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Huevos Rancheros

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Breakfast of Champions, pill or giant gut bomb.   It’s hard to decide which is true.   Either way huevos rancheros is one of my guilty pleasures.   It’s been a staple in my life for as long as I can remember.   I love ordering it or making it.  Ordering it at a restaurant is by far the easier way, but as you all know I don’t mind spending the time in a kitchen.   My challenge is making the perfect ranchero sauce.  It has plague me for decades.  I have tried many times to get it right.  Not always with the best results, but that has not stopped me from trying!   And today, I think I have made the best one yet.  So good, I have to share it with you.

I fried the tortillas in vegetable oil, and instead of refried beans between the eggs and tortilla, I combined whole black beans and rice.  If you don’t have whole beans and rice cooked, then use canned refried beans.  The sauce was canned tomatoes and a mix of spices.  Pretty simple.  After years of making it harder then it needs to be, I just went with my gut.  Sorry for the lack of direction, on the sauce, but don’t let that scare you.  Sometimes throwing caution to the wind can give great results.

 

Huevos Rancheros

Huevos Rancheros

 

Huevos Rancharos and Sauce
Author: 
Recipe type: Breakfast
 
This is a quick and easy sauce. When I made it, as usual I didn't measure. This is a recipe that depends on how you want it to taste. I put about a quarter to half a teaspoon of each spice into the tomatoes. But you may want to alter some of them. I did add less of the chipotle chile then the others as it is very strong.
Ingredients
  • 2 Eggs
  • 2 Tortillas
  • Refried beans (or combo rice and whole beans)
  • 1 Can of chopped tomatoes
  • Chili powder
  • Cumin
  • Crushed chipotle chile peppers
  • Minced garlic
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Queso fresco
  • Cilantro for garnish
Instructions
  1. Crumble cheese, set aside
  2. Chop cilantro, set aside
  3. Simmer beans in small sauce pan
  4. Keep an eye on beans, so they don't burn
  5. For Ranchero Sauce
  6. Put tomatoes in small sauce pan
  7. Combine all spices, garlic, salt and pepper into a small sauce pan with tomatoes
  8. Simmer on medium heat for about 10 minutes or till the flavors marry.
  9. Fry eggs over easy
  10. Fry tortillas in oil till crispy
  11. Pat excess oil of with paper towel
  12. Place fried tortilla on plate
  13. Then a spoonful of beans on fried tortilla
  14. Place egg on top of beans
  15. Drizzle sauce over eggs
  16. Garnish with cilantro and cheese

 

Sweet Tart Deviled Eggs

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Every once in a while we have some free time at work and I like to make something out of what’s around.   As most of you know, see this is one of my favorite things to do.   We always have a few ingredients lying around, buy information pills like dough, medications onions, eggs, among other random items.  So on this rare slow day, I decided to put some of these ingredients to use.  Well, we did plan this the day before, as we needed a few extra ingredients, but you get the picture.  It turned out so good, my colleague’s said I had to write about it.  As usual I didn’t really measure, but don’t let that stop you, it’s quite easy to make.  This is a recipe for two tarts. We make dough in huge quantities so if you only want one tart cut recipe in half, but use one whole onion.  Also, I don’t know how much commercial store bought dough makes, so use your best judgement.  Of course homemade dough is best!

 

 

Spinach And Onion Tart With Cherry Tomatoes
Author: 
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
 
Ingredients
  • 1 round of pastry dough devided into two
  • 2 packages of frozen spinach
  • 1½ large onions
  • 1 package of grape tomatoes
  • 1 8oz package of Gouda cheese
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 2 tablespoons of butter
  • Salt and pepper
  • Milk or egg for wash on crust, or combine and use both.
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350
  2. Thaw spinach and squeeze out the liquid
  3. Roll dough into a rectangle like shape and place on parchment baking sheet, put in fridge
  4. In large skillet melt butter
  5. On medium heat sauté onion with salt and pepper
  6. Cover for about 20 minutes till you get some browning
  7. Chop garlic and separate the cloves
  8. Rinse and chop tomatoes in half, set to the side.
  9. Grate cheese
  10. Add spinach, garlic salt and pepper and sauté till ingredients are incorporated
  11. Grab dough and sprinkle a little bit of cheese on dough
  12. Then place spinach, onion in center of dough
  13. Spread it out leaving about an inch of dough for a crust
  14. Add tomatoe halves and sprinkle rest of cheese on top
  15. Fold edges of dough around the mixture.
  16. Doesn't have to be pretty, just make it so nothing will flow over.
  17. Egg or milk wash the crust.
  18. Back for 25-30 minutes.
  19. Check after 25 minutes
  20. You want a golden crust and bottom of tart to cook but don't burn it.
  21. Let cool before cutting and serving.

 


My dear friend Shawn made the most incredible deviled eggs.  Well, clinic to be fair, sickness
his deep fried deviled eggs are the most incredible.  One day I will get that recipe!  This recipe is a close second, more about
if I do say so myself.  He used our hot sauce, some butter and turn deviled eggs on their head, again.  Here is what he did:

Sweet Tart Deviled Eggs

 

He hard boiled eggs, mixed equal parts room temperature butter with the egg yolks, added sautéed garlic, salt and pepper to taste.  Grilled the egg whites in the pan that he sautéed the garlic in.   Then, put mixture back in egg whites and sprinkled the plate with our Sweet Tart hot sauce to dip the deviled eggs into.  Simple but, incredible.

Final Beach Camping Weekend!!!

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Summer  beach camping has ended.  Our last big blow out was Labor Day weekend.   We made staples like Spam Musabi’s, doctor hot dogs and macaroni salad, cheapest eggs and bacon.  But what camping weekend would be complete without some new menu items?!  We added Spicy Teriyaki Ribs with mashed potato’s and chicken mole with rice and black beans. Well the beans didn’t quite make it cause the tab on the can broke and we couldn’t open it!  But we did take the left over ribs and add them to our Ramen for lunch on Sunday.  I also juiced some cucumbers and ginger to add to our cocktail’s.  My favorite mixer this season.

We did try to continue the faux sports pictures but I forgot the volleyball so we had to settle for a found tennis ball. Not the same thing.  But the high fashion did return. Complete with runway walk editorial photo shoots.

No beach  day or camping weekend would be complete with out our trusty axe’s.  With our Halloween show coming up in October we figured what better time to practice then sitting on a beach for 4 days?  Granted that is what beach ukulele camp is for!!!! Next is wilderness camping!!!!   Can’t wait!

July the 4th & then some!

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The weekend started with a bang.  It being 4th of July and all.  It was our friend Kirks Birthday and I attended his celebratory bbq bash where he made his Great Grandmas Fire Engine Red Cake and we enjoyed fireworks through a chain link fence. Only in New York can this be enjoyed.  Well not entirely enjoyed but the company was wonderful.  I then went home and took the late morning train to meet up with the beach crew for the rest of the weekend.

As usual we hit the beach bar for a quick arrival drink, abortion then headed for camp.  The weather was amazing and for lunch I brought egg salad sandwiches.  Great for the first day.  The rest was spent soaking in the sun, swimming in the ocean and playing the ukulele.  When dinner came around we were very excited to bust out the newest crazy meal we had thought up.  Meatloaf sliders. Yes that’s what I said.  They were a huge hit!! And really worked out great on the beach.  We accompanied them with coleslaw.  Which didn’t work out as well.  But you can’t win them all.

The next day was the usual breakfast, eggs, bacon and potatoes.   What wasn’t the usual was that our friend Naoum decided to join us.  We were beyond thrilled.  We picked him up a the dock and sang the New Zealand welcome song Haere mai.  He arrived just in time for lunch which was our Spam musubis.   We then constructed a kite made from the mylar balloons we found on the beach.   It took a while but well worth the effort.  For dinner we went for a classic, bacon wrapped hot dogs and macaroni salad.  needless to say there was nothing left.  The night was spent having cocktails and playing our favorite card game.

Our last day was lazy and spent doing what we do best.  Breakfast, swimming, sunning, playing the ukulele and making beach  pizzas for lunch.  Sadly it had to end so we packed up, flew the kite one last time, hit the ferry,  grabbed the train and headed home for Chinese food and a movie.

 

 

Meatloaf Sliders
Author: 
Recipe type: BBQ
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
 
Ingredients
  • 1 Pound of ground beef and ground pork combined
  • 1 Small green pepper chopped
  • 1 Small onion chopped(yellow or white)
  • 1 Egg
  • ¼ Cup of quick oats or bread crumbs
  • A couple splashes of Worcestershire sauce
  • A little bit of catchup
  • Salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl
  2. Mix with hands(my favorite part!)
  3. Make slider size loaf patties
  4. Grill till done all the way through
  5. Serve with your favorite burger toppings
  6. Best with potato slider buns

How Leftovers Become Stars.

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I love taking leftovers and reworking them into something else.  Fried chicken into chicken salad, symptoms roasted veggies into soup, order tortilla chips and salsa into chilaquiles con huevos and the list goes on.   I learned this from my father who would take the previous nights dinner and make it part of breakfast.  It was completely common to have spaghetti and eggs or enchiladas and eggs in the morning.  I have taken that one step further and turn leftovers not only into breakfast but lunch or dinner.  I know a lot of people do this especially if your a parent or a chef.  I find it to be a fun challenge and really get into it.  You may recall a posting where everything was round.  All leftovers.  If I’ve made you brunch or you’ve come over to a bbq, cure there is a good chance some part of it was a leftover.  My latest is was very simple.  Curried corn that had previously been grilled con on the cob.  I just cut the corn off the cob added curry powder, lime juice, red onion, a seeded jalapeno, salt, pepper and some melted butter.  Simple, easy and a crowd pleaser.

Goodbye City Life! At Least For The Weekend Anyway

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We began our adventure in a car we rented for the weekend, buy information pills driving 14 hours each way. I’m talking about our recent adventure to Tennessee, symptoms where we hoped to soak up nature and live as one with the land.  As much as one can get staying in a cabin.     Of course we were roughing it, so to speak. The shower was outdoors, the stove was of the a camping variety, our water came from large jugs, the bathroom was an out house, the light was kerosene lamps and it was heated by a wood burning stove.  What else do you want from a cabin in the woods?  As it turned out, nothing.  It was perfect, peaceful and quiet.  Mother Nature graced us with wonderful warm weather.  It may have been November but it could easily had been late September.  We walked the land, marveled at streams that when it rains become dangerous rivers, chopped wood, went to bed early and rose with the sunrise, saw old friends and made some new ones, all while preparing and eating some amazing food.  We even drove into town to the local Piggly Wiggly to get supplies.

There’s something amazing about the mountains in Tennessee.  I grew up in a few different environments, one of them was the mountains in California and to this day, I don’t get the same feeling of peace as I do when I’m here.   It’s a place that you want to sit back take it slow do some chores and cook till you have filled your pantry with goodies and your belly with food.  Lucky for us we arrived just in time for a late lunch and a stroll around the property.  Our guide led us around and showed us some old homestead from early settlers and gave us a history lesson on who would have lived there before and what they would have farmed.  To me seeing history is always more fascinating then reading it.  When we were done getting the tour we took in the incredible sunset on top of the tool shed, and then it was back to the cabin to burn some wood and get cracking on dinner.   Grilled corn with sausages and a warm salad with a honey vinegar dressing.

The next day we were left to our own devices.  With our guide driving back to his home in Colorado we started the morning with breakfast  and a leisurely stroll.  We visited friends who lived nearby, catching up on their latest projects, chopped wood and  traveled into town for more supplies.  That night we slow cooked some beans on the wood stove, drank whiskey, listened to the radio and played cards.  Not bad for a Saturday night!!

Our last day we started it off with left over beans and eggs steamed over grilled onions and of course bacon.  After our hearty breakfast we took one last stroll said our goodbyes to the neighbors and headed back to NYC and our city lives.