Easy as pie lunch, sans the pie

One of the foods I associate so much with childhood is shells. The medium sized shell shaped pasta takes me back to my grandma's house where I'd spend all day playing and she'd make me shells with butter and salt. It makes me feel like a little kid, happy as a lark. I now eat the same dish once in awhile, but love to use the shells with a bunch of other goodies. One of my favorite cheap lunches is Shells with canned tuna, black beans, canned corn, red bell pepper, avocado, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper and a homemade dressing (lemon, olive oil, white wine vinegar and another dash of salt). I could eat it all day, and usually make a huge bowl of it. I'm talking huge mixing bowl, not that tiny white bowl. The creaminess of the avocado, sweetness of the corn, crisp pepper and black bean flavor make it all come together. A great have a minute and that's it lunch. Enjoy!

Fried Egg on Toast

I had the amazing opportunity to live in London and Australia after I graduated from UT. One of the staple eats I picked up in Oz, was fried eggs on toasts with tomatoes. It is probably the easiest thing in the world to make, but always seems to satisfy. I would make it as a snack, breakfast, or late night dinner. I happened to have the workings to the perfect fried egg on toast, and decided I must relive my days overseas. I put a tab of butter in my frying pan, and cracked two eggs. I personally don't like really runny fried eggs, so I like the edges get a bit crispy, and the yolk semi-solid. I put two pieces of Whole Wheat bread in my toaster, and cut about a eight grape tomatoes in halves. Then I pulled out an avocado and sliced it for that creamy softness I so desired with my buttery egg. I placed the egg on the toast, cracked some salt and pepper, stacked on my avocado slices, and let my tomatoes roll over the mountainous dish. With the slightly liquid yolk, the bread becomes softer and the pop of tomato and cool avocado delight my senses. It is one of my favorite anytime meals, and I hope you incorporate it into your kitchen successes.