Paul wanted some poached eggs to go with some English muffins I got on sale. His mom had a very simple plan for accomplishing the meal. I also acquired some Simply Potatoes on sale at Publix and thought this would be an opportunity to try something new. I love the speed and ease of poaching the eggs in the microwave and how our small Vignelli bowls are a perfect size for accomplishing the task. Paul used our "splurge" item of white cheddar from the imported shelves at Costco and sliced tomatoes on his sandwich and topped the eggs with dill, salt, and pepper. It really was good.

My thoughts on the potatoes are really simple (excuse the pun). Firstly, I had a hard time finding the products as they are refrigerated and were displayed on the end of a frozen aisle with organic products. However, the potatoes don't seem to be billed as organic. Granted this is a problem with the store, not with the product, but the entire experience does influence whether or not I continue using a product. Secondly, I don't really notice an improvement with flavor or with less additives listed on the packaging with these fridge versus freezer potatoes. Next, I prefer the seasonings and healthiness of oil, garlic, and rosemary potatoes to a mashed potato with real butter and half-and-half. The flavor we had was "Southwest" and I will give them credit that the pepper was hot and good, but I don't see why I can't season it myself, which leads me to my last thought. For the price, I can buy a few pounds of potatoes and spend an extra 10 minutes pealing and slicing. But then, this is a personal opinion. I know time is much more important to certain individuals, and they would rather pay $2.49 for a bag (when not on sale) of hashbrown potatoes. But, I would carefully evaluate a frozen potato brand before hopping on this item.

How to Poach Eggs in your Microwave

Lightly grease a round glass bowl about 4 inches in diameter with olive oil or butter. Crack one egg into each bowl. If you wish, pull the strings off the yolk with your fork and a finger. Pierce the yolk quickly with a fork, but don't mix anything else. Sprinkle dill, salt, and/or any other chosen seasoning over the eggs. Microwave uncovered. Our microwave goes about 45 seconds until the egg pops. This pop means the egg is perfectly cooked. I was taught in nuclear school how to microwave scrambled eggs. (Yes, there is an actual medical test requiring people to eat eggs.) Generally, I like to add lots of vegetables to my scrambled eggs; so, I don't microwave them, but I am all for these poached eggs.

Cost to Make

• $0.50 English Muffins (Publix, buy one get one free)
• $0.29 Eggs (Costco)
• $0.62 Hashbrowns (Publix, buy one get one free)
• $0.15 Dill (Publix)
• $0.06 Olive Oil (Publix, buy one get one free)
• $0.30 Cheddar Cheese (Costco)
• $0.35 Tomato (Costco)
• $2.27 Total feeding two