My dad used to make these eggs for us growing up, and we called them “man in the moon.” This dish may be the most widely-nicknamed food in the universe: a quick search yields dozens of ways to call an egg cooked inside a piece of toast. Egg in a basket may be more common, but J.’s family called it “man in a boat” and our good friend swears they are “gas house eggs.” The Kitchn at Apartment Therapy also points out that these eggs have been made famous in several movies. Whatever you call them, they’re good, and I made them for dinner last night.

I keep my wheat bread frozen, and lightly butter both sides while it is still rock-hard from the freezer. Then, using a glass (a shot glass works well), cut a circle out of the center of each slice. Place the bread and cut-outs in a skillet over medium heat, and put a dab of butter in the empty circle area — once it’s melted, crack an egg on top of it. You can season the egg with salt and pepper if you want, but I don’t. Cook until the bread is lovely and toasted underneath, then flip and continue cooking on the other side. I like my eggs a little runny, but for the boys I cook them all the way through.

G. was very excited that I was making man in the moon for dinner, and requested that I make his without the egg. So, you want bread fried in butter? Sorry buddy, but the egg is part of a package deal.

The boys ate around the egg for the most part. But I was happy because A. ate all the honeydew and blueberries on his plate and then asked for more honeydew. I attribute his willingness at least in part to me calling it “sports candy,” which is what Sportacus, the super-fit main character in LazyTown, calls fruit. A. got a chuckle out of that, and it was enough to make him try it. He’s been on a bit of a fruit and vegetable strike lately (even more so than usual) so I was glad to see him enjoying something other than a carbohydrate.

Doesn’t the plate look pretty?