Sunday, January 3, 2010

Cooking stalemates; Scrambled eggs and lemon....

....is an acquired taste, I'll admit it. And I love it. We grew up eating it for breakfast....scrambled hot and right out of the pan, with salt and fresh lemon juice sprinkled over it. I think it's an Egypt thing (Mom is Armenian and was raised in Cairo) . Dad was only a bacon and eggs man, but we all ate the lemon on eggs not knowing that you all didn't! I have to admit to finding catsup on scrambled eggs really unappetizing and I know plenty of people like that, so I guess it's what you're raised eating, right?

The thing about the hot scrambled eggs is that they're only good hot, not good cold. No, not at ALL. My mother was a stickler for our eating breakfast. I'm pretty sure that's why, the minute I moved out at about 21 years of age, I didn't eat breakfast again, except in restaurants if I happened to go out with friends, until I was about 30. I remember feeling so much better during the day after I started eating breakfast again at that ripe old age and thinking that Mom had been right all along. (just in case Mom reads this, I'll add "what else is new?" :-)
HERE IS THE STALEMATE: When we were little, Mom participated in carpools with other moms to get us to school. I remember hating to get up early and I figured I'd rather sleep in a bit than eat breakfast, even those nice hot scrambled eggs and lemon. I figured "Well, it's Mrs. Tucker's turn to drive this morning, so if I play it just right time-wise, I'll just HAVE to run out to her car when she honks and skip breakfast and there isn't anything Mom will be able to do about it!" Right?

Wrong. I sat down late at the kitchen table and started in on those eggs which were already cold. AWFUL. I bided my time pushing egg here and there on the plate and waiting for that blessed relief of the honk of the car outside in the driveway. Mom kept glaring and saying "Take another bite" so I had to from time to time. It's ghastly. I finally heard that HONK and started to jump up from the table........ Mom said "Sit down.....I'll drive you to school....you sit there and finish those eggs." I couldn't believe it! She'd give up the easy way out and drive me separately so I'd eat breakfast.......who knew?

Was YOUR mom like that? Just thinking about cold scrambled eggs in lemon still makes me sick but I have to admit I still love them hot. Try a little chopped ham in there, too........mmm

z

12 comments:

Always On Watch said...

Scrambled eggs with lemon? Hmmmm.... Not sure that I'm that adventurous. **wink**

the merry widow said...

I like salsa on my omlettes...I'll explain on the phone.

I guess you use what you have available, which is why we have different cuisines...part of the adventure of life!
GOD bless and MARANATHA!

tmw
This morning the link works, hmmmmmm?

Anonymous said...

Lemon sounds nice actually. I have to try it. Maybe add some lemon zest to the eggs too for flavor.

The way I do scrambled eggs, because the average way doesn't taste good to me, is with olive oil and at the lowest temperature. I never leave the eggs unattended and stir them frequently so it doesn't stick or dry. I gives a creamy, smooth, rich flavor. And I'm sure adding lemon and zest to it would be delicious.

FrogBurger

Z said...

FB..I'm thinking the zest might be strong, but let me know. And yes, I learned that in Rome....very low heat and stir, stir, stir...actually, you almost have to be careful they don't turn to custard that way....you know? It gets such a lovely soft consistency....thanks for that reminder.
Please try just salt and lemon on top first and let me know how you like it. xxx then the zest and also let me know!
I've used vegetable oil instead of butter from time to time and am interested to know the olive oil doesn't overpower the eggs...will try that!

JINGOIST said...

Z, my mom was like that in many ways, but not about breakfast. She's still a late sleeper. We got our own breakfast and that meant we scrambled for leftovers. Whoever lost the mad scramble ate cereal. As for juevos, they usually had ketchup on them in our house! :-)

I've learned to enjoy them with hot sauce or medium salsa with a healthy sprinkling of sharp chedder cheese.

I like your mom.

Anonymous said...

Jingo, I like my scrambled eggs with cheddar cheese sprinkling, and medium salsa too. Sort of a lazy cook's chile rellenos.

In fact, I got my own breakfast too. Usually cereal. That began when I was about three. No, I didn't cook when I was three. Are you sure we're not related?

Z - in our house when we were kids, it was our Dad who was the stickler for eating everything on our plate at dinner. It didn't matter how much we spread the peas, or whatever all over our plates, we had to sit there 'til hell froze over, or the food, until we ate it all.

My sister would hold it in her mouth until she looked like a squirrel storing nuts for the winter. I swear.

Dad would say, "you don't know what it's like to be really hungry. Now, finish eating".

Pris

Z said...

Pris, at least he didn't mention the 'starving Armenians'! :-)
We had to finish our plates, too........but that usually wasn't a problem FOR MEEEE! heh

JINGOIST said...

It was starving Indians and Chinese when I was growing up. My grandparents were the ones who pulled that one.

Pris, you and I are indeed so much alike that I'm about to put in a call to my dad and ask "where were YOU when..." :-)

The Merry Widow said...

My Mother used the starving Chinese on me. And I had the added threat of, "NO DESSERT"...dreaded words. LOL! Even at breakfast.

tmw

Faith said...

Lemon on scrambled eggs. Hm. I might try it sometime just to see what the experience is like. It makes me think of a baked "pancake" I've made a few times, where the center part comes out very eggy while the outer edges are crispy and brown. You squeeze a lemon over the eggy part. And some powdered sugar. Not quite the same thing of course. But it made me think of it. The eggy part, the lemon.

Pedaling said...

i'd like to try a little lemon flavor in my eggs.
i try to eat eggs for protein, but don't normally like them.
i do like lemon flavor- so maybe this would help.
thanks.

Anonymous said...

Jingo, too funny.

I think the chinese win the starving contest. My Mom used to say, "there are starving children in China".

It didn't work in our house either. We'd look at her, eyes glazed over, and still whine about what we were expected to eat.

Pris