Marie Cookpad

  Many years ago, when I was still a child, my mother came down with the stomach flu. I could not have been any older than 6 or 7 years old, but it still is very clear in my mind and I know my age because of the house we were living in at the time.   It was left to my father to cook for us, my mother was that ill.  The only thing he knew how to cook was fried eggs.  And so  . . .  we had fried eggs for every meal that day.  Sometime during the night afterwards . . .  you guessed it . . . I got the stomach flu myself.  It was many, many years before I could ever face a fried egg again.  In fact, it has only been in recent years.    One thing Easter always meant in our home was that there would be plenty of eggs to be eaten up.  Mom used to blow some of them out for scrambled eggs for those of us who couldn't abide fried eggs, and then the others would get fried eggs.   Always served with butter fried slabs of salty ham...

  I have become very thrifty over these past weeks. Something I am ashamed to say that I should have been practicing all along.  Nothing is going to waste in my kitchen.  They are saying it could be six months until the present crisis is over and I am keen to make everything we have stretch as far as I can.   Any thing hash is a great way to make good use of just whatever you have in your refrigerator that needs using up and topping it with a poached egg, turns it into a well balanced meal, containing some carbs, plenty of veg and a protein.    It also makes a great vegetarian meal, for those of you who are not opposed to eating eggs.    The hash is composed of whatever you happen to have in the refrigerator that needs using up.  In my case I had a baked potato left from the other day, which wouldn't have fed two people normally, but when you add a host of other vegetables to it, it becomes like the loaves and fishes and magically multiplies ...

  One place we always liked eating at back home were the small mom and pop diners! You always knew you were going to get a decent and tasty meal, as well as good value for your money.  My ex would always get a club sandwich with chips, and I would either get a BLT or a Western Sandwich.  Or we would both get a hot turkey sandwich, depending on our mood.  These were our favourites!    I had some sliced ham left in the refrigerator today that needed using up. I really didn't want to waste it, and I go to thinking about how tasty those Western Sandwiches always were.   I had seen photos online of people making huge tray bake Western Sandwiches.  You pour all of the egg filling into a large oven tray and bake it cutting the baked omelet to size when done.   I happen to have a very small oven tray, its only 6 by 8 inches in size.  Perfect for me to make a two person sized oven Baked Western Sandwich!   While I was at it, I thou...