Blackberries and Breakfast

My Granny is on my mind this week.  It's because we're having our first-ever Skelton Family Reunion this weekend.  I am looking forward to seeing all my cousins whom I haven't seen in more than 30 years.  More on that next week.

Since Granny is already on my mind, many things are reminding me of her and the magical childhood days we spent at her little house out in the piney woods of Bryans Mill, Texas. 

We never "slept in" at Granny's house.  As children we had too much to do; we had to get up early and get started.  We had to do important things like dig holes in the yard, have grape Kool-Aid tea parties,  walk around the mail route, take outdoor baths in No. 3 washtubs, walk to Scott's Store for a Yoo-Hoo or RC Cola, catch lightening bugs and count the stars.  We were very busy.

In my memory, the most special thing we did was walk down the road on warm spring mornings and pick fresh blackberries for breakfast.  Truth be told, we ate most of them before we got home.  But sitting at the kitchen table with a bowl of fresh blackberries and cream is one of my favorite memories. 

For breakfast this morning I had fresh blackberries with Greek yogurt.  They were the first blackberries I've had this year and I bought them at Wal-Mart instead of picking them.  It's not exactly the same, but they were delicious and brought back these happy memories.

Grams Made Scrambled Eggs with Spinach

When I was a kid, my dad used to make scrambled eggs with spinach for Sunday night supper. I absolutely hated it. But I recently ate a delicious spinach souffle and it reminded me of Dad's dish. I looked around the internet and found a recipe which I have modified to make it similar to what Dad made. Don't be put off by the idea, this is terrific for brunch, dinner or a side dish.

12 ounce package baby spinach (or 1 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup minced onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon half and half
2 eggs, beaten
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Coarsely chop the baby spinach leaves. Heat oil in a large heavy skillet and cook the onion until crisp tender. Stir in garlic when onions are almost done. Add the chopped spinach and cook, stirring often, until spinach is tender, about 5-7 minutes.

In a small bowl, beat half and half with eggs, salt, pepper, and thyme. Add the egg mixture to the skillet and cook and stir so the eggs scramble with the spinach, about 4-5 minutes longer. Sprinkle with cheese and serve.

To make this recipe as a main course, use 6-8 eggs and increase olive oil if needed.