Eggs Not Quite Benedict

I'm delighted to have author James Hartley in the kitchen preparing a new twist on an old recipe. The stove is all yours, Jim.

Hi Sloane. Thanks for having me out and giving me full rein. Now tie on your apron and let's get cooking!

Everyone has heard of Eggs Benedict, that pearl of the Breakfast Brunch, but has anyone ever tried to make them? No way! First, they call for poached eggs, and who knows how to do that? Fried eggs, fine, but poached? And Hollandaise Sauce, well, real chefs know how to make that, but I don't think you can go down to the local grocery store and buy a jar of it, nope. So let's think of something else.

Suppose we settle for the eggs fried, then scrounge around in the fridge for some other kind of sauce. Like, maybe, spaghetti sauce. That's Italian, so we're going to call this one:


Eggs Benedito
1 English Muffin
Butter or margarine for muffin
2 slices Canadian Bacon (optional)
2 eggs
2-4 tbsp. spaghetti sauce (leftover is OK)
2-4 tbsp. ground or shredded Parmesan (or other Italian) cheese

Split and toast English muffin, spread with butter or margarine.

Lightly fry Canadian Bacon (if using it), place one slice on each half of muffin.

Fry eggs, over medium, then place one on each half of muffin. Top eggs with spaghetti sauce and cheese.

Serves one.

But then one day we were out of spaghetti sauce. A little more scrounging yielded a jar of Salsa, well, that sounded good. Being on the Mexican side, this one gets the name:

Eggs Bandito
1 English Muffin
Butter or margarine for muffin
2 slices Canadian Bacon (optional)
2 eggs
2-4 tbsp. Salsa (Mild, medium, or hot, your choice)

Split and toast English muffin, spread with butter or margarine.

Lightly fry Canadian Bacon (if using it), place one slice on each half of muffin.

Fry eggs, over medium, then place one on each half of muffin. Top eggs with Salsa.

Serves one.

A good book is perfect with a good breakfast. Here's a little from Jim's speculative fiction book for your reading pleasure.

Stories from one end of the universe to the other, and off into the realm of Faerie, too.

A collection of Fantasy and SF short stories. Space travel, time travel, aliens. Witches, wizards, ghosts, vampires. Oh, yes, and a bit of a look at what happens when the paranormal impinges on high school romance.

To read an excerpt from Worlds Away and Worlds Aweird please click here.

James Hartley is a former computer programmer. Originally from northern New Jersey, he now lives in sunny central Florida. He has published a fantasy novel, "Teen Angel," and stories in Illusion's Transmitter, Written Word Online, Clonepod, Every Day Fiction, Lorelei Signal, Beyond Centauri, Raygun Revival, and the "Desolate Places", "Strange Mysteries", "Book of Exodi" and "Christmas in Outer Space" anthologies.

He is currently working on a new novel. He is a member of IWOFA and the Dark Fiction Guild.

Learn more about James Hartley on his website and blog.