smoked salmon toast

There are times when I feel like packing everything up and jumping ship. In those times I convince myself that some change would suit me well. Maybe a new city, new job or a sweet cuddly kitten would bring me back to feeling normal and content. For the past few months I have been in a mild state of discontentment and although I’ve done my very best to convince my husband to move back to San Francisco, or to let me quit my job to follow all those vague dreams I have (while throwing complete caution to the wind) he knows me better than that. With a kind heart he has approved a soft cuddly kitten if my heart desires it, but on the other huge life changes, he has been quietly letting the waves run their course, knowing that they will settle soon enough. See, he knows something I don’t. He knows that somewhere in my nature lies a reset button. This button takes many forms. A long lazy walk on the trail, a mini vacation to Seattle, a lovely breakfast in bed, or a trek into the wilderness of God’s creation will renew my spirit and bring me back to looking around at all that is right in front of me. Often, I need to hit that reset button for perspective and to awaken my thankful heart.

In The Breakfast Book, Marion Cunningham sprinkles bits of wisdom in between her recipes. Beneath this particular one for smoked salmon toast she wrote about breakfast in bed. It seems to be the perfect description of the type of reset I most definitely need.

Breakfast in Bed

One of the most blissful escapes is breakfast in bed with something good to read. Breakfast in bed is cozy, quiet and private. I instantly forget that it was I who fixed the tray. The simplest food tastes special. Since food that spills or sloshes can ruin the mood, this is the moment when toasts should be considered. A thermos of coffee or tea is ideal.

As one is softly propped up in bed the world falls away, and breakfast becomes what some poet called “a parenthesis in time.”-MC

Marion’s wisdom was evident in her cooking and her words. She hits the nail right on the head here in this perfect description of the joy that comes when we slow down enough to eat from the comfort of our own beds. Whenever I begin to feel that need for sudden change creep up inside of me, I’ll remember that all I really need to do is to fix myself a tray of simple food, prop myself up under the covers and let the world fade away.

This is a series of recipes from The Breakfast Book by Marion Cunningham. There are five other incredible women cooking through this book with me. Please head on over to the blogs of Aimee, Sammy, Natasha, Claudie and Emily for other delicious recipes from the toast chapter.

smoked salmon toast

adapted from The Breakfast Book by Marion Cunningham
serves 2

Ingredients:

• 2 slices rye toast, cut in half
• 1 garlic clove
• 2 oz soft goat cheese
• lemon juice
• 4 oz smoked salmon
• fresh chives
• salt and pepper

Preparation: 

Toast each slice of bread and rub with a cut end of the garlic clove. Spread goat cheese evenly on each slice of bread. Sprinkle a few drops of lemon juice over the cheese and season with salt and pepper. Top with smoked salmon and chives. Serve cold. Marion notes this is quite compatible with a hard boiled egg and I would agree.

July 17, 2012. Tags: appetizers, breakfast, brunch, quick and easy, smoked salmon, thankfulness. appetizers, bread, breakfast, fish, quick and easy.