Ever since I was a kid, toast was a breakfast staple. Sourdough being the preferred bread. Paired with eggs and bacon or cereal, toast was always there. But, as often as not, toast all by itself was breakfast. Butter was the usual condiment, but cream cheese or jam were also added (yes, added) on occasion. My favorite way to eat toast, though, is spread with butter and grape jelly and then topped with cheddar cheese. An unusual pairing that is the height of toast deliciousness. My husband also grew up eating toast most mornings with or for breakfast, though with different topping combinations. Soon after we were engaged, we were joking around, as couples do, about how much each of us loved the other. "I love you this much" he said indicating with his arms spread wide. "I love you to the moon and back" I countered. "Well," he said, "I love you more than toast." I looked at him quizzically as I had never heard it put quite that way before. Noticing this, he explained that he had once contemplated which foods he could live without and which foods he could never give up. Toast, of course, came up on the second list, with only a couple other foods receiving his "essential" rating. "You know what?" I said, "you're right. And I love you more than toast, too." Now that is true love.
Happy Valentine's Day!