How to Make the Best Breakfast Ever

Have you ever loved something so much it hurt? I met the breakfast bowl many years ago, when I was in my 20's, on a road trip to Wyoming. Against a backdrop of Rocky Mountains, bison, and the Snake River I met the longest love of my life; two poached eggs on a bed of buttered toast and hash browns topped with avocado chunks, shredded cheddar cheese and bacon bits. While the breakfast bowl is perfect as is, after the first few delicious bites I like to spice things up with a dash of Tapatio hot sauce. In the first few months of our relationship, I couldn't get enough of the breakfast bowl, but as my life changed, making this labor-intensive breakfast became more sporadic and we slowly grew apart. Recently, I have discovered a few ingredients that have made the breakfast bowl so much easier and while my family thanks me, me jeans do not.

This past Saturday I woke up to a thick marine layer over the bay, little motivation to get much done, and a ferocious hunger that could only be satisfied by the breakfast bowl. I gathered my ingredients, heated the oil for the hash browns, and got the water ready for egg poaching. As I added the vinegar to the almost boiling water I noticed that one of the burners was slightly off center. It drove me crazy so I removed the almost boiling water and carefully tried to adjust the burner. As it turns out, I was not careful enough and scalded the palm of my right hand. I am a pretty experienced in the kitchen, and have burned myself several times over the years, but this was a particularly bad spot and none of my home remedies were working.

I considered abandoning the half-completed breakfast, but I was STARVING and breakfast had already been started. There was no turning back. I drove myself to the pharmacy, got burn cream and whatever else claimed to sooth burns but none of it worked. At home I tried to crack eggs and butter toast with one hand and it was just not happening, plus my hand was throbbing and the pain was making my head hurt. Then, a lightbulb went off in my head, my family could help me cook breakfast! I know this would seem obvious to most people but let me give you some back story; my family has NEVER helped me with breakfast, rarely helps in the kitchen, and when they do it usually ends up being more work for me. At this point I was desperate and figured it would be a good time to teach them some kitchen basics. River, my 4 year old, cracked eggs (yes there was some shell, but he also learned how to get them out), Mason, my 10 year old, toasted, buttered, and cubed the bread, while sharpening his knife skills (lol), and my husband, Justin, helped with the plating. It turned out to be a perfect learning opportunity for the kids and the breakfast bowls turned out great!

Over the years, I have experimented with different ingredients but I always go back to the original. Luckily, I also found some shortcuts that don't compromise the flavor but save tons of time. Since this is an assembled breakfast, it is easy to eliminate and substitute ingredients to accommodate dietary restrictions. Below is a list of the recommended ingredients to make the original breakfast bowl.

Frozen Hash browns. I love having these on hand because they are great for breakfast bowls, breakfast burritos, gluten-free Benedict, and hash brown casserole. I use to shred my own potatoes and they just do not taste as good and it’s more work.

Sumano’s Watsonville Sourdough (or any other fresh, local sourdough). Sumano's is the best sourdough ever and is owned by a local Watsonville family. All their bread are baked with only natural ingredients, no preservatives, are dairy & nut-free, and have no added sugar.

Bacon Bits. I recently started buying the bacon bits from Costco and find that I use them in so much more than just breakfast. They are already cooked, chopped bacon bits that leave my kitchen grease free and dramatically cut my cooking time.

Shredded Cheese. I use to be anti-pre-shredded cheese however, the amount of cooking I did during the pandemic has made me a changed woman. I like the Mexican blend, and use it on everything. It’s got a great flavor, is really creamy and melts really well.

Breakfast Bowl

4 Servings

4 Cups Frozen Hash Browns

4 Slices of Sourdough Bread

8 Eggs

½ Cup of White Vinegar

1 C. Bacon Bits

2 Cups of Shredded Cheddar Cheese

2 Small or One Large Avocado

Butter for the toast

Vegetable oil (for the hash browns)

1. Heat the oil for the hash browns and cook per the directions on the package until crispy.

2. While the hash browns cook, fill a Sautee pan with water and add the white vinegar and heat until just before boiling.

3. While you are waiting for the water to heat, toast the bread and butter immediately. Cut into 1/2 “squares and set aside.

4. Once the water is ready, hot but not boiling, crack the eggs into a bowl, 2 eggs at a time and from the bowl carefully add to the water. Poach eggs for about 2-4 minutes.

5. When the hash browns are done, divide evenly into 4 bowls and then add the bread squares.

6. When the eggs are done, use a slotted spoon and drain the liquid before placing on top of the bread.

7. Sprinkle ¼ C. of cheese on top and then sprinkle ¼ c. of the bacon bits.

8. Top with avocado. Enjoy!