Promises, promises . . . and a song from the 70s

Saturday, January 16

This Saturday starts off with breakfast at home.  And a recipe, because it seems that people like looking at recipes on the internet.  And then not making them.

Today’s recipe is:

Lansdale Wake Me Up Eggs

When you need to dive into your day, these eggs will perk you up, not mellow you out.

Ingredients:

20 frozen Tater Tots

4 eggs

4 slices Monterrey Jack cheese

4 slices bacon

4 Tablespoons salsa

1 Tablespoon white vinegar

Salt and pepper

Sour cream (optional)

Serves 2.  Use math to change servings.  But not Common Core math!  Lord knows what would happen.

Microwave Tater Tots until no longer frozen.  Mash with fork.  Salt and pepper them to taste.

Get out your trusty waffle iron.  Pre-heat at high setting, then spread mashed Tater Tots around.  Close lid and cook until browned and a bit crispy.  Yes.  We are making a potato waffle!

Meanwhile, bring home the bacon.  Fry it up in a pan.  And never let you forget you’re a man!

Who remembers that rather sexist commercial from the 1970s?  For Enjoli perfume?  Here it is to remind you:

By the way.  Bacon is always delicious.  Never sexist.  Delicious.

Back to the recipe!  Drain bacon.

Fill pan up with 2 inches of water.  Add one tablespoon white vinegar.  Because we’re poaching eggs!

What?  You don’t like poached eggs?  I never told you this was going to be poached eggs??  Get over it.  It’s delicious.  You’ll love it.

When water is simmering – not boiling.  No, not boiling.  That would make a hot mess.  When water is simmering, carefully crack eggs into water.  Do not break yolks!  Start over if you do.  Broken yolks do not a poached egg make.  Use a timer and simmer EXACTLY three minutes.  Remove with a slotted spoon.  But here’s what you need to do in the intervening three minute.  Assemble the rest of the stuff:

Cut potato waffle in half – one half on each plate.  Top with a slice of cheese.  If you do this when it comes right off of the waffle iron, it will melt nicely.

Bacon comes next.  Cut strips in half if you like, or not.

Then add the salsa.

Now, back to the egg removal.  Remove eggs from simmering water with slotted spoon.  Let water drain.  Put two eggs on your previously assembled potato waffle.

Salt and pepper to taste.  Add optional dollop of sour cream.  Unless you don’t like sour cream.  That’s why it’s optional.

Enjoy!

Want to save time or don’t have Tater Tots handy?  This works well over nicely toasted English muffins, too.

Oh – what’s the vinegar for?  It holds the egg whites together while poaching.  No worries.  You can’t taste it at all!

Now that the Lansdale Wake Me Up Eggs have woken me up, it’s off to the rest of the day.

This is not going to be a normal Saturday.  A mother of a friend of the family passed away.  The viewing is at the Simcox-McIlvaineFuneral Home on East Main Street – and the funeral across the street at St. Stans. 

I did not know the deceased.  But we don’t go to funerals for the deceased, we go for the family.  And this friend is a longtime friend of Ken’s.  So it is decided that I will baby sit while the rest of the family goes to the funeral.  

So instead of spending money in the borough, I’m babysitting two wonderful grandchildren.  Okay, there’s one poopy diaper involved, but hey – that’s the price you have to pay.

I then have to go to an appointment.  But, on the way, I have to pick up some stamps for my mother, who no longer drives.  She wants a sheet of pretty stamps.  No regular stamps for her.  She still likes to make things look pretty.  And a half dozen air mail stamps.

Ah, the Lansdale Post Office.  I’m not sure that building was attractive even in the 80s.  When we had no taste.  And I know for a fact that the parking lot was dumb, even back then because cars were bigger.  I mean really – angled parking on both sides?  So when people are backing out, no one can come in the parking lot?  It’s like salmon swimming upstream.  Only the strong make it.

And the parking lot always seems to be falling into an impending sink hole.  There is more asphalt patch there than parking lot.

Any way.  No parking spots, and the customer line is going out the door.

NEXT!  I move on to my appointment, knowing I will pass two more post offices.  Both, as it turns out, with Saturday hours of 10 am to 12 noon.

Really? 

Dumb fact about me.  When I was a toddler, and we know how toddlers like to recite things like the alphabet.  Or days of the week.  You would have heard me reciting, “Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Erranday.”  Because Saturday was errand day at my house.  So that’s what I thought it was called.  True story.  I never said I was a smart toddler.

Anyway – I know the postal service is struggling.  But why limit office hours on the busiest errand day of the week?  Close Thursday, instead!  No one goes to the post office on Thursday. 

But I’ll now tell you something I love about the Lansdale Post Office.  Perhaps the only thing.  They are open until 4 pm on Saturdays.  Yes, I had to wait in line.  But who cares? 

When it’s my turn, I pick out pretty stamps I think mom will like.  Fruits and vegetables.  I ask for the half dozen air mail stamps.

“Sorry.  We’re out.”

Really?  The post office is out of air mail stamps?  Sheesh.  “But we have 71 cent stamps, that when added to a first class stamp equal air mail postage.”

I guess that will have to do.

I will have stamps in hand when I go visit mom tomorrow.  Maybe not the right stamps.  But stamps in hand.

Lansdale Shopping Score:  1

Ken is not overly hungry, as there was a post-funeral reception at the William Penn Inn.  Imagine – both Ken and I were at the William Penn Inn within three days of each other.  For vastly different reasons.

Anyway.  He’s not too hungry.  I am.  So we decide on take out.  And I want to try a new place.

Capasso’s Pizza 2 Go.  825 West Main Street – where the old Lansdale Pizza used to be.

I can’t find a web site to link to.  I did find one for Capasso Pest Service in Lansdale.  Hopefully, not the same place!

Take out order placed.  Cheesesteak hoagie (fried onions, not raw) with fries for Ken – a Chicken Parm platter for me (I didn’t have lunch).  Comes with a salad and garlic bread.

I show up in the 15 minutes I was told.  Parking right out front.   And I now get the name the “2 go” part of it.  It’s just a to go place.  No seating.  Well, there is one little table, but more for waiting for your order than eating.

I went forever never going to Lansdale Pizza.  So I didn’t know.  Showing up in the first month Capasso’s is open.  Pretty good for me.

Nice looking place.  Nicely remodeled.  Friendly service.

I’m going to give this a sold B+. With a bullet.  Ken thought the roll was fantastic.  The fries traveled home well (so many fries get soggy on the ride home).  He liked everything, but though the tomatoes were meh.  But this is January.  All fresh tomatoes are meh.  Because January.

My salad was good.  Bonus points for the Ken’s dressing.  Because I could then turn to Ken and say, “Look, I have your dressing.”  That never gets old.  Never.

The garlic bread was very good.  Very garlicy.  I can assure you there will be no vampires at our house tonight.  Really garlicy.

The chicken was good.  Nice sized portion.  Breaded and cooked well.  Lots of pasta.  Real good substantial spaghetti.  Lady and the Tramp spaghetti.  Al dente.  Perfect.  The sauce was very flavorful.  Well cooked.  And slightly sweet and perfumey.  If you like sweeter marinara, you’ll love this.

So, again.  A B+ with a bullet.  You should try it.  No.  Really.  You should try it.

Here is an entrepreneur trying to make a go of it in Lansdale Borough.  Support him.  Go there at least once.  Now, not later.  We can’t afford to let good places die because of apathy. 

You see that section below this blog for comments?  Comment.  Promise me you will at least try Capasso’s Pizza 2 Go.  Promise.  Because without the support of the people who live here, places die. 

And this place is not going to die on my watch.

Lansdale Shopping Score:  2

So, today’s score:

TWO opportunities to shop/eat in Lansdale met.

Let’s see what today brings!