I’m about one and a half weeks into my new home in Oakland and doing a lot of interviews. Since I’ve gotten to Oakland I’ve been unemployed. which is pretty weird for me, since (aside from the last 3 months when I was traveling) I’ve had a job since I was 15. Things are finally looking promising, but I’ve been interviewing on and off since early October, so it’s been no easy task.
What I've Been Doing the Past 3 Months
Over the last few years I had gotten in the habit of waking up early for work or school and got into a routine. I would always up between 8:30-9:30, no matter how late we were out the night before. When I was on my road trip with Ray (NOT a morning person), I discovered that it was nearly impossible for me to sleep in.
So here I am, a week and a half into stagnation, and would you believe it- I’m sleeping in. Hell yes, I thought I had lost it! Today I woke up at around 1:30 and didn’t actually start doing anything until about 4:30. I went back and forth all afternoon, between checking my Skype and drifting in and out of sleep.
Well, I’m finally up and… it feels like breakfast time. Ah ha! Breakfast for dinner, clearly a creation of the unemployed! A real 99%-er kind of meal. Tonight I went for some fancy french toast and pseudo-hash browns. Ballin on a budget, I pulled off this tasty dish for pretty cheap and it’s super easy.
Panettone Bread French Toast with Squash Hash Browns
For the french toast, I had a loaf of sliced Panettone bread (italian sweetbread with candied fruits) that I snagged for about $2 at Trader Joe’s. I cracked two eggs into a deep place and tossed in some vanilla extract and nutmeg from the cabinet. Usually I would use cinnamon and a splash of milk too, but I didn’t have them on hand.
Soak your bread (I used 2 slices but you could probably do 3-4 with 2 large eggs) on each side and then lay in a skillet over med/high heat. Cook on both sides until brown.
For the topping, I just threw a banana and some maple syrup (real) in a skillet and tossed it around over medium heat for a few minutes.
The butternut squash hash browns have been a recurring snack this week. I got a bag of diced butternut squash for under $2 at Trader Joe’s (about 4-6 servings) and have been dicing them up into smaller cubes and roasting them on the stove.
I usually use a little bit of oil (coconut, this time) and so I guess you could say “sauteing” but you just need a table spoon or two (remember, I’m cookin’ for one). Today I threw in a little salt and took a vegetable peeler to some baby carrots over the pan.
Nothing too fancy, and the instructions are easy. Most of the food I cook these days is a mish-mash of whatever I have handy, but some of it turns out pretty good. Enjoy!
