Introduction + Best Egg Sandwich

My name is Andi Jane. I was raised on a small farm in central Illinois. My mother has always been a professional cook, and when she chose to spend a few years at home, she would cook all of our meals from scratch. My grandmother owned her own restaurant, albeit a small one, and was the only cook. In fact, my first "job" was helping Grandma Betty wait tables at her small courthouse diner. To be honest, I had no passion for cooking until I graduated college, and I suppose it had something to do with all the women around me being great cooks; for one, I never had learn to cook, and for two, it was kind of intimidating.

Over the past four years, I've lived with a total of 15 different roommates in 5 different apartments, and watched them all cook, very differently. I've largely been underemployed (chosen lifestyle), with a lot of time, and not a lot of money. This is where I started cooking blunthouse-style: being resourceful, creative, and cheap.

I have been posting recipes under the name "Andi's Blunthouse" since the summer of 2010, but this is my first blog. The vision behind Andi's Blunthouse is that anybody (who stocks their fridge at least a little) can make a legit meal at any time, especially when the hunger strikes hard. My format won't always be the same. The recipes won't always be easy, empty-fridge answers to your bottomless-pit blues; sometimes my posts will be gourmet dinners that, if you want to replicate, you might have to plan ahead of time.  I'm an improviser, and my biggest goal with this blog is teach others to do the same. Every recipe is mine, unless otherwise noted, and often is a little more in-depth, and perhaps more cluttered than a normal recipe. I want you to learn something from each recipe I post.


So to kick things off, here is a recipe for an egg sandwich I made yesterday (and again today) that was so delicious it kind of tasted like McDonald's... All ingredients can be substituted for something similar that you have in your fridge, but this recipe as is, is kind of the bomb.

Best Egg Sandwich

Ingredients:

oil (olive or whatever, just a splash)
1 egg
2 slices bread
Havarti cheese
red onion, one 1/4 slice of rings, halved
2 small bella mushrooms, sliced
few pieces arugula
some alfalfa sprouts
salt
pepper
mayonnaise
brown mustard

Instructions:

(note: I use a large, nonstick sauce pan for a lot of recipes. There is plenty of room to cook multiple things at once, without dirtying multiple pans)

1. Heat oil in a nonstick pan, lowish-medium heat. Place one bread slice in pan, away from oil (or in separate pan), place cheese slices on top of bread. Add onion to oil, let cook for about 2 minutes, then add mushrooms. Add a pinch salt and pepper. (note: if your veggies are burning, lower your heat. There should be no burn marks on your veggies!)

2. While the veggies are cooking, break egg into remainder of oil. Break yoke. Salt and pepper egg to taste.

3. Onion and mushroom mixture should be lightly cooked by now. Place mixture on top of cheese-bread slice.

4. Flip egg when bottom is cooked. When egg is fully cooked, place on top of mushroom/onion/cheese bread. Add mayonnaise and brown mustard to other bread slice, and close sandwich. Flip.

5. When bottom bread is browned, remove from pan, add arugula and sprouts, and enjoy!