My Mexican Omelette

We were out on a road-trip a couple of Sunday's ago, and stopped, again, at the Golden Girls Restaurant,  2211 North Charles G. Sievers Blvd., Clinton, TN.

We have eaten there before, and it has always been a pleasing experience.  It needs a little modernizing, but I guess that's the appeal to us.  The day we were there they had suffered a little wind damage and there was a blue tarp over a section of the roof.

This trip Judy ordered okra, pinto beans, the chicken and dumplings, with fried cornbread!  I chose the "Mexican Omelette" ( or omelet), and it was spectacular!  They put whole jalapenos in theirs, and man was it hot!  But, I love hot!

So, this past Sunday morning I made my version for our granddaughter, and she was wild about it!  Of course, I served it with cheesy grits, which she also loves.

The prep takes a little while, but usually while the coffee is brewing and the biscuits are cooking you can have it done and ready to pour the eggs.

I mixed some chopped honey-ham, some Paul Newman's Salsa, some canned mushrooms (chopped), onions, yellow bell pepper, and diced jalapenos in a small frying pan and sauteed them in a little butter.  

I had already prepared the cheesy grits (Quick Grits with lots of Velveeta cheese and butter!), and coffee was brewing.  I also cooked my bacon, 2 strips per person, in the microwave.  Usually about a minute per slice, but until it's crisp.

I mixed up some eggs in a bowl, usually one egg per person, and added a little salt and pepper.

In a medium hot skillet, pour in enough egg to form a thin layer on the entire bottom of a medium pan.  The mixture should be thoroughly whipped.  If you leave some white unmixed, it will separate when you try and turn it.

When you can tell the mixture is completely cooked on the bottom side, gently squirm your spatula underneath and over to the center.  Then gently raise it up and flip it over.  The opposite side should cook quickly.  

Remove the egg and place it on a plate.  Spread the cooked ingredients in a line across the egg, sprinkle on some mild cheddar cheese, lay on two strips of bacon, and then close the edges of the egg over the mixture.  Spoon some more salsa down the length of the omelet, plop on a biscuit or the grits on the side (not both...too many carbs), and serve the plate.

It will put a smile on your face!

BTW, the jalapenos make coffee taste even better!  Try it!

A MEXICAN TWIST TO BREAKFAST PIZZA

I bought myself a new camera, not for Christmas, but for my wildflower and hiking hobby! So, this morning while we were engaged in cooking up a twist on our “breakfast pizza”, I made a few snaps of the yummy pizza being constructed!

The basics are the same, a roll of large Pillsbury “Big and Flaky” Crescent Rolls, a round pizza baking sheet or dish, some eggs, cheese, and some kind of meat!

While I gently coaxed the triangles of dough into the round shape of the Pampered Chef pizza dish, Judy chopped up some sandwich ham, cut and opened two rolls of Ole’ Mexican Food Chorizo Sausage, and half a small onion. In some EVVO she sautéed everything together until the onions turned translucent.

Having finished the dough, I then beat up 3 large eggs, added salt and pepper, and some diced jalapeños. I poured the mixture into the middle of the dough and worked it out evenly over the dough’s surface. I then took the skillet of ham, chorizo, and onions and sprinkled them over the beaten eggs. Finally, I layered on the Kraft Pizza Cheese!

I then popped the dish into a 375 degree pre-heated oven for about 20 minutes.

When the pie came out it had bubbled up in a few places, but as it began to cool it shrank back into a perfect pizza shape!

Let me tell you, coupled with our coffee, this was delicious!

We sat and watched CBS NEWS Sunday Morning, as we’ve been accustomed to doing since we were married almost 29 years ago! If you’ve never tried the taste of jalapeños with your morning coffee, you have missed an incredible taste sensation! The hot of the pepper and the coffee mingle romantically in your mouth…it can’t be described adequately, so just try…trust me!

HORSESHOE BREAKFAST SANDWICH

So, I was sitting there in my living room watching the Food Network, and, as usual, I was sucked into Guy Fieri’s “Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives”! He and Paula Deen grab my “grease buds” every time I pass either show!

However, this particular “Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives” show was about crazy breakfast dishes, and especially one about the “horseshoe breakfast” sandwich. Man, this baby is a grease lover’s dream concoction, and I had to have one!

Mine was a little less loaded than the ones Guy featured, but the basics are the same:

1. One or two pieces of toast laying flat on a plate
2. Topped with two crumbled pieces of bacon
3. Topped with a slice of American cheese
4. Topped with fried cubed potatoes and onions (salted and peppered)
5. Topped off with a very runny, over easy, egg (or two)!

My tongue almost slapped my brain out before I could cut off a bite and get it into my mouth! To quote “Fat Bastard”, “Now get in my belly!”

Put one in yours today…so easy, so tasty!

CHICKEN TORTILLAS SMOOTHERED IN BLACK BEANS AND SALSA

Judy had me cook up some chicken tenderloin (about 8 pieces) my usual way – in EVOO, garlic, and hot sauce, salt and pepper them, and then cut them up into cubes.

She stuffed about 6 large whole-wheat tortillas, some onion, some chunky salsa, some Mexican mixed cheese, and rolled them up. She then placed them in the bottom of a 9x12 glass casserole dish.

She then put two cans of frijoles Negros (that’s black beans for you 'Mericans) into a bowl, dumped in more chunky salsa, and mashed it all up together. She then spread the mixture over the tortillas and covered the whole thing with a thick layer of Mexican mixed cheese.

Then she popped it all into the oven for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees – just long enough forever everything to heat through and the cheese all melt. We got two very good meals out of this dish.

We did not eat anything on the side, but you could add a salad if you like.

CHEESY KIELBASA

Cut up a polish, turkey, or beef kielbasa sausage by cutting the link down the full length and then across making bite size pieces and set aside.

Cut up a large sweet onion in to thick bite sized pieces and set aside.

Cut about 7 or 8 ¼” thick patties from a medium block of Velveeta cheese and set aside.

Mix about ¼ cup of Heinz 57 Sauce and ¼ cup of honey in a measuring cup and set aside.

Open 2 cans of sliced whole potatoes, drain, and set aside.

Open a large jar of sliced mushrooms and set aside.

Place a small iron skillet with about ¼ cup of vegetable oil in the oven. Pre-heat the oven to 450.

While the skillet is heating, mix about 1 cup of self-rising cornmeal, 2 tablespoons of flour, and 1 table spoon of sugar in a bowl. Add 1 egg and enough milk to make a thick mixture. Remove the skillet from the oven when it is pre-heated (use a pot holder…its hot!) and pour the hot oil into the cornmeal mixture and stir.

Pour the mixture into the hot skillet and pot it back in the oven for 20 minutes.

Open your favorite beer (Old Scratch by Flying Dog was my choice) and pour into a frosty mug. Set the mug down near the stove top.

In a large skillet (one that has a fully covering lid) heat what? Olive oil and garlic! That’s right! Also drop in about 1 table spoon of your hottest hot sauce and stir. Once the oil and garlic is sizzling, pop in the kielbasa and brown. Once the sausage is the color you want, dump in the Heinz 57 and honey mixture. Stir until the meat is fully glazed.

Dump in the onion and stir until the onion begins to get limp – then dump in the mushrooms!

If you haven’t had a good drink before this point, have on now!

Dump in the potatoes and stir the mixture until thoroughly heated.

Now evenly space the cheese slices around the top of the heated mixture, turn off the stove eye and cover. Do not remove the top until you’re ready to serve.

By now the oven timer should be sounding. Remove the cornbread (you could have done muffins as I did, but a “pone” has a much moister texture) and holding the handle with an oven mitt, run a knife around the edge to loosen the bread. You should be able to flip the pone over so you can cut from the bottom side. Cut into squares or wedges – your preference.

Now serve out a portion (equal amounts of meat, potatoes, onions, etc.). It is your call on whether to mix the cheese throughout the mixture or to serve the melted patties on top of the meat and potatoes. Either way, eventually the cheese will find its way throughout the dish.

You can serve with coleslaw or green beans and, of course, the cornbread.

Have the last of the beer – you deserve it – you’ve worked hard.

Next time!