Happy Mothers’ Day
Boy! This holiday would have snuck up on me, had it not been for my neighbor’s kids, Mark 12, and Mia 14, who asked my help. Traditionally, their Mother never worked in the kitchen on this day. They made breakfast with their Father, went to the Garden Center, got the outside of the house ready for summer and opened the grilling season with a cook out. This year, their Father is deployed with the Air Force and they want to try to keep things normal, which includes making a “really special” breakfast and dinner for their Mother. Of course I would help them, but it wouldn’t be easy with their limited resources ($20.00) ages and lack of kitchen experience. Their condition to me was that they had to pay for the food and make the meals, and no chicken or hamburger. Mine to them was that I had to do the shopping, not a cousin who had offered. My condition to myself was to keep them safe.
I knew their Mother would be overseeing things later, but breakfast worried me. She might play along thinking she was getting toast or cereal. There are loads of brunch casseroles, but most involve chopping, blending, rending fat, and baking—all hazards. Then I remembered a dish I had in Jamaica, named for the caterer who created it: Eggs Adeline (recipe follows). Originally, it calls for English Muffins, Canadian bacon, beefsteak tomatoes and Swiss cheese, all too expensive for this budget, but substitutions could be made, and it requires minimal skills.
My favorite supermarket has a good bakery and I actually prefer their day old bread for toasting, so I started with their flier, and was surprised at the other items I found: plum tomatoes at $0.89lb, shredded cheese 8oz. at 3/$5.00, cantaloupe 2/$3.00 and to solve the problem of the dinner menu: seedless grapes at $0.99lb, Romaine at $1.45 a bunch, an excellent brand of boxed rice at 10/$10, and Cornish Hens at $1.25lb. Suddenly, everything came together. Dinner would be rice stuffed Cornish Game Hens, with sage sauce, heated seedless grapes and a salad of tossed Romaine.
For dessert and the other items I needed, I knew I could count on a dollar store chain in my area. Please see my advice on Supermarket Alternatives under The Plan, because all “Dollar “stores aren’t equal. Some mini-emporiums actually charge as much, or more than supermarkets. The good ones sell name brands well within expiration dates, usually in smaller sizes, condiments, crackers, chips, snacks and a limited amount of cold cuts, but nothing is ever over $1.00. From one, I bought a1qt carton of chicken broth, an 8oz can of whipped topping, 4oz of a name brand boiled ham, a 12oz name brand pound cake and a 5oz pkg. of sliced pepperoni. The pepperoni would help with lunch, which would be a hot hogie, made from half a loaf of Italian bread stuffed with ham, pepperoni, cheese and sliced tomatoes. Dessert would be sliced pound cake with fresh strawberries and whipped topping.
The amounts spent, at the prices quoted above were Melon – $1.50 (for breakfast wedges), plum tomatoes – $0.98 (4 to be sliced for breakfast and lunch) 1 head Romaine -$1.45, 1 box white and wild rice – $1.00, 8oz shredded mild Cheddar cheese – $1.68, 2 Cornish Game Hens – $4.53 ( I like to serve one per person, but I had the butcher split these to stay in budget), grapes- $0.99, 1 large, fat (18” long) loaf Italian bread to be used for breakfast and lunch – $1.00.. The total cost was $13.13. The dollar store was $5.00 for 5 items, making a grand total of $18.13. This left $1.87, more than enough, for Mark and Mia to spend on strawberries, now in season, which their cousin is taking them to pick Saturday morning. Mia assures me they have the eggs, Worcestershire sauce, salad dressing, regular bread and sugar, the only other ingredients needed.
For the actual prep, Mia, who has some kitchen experience, and more importantly, follows directions well, will work with me Saturday afternoon. The bread will be divided and I’ll oven toast and butter 3 thick slices. The rest of that half I’ll thin slice, butter and foil wrap to be warmed at breakfast. The 3 slices of ham in the package will be cut to fit the bread slices, the tomatoes sliced and, like the cheese, divided into packages with enough in each to cover the bread for the Eggs Adeline. The remainder of the ham, cheese, tomatoes and the pepperoni will be used to fill the other half of the loaf of bread, cut lengthwise, and foil wrapped, ready to be warmed for lunch. I’ll use ½ of the broth, some sage and a roux to make a sauce for the hens. The balance will be used for basting and can be added to the sauce at the end. I’ll also thaw and brine the hens, and have them in plastic wrap ready to be stuffed, and have the rice cooked and ready, in a plastic container. Then breakfast is just assembly and heating, which Mark can do while Mia cooks the eggs. (The family owns a poacher she can use.) Dinner will involve picking and warming the grapes in the microwave, making the salad, re-heating the sauce, and of course, roasting the hens. By now, I’m sure their Mother will be supervising. In any event, to prevent them sticking to the pan, I suggest placing the stuffed hen halves on 4 slices of flattened commercial bread, in a Release Foil lined pan. Desert is really easy, slice the cake and top each with the berries, marinated in sugar, and topping.
In case you wonder how we plan to hide all this food, we don’t. I bought 2 cardboard cake boxes that will hold all the prepared food and fit on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. They’ll be taped closed and have my logo stamped on top. The children will say that I helped them with a special dinner for the day. The real surprise will be the breakfast and lunch.
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One of my points in going into detail over this is to show that there are recipes children can make requiring a minimum of experience, offering little risk to them or to property, which still make them feel important. The other is to illustrate the fact that many recipes can be slightly altered for economic or supply reasons, without drastically changing their essence. Substituting similar, sometimes less expensive but still quality, ingredients may slightly change the taste of a dish, yet leave its spirit and impact intact. It can bring a sense of home, if you’re far away, or bring the unobtainable within reach again. You never have to settle, or accept cheap replacements for healthy, appetizing food. If you don’t believe me, check the cost of the ingredients for the original Eggs Adeline against my substitutions and compare the difference. Although prices vary in different areas, I think you’ll see a big difference wherever you are. It’s the basis of Kitchen $centse—creating wonderful scents, while saving cents, by using good sense.
EGGS ADELINE – Serves 2
2 eggs
2 English Muffins – split toasted and buttered—one half of each reserved
(2) 1/8 inch thick slices Canadian bacon
(2) 1/8 inch thick slices Swiss cheese-or 1 slice 6inches long halved crosswise
1 large tomato- preferably beefsteak
Worcestershire sauce
Cook the bacon until edges are crisp. Cut 2 thick center slices from the tomato. Place a slice of bacon, a slice of tomato and a slice of cheese, in that order, on each of 2 muffin halves, then heat in a warm (@350 degree) oven until cheese begins to melt. Meanwhile, poach 2 eggs. Remove the muffin halves from the oven, top each with an egg, sprinkle liberally with Worcestershire sauce and serve while hot, accompanied by the other buttered muffin halves on the side.
