so what's for breakfast today?

bowl of cut oat and rye groats , a piece of dry toast with a teeney dollop of sugar free strawbry preserve, a poached egg (done in our new West Bend egg cooker ), with another piece of dry toats to dip, and a glass of fresh squoze orange juice.


Been splitting wood, visiting A2k, doing some drawing, and splitting more wood. Tired.

Ill be hungry fo supper (Mrs F made a shepherds pie)

Three cups of tea.

Wonderful breakfasts. It's a shame how America's attitude toward breakfast is so conventional--and dangerous, with all the fat.
Today, I was not so creative, but I did enjoy my toasted whole wheat english muffins toopped with canned red sockeye salmon and "vegenaise" (the only mayonaise substitute for me, made with grapeseed oil and no eggs). And, of course, black coffee. Then I went for a three mile walk.
Neighbors gave me some very sweet oranges and tangerines which became our orange juice.

Boring Morning: oatmeal with craisins and maple syrup. And, of course, black coffee.

Great breakfast, Farmerman! By sugar-free strawberry preserve I presume you mean "preserve with no added sugar." I have found that, if we are talking about the same thing, this strawberry preserve is plenty sweet without help from any sugar's being added. Same for all other no-added-sugar fruit products.
Shepherd's Pie has taken a bad rap in the last few decades--perhaps, because of its favor with institutional kitchens, who make all kinds of shortcuts in both ingredients and quality. Made correctly, it's delicious--and nutritious.

What IS shepherd's pie? Anybody?

I could google, but not with the expectations that I have here..

Shepherds pie is a sort of layered meat pie with minced lamb. It's traditionally a way to use leftovers - you season and saute the lamb with onions - you can throw in a few carrots and peas- whatever you have that might need to be used and then you top it with mashed potatoes and bake it in the oven.

Cottage pie is the same thing except with minced beef. I don't eat lamb (I can't - I see them in the fields around here and can't do it). I don't really eat a lot of beef either - but I did taste cottage pie for the first time the other week - and it is definitely comfort food. You can melt a little cheese on the top of the potatoes, add a little gravy and I could see how it'd make a very warm and tasty satisfying meal. Definitely stick to your ribs kind of thing.

For breakfast I'm having a sultana scone with butter, just slightly warmed but not toasted -and a cup of tea - right this minute actually.

Good morning, Aidan
I'll have one of those scones, please!
Why is it that, in the States, scones are largely restricted to specialty bakers, who typically don't get them right. Anglophilia gone astray. Proper scones are so delicious that it would pay the bakers to do field research in England--especially for texture. And, while they are there, they can disabuse themselves of the notion that "gourmet English muffins" actually exist outside the minds of the marketers at Wolferman's. Just send them to Tesco to ask for same; they'll rapidly get the picture!

i read your post too fast and saw oatmeal with crayons

toast with peanut butter and blueberry preserve

Yeah Miklos- I know what you mean. The texture is everything because in the US, I wasn't really crazy for scones - thought they were too dense and dry. So I never even ordered one here, much less made one and then my helper Katrina said, 'We should make scones- people love them.'
I figured alright, let's do it.' She showed me how (no recipe- even for baking - she's amazing-she's also a certified wheelwright -makes wheels for carts and is a talented artist as well AND she's funny, and has the cutest, most winsome little girl you've ever met who I get to see every day now)
But anyway - scones- so you know I tried one and now you'll never get me off scones. The texture- I can't even describe it - dense, yet soft but not flaky. I now love any sort of fruit scones- especially lemon. We make them twice a week so that's my breakfast pretty much every day.
*Hope you're doing well - any snow on the ground up there? I'm sitting here picturing the bay in winter-I bet it's beautiful.

*What we call English muffins are called white muffins here.

I love scones, even bad ones--with hot coffee.

there was a great little restaurant near me that made the best scones, fresh from the oven, butter and strawberry preserve

mmm, lemon poppy seed scones...

well, I like plain scones too.

Today I had leftover tomato chicken farfalle onion swiss chard soup for breakfast. Strange, of course, but it was good.

Sounds like a great soup, Osso. I'd like some cannellini (white kidney) beans in mine.
I have no objections to eating non-breakfasty foods for breakfast. I used to go to the chinese food stand at Los Angeles' Farmer's Market for a weekend breakfast. Loved it.

Farmer's Market! I've family memories there. My favorite uncle liked Dupar's, and used to take us kids there - wasn't that the name of the coffee shop part? I don't remember the food so much, but remember a basket shop.. and, all these years later, I still like baskets.

Dupar's, yes at the west entrance to the Market, right off Fairfax. Funny thing, with all the wonderful international food stands in the market I never tried Dupar's, not even for a cup of coffee.

oatmeal with soy milk and brown sugar

cut oats barely cooked , still a bit of crunch, not mushy . WIth cream and maple syrup.

Glass of OJ and cup of decaf .