Pet Ducks and Dinner

To answer my father-in-law's question (should he ever read this)--no, I didn't eat the ducks for dinner.

For the past six years, a pair of migrating Mallards have been visiting our neighborhood on their journey North. I feed them and we have a small garden pond, so they seem to like our house. They also seem to remember us and get more trusting each year. They are our pet ducks; George and Rebecca. About two years ago, they started bringing their friend Bernard. When I looked out the front window this morning, I saw one of my favorite things--three ducks sitting on my grass (that needs to be mowed*). I think that I've taken about a thousand pictures of my ducks, but here's one for all of you. From left to right, we have Bernard, Rebecca and George. I have decided that Bernard is one of Rebecca and George's children who hasn't gotten married yet. If the ducks are following their usual time table, they only have a few more weeks with us. It always makes me sad when they leave. Rebecca has gotten to the point that she'll eat out of my hand. They also now come all the way up to our porch. Sometimes I think that they are going to knock on the door and ask to be fed. If you're wondering, ducks eat almost anything. Mine have been enjoying Old Fashioned Oats, blueberries that accidentally became petrified at the back of the refrigerator and leftover rice that I forgot to put back in the refrigerator. Rebecca also seems especially fond of raisins and Frito's. I've been trying to think of a project that relates to my ducks but is a fitting tribute--right now I'm leaning towards a fabric children's book. I am nothing, if not ambitious.

In other news...

I've been spending more time in various waiting rooms than I'd like to.** All this waiting room time allows me to read magazines that I wouldn't normally read and I frequently come across recipes that I might enjoy. Sometimes I have a pen and write them down; usually I just try and remember. Last night I made us "Waiting Room Egg Sandwiches," which were really tasty, so I thought that I'd share. (Yes, I am aware that I probably won't have a career as a food photographer). I think that the original recipe came from Real Simple Magazine, but it could have been a Real Simple from 2005. We eat a lot of eggs for dinner because we like them, they are nutritious and cheap. Here's my recipe:

Waiting Room Eggs

• 1 thick slice of dense whole wheat bread per person
• 2 eggs per person
• asparagus, trimmed
• olive oil
• Parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper

1. Turn on your broiler and allow it to pre-heat. If you have a large toaster oven you could do this whole thing in there.
2. Drizzle the bread and asparagus with olive oil and season the asparagus with salt and pepper. Place the bread on a cookie sheet and arrange the asparagus around it.
3. Broil the bread for 2 minutes per side and then remove the bread. Toss the asparagus around and allow it to broil for about 5 more minutes (more if you don't like crunchy asparagus).
4. Meanwhile, place your eggs in a saucepan and fill the pan with cold water until the eggs have been completely covered with an extra inch of water. Cover the pan and bring it rapidly to a boil. Once the water boils, turn off the heat and leave the pan alone for 6 minutes--you are making soft boiled eggs.
5. By this point the asparagus should be done and it's time to start plating. Place one piece of toasted bread on each plate and grate on a little Parmesan. Arrange your asparagus on top of the toast and add a little additional Parmesan.
6. When the eggs are done, carry the whole pan to the sink and start filling it with cold water. Keep running cold water into the egg pan until you're able to touch the eggs. This makes the egg shells easier to remove and it prevents you from burning your hands.
7. Once the eggs are cool, carefully remove their shells by tapping them all over with a spoon. This is time consuming and kind of a pain. (You could do fried eggs, which would be easier and less of a pain if you wanted.) Place the eggs on top of the sandwiches and enjoy. I like to break my egg yoke, as it makes a nice sauce for the asparagus.
   

*Too long grass is not one of my favorite things, but there's a very good reason that it is too long.

**Long story, and strangely, it has to do with the grass not getting cut.