Creature habits and creature comforts and what not to eat for breakfast - at least for me!

Look, I'm a simple person when it comes to certain things. I guess you might say I'm a creatue of habits, you know? I like my breakfast plain, just my milk with some coffee in it, bread and butter or jam, the occasional weekend slice of cake instead of bread. No savoury fry ups, no mish mash of stuff. I had a bit of a hard time living in Manchester and facing a full english brekkie. There's no space in my stomach for eggs, bacon, mushrooms, tomatoes, toast, and baked beans to top it all. It was dinner to me, and that is plain and simple habit.

The first time I was kind of introduced to different eating habits when it comes to breakfast, I remember I must have been about eight or nine years old, I was at my grandparents and Dallas was on. I wasn't allowed to watch Dallas except for certain occasions - that I came to realize as I grew up  where not special treats at all - so whenever I could, I just gobbled it. Yep, I liked Dallas, I liked JR's mean streak because it made me laugh, and I liked Lucy's long blond hair. I couldn't stomach Bobby Ewing, though. But as I was saying, I was watching Dallas and in that episode it was early orning and Miss Ellie was having breakfast with her family and telling one of her children that JOck always had a full steak for breakfast and that was why he was strong as an ox.

I remember thinking 'Who on earth has a steak for breakfast? That's either lunch or dinner!' and wondering whatver would they eat on those meals! You see, I couldn't even stomach the thought of having cereals or granola for my breakfast. Of course later on in life I did have those for brekkie, in my teen years I had friends who only ever had cereal for breakfast and people do have a way of making others feel they're less if they don't do things the same way they do. I am especially competent with surrounding myself with that kind of people, that is why I don't trust my judgement when it comes to making friends!

So I tried the granola and cereal thing, and sadly it made me sick - I cannot eat granola with yogurt and keep it down in my stomach, it always makes me gag. - so I had to quit. Stuck to milk and coffee or chocolate, bread and butter or jam. It's what agrees with me, and I have long learned not to force things. Like the avocado fad, I mean, I cannot stomach avocados unless they're the basis of a spiced guacamole, and I mean spiced!! Toast and avocado? No, please. Yogurt and fruit and granola? Never in my life. Baked eggs, huevos rancheros, quiches and smoothie bowls? Not for me. I'm a simple person when it comes to brekkie, and a creature of habits.

But when it comes to my mid afternoon snack, I'm all for trying different things. I'm all for experimenting with new recipes and what not. Sure, I usually stick to the same staples: fresh fruit in the summer, hot chocolate or tea in the colder weather, sometimes with a thin slice of cake - or not so thin - sometimes with a piece of fruit, a jello pudding, yogurts, and the supreme comfort food in Summer for me: the milkshake. I am crazy for a milkshake. No wonder, seeing I am crazy for both fruit and milk! I usually stick to simple combos, bananas, apples, pears, peaches, strawberries, raspberries, blue and blackberries, you know the drill. Whatever is handy!

But early this week I was all for experimentation, as I had a few plums that were plain sour and hard, surely picked off the tree way too soon. But I had bought them, and I had to eat them, so I first used some in a plum cake that was out of this world. Sadlythat cake was so good I didn't manage to get pictures of it except the occasional one for my instagram account. The way those plums roasted on top of the batter, drizzled with a little créme de cassis, vanilla sugar and cinnamon was just perfect, and it kept pulling at the back of my mind, telling me I had to come up with something else that would make good use of that combo of ingredients. That's when a milkshake came to mind.

This is not your normal milkshake, I gather, and it does take a bit more than just throwing a bunch of fruit and milk into the blender and wazz it all up. But I promise it is so worth the extra effort. Trust me on this one, and go get yourself the following:

• five to six small plums, the riper the better
• half a coffee cup of créme de cassis
• a tablespoon of vanilla sugar
• a teaspoon of cinnamon
• 200 ml milk

Cut the plums in halves and take the stones off. Place them inside a small oven tray, pour the créme de cassis over them, and drizzle with the sugar and the cinnamon. Bake in a hot oven until they're oozing and the juices have become thick and syrupy. Let cool for a couple of hours. Now pour your milk into a blender and add the plums, as well as the syrupy caramel that has formed out of the liquids. Blend and enjoy. You'll never want anything else!