Hello. This is Parakeet Kitchen, a blog devoted to adventures of the (mostly) domestic kind for those with a short attention span, a tight budget, or those who have limited space and time for cooking, sewing, gardening, etc. Most of the projects I intend to post will take less than an hour or two, and most of the materials are inexpensive, or are things that you could probably find around your living space. I hope you all enjoy!


For my first adventure, I'm going to teach you how to make a breakfast dish called 'Sunshine in a Box'.  This is one of my personal favorites, because it is deceptively easy.

For one (1) serving:

Materials:
*Stove
*Pan or flat skillet (big enough to hold a piece of toast)
*Spatula
*Small bowl
*Fork or Whisk

Foodstuffs:
* 1 egg
* 1 piece of bread
* approximately 3 Tablespoons of butter or margrine
* 1 tablespoon of milk (optional)

Directions:
1. To start, cut a large hole through the center of the  bread. I usually bite the hole, but if you prefer, use a knife or a cookie cutter, or your fingers. Use 1 tablespoon of or margarine to coat both sides of the bread. Set to the side.

2. Crack the egg into the bowl, and then add the tablespoon of milk. Use the fork or whisk to beat the egg and milk mix. Try to make as many bubbles as possible. The more bubbles you have, the fluffier your eggs will be. Set to the side.

3. Place pan or skillet on the stove. If you have differently sized burners on your stove, place it on the largest one. Turn the heat to the lowest setting. Put 2 tablespoons of the butter or margarine in the pan and let it melt, making sure it covers all of the bottom of the pan. As soon as the butter or margarine melts, put the burner heat to medium.

4. Place the bread in the pan. Then, pour the egg that you had set to the side into the hole in the bread. Don't worry if the egg overflows from the hole.

5. Wait until the underside of the toast starts to brown, then use the spatula to flip the whole thing. The egg should still be a little runny, don't worry if it gets a little messy.

6. When the other side of the toast is brown, and the egg has completely cooked, use the spatula to take the toast out of the pan.  (If you are not sure if the egg is cooked, poke a hole right in the center. If no liquid egg comes out of the top or bottom, it is done.)

7. Enjoy!

Note: to cut down on calories, carbohydrates and cholesterol:
* use skim milk
*don't coat the bread with butter
* use only the egg's white
*use whole wheat bread

Also: if you feel the urge, try adding ham, onions, cheese, or other tasty items into your egg. It's up to you. On a final note, another wonderful thing about this meal is that you can eat it with your hands if you don't want the extra dishes, or are eating this on the go. just wrap it in a paper towel or napkin, and eat it like a klondike bar!

Have fun, and happy eating!