I don’t understand the conception that French toast is difficult to make. As someone who struggles to achieve perfect pancakes and doesn’t own a wafflemaker, French toast is my standard special-occasion breakfast to impress. Even - or perhaps especially - on occasions when a slightly hungover me is the only one that needs impressing.

Also, HAPPY OCTOBER! Did you know that it’s my favorite month?! And it’s my birthday month, so this was basically a pre-pre-birthday breakfast. I had it with a tall glass of milk rather than with the namesake beverage, but I’m sure if your threshold for pumpkin is as high as mine it’d be delish that way too.

Pumpkin spice French toast:

• 3 slices challah, a day or two old
• 1 large egg
• 1 apple
• 1/2 cup milk
• honey, cinnamon, and nutmeg
• 1 tbsp + 1 tsp butter
• optional toppings: ice cream, whipped cream, more honey, and/or maple syrup

1. Dice the apple finely and add it to a saucepan with a teaspoon of butter, a squirt of honey, and cinnamon & nutmeg to taste. Cover pan with a lid and cook, stirring every so often, for 5-10 minutes, until apples are softened to your liking.
2. In the meantime, beat together the egg, milk, more honey, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Dredge challah slices in the mixture for about a minute.
3. Heat 1 tbsp butter in a frying pan. Place french toast slices in the pan and cook until browned on the outside, about 2-3 minutes per side. Some people put their French toast in the oven for a few minutes after this part. I don’t because A) My oven is broken, B) I’m not ultra-paranoid about raw eggs because I buy good-quality organic ones and have a very strong stomach and C) I love love love when French toast is all moist and custardy on the inside. It’s your call.
4. Plate French toast, add cooked apples, and top with whipped cream or ice cream - I used Trader Joe’s pumpkin ice cream, which we (okay, pretty much just I) have gone through a quart of this week.

Yesterday my boyfriend and I went to his grandma’s house down the shore where he grew up, which turns out to be not terribly far from the places down the shore where I spent a lot of time during summers as a kid (the Maps app on my iPad had me playing a well-illustrated version of the “What exit?” game in the backseat). We ate Vic’s pizza with extra garlic, sausage and peppers. We ate linguine with anchovies and chicken marsala and ziti marinara and good bread. So this morning, I woke up full of carbs and salt and grease but craving something for dessert. 

I’m not a big yogurt fan - on the whole, it strikes me as too goopy and/or watery and/or tart and/or boring - but I’ve recently come serendipitously across a yogurt I adore. Zabar’s has a special on these adorable mini-cups of a full-fat, fruity French yogurt that is ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS (and, as Google would have it, I’m not the only one who thinks so). The size of the cups implies a responsible portion control, but this morning I’ve had three of them. Strawberry is the best, with apricot trailing close behind. I’ve also discovered a new favorite in the combination of Zabar’s rye bread spread with Crunch Time peanut butter and a little honey. Yum.

I’ll just come out and say it: I’ve been intensely neglecting ingestibles as of late. Between preparing to move, moving, working and spending weekends exploring the new neighborhood, I haven’t made the time to diligently record either my foodventures or several culinary experiments in the new apartment’s kitchen, which is tiny (basically existing in the front hallway) but decked out with black marble countertop (not plural) and gorgeous stainless-steel appliances (including a dishwasher!) Once supplemented with a sturdy Ikea kitchen block/island, I found I’d landed that elusive New York luxury: a pretty halfway decent kitchen. Not to mention, I’m blocks away from a Trader Joe’s, Fairway, and (drumroll) ZABAR’S. Oh, and there’s a farmers’ market across the street on Sundays, and a basil plant on my counter. Refrigerator/pantry staples on any given day now include a quarter pound of lox, a loaf of just-baked seeded rye, gorgeous extra-sharp cheddar, local handmade pretzels, Italian olives, fresh pesto…well, the list goes on.

This morning’s breakfast was an excellent use of the new smorgasbord of groceries.

Red pepper & corn frittata:

• 1 red bell pepper (organic, from Trader Joe’s)
• 2-3 ears corn, in husks (from the farmers’ market)
• 5 eggs (from the farmers’ market)
• approx. 3 oz sharp yellow cheddar (from Zabar’s)
• 1/2 cup good salsa, or equivalent of chopped tomatoes & onions (from Fairway)

1. Husk the corn and slice the kernels from the cobs. 
2. Dice red pepper. 
3. Combine corn kernels, diced pepper and salsa in a large frying pan and cook on medium, stirring occasionally, for a few minutes. Use spatula to create one flat layer.
4. Meanwhile, beat five eggs in a bowl. Add crumbled cheddar and mix.
5. Pour eggs and cheese over vegetables.
6. Cook on low heat for 5-10 minutes, until eggs are set.

(the boyfriend ate his with Tostitos. Typical.)

There are not many things I will miss about Hoboken when I move to the Upper West Side next week (fingers crossed; knock on wood: if the NY rental market has taught me anything is that if the keys aren’t on your keyring, don’t celebrate yet). I will miss the river and the gorgeous view of the city, I will miss my favorite CVS that reminds me of the Midwestern strip mall suburbs, and I will miss [some of] the food. I know, you’ll never believe me, but the food in Hoboken is different. It’s less arrogant. It disappoints me less, because my expectations aren’t so high. It’s just nice. Like the breakfast platter for two from the Old German Bakery: for under $20, a basket of fresh-baked rolls, a plate of gruyere and cheddar and mozzarella and turkey and ham and sausage and bologna, two eggs, coffee, juice, and a Continental-breakfast style plate of butter, grape jam, honey and Nutella. Just nice.

Their jelly doughnuts and array of pastries are pretty solid too.