Shmack Attack and Jenanigans

As you can tell by how many shout-outs she gets, my roommate Mackenzie is my food partner in life. We even want to get rings that have the inscription "Joined together at the bonds of consumption." We spend just about all of our free time eating, cooking, talking about food, stalking food blogs, and watching Anthony Bordain. you can find us at most festivals around town enjoying some good grub and maybe a beer or Bloody Mary. Our fridge is covered in lists of recipes we'd like to make, restaurants we need to check out, and grocery lists of course. I couldn't even imagine our friendship with out food. It would be like tea and milk, I can't have one with out the other.

But don't be mistaken, we are not on the same culinary playing field. I am the grasshopper and Mackenzie is undoubtedly my very patient teacher/mentor/guru, and today she was elevated to godly status. Shmack Attack (as I call her) teaches me very important lessons on a daily basis about how hot a pan should be before you add the egg to stir fry and noodles, or how long you cook sausage for, or the safe way to defrost raw meat. All very important lessons, but the most exciting tutorials I get are watching her cook.

We recently developed a delightful tradition of making ourselves gourmet breakfast. On Wednesday we had a southwest black bean and queso omelet with turkey bacon, which was very good, but nothing compared to this morning.

After a long night of debauchery we fed ourselves like royalty, and Mackenzie was the master behind it all. First, she fried eggs on top of a bed of green onion.

Then toasted hearty multigrain bread in the oven with cheese and ham melted right on top like an open face Croque Monsieur. Then carefully piled the delicate egg on top of this little tower of heaven. As if that wasn't already a masterpiece, she also fried up some apple chicken sausage. Together it was unbelievable!

The most incredible part was that it not only looked pretty but also tasted good! I find all too often that if I am able to achieve one, the other goal goes out the window. But this was sheer brilliance, and thus I bow my head with respect and reverence to my guru.