How to Microwave an Egg

In an effort to eat a healthier breakfast during the work week I've rediscovered English muffins. There are so many healthy varieties these days, most with high dietary fiber and protein as well as whole grains. I've been alternating between toasting them and adding peanut butter and sliced banana, and wanting something more savory like a breakfast sandwich. I love a good egg sandwich but I didn't know how to make one at work since we don't have a stove. Enter the microwaved egg.


I admit I was a bit skeptical, but the ladies on my cooking board assured me this was totally doable. And now that I've done it I realize this is how most delis make eggs for their breakfast sandwiches. Not only is it easy, the lack of butter in the cooking makes it a healthier option.

Now that I know how easy this is to do I'm thinking of adding cooked veggies to the egg before microwaving to make a mini omelet. The possibilities are endless - veggies, meat or cheese would all work well.

How to Microwave an Egg

1 egg
Cooking spray
Salt and pepper
Optional - cooked veggies, shredded cheese, cooked breakfast meat

Spray a ramekin with cooking spray. You want to chose a ramekin that's roughly the same size as the bread/English muffin/bagel you will be using to make the sandwich.

Crack the egg into the ramekin. Gently scramble with a fork. Add salt and pepper to taste and any of the optional add-ins.

Cover the ramekin with a paper towel and microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute, depending on the power of your microwave. My work microwave takes 30 seconds, while the one at home takes 1 minute. Remove from the microwave and flip the egg over. It will NOT be fully cooked at this point. Cover with the paper towel and return to the microwave for 20 seconds to 35 seconds more, again depending on the power of your microwave.

Remove the ramekin from the microwave (careful, it will be hot) and run a knife around the edge of the egg to loosen. Add to your breakfast sandwich and enjoy.

M & Co's Tips for an Eclectic Interior

The web is wonderful for serendipitous discoveries. Today's is a blog called M & Co, which had a nice set of tips on creating an eclectic interior. The author is lucky enough to live in her grandparents' house, with an attic full of stuff to explore. (This is my fantasy. Really.) I'm going to paraphrase her here, but go read it.

1. Use your color scheme as a canvas to unify disparate elements. Hers is white, grey, and black, and dark wood. Mine is cream, dark wood, white, and gold.
2. It's about layering/choose an accent color. (I think this is 2 tips....) I think layering is the "stuff" you carefully find an add to your home, always a big challenge to get right. My accent color is red.
   
3. Furniture gives structure to interiors so pay attention to scale, balance, and quality. (I learned this from the book Use What You Have Decorating.)
4. Keep the principles of design in mind.
5. Source from everywhere and anywhere. (I'm a fan of thrift shops and have been known to scavenge from my dad's or father in law's workshops...)
   
6. Take your time.
7. Make a list. (in other words, don't buy needlessly.)
   
8. Use humor and surprise. (Isn't this what steampunk is, to most people?)
   
9. Trust your taste. (This is always hard for me, but I find the more effort you put in, the better it gets.)

Pics from the M&Co blog.

Steampunk style for the modern home

It's interesting when I see steampunk style pieces in very non-steampunk rooms. Industrial styling, after all, has become a big part of modern design. (I wish I had scanned the CB2 catalog cover that had a large clock gear in the background for you...)




I ran across this home in today's decor8 -- it's very modern, but worth a look-see for ideas on how to integrate steampunk style pieces into an Ikea-modern home.



There are a number of pieces here I'd be happy to have in a steampunk home -- the exterior tower, the kitchen stools, the Gothic church bench, the spotlights, the leather chairs.

One of my goals this year is to provide a better "service" to my readers -- I think finding and reporting on cool steampunk rooms is a start, but I want to supplement that with some ideas on how to get from where you are to your dream home -- whether that's a full Victorian home, a loft with gothic and industrial elements, or someplace in between. Hopefully this example shows that you don't have to have the perfect house, or a room full of ideal furniture, to start integrating some steampunk into your design.