My Boys' Breakfast

The perfect bacon.

Though it is store bought and presumably easy to prepare, the perfect bacon eluded me for a long, long time. I followed tips but still experimented to see what worked for me. And when I did get it right-- I paired it with my favorite kiddie treat-- french toast! The last thing my son Jam and I have to have with this pair, is a bowl of beans (canned pork and beans).

We have this once in a while as it isn't exactly the most healthy of foods. But hey! Throwing caution to the wind and enjoying a crispy bite of bacon is what's eating is all about!

French toast and pancakes are also the easiest for kids to do and they tend to appreciate what they eat when they get to help in the kitchen once in a while. I used to put pancake mix in a squeeze bottle and my sons would "draw"on the pan. But I digress...

I add a bit of sugar or honey to the french toast for a hint of sweetness as my sons do not particularly like pancake syrup.

This adds to a long list of choices for Sunday Brunch. Our mid-morning time together is more leisurely, peppered with stories, browsing the headlines, blind-items and comic strips. Then it's off to worship service, late lunch and when there is one--a good movie.

The perfect bacon:

1. Get the frozen pack out of the freezer the night before and thaw it in the fridge.

2. While non-stick pans are definitely healthier to use, bacon is best with regular pans-- particularly the thick bottom pans. (thin pans scorch and burn the bacon-not good).

3. Heat the pan thoroughly then lay strips beside each other. Keep on low to medium heat only.

It will begin to render the fat but not enough to crisp the sides. Add a little oil to "help it".

Be patient. Flip the strips to brown the other side.

4. When you pick it up with the tong and it is stiff, place on paper towels to absorb the oil. (that's the attempt to make bacon less sinful :-). A limp bacon is not what you're looking for.

French Toast:

Left over bread is always a good sign to have french toast.

1. Whole wheat bread or raisin bread is always the yummiest for me.

2. For every egg, add 1/3 cup milk (non-fat or soya is what I use. go ahead and use whatever you have in the pantry)

3. 1 T of honey or sugar.

4. Mix thoroughly. Dip bread on both sides.

5. Heat your trust, reliable non-stick pan through. It's ok to brush with a little oil the first time around.

Option 1: Pork and Beans

Option 2: 2 thinly sliced bananas, 1-2 T slivered almonds lightly mixed with 1/2- 3/4 cup of pancake syrup. This is another way ot top your french toast.

Then again, who says you can't have both!