32 BURNETT COUNTY SENTINEL
DECEMBER 16, 2015 www.burnettcountysentinel.com
Breakfast with the big guy
GOOB COY | SENTINEL
Cousins Axel Hale, Dane and Kaylie Moore, Abe and Archer Hale were able to visit with Santa during Saturday’s “Breakfast with Santa” event at the Grantsburg American Legion. At left, Kashis Bach enjoys his pancake breakfast.
A collection of curiosities BY MEG ROD SENTINEL INTERN
GRANTSBURG—A sound that is almost as heartwarming as the jingling of holiday bells is having some jangling change in your pocket. And let’s face it — having extra money after buying presents for all of your loved ones is a gift within itself. So why not stop in at Thing-A-Majigs Junk Emporium, a store that has a multitude of gifts and won’t be a Grinch to your wallet? Shannon Taylor, the owner of ThingA-Majigs, has been running the shop since November of 2014. She laughed when explaining how the name came about - with her sister spit-balling the phrase “Thing-A-Mabob’s” from Walt Disney’s The Little Mermaid, and combining that with her store’s approach of having a major collection of neat things, the name choice just made sense. When asked to describe her store,
she called it a “junk shop” rather than a thrift store. What makes it quality, though, is how they sift through the items they receive from the public. In addition, Thing-A-Majigs strays away from taking donations because they use consignment for their business. “We take 20 percent of the sale price of what people bring in — and once a month we pay out all the consignors,” Taylor said. Jasmine Taylor, Shannon’s daughter, chimed in with a bit of insight on the concept. “Sometimes people bring in stuff that would just be thrown away. When you put it on consignment, people are going to bring in stuff that’s worth something to buy,” she said. Taylor also noted how she goes to events such as estate auctions and obtains items there as well. Regardless of the season — whether it be Christmas or otherwise — ThingA-Majigs may be worth your time. The
Shannon Taylor
emporium is located right across from the Grantsburg Senior Center and Wood
River Pharmacy in downtown Grantsburg.
Egg sandwiches get a make-over Egg sandwiches seem like a no brainer. Egg, bread, cheese, and some kind of meat to pull it all together—right? It’s not that easy. Okay, well it could be, but why settle for average when you can have awesome? With a little forethought you can have a game changer of an egg sandwich that will have your family asking for them every morning. This past summer I was at a Farmer’s Market visiting a friend who was selling veggies from her CSA farm. Her booth is located near a vendor selling egg sandwiches and omelets. The smell of cooked bacon and sausage does me in every time. The next thing I knew, I was holding a warm large egg sandwich wrapped in brown paper. The egg sandwich was the best I’d ever had. All they did was take the normal ingredients and focus on the “best” of what they brought to the sandwich. The cage-free eggs have bright orange yolks and almost taste sweet. The ciabatta roll from the bakery, lightly grilled, sat along side the eggs and meat. The fresh made bacon or sausage with mild spices didn’t overpower the eggs. The cheese
was a good quality, mild cheddar. The vendor also offers a housemade sauce that is basically a mayonnaise with a hint of garlic and spicy sriracha sauce. Yummmm! A little prep goes along way. This past summer, after my egg sandwich “experience,” I stocked my fridge with ingredients that would make for a great egg sandwich anytime. My family loved it. Try to find the best Wild Chow quality ingredients you can, and have Lisa Erickson them handy in the fridge or the freezer. Putting the egg sandwich together in the morning really doesn’t take much longer than frying an egg and some meat. Plus, the added bonus of an egg sandwich is you can take it with you. You can also make your egg sandwich special by changing ingredients. Use Swiss cheese and ham or I’ve even seen
them with frisee lettuce, bacon and blue cheese. Pick the flavors you really like and go for it. Be creative!
Farmer’s Market Egg Sandwiches Serves 4 4 eggs 4 ciabatta rolls, buttered 4 slices quality cheddar cheese ½ lb. bacon sausage patties, fried (recipe below) 4 Tbsp spicy mayo (recipe below) Butter for frying Bacon Sausage ¼ lb bacon, uncooked ¼ lb breakfast sausage Spicy Mayo 1/3 cup Hellmann’s mayonnaise 1 tsp sriracha sauce ¼ tsp garlic salt pepper to taste Mix the mayo, sriracha, garlic salt and pepper in a small bowl. Set aside. For the bacon sausage, chop the bacon into tiny pieces or process in a food processor until it looks like sausage. Thoroughly mix sausage with the ba-
con. And form into patties. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Fry sausage patties until the edges are nicely browned. Set aside. Carefully wipe excess grease from the pan and return to heat. Fry eggs and carefully flip and frying on the other side. Don’t let egg yolk cook all the way through. It should still be slightly runny. Set eggs aside. In the same pan, add the bottoms of the sliced ciabatta rolls, buttered side down, and fry until golden brown. Repeat with tops. Assemble the sandwich beginning with a slice of cheese on the bottom of the roll, then a meat patty and the egg. Spread top of the roll with the spicy mayo and place on top of the egg. Enjoy!
Lisa Erickson is a food columnist who loves adventure and food. You can find more recipes at www.wild-chow.com or email her at wildchowrecipes@gmail. com.