Breakfast Anyone!

Ice cream was not the only deliciously delectable food at Fred's News.  Breakfast at Fred's was the ultimate experience.  Farm fresh eggs, none of these "crammed in the cage" chicken eggs for our customers.  Bill would pick up local eggs every week.  If the farmer didn't have enough eggs for us there was always "Farmer Ron". This guy was a piece of work.  Although not a local personality, he was married to a local lady.  Ron was from somewhere "south of the Mason/Dixon line".  He had made his money from some sort of natural energy source found on his property in the south.  Ron moved north, "cuz I always wanted to do small time farmin" he explained with a slow southern drawl.   Quite the character, we saw Ron once a week when he delivered those fresh eggs.  They were great.  Over the years we had local egg deliveries from a few small time farms in the area.  The most interesting eggs were green shells with a beautiful orange colored yolk.  The breed of chicken was Araucana.  Many times young people would eat these eggs just because of the shell color.  Thank you Dr. Seuss,
"Green Eggs and Ham!"   Green eggs also produced beautiful omelets,with colors just a vivid as a rainbow.  Bill's Western omelet was "a masterpiece."   Four eggs, preferably orange yolks, chopped ham, sweet vidalia onions, red and green peppers, all with a choice of Swiss, American or provolone cheese.  Let's not forget the toast, white, wheat, rye or English muffins, buttered completely with lightly salted sweet cream butter....um um good!!  OMG...forgot the home fries...sorry Mr. Potato Head! 

It has been nearly three years since we sold the place and moved to a much warmer southern climate.  Although I cannot eat Sausage Gravy, I usually will order a side dish just to see how it looks.  Gotta tell ya...Fred's News was so much better.  Maybe it was the rich cream,fresh butter and Jimmy Dean Sausage.  Former customers have called and written requesting the recipe...those are the only  ingredients other than a bit of King Arthur flour used to make the roux.  Not something you want to eat everyday!

Over the years people tried to figure out the most popular item on the breakfast menu.  Hands down and without a doubt, it was the bacon, egg and cheese sandwich on a roll or bagel.  I think there was a whole generation of NFA students that lived on those "bad boys".  With five slices of bacon, 2 eggs and cheese, those works of art provided a days worth of energy and calories...but oh so good!  Having travelled back and forth and up and down this big country, we have never found anything that resembles that baby!  Wash it down with the best coffee around or our own ice tea and it was a great way to start the day. 

I really hadn't thought much about the foods of Fred's, but conversations in our neighborhood about the lack of good breakfast foods, brought back the memories of those great aromas first thing in the morning.  It's a good thing we already had dinner, might have to coax Mr. Potato Head into making some home fries...maybe in the A.M.!