A Breakfast ritual

Find something you’re passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it.
- Julia Child

Julia Child had a passion for food that she was able to share with the world. She created a trend in making food more than simply a meal. Her work led to shows, networks, blogs and magazines solely dedicated to the joy of food. Through this blog I want to continue sharing the joy of food with others on a more personal and engaging level. Whether it is through the posting of unique or delicious recipes, discussing food topics, or sharing food experiences I hope to help people reconnect with the simple love of food. Whether or not you are a foodie, I want you to stop for a moment and think about all of the momentous occasions in your life. Whether it’s a family holiday, graduation, birthday or anniversary one common thing can unite them all: and that is good food. What I have realized over the years is that the joy does not simply come from sitting down to the meal, but the whole food experience. Through the food preparation, coming up with the recipes or remembering the feeling you have when you see a young child try cake for the first time, I can definitively say food is so much more than a meal.

I want to share a food experience I have treasured for over ten years. It is an experience that can be filled with so much love, yet one often taken for granted as the days become quickly filled. Breakfast is a meal my father and I have continually shared every weekend since I was eight years old. While it often requires me getting up slightly earlier on a Saturday morning it is a ritual I will always treasure. During this short period of time my father and I are able to discuss topics in our life and simply enjoy the company of one another. The tradition started with my father making the classic Bisquick pancakes every Saturday morning. As I grew older and tried to recreate those ever so simple pancakes at college, they always brought back those fond memories for me but never tasted quite as good. I realized it was because of the whole experience of those morning breakfasts. Waking up to the aroma of fresh pancakes and helping set the table as my dad continued to flip every pancake individually ( making sure each one came out as good as the last). As the years went by, my father and I became connoisseurs of going out for breakfast as well. We have tried multiple breakfast hot spots around the Chicago land and have become regular weekenders at many of them. Going out for breakfast became a ritual I looked forward to every time I came home from college. When I think back to all the memories I have shared with my father, breakfast will always top the list. Breakfast can be a granola bar on the go or a quick coffee, but none of those meals will create the same memories of sitting down to breakfast with the ones you love.

Two Breakfast spots I love:
Egg Harbor: A charming café that offers it all. From breakfast to lunch Egg Harbor consistently brings delightful flavors together.
Bonus: At egg harbor the experience is made even more delightful by the fact that they don’t make you wait for your waiter or waitress to bring you refills on coffee. They immediately provide you with a personal carafe of regular or flavored coffee, allowing you to refill as you please. At the end of the meal they will provide, upon request, a to-go cup to enjoy the rest of your coffee.
A Must Try: The Blackberry- Banana pancakes are simply delicious. Thin and delicate, they offer a nice change of pace from the thick traditional pancake. A delightful bonus is the combination of fruit rarely found elsewhere.
Walker Bros. Pancake House- Nothing beats an original. At Walker Brothers you will simply taste the best. Their signature items include the Apple pancake and Dutch baby. These are items that can be found at many other restaurants and diners, but if you consider yourself a breakfast aficionado, you MUST try the original.
Bonus: One serving is enough to feed at least two people. Meaning you can taste the best and share the cost.

Unique tip’s to spice up Breakfast at home:
· Instead of making your traditional French toast with milk, try substituting orange juice for a nice citrus flavor.
· Try adding different extracts, spices and fruits to your favorite pancake recipe to give it a nice change of pace. Nothing is off limits.
· Try putting flavored chicken sausage into your favorite omelet recipes. Check out al fresco for some of their great flavors.