Oui, Asperge.

Today was a winner. Hopefully for my sister too, who turned 26 (Happy Birthday). But how couldn't it be a winner when it was started off with Revuelto De Esparragos for breakfast? I don't want to translate that for you because you might wince but I'll take a chance: Scrambled Eggs With Asparagus. Not the fat, grubby-finger asparagus, but the slender, twiggy, crisp babies. Look, we even got the food to look like the picture in the cookbook. Success! (Alyssa, I would have cooked it for you were you not so far, far away.)

Revuelto De Esparragos is everything you want in a Sunday breakfast, especially since they taste oh-so gourmet and are so simple you could whip them up with eggs for brains (kind of like I did). They are creamy and rich without any cheese. So you get some major taste mileage without adding calories. Appealing, no?

(That's my sister.)

After we devoured our so-much-more-than-scrambled eggs, we headed off to get some food from the Co-op. You know, the usual staples, a tomato or two, some granola for John. Who should we breeze by in the vegan aisle? None other than Mr. Michael Stipe. Though we let him be, we couldn't help but feel pleased to know he was at one of our favorite haunts. Though I have to be honest when I say the highlight of the experience was hearing him answer his phone, ever so softly, "Oui."

I'll spare you the "Celebrities eat well, so should you" sermon and move right on to dinner (though it's true). This dish is so pleasant it deserves to be bragged about. It's also going to take up maybe three minutes of your hands-on time. In fact, I think I could tell you the recipe in one sentence. Slice tomatoes, tear bread chunks and mushrooms (we like Shiitake), add fresh spinach, chopped basil and drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle salt and pepper, add chunks of mozarella, bake for twelve minutes on 350.



That was a bad sentence but you get the picture. Everything comes out melted, warm and looks like a rainbow of health. What? A rainbow of health? I shouldn't try to tackle two recipes at once so I beg your pardon. I'll just put it this way: it's mom-with-five-kids friendly.

I'll leave you with the more specific breakfast recipe, direct from The Food of Spain: A Journey for Food Lovers and the hopes that when you make it, you have a winner of a day too, or maybe just bump into a celebrity.

Revuelto De Esparragos

2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 thick slice bread, crusts removed
1/4 cup olive oil
1 bunch asparagus cut into 3/4 in lengths
1 tsp. paprika
2 tbsp. white wine vinegar
6 eggs, beaten

*Serves four Spaniards or two chunky monkeys

Put the garlic and bread in a food processor and grind to a loose paste, adding a small amount of water (1-2 tablespoons).

Heat the oil in a frying pan and saute the asparagus over medium heat for 2 minutes, or until just starting to become tender.

Add the garlic and bread paste, paprika, vinegar and a pinch of salt, and stir to combine. Cover and cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, or until the asparagus is tender.

Pour in the eggs and stir for a few minutes, remove the mixture from the heat just before it is fully cooked (the perfect revuelto is creamy in consistency), then season to taste and serve immediately.