“What would you like for breakfast?” I asked my wife. Weekdays are full of the hustle and bustle of getting ready for work and/or getting kids off to school, so on weekends I like to put my cooking skills to use and make my family a big breakfast.
“Can we go out for breakfast?” was her reply.
We were out of hash browns, plus she couldn’t decide exactly what she was in the mood for. She was thinking that if we went somewhere with a breakfast buffet she could have a little of everything.
Eating out is something I would rather reserve for special occasions, to try food that I can’t or don’t make at home, or when we’re truly in a situation we cannot eat at home. Most of the time I can make the same food at home better and cheaper, and contrary to popular belief eating out does NOT save time. Breakfast is my specialty, so I shuddered at the thought of spending our hard earned cash on going to a breakfast buffet. I told Vonnie to sit back, relax and I would make her breakfast. She resisted at first, but at my insistence, she smiled, sat down and agreed. In the flash of a few seconds, I had two pans and a griddle warming up. I formulated a plan, and got to work.
Course One: Pancake
Within minutes, I delivered to my wife a single pancake made exactly as she likes it; steam softened in a plastic container with a little butter spread over the top and syrup.
Course Two: French Toast
With my wife enjoying her pancake, I got to work on her second course. I made her a single piece of french toast, again with a little butter and syrup spread over the top.
Beverage Break:
While eating the french toast, she playfully made a noise indicating she was thirsty. Although we didn’t have orange juice, we did have Sunny Delight. Anticipating this scenario, I had a glass of it ice cold chilling in the freezer. We both laughed as I handed her the frosted glass of orange drink.
Course Three: Main Course
This course was to be a challenge. My wife wanted hash browns, and we were out. I thought about what we had made out of potatoes that I could somehow transform into breakfast potatoes. I remembered that we had purchased some frozen baby baked potatoes from Schwans, a home delivery food service that visits us every two weeks. Feeling a little like I was in an episode of Chopped on the Food Network, I thawed some out, cut them into small squares and tossed them in to a frying pan with some hot oil. Along with some bacon and scrambled eggs, I made my wife one piece of toast. As with some other breakfast items, my wife has special preparation instructions for her toast. I have to start the toast early, and let it cool off so the butter doesn’t melt when I spread it across the toast. On top of the non-melted butter goes a thin layer of jelly.
It was just over a half an hour from the time I turned on the stove until I put the last pan away. Vonnie complemented me on the awesome breakfast, stating it was exactly what she wanted. I also mentioned that had we decided to get dressed and go out for breakfast we likely wouldn’t even left the house yet. Spending our funds on a breakfast buffet certainly would have satisfied our hunger, but would would have been a waste of money, and time. It took a little creativity, but we had everything we needed for a great breakfast right at home.
I usually go with a simple oatmeal each day which is fine with me, but I think a big breaky can easily be achieved at home too. I think of all those people who go out to brunch each sunday in NY. They are either broke or have tons of money!
Even if they have lots of money…..they’re *WASTING IT*!!!
This is a sweet of you to make those multiple courses for your wife! Plus, you proved a point 🙂 I also prefer to only eat out based on celebration or necessity. I hate wasting money when I know I have the ability to make it myself for way less.
To me, the time savings was equally as valuable as the money. Going out to eat for breakfast would have likely taken 90 minutes to two hours. Too much to do on the weekends! I know she was appreciative of the meal….I take a lot of pride in my cooking skills. 🙂
You did an awesome job, Travis!
At our house, I usually make a big breakfast Sunday morning. Waffles OR pancake OR french toast. Never all three!
HAHA, this was definitely NOT the norm, Sassy Mamaw…..but I didn’t mind one bit – I like a good challenge!
I have always hated paying for breakfast foods because I specifically know the costs. Going to a cheap coffee house for a bagel, cream cheese and coffee is close to five bucks. I can pretty much buy six bagels, cream cheese, and coffee for $10.00 (and have coffee and cream cheese left over for the next week) and eat it for the whole week! Same thing with going to a Denny’s or ihop or equivalent. My family of three will eat one (breakfast) meal for $20.00 or I can make 7 breakfasts for that same amount of money.
That’s exactly the way I think of it, Julie – when I think of how much the same food would cost me at a grocery store, eating out just doesn’t make sense!
Awe! You are so good to V! I love making a big breakfast at home on the weekends, that’s only when I get to take my time making pancakes or muffins. I save cereal and easy stuff like protein shakes for the weekdays although I am going to attempt an egg scramble for the week!
Vonnie deserves to be pampered, so I make it happen every chance I get! Making a great breakfast doesn’t take a lot of time once you get the hang of it…..although I love a great protein shake + banana breakfast for myself. 🙂
Can you come cook for us? Oh, you’ll need to buy groceries on the way over.
But seriously, cooking is definitely a time/money saver. Recently, it’s like pulling teeth to get my husband out of the house quickly — or even on time.
But seriously… bring French toast!
Haha…I’ll be over next weekend! 🙂
Breakfast is one meal where I am never tempted to go out. I usually eat a banana and some almonds. Plus, I can make a mean omelet if I have time!
Omelets ROCK….we should have a contest sometime – we each have a blog post making an omelet, and let the reader’s decide the winner! 🙂