Notes

   This is meant less to be a cookbook than it is to be a set of suggestions and ideas I have found to bring joy to my own mealtime experiences. Some are closer to proper recipes, but most could at best be described as "guidelines". I believe cooking to be an art, and like any art should be an act of self-expression. So, take your first three pieces of culinary advice from Ms. Frizzle: "take chances, make mistakes, and get messy". Just be sure to clean up afterward.

The most important sandwich of the day

   A friend of mine has the crafting of the breakfast sandwich down to a precise science. He makes them consistent and beautiful. For those of you who, like me, are inconsistent but still beautiful, here are some bread-bound notions for that most important meal of the day.

Egg - I like to let a bit of minced garlic simmer in the pan a bit before cracking an egg over it.

Greens - Spinach, kale, lettuce, but something. Gotta get your veggies. Speaking of...

Veggies - I like pigs too much to eat them. Some things I have found to work well as a substitute are eggplant, butternut squash (both conveniently sandwich-sized on their big ends), parsnip (sliced lengthwise), and beanloaf. Best to fry until mostly done before starting your egg(s).

Sauce - If I'm using mayonnaise, I'll sometimes mix some spices into it, like pepper or curry powder.

   Simple, flexible, and a great platform for the delivery of essential nutrients. The breakfast sandwich.

No meal should be instant

   Growing up, I was witness to other kids snacking on uncooked instant noodles seasoned with the soup mix. I can not stop you from doing this, no matter how sorely I may wish to. I can recommend what I believe is a nicer way to enjoy that most collegiate of processed foods.

Veggies - Seriously: these are important. My go-to choice is frozen peas-'n'-carrots on account of their availability and affordability. Fry 'em up.

Egg - Are you just gonna let those noodles sit naked in the bowl? I like to fry a couple, with the yolks runny.

Noodles - There are no shortage of options here. I find breaking them up helps for mixing in the veggies.

   Really, this is just an encouragement to not just eat instant noodles. Frying some frozen veggies and an egg or two takes 10-ish minutes, which is not far off the time it takes to boil water and cook your noodles. The added time of stirring is well worth the nutrition.

Vegetarians also need comfort food

   I love meatloaf. For my birthday one year, my mom let me choose from any meal I wanted. I wanted meatloaf. She has a good recipe. This is obviously not that. I've sworn off eating other animals, but I can't swear off the joy of a protein-rich slab of goodness.

   This one came about from a need to do something with an excess of dried beans. Its development is still ongoing, and will be updated as I make improvements.