I don't do well with scary movies. In many ways, I'm the person scary movies were designed for. My fear is real. It doesn't matter if the film is about a mad man, zombies, or a haunted house—in every case, I'll want to sleep with the lights on (if I can sleep at all).
My first introduction to scary movies was the movie Signs (and, really, it's not even intended to be a scary film). During the final scenes, I literally hid beneath the couch cushions with my eyes shut tight and my hands over my ears. Up until that point, Disney villains marked my experience with frightening scenes. I had much to learn.
Despite the fact that I shouldn't watch scary movies, this weekend my mother and I rented the movie Rose Red, based on Stephen King's novel of the same name. It's a four hour mini-series (meaning four hours of pure terror for me) in which a group of people with psychic powers spend the night in a haunted house. It didn't matter that the special effects were cheesy, half the ghosts/bad guys were puppets, and the storyline didn't always make sense—I was genuinely afraid.
I hid my eyes when the scary music started, regardless of whether or not something scary was actually happening. I jumped at all the right moments. Halfway through, I shut the doors leading to the room, just in case something happened to sneak in when I wasn't looking. My mother had to repeatedly tell me that "it's not real, calm down" when I'd start to get jumpy. Three hours in, I had to shut off the movie because I couldn't handle the fear, much to my mother's dismay.
I told you I don't do well with scary movies. Maybe I should start watching them in the middle of the day.
These poached eggs in tomato sauce make a perfect light breakfast or lunch (and eggs look like suns, which is something I desperately want to see after a night of scary movies). Tomatoes compliment the eggs in an unexpected way. Serve with a side of veggies for a balanced meal. Alternatively, if you have leftover spaghetti sauce from the evening before, top poached or scrambled eggs with it and achieve the same effect. Simple, yet delicious!
Eggs in Tomato Sauce
Inspired by Martha Stewart
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup onion, minced
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
Pinch of crushed or ground red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 can (14 ounces) diced tomatoes
4 large eggs
4 slices toasted bread, for serving
Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving (optional)
In a skillet, sautee the onion and mushrooms in the olive oil until softened, about 10 minutes. Season with red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Add the diced tomatoes, cover, and let simmer 10 to 20 minutes.
Carefully crack each egg into the Tomato sauce, cover, and poach the eggs for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let set a few minutes.
Serve hot on toast and garnish with grated Parmesan!