Egg McMuffins from McDonald's whenever we visit.
My dad and I made our version…
FIRST OFF, A SAFETY WARNING!! Do not singe off eyebrows while lighting gas stove!!! No, I don't cook with gas here, so it's always a learning curve when I go home. :)
Cook English muffins, split and buttered in a skillet. My dad has a weight to press them so they get crispy and YUMMY.
Fry an egg, trying to keep it muffin shaped.
Okay, so I didn't do so well cracking it into the skillet and keeping it round. My dad cut off the browned egg white to keep it round. Which was the best part! (Yes, I ate those edges!) And yes, I seem to get my perfectionist tendencies from my dad. :)
Top the muffin with a slice of American cheese. Then add sliced ham (we just use lunch meat or a baked ham, whatever we have available). This time, we used deli meat.
Now comes that nicely trimmed egg.
Top with the other half of the muffin and enjoy!
Oh, and here is the last bloom of my mom's peonies.
Gorgeous!
yum! I like the browned edges of egg too - not a fan of the yolk unless it's scrambled or really mixed in. I want that weight thingy! I guess butter must be the secret to making english muffins taste good! bet Kentucky was beautiful. houston is so flat and yucky.
ReplyDeleteSusanna
Susanna, definitely try cooking English muffins in a skillet with butter. It makes all the difference. I don't like them out of the toaster. Even if you don't have a weight, you can mash them with a spatula while they cook. That's what I do. :)
DeleteWow, that trip sounds exotic to me. I've read about all those places in fiction and so want to visit those states some day. And you have peonies already? Of course you do!
ReplyDeleteOur lilacs are just flowering now. That's quite late for up here. Oh, and get this...last fall my landlord hacked away at half my lilac tree in the fall. Have no idea why. It was nearly dead when I first moved here eight years ago. I nursed it back to health and it gives a grand flower show every year. Anyway, he hacked it to bits and I was sure that he'd killed it, but lo and behold, it blossomed again this spring...kind of funny looking since there weren't many branches left, but that lilac bush has spirit and it wasn't going to let my axe crazed landlord bring it down.
So I come home from work yesterday to find the poor thing is now nothing more than a stump. Landlord came back and hacked off all the flowering limbs. I have no idea why but I feel like someone has just dismembered by baby. Not to mention that all my shade plants in that area no longer have any shade. :-(
Sorry for the rant but I had to tell someone who would understand. sniffle. And thanks for the recipe idea. I've never had an egg mcmuffin (because of the meat) but I could definitely do a vegetarian version at home.
Oh, Kav, I'm heart broken about your lilac!! I didn't grow up with a lilac bush in our yard, but one of my friends had one. I LOVED them. Have missed seeing them while living in Georgia.
DeleteCan you call him and ask him to let it grow back?
Oh, Kav! I've run into people who think lilac bushes (and forsythias) are an invasive species and need to be hacked and controlled.
DeleteWe had neighbors in Kentucky who planted forsythias all along the fence between our property and theirs, and they were just getting big enough to be beautiful in the spring. But then they moved and sold their house to a plant-hacker. The forsythias, the beautiful rose garden, all the lovely shrubs around the house....
Sniff. I'll mourn your lilac with you.
I just remembered - I'm planning to hack a lilac this weekend. What??? Someone planted it at the foundation of the house, in the corner, and it was overgrown when we moved in. Now it's dying from the inside out. So I'm planting another one along the easement where it will have plenty of room to grow!
my dad was a wisteria hacker. :-( would whack it to death every time. once when I went to work and they were down here, he whacked my hibiscus - they never came back
DeleteSusanna
Oh, yum... Food. Food looks good, Missy!!!!!! I love breakfast sandwiches, I do them with scrambled egg though because I can't look a yolk in the eye. :)
ReplyDeleteBut these look Mahvelous, Darling!!!! And I might be laughing at your Rock City pics, just a little. Just a SMIDGE, Missy!!!!! :) But the peony??? Oh. Be still my heart!!!
Click on the photo, Ruthy! It looks better when it's bigger. ;)
DeleteLilacs and peonies. I left them in Denver. Sniff.
ReplyDeleteI have cactus now. SNIIIIFF.
Favorite breakfast: English muffins and poached eggs. Ham!! Yum.
Enjoy adding the ham, Tina!
DeleteYeah, I think I'd be disappointed with cactus, too. BUT, you have gorgeous fruit trees in your yard! And NO SNOW.
Love the way Dad puts a press on the English muffins, Missy. You can never go wrong with crispy.
ReplyDeleteYeah. The more contact with the pan and that nice melted butter, the better it tastes. :)
DeleteI never thought of doing English Muffins in a pan! I love them toasted, and then watch the butter melt into the nooks and crannies along with the swirls of golden honey.... As much as I love my trim healthy mama eating plan, I do miss English Muffins!!! I'll have to keep some around for a planned cheat once in a while.
ReplyDeleteAnd I've always loved the views in Kentucky. Since you were born there, you can really enjoy them. We only lived there for five years, so we were always Yankee invaders when we ventured into the countryside. The natives tolerated us, but everyone knew we didn't belong there. You belong there. I bet you even add the required extra syllables when you talk!
While we lived there, my husband's name expanded from one syllable to three. We call him Floyd, but his employees called him "Fa-low-weed" with the accent on the middle syllable. Say it out loud. Isn't that the perfect eastern Kentucky accent?
LOL, Jan! I think I would probably only add one extra syllable to Floyd's name. Floy'-eed. :)
DeleteI've found light English muffins. So look for those for the occasional treat. And definitely fry in a pan with butter!! So much better.
Love the weight!!
ReplyDeleteLooks old fashioned, doesn't it? :)
Deleteis that weight a bacon press? I wanna find one! I can't believe you didn't swipe that sucker when he wasn't looking! that's what kids are supposed to do when they go home..
DeleteSusanna
I think it is, Susanna! You know, I should have thought to swipe it. :) I guess I'll have to order myself one!
DeleteI haven't found one...all have pig on them - blech! don't want a reminder of what I'm eating you know?! guess I'll try ebay next..let me know ifyou find one!
DeleteSusanna
hey this one looks kinda like it! wow pricey - you SHOULD have swiped it LOL! http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lodge-Cast-Iron-Grill-Press-Hamburger-Steak-Bacon-/301153995478?pt=Kitchen_Tools_Gadgets&hash=item461e2d4ad6
DeleteSusanna
and this rooster shaped one for Ruthy!
Deletehttp://www.ebay.com/itm/Old-Mountain-Pre-Seasoned-10150-Rooster-Shaped-Bacon-Grill-Press-7-1-2-Inch-D-/271363599270?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f2e87eba6
Susanna
Oh wow! Thanks for the links. I think I'll check out the Lodge outlet. :)
Delete