Spinach and scrambled eggs! I haven’t had spinach and eggs
for supper since I was a kid, and that would be before Jan came along. I’ve mentioned our mom was an unimaginative
cook. I liked my mom; we were good
friends when we were both adults. I
gratefully ate everything she put on the table, and we laughed that I had to
leave home to learn there was more to food than casseroles and pot roast on
Sunday.
One step back. I did
not eat the scrambled eggs. She, too,
served them with spinach, fresh or frozen.
This dish showed up often during a period I later realized was
Lent. Accompanied by her standard
salad: one leaf of head lettuce on a
small plate. One ring of pineapple on
the lettuce. One scoop of cottage cheese
on the pineapple slice. One maraschino
cherry atop the cottage cheese.
I had to leave home to learn there are several ways to cook
scrambled eggs. Mom whisked them in a
bowl, added a good deal of milk and scrambled them down to extremely wet. Into the Boontonwear serving bowl, call the
family for dinner.
Fortunately our table was set every evening with a full
complement of silverware. One fork, one
knife, one spoon. I could not have made
it through scrambled eggs and spinach without the spoon, which I used to
discreetly deposit my scrambled eggs on a ledge that ran under the table. I remember discovering to my horror that the
ledge was available only on the end of the table, not down the length. I had to swallow cold, wet and runny eggs
that night. I didn’t make that seating
mistake twice.
In my defense, I did not know scrambled eggs could have a
consistency other than runny. I would
not have known how to ask or describe anything different. I doubt it would have changed Mom’s
cooking. Remember, we grew up on
margarine, in respect to my parent’s opposition to farm subsidies. When Mom learned margarine would never pass
the door of my adult house she said if she had only known….yea. It still would have been runny eggs and oleo.
All the eggs on the ledge did disturb me. I could get caught. And punished.
But that never happened, and the ledge had no egg evidence the next time
the Boontoonwear bowl came to the table full of runny eggs. I was one lucky little girl. Musing it over many years later it came to
me: the lucky cat!
This bowl is upside down. Hmmm.....That is the color, though.
Wise cat to the rescue! We had a cat who would kill for poached egg yolk. Me, I have never been able to stand the smell of eggs...but I'd kill for spinach!
ReplyDeleteJane x
Scrambled eggs and spinach? Ick!!!! I'll eat spinach if I have to...I guess.
ReplyDeleteActually scrambled eggs with spinach sounds pretty good to me :-)
ReplyDeleteGreat post about scrambled eggs (which I love). I nearly always do them in the microwave myself.
ReplyDeleteWhen we lived there during summers we usually made omelets! Grandma could make a mean, 2-egg omelet!
ReplyDeleteThe addendum will have to include the part about the beans on the ledge...
We had quiche with spinach and eggs two days ago ...... with no crust. I didn't have one in the freezer and I am busy playing in dirt this time of year, so I made do. I put and iron skillet in the oven as it preheated and it was sizzling by the time I threw in a dab of butter and olive oil, then the egg mixture. It made a crusty bottom. I must go now, I am hungry!
ReplyDeleteI have never had scrambled eggs and spinach. I am willing to try them but I too do not like runny eggs of any sort. Good thing you were never caught. I refuse to cook an egg prior to 10am. I like to cook breakfast for supper.
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of or eaten scrambled eggs and spinach sounds yummmy, i'll give 'em a try later on :-).
ReplyDeleteI was wondering about the eggs on the ledge ...!
ReplyDeleteI had left home before I ate spinach because my father didn't like it. I do. I hadn't considered the combination of spinach and scrambled eggs. Hmmm.
ReplyDeleteIt was our German Shepherd who saved us from unpalatable meals. Until my parents got wise and banned her from the room for meals where difficulty was expected. Consequently I was served the same piece of liver for four meals. It would have been more but my mother (not wanting a repeat of the tears and drama) told my father it had gone off. It was always off in my eyes.
I must give scrambled eggs with spinach a go. I love them separately, why not together? Your story reminds me of the battle my father and I had, over tinned Marrowfat peas..
ReplyDeleteWe had pot roast every Sunday. My mom was limited by the fact my dad would not eat casseroles. We had meat and potatoes every meal. The only salad she made was chopped lettuce with sliced bananas and Miracle Whip.
ReplyDeleteMy late mother-in-law was Swedish; a race not known for their gastronomy. Unfortunately she passed on her kitchen skills to my wife; hence I'm the cook in our house. My own mother discovered the books of Elizabeth David in the mid 50's, and as a result we ate extremely well. I guess I'm one of the lucky ones.
ReplyDeleteI forgot all about that green dinnerware. The things you remember amaze me. Unbreakable stuff.
ReplyDeleteTotal spinach and egg fan here. But I've never had them together. Hmmm . . . I sense new vistas on the horizon.
ReplyDeleteIn our house, everyone has their preference for egg 'done-ness'. I like them underdone. My youngest daughter likes them, in her words, dead. Everyone else takes them somewhere in between. Okay. Now I'm hungry. Off to the kitchen!