After a long day slinging information and subverting corporate bureaucracy, I'm beat and hungry.  Mr. L has a rehearsal tonight, and as much as I might wish the dinner fairy was going to visit my house, I know the cooking is all on me.  Good and simple, here I come!

I start with a potato--a nice little Yukon Gold.  Actually I start with a pan, with olive oil in it, heating on the stove.  While it gets warmed up, I dice the potato into cubes.  I want them all to be around the same size, about an inch, but I am not killing myself to make it perfect.  Just eye it up and cut the dang potato.  I toss it in the warmed pan and shake it around to make sure there is oil between each potato piece and the steel skillet.  I have a grinder full of sea salt mixed with dried garlic, and I give 2 or 3 turns over my pan, and then do the same with the pepper mill.  While things get going in the pan, I go looking for the rest of my meal.  We have eggs from the farmer's market--the good ones with the golden-orange yolk, not the ones from the grocery store with the wan, lemon-yellow yolk.  I also spot a bag of English muffins in the bottom of the fridge, and pull those out.  I hunt for the spatula, and give the potatoes a turn.  They need a few minutes, so I let the dog out and go see where Mr. L left the remote for the TV.  Oh look, Paula Deen is baking up some type of cookie slathered with what looks like Nutella!

I go back to test the potatoes, and after a little pushing around in the pan, I decide they are ready.  I put them on the little white plate, cut an English muffin and pop it in the toaster, and run the pan under the faucet for a second to cool it down a bit.  I then cut a little butter, melt it up, and crack two of those gorgeous eggs in.  A pinch of salt--the pink Himalayan stuff this time-- and a twist of pepper, let them cook for a couple of minutes, then flip to firm up the other side.  I didn't break the yolk!  Success!  I slide the eggs on to the plate by the potatoes just as the toast jumps up.  I slather on some butter and place it accompanying the potatoes and eggs, pour a glass of V-8 and voila!  Dinner is served.

As it turns out, the first meal I ever learned to make is still my best.