The Art of Toast

I love toast. I love toast in the morning. I love it at noontime. I even love having toast for dinner. Sometimes - like tonight - I will even go all out and have toast for dessert! With a little bit of honey, my mouth won't know the difference between the toast or the pint of dulce de leche in the freezer. And dare I say - the toast is probably a little bit healthier! I am, after all, using whole wheat bread as the toast foundation upon which I build my tasty dessert.

When I was a kid my mom used to make the best toast. It was always browned to perfection, with just the right amount of butter, spread on at exactly the right time so that it melts into all the little nooks and crannies. mmmmmm...I used to love her poached egg on toast. You would pierce the yolk of an otherwise alabaster egg and the sunshiney yellow gooeyness would seep out onto the bread creating a tasteful combination that was a joyful start to your day.

And we can not forget the sheer esctasy that is French Toast. Day old cinammon swirl bread, sliced thick and allowed to soak in an egg batter before frying up in a generous slab of butter...6 minutes over medium heat, turn, then 4 minutes on the other side. C'est magnifique!

People make fun of me because I insist on having a toaster oven - you know, like grandma has. I say "pish-posh"! I like my toaster oven. It allows me to make toast out of any kind of bread - whole grain, sprouted wheat, ciabatta, baguette...even the occasional blueberry muffin has taken a turn in my trusty toaster oven. Though I will say there is nothing worse than having to dig out burnt-on blueberry muffin from the heat coils of a conventional toaster!

Shut up...it was an experiment!

And let's not forget about my panini press...that makes a very tasty toasted cheese sammie when I am in a hurry! If I could have a brick oven in my kitchen, I would install one just to make bruschetta the way they do at Macaroni Grill. Mmmmm....

In case you are wondering - no! I am not high. I just have visions of toast points dancing around my head, the way some people think about chocolate or sex...well...I think about those too, but in addition to the toast!

Oooohhh...you know what is really good?? Baguette toast, with a little nutella spread on it, shared with the one you love... *sigh*

But don't get any crumbs in the bed! That will just really spoil the mood!