Pumpkinheads and Pumpkin Spice

~ Sarah Joyce ~ 5 Comments

It is officially September. September means I have pulled out my favorite boots, my purse with the apple’s all over, and all of my scarves. September means I am craving all things pumpkin. Pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin cake, pumpkin puppy chow…I’ll get to that later.

What I’m getting at is that I love fall. I don’t care that it is still in the high 70’s and that I was able to wear shorts multiple times this week. I don’t care that my friends are still clinging hard to summer activities or that I have yet another bar-b-que to attend tomorrow. I’m tired of hot dogs and burgers and sunburns. Give me the apple cider and sweaters! 

With this in mind it is no surprise that I may or may not of squealed a bit when I found out Rainbow Rowell’s graphic novel about 2 high school senior’s last night working at a pumpkin patch was available at my local B&N. 

Pumpkinheads is everything I want fall to be. It is flannel and jeans. It has fleshed out characters dealing with change, which is something I always associate with fall. It is FULL of fun fall snacks that I want to stuff in my mouth right this instant. 

Really, Pumpkinheads is the story we deserve. Josie and Deja made me nostalgic for my high school days. They felt so real. The illustrations bring to life a perfect Halloween night with all the trappings. Corn maze, hay ride, bonfire and smores. The images really highlight the friendship at the center of the story and bring everything to life. 

Josie and Deja made me want to go to a pumpkin patch or cider mill. They made me want to wear sweaters and smell the crisp fall air. They made me want to eat everything pumpkin spice. 

Specifically I wanted Pumpkin Spice Puppy Chow. 

For those of you in the know, puppy chow is usually a mix of cereal, peanut butter, chocolate, and powdered sugar. It is a messy sugar high in a bowl. It is delicious. 

Here, we use cinnamon or (if you can find it!) pumpkin spice flavored cereal and white chocolate with a little bit of pumpkin pie spice to make the perfect pre-fall dessert snack. It takes all of 10 minutes and is still perfectly acceptable at your last of summer cookouts, days out at the lake, or on a picnic. Just pack extra napkins, okay?

Ingredients:
1 Box cinnamon or pumpkin Spice Chex or Life cereal
1 ½ C White chocolate chips
2 TBSP Pumpkin pie spice
½ C Powdered Sugar 

Steps:
Melt white chocolate in the microwave, taking care to not burn. I check mine every 30 seconds at first and then ever 5 to 10 when it seems to be getting to the right consistency.  When fully melted and runny mix in pumpkin pie spice. 

Pour cereal into a large bowl and mix in the white chocolate gently, taking care not to break the pieces. 

In a large sealable plastic bag (or clean grocery bag. I’m not here to judge.) place the cereal/white chocolate mix and powdered sugar and shake until well combined. It should look like a snowglobe of sugary goodness. 

Enjoy right out of the bag, in a bowl, in the middle of the night when everyone else is asleep. You do you.

A Love Letter to the Graphic Novel Reading Experience

~ Sarah Joyce ~ 7 Comments

Growing up I was a book snob.

I may have mentioned this before. I was a pretentious reader, devouring complex historical fiction and Les Miserable without much care for enjoyment, just prestige. What kind of prestige I thought a 14 year old reading Les Mis in a month would actually garnish, I’m not quite sure. The point is that was the kind of reader I was. I saw myself as above fluff. Above love stories. Certainly above books with pictures.

Reader, young Sarah was an idiot. 

It wasn’t until college that I picked up my first comic. The first Volume of Sandman, which I loved and was perplexed by all at once. I already adored Neil Gaiman. I loved the stories. I still wasn’t sold on panels and the sparseness of words. 

Another year and I read Persepolis. I wept. I was shocked by how moving Satrapi’s story was, and amazed that I could have such strong emotions from black and white images. 

Into grad school I grew more adventures. Blankets changed how I viewed memoir as story. With images everything was more powerful, not less. The content wasn’t less challenging. I experienced the same with Imagine Wanting Only This. I was now a convert. 

Still a bit of a snob, but a convert. I found that I preferred nonfiction to fictional graphic novels. I learned about The Harlem Hellfighters and had a very basic look at Alexander Hamilton. I experienced the Civil Rights Movement with Jon Lewis in March and was emotionally drained by the powerful experience. 

Lately I’ve taken to classics in Graphic novel form. The Odyssey was on my reread list for the year and getting to experience it in graphic form was fun and short. Seriously. So short. You cut out a lot of text when you can actually see the journey at sea. The same publisher has a graphic version of Beowulf that I want to tackle at some point. Now if only I could find a graphic Don Quixote… 

I’ve also come across representations of Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre. I’m actually tackling Jane now and am finding the story much more tolerable than I did in high school. 

However my favorite graphic novel discovery happened just a few months ago. Graphic cookbooks! Or, graphic food stories, if you will. I read To Drink and to Eat and was able to experience both a travel story and a food story. The recipes were fun. I went in search of more and came across Relish, which i now have on hold at the library. I can’t wait to explore this subgenre more! 

Do you read graphic novels? If so what are some of your favorites. I would love to read more outside of my comfort zone!

August in Review

~ Sarah Joyce ~ Leave a comment

August was my first month of blogging in years. After some initial wordpress struggles, some yelling at my laptop that scared my boyfriend, and an initial writers block that stopped me in my tracks I am happy to say I am here. I am excited by this bookish community, and I want to share my reading journey with whoever stops by this URL. 

I found I wanted to combine my love of food with books. I established Food and Fiction Fridays to share some of my favorite, best loved recipes with all of you while still talking about what I am reading.  So far I have talked about Murder in Savannah and Biscuits, Shakespeare and a Breakfast Tart, Liars on a Beach with Ice Cream, and Breakfast with Austen.  

I’ve also reviewed, Furious Hours, Searching for Sylvie Lee, and The Library Book.

I’ve mused about rereads, audiobooks, and Greek mythology. I’ve told you about my career as a museum librarian. In the process I’ve gotten to know a few of you, stopped by a ton of blogs, and found that this bookish community is so full of love. I’m so happy I get to share this experience with other passionate readers. 

Oh. I’ve also read some amazing books. Including I Miss You When I Blink, The Devil in the White City, How to Walk Away, We Were Liars, and Nine Perfect Strangers. 

Lastly, I wanted to share a few articles I found interesting over the last 31 days. Most are book related. One I feel is super important. All are good reads. 

Cute bookish proposal ideas to sneak to your SO, or your best friend’s SO. Or just to squee at because they’re adorable.

History is important. Anniversaries matter. Stories can only resonate when they are told. I stand behind everything The New York Times is doing with the 1619 Project. Check out their posts. Listen to the podcast. Learn this history, because it is not what we were taught in school.

Imagine the panic if books could spread disease. Then read this article about when people thought that was a real thing. I love reading a lot, but probably not more than I enjoy not having small pox…

Lastly check out what some cool librarians are reading. I found some great new reads that weren’t on my radar.

Thank you all for stopping by my little corner of the internet this month. It has been a fun, messy journey and I hope to give you more fun content, more recipies, and of course all the book talk in September.

Oh, and what is on everyone’s September TBR? I am in the mood for FALL EVERYTHING. Let me know in the comments!

Jane Austen Talk Over Pancakes

~ Sarah Joyce ~ 1 Comment

Hello. My name is Sarah. I’m a Jane Austen Addict.

I’m not as bad as some. I usually only read a couple of her novels a year. I try to check out only a few retellings or adaptations a year. I do not force my Jane Austen love on others. 

I fully do not expect my boyfriend to talk Darcy to me. 

However this year I have read Emma, Mansfield Park, and Pride and Prejudice. I am halfway through the Persuasion audiobook. I have done another watch of the Lizzie Bennet Diaries and the Joe Wright Pride and Prejudice.

This all comes to a head now as my library hold for Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors has come in. I am loving it so far but it reminded me of this past winter curled up with Austen and all of the new revelations, and old creature comforts, I partook in. 

I love the women Austen writes. They’re complex. They take me back in time. Their dialogue is always perfect. They make me think about my own, modern life and see things from a different angle. Relationships are ever present. Family issues are always a thing. Love is all around. (cue the Love Actually soundtrack!) I feel thoughtful when I am immersed in Austen. I feel safe. 

I think Northanger Abbey is underrated, Anne Elliot is kind of boring, and that Kitty Bennett deserves more love. I want to go to Bath and Pemberly. Mansfield Park is easily forgettable. Colonel Brandon is adorable. 

I try to remember that these books are not perfect. Every year I enjoy the criticism and commentary at Austen in August. It gives me something to think about, and a million posts to devour about my favorite characters and places. 

Sometimes when I feel sick, or sad, or just blah the best thing to get me out of my funk is a little Austen. 

Sometimes all I need is Pride and Prejudice and Pancakes. Preferably buttermilk pancakes that don’t taste like cardboard and crushed dreams. Pancakes stacked with berries and loaded with pure maple syrup. Pancakes that are perfectly fluffy.  Pancakes like this.

Ingredients:
1 cup buttermilk

2 eggs

1 stick butter, melted

1 cup flour

4 tsp brown sugar

4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

Steps:

Melt butter. Set aside to cool. 

In a large bowl mix together all the dry ingredients. 

In another bowl mix together the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and butter once it has cooled (unless you really want scrambled eggs in your pancakes.) Once mixed together let sit for a few minutes. 

Heat skillet with cooking spray (or a little oil and butter.) Once hot scoop ½ cup of the pancake batter into the skillet. Top with your favorite berries. Wait until bubbles form and bottom has browned and the flip. Repeat with the rest of the batter.

Serve with more berries, maple syrup, or your favorite jam.

Notes on a Career Working With Books

~ Sarah Joyce ~ 3 Comments

If you had asked me what I wanted to do with my life when I was 18, fresh out of high school and foolishly optimistic I would tell you I wanted to direct plays and movies. I did theater and film through highschool and most of college. I thought it was my “passion.”

It turns out I liked the idea of the community  more than the actual work. I liked going to musicals and movies more than being on set, working through tech week, or really putting in any extra effort to make these types of creative projects come alive.

This is relevant because my BA is in Film Production. 

As a result I spent a large portion of undergrad feeling wrong. I didn’t belong in my program. I wasn’t as passionate. I didn’t have a direction. 

I hid my anxiety about the future in books. Situational depression about classes was directed toward classics. I took every literature class I could, as an elective, so that I didn’t hate college for 4 full years. 

During this time I also went to a ton of museums. I lived in Chicago and was surrounded by cultural institutions, large libraries, and history. I loved being in these places. They felt like home. 

I don’t know why it took me so long to realize that I wanted to work in one. 

Fast forward a few years, a few dead end jobs, and another degree in Library Science and I now get to live my actual dream of working in a museum library. 

Museums are tight networks. We are always short staffed. I do everything from reference support, to interlibrary loans, to acquisitions and outreach. I have also worked in public libraries. I interned with corporate archives and university archives. There isn’t anything quite like museum work and I absolutely love it. 

Every day is different. The collection is amazing. Our researchers keep me on my toes. I get to manage a rare book collection. I pull serials published in the 1800’s for our curatorial staff and researchers. I get to add to this knowledge base. It is supper rewarding. I also get to bone up on the history of printing, publishing, paper, and books. 

Museum Libraries (traditionally referred to as Special Libraries or Special Collections) operate different to a public library or a university library. Our stacks our closed. The topics we cover tight. We are truly a specialized knowledge hub with a goal of providing access to the interested, and outreach so the not yet interested may change their minds. 

All libraries are great places. I still spend ample amounts of time at my local library. But I have such a love for special collections, books that are only together due to serendipity and genuine research value. 

I have finally found my work home. It is in a library. I spent most of my time with books, catalog records, and researchers. 

Have you ever done research at a special collection or visited a museum library? Do you visit your local library every week? Let me know in the comments! 

Review: The Library Book by Susan Orlean

~ Sarah Joyce ~ 2 Comments

I am a librarian. 

Much like Evie in the Mummy I am clumsy, passionate, and more than willing to carry heavy books around in the event of the upcoming apocalypse. 

Librarians have to go to Library school. We talk to other librarians. We tend to know a bit about our own profession.

So when this book about a fire at the Los Angeles Public Library came out I was intrigued. 

I care about my professional development. I work in a special collection with rare books. I had never heard of the biggest library fire in the country. 

My coworkers had not heard of it.

My interns, currently library students working on disaster preparedness plans for class had not hear of it.

So in I dove. 

First, some of the positives.

I felt seen.

Susan Orlean begins The Library Book but explaining her relationship to libraries. It is personal and it also takes some detours. By the time she moves to Los Angeles and finds the inspiration to write about the LA Library fire she was is longer a regular patron anywhere. Bookstores are here default home.

I can relate. Which is a sad thing to say as a librarian. However this is another post for another day.

As an incentive for me to actually finish the book, and to get some of my fellow Librarians in on the wild ride I made this my staff book club pick for June. The discussion it provoked was moving. Books about books and book lovers tend to fall into two camps, saccharine or clinical. The Library Book toes the line between the two in such a way to allow for critical discussion while also being able to reflect on the importance of books in the reader’s life. 

The Library Book is actually 3 stories in one. It is the story of the Los Angeles Library fire that took out over a million items and severely damaged the building, a tale of public libraries in LA, and in a way all of America, and a textbook about the many different careers available in library systems. 

I was here for 2 of these things. The blurb told me about the fire. I love me some true crime. Unfortunately this is where the Library Book falls flat. Sometimes the idea of a story is more interesting than the story itself. SPOILER ALERT (though this is a historical fact) To this day no one knows how the LA Library fire started. No one was ever prosecuted. This makes for a bit of a true crime dud.

Orlean compensates by giving the reader a full history of the LA Library system from boys club to haven for all. I found these sections fascinating. Each director came off the page with such personality. It was easy to see American culture reflected in the issues the library faced during each decade, each century. 

Lastly, The Library Book highlights the different jobs and individuals working in the LA Library Main Branch. 

As an industry professional I thought these sections, while thoughtful, lacked a lot of substance. They were fluff pieces to make up for the fact that the fire couldn’t carry the whole book. I don’t need to see it in writing to know that library work is important. 

This was always going to be a bit of a hard sell.

Overall I really did enjoy The Library Book. I am glad I spent a week learning more about library history. I cherish the time I spent talking with my coworkers about this book. It is the definition of a book club book. It provokes discussion, side tangents, and personal musings just by existing. It also gave my non librarian coworkers a new language to use when they interact with me. It lead them to questions about my work that were both surprising and thoughtful. 

Definitely pick this up with a book club. Come for the fire. Stay for the history. If you’re a librarian be prepared for some dry bits, but they’re totally worth it in the end. 

We Were Liars and Ice Cream Oh My!

~ Sarah Joyce ~ 2 Comments

I remember when this book came out. I was about to start grad school. I was on a YA kick. There was so much hype for E. Lockhart.  Somehow I didn’t care. I read other things. I forgot all about We Were Liars.

Fast Forward to some bloglist several months ago and a quick addition to my TBR. A Library hold later and I am a convert. 

We Were Liars is about the Summers a group of cousins (and one close friend) spend on a small island off the coast of New England. It is about an accident that leads the fully engrossing Cadence Sinclair Eastman to lose her full memory of summer 15. It is about adults struggling to be their best selves. There is a twist that makes your heart hurt. 

The writing is also absolutely stunning.

We were liars is everything I remember about my early summers. I’m from the midwest. From when I can remember through college all weekends were spent at the lake. Everyone had a tan. There was ice cream and hot dogs and the constant smell of bonfires and the stickiness of marshmallows. Luckily for me I didn’t live through the dysfunctional adults that are presented in We Were Liars.

Which is part of what made this book so fantastic. It is everything about summer, but there is enough drama to move the plot. There isn’t a love triangle. In fact the love story is both sweet and believable. 

We Were Liars is the type of book you fall into during the summer. It is a day at the beach. A night around the bonfire. It is picnics with your best friends and full afternoons inside playing board games. 

We Were Liars is sharing homemade ice cream with the person you love.

And lucky for me, I’ve been making ice cream all summer.

In June I discovered no churn ice cream. I have a very tiny kitchen and the thought of owning an ice cream maker, while appealing just doesn’t work in the space. No churn ice cream is my solution to wanting a cold treat every day in summer (fall, winter and spring too) but not having the space to dedicate to making it. The recipe is deceptively simple and you only need a handful of ingredients. 

Below you’ll find go to recipe for a large batch (12 generous scoops, 24 or more small scoops) of a red, white and blue sugar cookie no churn ice cream. The almond extract gives you just enough pop to feel like you’re eating a mixed up sugar cookies. The jam swirls well in the mixture gives you a fun color with lots of flavor. Feel free to swap out any flavor, or omit the jam and sprinkles entirely. You could also half the recipe for a smaller gathering. 

Ingredients: 

4 cups Heavy Whipping Cream 

2 (14 oz) can Sweetened Condensed Milk

2 tsp Vanilla Extract

2 tsp Almond Extract

1 jar Blueberry Preserves (optional)

1 jar Strawberry or Raspberry Preserves (optional)

Sprinkles, for fun and texture. 

Steps:

Use a stand mixer to whip cream into stiff peaks with the vanilla and almond extract. This takes about 5 minutes, but be sure not to over beat. You don’t want to make butter! A hand mixer will work as well, you’ll just need to put in a little extra elbow grease. 

Once cream is whipped fold in sweetened condensed milk. 

Pour half of the mixture into a loaf pan or large freezer safe container. Plop in halp of Blueberry and other preserve, a generous handful of sprinkles, and marble with a toothpick, knife, bamboo skewer, or fork. 

Pour remaining mixture and repeat the previous step. Top with another handful of sprinkles.  Cover with cling film and freeze for 8 to 12 hours. 

Serve with love, sprinkles, and whatever other ice cream toppings your heart desires.

The Art of the Reread

~ Sarah Joyce ~ 17 Comments

This year I am nostalgic. 

Okay, most years I am a bit nostalgic. But this is the year I turned 30. My boyfriend moved in. We are fully settled in our careers and the future looks a lot more like house work and zero free time then carefree vacations and summer’s reading by the lake. 

That’s fine. I’m really happy. I just find myself thinking back to books of times past. The books I read in the heat of summer when I was savoring in the break between spring and fall semester, the books I read in fall that inspired me. The winter tomes I somehow spent hours reading with nothing but homework to break my concentration. 

More than anything I find myself nostalgic for the books I read when I was very young. Middle school and high school me was both a pretentious reader and a ravenous reader. However, younger me was also not afraid of a reread. When I found a book I loved I ate it up. I did it again. I read it over until the spine was cracked and pages were falling out. Then I would read it again. 

My first favorite author was Tracy Chevalier. A waitress at my family’s favorite restaurant gave me a copy of Girl with a Pearl Earring and I devoured it. My parents took me to WaldenBooks (watch me date myself) and buy EVERYTHING else she had written. To that point it was just 2 books. I read them with the same all consuming passion. I learned about different times. It was my first experience with historical fiction, with fiction set in a truly different place

Throughout the rest of middle school and high school I continued to return to these stories. Of course I bought new books as well. I found a new temporary favorites and read everything required for my English classes. I just occasionally needed the reassuring settings of these books I first learned to love.

I did a similar thing with Harry Potter. Last year was the first time I didn’t read the complete series in well over a decade. My summers used to consist of reading through, at first all of the books that had been published, and then reading the entire series and discussing with friends. 

I always counted these books to my yearly reading goal. I still do. I know there is a debate on this front. I’m not truly reading something new. However I get something different out of a book each time I read it. 

This is why I find it so difficult to participate in a book community that seems to care exclusively about the new, the fresh, the unknown. Sometime in college, the first time I started blogging about books I did the same. But now I want to count my rereads. I want to enjoy what I am reading. I want to acknowledge the stories I loved as a teen. I want to spend my precious reading time in a way that is best for me.

This year I reread Pride and Prejudice and loved every second of it. I revisited the Raven Cycle so I could spend more time in Cabeswater with the Latin speaking trees. I have no regrets about these reads. I could them towards my yearly goal because I did in fact read them. They did actually mean something. I was still learning. 

What are your thoughts on rereads? Do you have a few novels you like to revisit every few years?

Review: Furious Hours by Casey Cep

~ Sarah Joyce ~ 1 Comment

In May I had a bit of a reading slump. It had less to do with not having anything to read (haha. My house is overflowing with books) and more to do with the fact that I was waiting for a book. This Book. Furious Hours by newcomer Casey Cep. I had heard the buzz for months. It screamed “Sarah finishes in a marathon reading session.” And I did. 

I bought the kindle edition the day it was released, because of course that is so much easier than stopping by Barnes and Noble or my not so local indie bookshop in the middle of a workweek, and dug in. 

I came up for air maybe twice. 

Furious Hours is two stories in one. First, you have Reverend Willie Maxwell, who is committing some pretty grave forms of insurance fraud to the tune of several dead family members. You have his lawyer, Tom Radney,  who is both hilarious and a surprisingly progressive character in a story of rural Alabama in the mid 20th century. You have another crime that turns everything on its head. Then, you have Miss Harper Lee, fresh off her success of To Kill A Mockingbird, chasing a second novel.  You have her relationship with Truman Capote and the work she did with him on In Cold Blood. You have her trying to write the follow up that never did come. 

I was fully prepared to be disappointed. Occasionally true crime is dry, and author biographies are difficult to wade through.  This is not the case with Furious Hours.

It is both parts vivid history and unbelievable myth. If it had not been based off of true events it would seem outlandish. But Cep paints each character so beautifully that it is easy to get a feel for all the players in this spiderweb of a story. She also doesn’t dwell. The pacing is incredible. There isn’t a minute to be board. It never feels like you’ve fallen into the weeds. 

It also isn’t scary. The story of Reverend Maxwell crimes aren’t so gruesome as to leave a real impression. For all of you horror nuts this is probably a negative, but as I couldn’t sleep after watching a few too many episodes of Mindhunter I was in love with being able to enjoy true crime without having to worry about sleepless nights. 

The real star of Furious Hours though, is  Harper Lee. Cep does such a fantastic job of capturing her finicky personality. Through stories of her childhood and time in New York you get to meet Nell, not just the Harper Lee whose name appears at the bottom of everyone’s favorite classic. She feels real. Her struggles with writers block and her love of isolation create suspense even though everyone already knows how things will end. There is also some interesting insight into the real origins of Go Set a Watchmen.

If you haven’t picked up Furious Hours yet I highly recommend it. It is one of my few 5 star reads of this year. It is perfect for a hot summer day where all you want to do is read something and feel transported.

Shakespeare Festival, Miranda in Milan, and a Killer Breakfast Tart

~ Sarah Joyce ~ Leave a comment

I grew up in the theater. As a result I grew up around and loving Shakespeare. I was lucky to find a partner who was just as passionate about live theater, and crazy enough to let me drag him to Shakespeare plays with zero description. 

You see, every year we go to Stratford, Ontario to see a few shows. We stay at a bed and breakfast, chat with the locals, contemplate retiring in rural Canada. You know, totally normal and hip things for a young couple to do. 

Last year we saw the Tempest. It was wonderful. It was our first trip and we ventured out at the end of July to celebrate my birthday. It wasn’t until we were through the first act that my boyfriend turned to me in a panic to tell me he had no idea what was happening. We were seated by a loud school group so I didn’t mind whispering major plot points to him over the next couple hours.

Looking back it was hilarious that he was too nervous to tell me he had never seen a Shakespeare show before, and that I hadn’t thought to ask if he actually knew what we were seeing. It was still a great experience. The Tempest remains one of my favorite plays and now holds a special place in my heart. We saw Othello earlier this year and he got a full high school English lesson on the plot. It was a much more enjoyable experience for both of us. 

If you’ve read any of my previous post this next bit will come as no suprise. I love a good retelling. Give me Fool. Give me every weird, strange, bad adaptation of Hamlet, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet. I’ll read them. I’ll make comments but oh will I read them. 

Cue Miranda in Milan. Cue an excited librarian.

I wanted Miranda in Milan to be more. At its heart the Duckett has a great premise. What happens to everyone from The Tempest after they leave the island? What about the people they left at home? There’s some LGBT content. A little magic. What could go wrong? 

It turns out, a lot. Somehow for such a short book Miranda managed to be deeply unengaging and then exceptionally weird. Necromancy? Sure. Okay. Palace intrigue? Overdone, but alright.

I still finished this adaptation, and in the end have some minor love for its weirdness, but could never recommend it to anyone else. You need to be a Tempest lover to understand anything that is happening. You can’t just know the major plot points. This calls for scholar level understanding to feel like a full story. Real character development is seriously lacking. Also Ariel never shows up and that is a true shame. So unless all of these things sound incredibly intriguing I’d like to point you in the direction of some other amazing adaptations – Hagseed maybe? New Boy? 

Or you take a look at this tomato and pancetta breakfast tart. 

Remember when I said my boyfriend and I spend our vacations in B&Bs? We also tend to fall in love with the breakfast part of our stay. Everything about this book reminded me of our last visit. The room dedicated to William Shakespeare, the cute little streets, and the killer breakfast tart our host made.

I went home and tried to recreate the dish. I failed. I tried again. Repeat. 

Eventually I came up with this – a crowd pleasing recipe. It is perfect for breakfast if you serve it with a runny egg. It’s also great as a side at a dinner party. Also feel free to omit the pancetta or onion at your leisure. You could also throw in some extra veggies if you’re feeling exceptionally creative. I bet some asparagus would add some color and crunch. 

Eventually I came up with this – a crowd pleasing recipe. It is perfect for breakfast if you serve it with a runny egg. It’s also great as a side at a dinner party. Also feel free to omit the pancetta or onion at your leisure. You could also throw in some extra veggies if you’re feeling exceptionally creative. I bet some asparagus would add some color and crunch. 

Ingredients:
2 pints cherry tomatoes
1 package pancetta, cubed
½ cup sweet onion
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1 sheet frozen puff pastry
Handful of basil

For the Sunny Side Up Eggs
4 eggs
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Steps:
An hour before making take puff pastry out of freezer to thaw.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9×13 baking sheet and set aside.

In a medium pan place pancetta and onion. Cook until pancetta is fully done and onion is translucent. While onions and pancetta are cooking, chop the cherry tomatoes in half. Set both aside. 

Roll out puff pastry to fit your baking sheet. Scour a line 1 inch from the edge along all sides of the puff pastry, being careful not to cut all the way through. With a fork poke around the inner square of pastry to ensure no air bubbles.

Top with mozzarella, pancetta and onion mixture, a little oregano, and as many tomatoes as will fit on tart. Bake for 15 minutes. Tart is done when crust is a golden brown and center is dry. 

Cut the tart into 4 to 8 services, depending on your mood. Feel free to top with basil, balsamic glaze, and  sunny side up eggs. Really, the egg is the game changer here. Give it a try.