A few words on English Muffins.

English muffins have always held a special place in my heart.  There’s something comforting about them.  Kind of like a bowl of soup or an old pair of sweatpants that the elastic has snapped on.  Each morning as my sister and I would groggily come down the stairs ready for school, our dad would present us with breakfast.  However, this wasn’t your average bowl of Trix or a strawberry Pop-Tart.  This was a magical sandwich that came wrapped up in a thin layer of silver foil.  The nutty smell of English Muffins browning in the toaster traveled up the stairs every day around 7:45 AM.  We could hear the butter sizzling and popping as my dad emptied a stream of eggs into the pan.  The drawers would open and close as he searched for the grater to shred some sharp white cheddar cheese.  We knew the routine.  Every day.  And yet, this breakfast was always known as “the tin foil surprise.”

I would climb into the backseat of my dad’s car and immediately shift my body into the perfect breakfast-eating position–indian style, of course.  With sleepy eyes wide open, I’d gently peel back the layers of shiny packaging to reveal…

Yes.

An English Muffin breakfast sandwich.

You’d think I would be disappointed that underneath the layers of foil wasn’t a Skip-it or the Nintendo I had requested the previous week.   But I never was.  I looked forward to that spectacular sandwich every morning.  The simplicity of a crispy multi-grain English Muffin topped with fluffy scrambled eggs, earthy cheddar, and fresh sage is one of life’s perfections that should never be changed.  Of course there are different variations and interesting ways to dress your English Muffins, but the surprise inside of my tin foil will always be untouchable.

Want to be creative with your next English Muffin adventure but don’t know how to do it?

Don’t worry, that’s why I’m here.  You’re welcome.  In addition to the traditional egg, cheese, and fresh herb breakfast sandwich–I love adding some heirloom tomatoes and arugula (see first picture).  The bright acidity from the tomatoes and the spicy bite from the peppery arugula create the perfect balance of flavors.  See?  I know what I’m talking about.

…or at least I sound like I do.

Are you feeling a little wild?  Throw some jam into the mix.  Wait.  Stop getting the Smucker’s out of your fridge.  I’m talking about real jam.  Fig jam of course.  Preferably homemade and on a cinnamon raisin English muffin topped with scrambled eggs, creamy taleggio cheese, torn basil, and cracked red and black peppercorns.

Sweet, savory, heaven.

Speaking of sweeter things, one of my favorite go-to snacks of all time is peanut butter.  Okay, by “snack” I mean: don’t be surprised if you catch me in your pantry three fingers deep into a jar of JIF.  Yet still, I don’t discriminate.  You’ll occasionally catch me using cream cheese, jelly, and butter–but I’m a firm believer that peanut butter belongs on top of all things toasted.  No.  Ew.  Get that Peter Pan off of your pepperoni bagel bites.  Now stick a honey wheat English Muffin in the toaster until barely browned and stack the following ingredients on top:

Creamy peanut butter, sliced bananas, and pumpkin granola.  Finish with a drizzle of honey or agave.

Wait, wait, wait.  Shhhh.  Did you hear that?  That was the sound of me blowing your mind.