I'll admit it. I hate breakfast.

I know for many people that's a shocking and terrible admission. But I've come to accept the fact that I am definitely a dinner person; if it weren't for the fact that I know that it's much healthier from both a metabolic and a nutritional standpoint to start my day with something more than a cup of coffee and a glass of Emergen-c, I would hardly ever eat in the morning.

I've struggled for many years now to find that perfect breakfast food. One that I can stomach each morning, that takes minimum time and fuss, and won't leave me starving around 10am. Though we always have a box of Cheerios around, cereal doesn't do it for me. Every once in a while, I'll crave bacon and eggs or something big and American, but that's a rare occurrence and hardly a daily solution. I almost never crave "sweet" in the morning (no pancakes, muffins, rarely oatmeal), and I usually want something warm (no fruit or yogurt, please). And now America's gone so damn low-carb crazy that mentioning "toast" or "a bagel" to someone will often cause them to stare at you like you have two heads.

My favorite breakfasts growing up were the ones we ate with my German grandparents: sliced rye bread, some salami, a bit of cheese, and calves' liver sausage. In fact, toasted rye bread with butter was often my choice in the morning - grandparents or not. I try to keep some of these items on hand now, but calves' liver sausage has proven impossible to find (Braunschweiger is a good substitute). Also, preparing a full "Nana and Papa Breakfast" (as I dubbed the above repast long ago) is a bit of a hassle.

However, in the past few months I've discovered what I believe is the perfect solution. For some reason, a while ago I bought a box of the Laughing Cow cheese, a creamy French "swiss-flavored" (oy) spreadable cheese (I have a feeling this is probably a kids food in France, or even somewhat low-brow as it's hardly the best example of fabulous French cheese, though it's been on every breakfast buffet in every French hotel I've stayed at). A conveniently-wrapped wedge of Laughing Cow spread on a toasted slice or two of Acme's wonderful Pain au Levain (take THAT, Dr. Atkins!) is the perfect start to my day, takes 30 seconds to prepare, doesn't cause me hunger pangs two hours later, and is sufficiently similar to my beloved Nana and Papa breakfasts to satisfy me on a daily basis.

Problem solved.