It’s Thursday.  

You know what that means.  The weekend is almost here…and you know what that means.  Probably a trip to Target and too many glasses of wine at dinner.  ALSO–the freedom to actually sit down and enjoy breakfast.  You don’t have to eat it in a car, or at your desk, or on top of a pile of papers that you probably don’t understand anyway.

If you’re not out exploring the brunch hot spots in your city, then I recommend taking a little extra time this weekend to treat yourself.  That doesn’t mean create a luxurious spread of waffles and omelets and put your orange juice in a pitcher like they do on TV.

No one does that.

Adding just one small gourmet side dish–or condiment, if you will–will take your morning meal from “yeah I had eggs today” to “holy crap, listen to what I had for breakfast!”

Thick Toasted Sourdough with Light Cream Cheese, Egg Whites, Sliced Tomatoes, Cracked Black Pepper, Fresh Basil, and Caramelized Leeks

Ingredients: 2-3 thick Leeks (white and light green part cut into circles and rinsed) / 1 tablespoon butter/ 1 tablespoon Dry Sherry or White Wine/ 2 teaspoons Fresh Thyme / 1 slice thick Sourdough bread toasted / 1 tablespoon Light Veggie Cream Cheese / 2 egg whites cooked / Tomato Slices / Kosher Salt and Black Pepper / Fresh Basil

• Melt butter over low-medium heat
• Add in cleaned leeks and season with salt and pepper
• Sautee until translucent and fragrant (about 4-5 minutes)
• Add sherry and stir
• The sugars in the leeks will caramelize and eventually soak up all of the sherry; stir occasionally and keep on LOW heat–this will take anywhere from 15-20 minutes for the leeks to get golden brown

*Makes about 2 tablespoons of rich, sweet and savory leek jam that’s reminiscent of caramelized onions*  

Serve on the side of open-faced egg white sandwich or with your favorite breakfast sandwich or omelet.

*Sherry is available in almost every grocery store–this one came from Trader Joes for $6.99.

Be patient…