I’ve always been a pretty early riser, never sleeping past seven a.m., even on weekends.

When I was a kid, I’d get up on Saturdays at six-thirty, make myself a bowl of cereal and watch the Saturday morning lineup: Alvin and the Chipmunks, Charlie Brown & Snoopy, Bugs Bunny & Tweety, Popeye, Scooby Doo, Super Mario Bros, Slimer & the Ghostbusters…later on it was Pee Wee’s Playhouse and Hey, Vern, It’s Ernest!

These days, I wake up at six-thirty, but not for cartoons, but to feed my son who wakes up like clockwork at that time every morning. I’m not much of a breakfast person now, I wipe the scarramoochies out of my eyes and start the day with a cup of black coffee with three sugars. Don’t get me wrong, I love breakfast foods. Pancakes, omelets, corned beef hash and the like, but I just can’t swallow anything until noon. Sometimes, I do get hungry around eleven fifteen or so, but what should one eat at eleven? It’s that “brunch hour” I call it, where I’m not in the mood for breakfast, but it seems too early for lunch.

Bacon has always been the universal bridge between both meals. It can go both ways. Bacon and eggs, BLTs, you know what I’m trying to say. But it’s not just bacon, it’s all kinds of meats—taylor ham (AKA: “Pork Roll”) is another one. Taylor ham and egg or taylor ham with sliced tomato, mayo and cheese are both ultimate Jersey staples.

I used to love fried salami and eggs as a kid, and still do. This was a big hit when I made it a few years ago working as a short-order cook at Suzy’s Korner Kitchen (Den’s Place) in Lodi. Lots of paisans grew up on the Italian Spam known as Simmenthal (no longer imported to the U.S. after “mad cow” some years back.) I ate this in Italy (it was far better than Spam I’ll tell you that). In Italia, I also always enjoyed various other salumi treats (capicola, mortadella, prosciutto, sopressata) all served right alongside your morning espresso and bread. Some of you may remember a Spam/taylor ham/Canadian bacon type product of the ‘80s called “Sizzlean,” marketed as “the healthier bacon” but ultimately discontinued. Man, I loved that stuff.

This past Saturday, I caught my stomach rumbling during that eleven o’clock hour and decided to make myself a brunch sandwich. It was absolutely delicious and held me over until dinner. If you want to try something different, give this one a shot…

“Fried Pancetta On Sourdough” is a taste explosion! It’s a breeze to make. Even easier made on a panini press, but you can do it the old-fashioned way as follows. First, lightly pan-fry four slices of pancetta in a little bit of butter. Remove from skillet but do not discard the butter. Toast two pieces of sourdough bread. Once the toast is done, place them into the skillet so the toast absorbs the butter, add a slice of sharp cheddar on top and cover with a lid. This will add a nice grilled cheese type texture to the sandwich. Remove the toast once the cheese is melted and spread a dab of mayo on top. Next, slice a ripe Roma tomato and add slices with a little crack of fresh pepper and the pancetta. Close the sandwich. I guarantee once you take a bite you will be in Heaven—the kicker to me is the sourdough. Of course, you can do an egg in the middle as opposed to the mayo/tomato if you are in the mood, but this is my preference.

For “Fried Salami & Eggs,” start by pan-frying six to eight (diced-up) pieces of Genoa salami. Diced salami shrinks down when you fry it, so always use a few extra pieces for this dish. In the meantime, whisk together two eggs with a splash of heavy cream, salt and pepper. Pour eggs into the pan and cover (keep on a low flame). After about three minutes, open the lid and lightly toss the eggs until the salami is completely incorporated and then place three slices of cheese on top (I like yellow American here). When the cheese is melted, scoop everything onto half of a lightly buttered English muffin and garnish with dried parsley. Eat as an open-faced sandwich with a knife and fork (or close it with the other half, but then be sure to wear a bib.)

Okay, maybe you aren’t in the mood for meat. And during Lent, potatoes & eggs or peppers and eggs were Friday meals—until, of course, Easter Sunday when we enjoyed mom’s giant sausage frittata. Grilled cheese is another bridge food. The Italian-American grilled cheese is mozzarella in carrozza. I like to make mine with panko breadcrumbs and deep-fry them for an extra crackle…

First, bring a pot filled ¾ of the way with pomace-enriched extra virgin olive oil to 375 degrees. Take two slices of American (white) bread, and place a thick piece of mozzarella in the middle. Close to make a sandwich and then dredge the sandwich in flour, egg and Italian panko breadcrumbs (Progresso is one brand that makes Italian panko.) Carefully drop the sandwich into the pot. Allow the outsides to crisp up (toss with a spoon if needed), and remove from the pot and onto a paper plate. Let some of the oil drain off on both sides, but while the sandwich is still hot, sprinkle shredded mozzarella on both sides (it will stick on from the oil). Cut diagonally and enjoy with homemade marinara sauce (for extra flavor, stir in a few diced anchovies, along with a tablespoon of the anchovy oil into your marinara sauce. I guess this would probably turn it into a dinner item?)

Crunchy and creamy, what a combo! So whatever the time of day, eat these treats in moderation but always with gusto (and as I said, probably a bib.)