Avocado Toast with Soft-Boiled Egg

 

Today’s recipe was inspired by this month’s Cook the Books Club pick.  The recipe was great the book…well…let’s take a look at my review:

Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I'm going to split my review into the two halves of the book...

The first half rated a 3.5. It follows Ina briefly through her childhood, then her early marriage as she charges headlong into every new venture that pops into her head. It was a little like riding a roller coaster in the dark. I never knew what was coming and frankly, I was concerned for Ina at times because she was bold to the point of recklessness - quitting jobs, buying properties (which needed major renovation, living a separate life from her husband, etc.) It was kinda nuts, but it was like watching a train wreck - but a train wreck that happens to work out for the best, because as the title suggests, she is very lucky in that all of her ventures very extremely successful.

Now the second half of the book. I think I would be generous rating it a 1.5. At this point Ina has become a household name, so the remainder of the book is a walk through her success. We read about every book she writes, buying her Paris apartment, filming her shows, and while name dropping celebrities (my dear {insert celebrity}, the wonderful {insert celebrity}, the "make me (the reader) want to stab my eyes out" {insert celebrity}). It was so boring!!!!

All in all, while fascinating, Ina Garten has led a very privileged life. Did she work hard for her success? Absolutely, but she always had wealth to back up her reckless pursuits.

Overall, I'd rate the book a 2.5, but since Goodreads still doesn't allow halves, I was generous and rounded up to 3.

View all my reviews

Ok, so I wasn’t a huge fan of the book, though I was very impressed by Ina Garten’s grit, especially in her early years.  I also respected her desire to serve foods that are approachable, that people like. 

There were a couple recipes included in the text and several mentioned throughout, but they just didn’t grab me, so I ended up exploring her website and found a simple avocado toast, but this one had the added benefit of protein in the form of a soft-boiled egg.

It was delicious!  I can definitely see this as a great meatless lunch on a regular basis!

Avocado Toast with Soft-Boiled Egg

Adapted from Barefoot Contessa

1 egg1 slice whole wheat bread

½ ripe avocado

½ teaspoon lemon juice

⅛ teaspoon sriracha

Salt & pepper

Everything Bagel Seasoning

Bring a pot of water to a low boil.  Add the egg and cook for 7 minutes.  Cool under running water and peel.

Toast the bread.  While the bread toasts, mash together the avocado, lemon juice, sriracha, and a dash of salt and pepper.

Spread the avocado over the toast.  Top with the soft-boiled egg and sprinkle with everything bagel seasoning.