Here in Minnesota, it feels like we’ve endured more than our fair share of rain this spring. I’ve gone weeks wearing nothing but ugly, green rain boots. I’ve never wiped up so many muddy paw prints, nor have I’ve ever wanted to spend more time napping.
It’s not all bad though. The grass is vivid, the trees have started to bud, and I feel completely justified in eating my favorite comfort foods–bowls of spaghetti showered with Parmesan, brothy bowls of soup with crusty bread, and grilled cheese sandwiches.
My latest (and arguably greatest) grilled cheese concoction was this open-faced asparagus croque madame sandwich. A croque madame, if you’re unfamiliar, is a croque monsieur topped with an egg and a croque monsieur is a delicious French sandwich made with béchamel-smeared bread, a slice of ham, and cheese. You pop it under the broiler and let the cheese melt and the edges get toasty-crunchy. It’s pretty wonderful whenever, but as lunch on a rainy afternoon, it’s absolute perfection.
Let me start by telling you this: this is the third batch of these muffins that I’ve made in three weeks–that’s the sort of muffins we’re dealing with today. They’re the kind of muffin that’s good not only in the warm, comforting morning treat way, but also the I-don’t-have-to-feel-remorseful-all-day-over-what-I-ate-for-breakfast kind of way. And, to be completely honest, I wouldn’t be surprised if I whip up another batch as soon as this one is gone.
Many of my favorite dishes are the ones that have the ability to transport. You inhale, take a bite, and suddenly you’re not sitting at your kitchen table anymore, you’re off exploring the world or being whisked back a couple of decades and remembering a dinner you ate half a lifetime ago.
