Time is Money. I'm severely out of both.

I have yet to get adjusted to going to sleep at a decent hour. My schedule due to a number of factors, is very inconsistent, something I wish to rememdy before end of year.

I find myself not only strapped for time this week, but also for money. The drafting table was definitely worth it, however.

Usually that means no eating out and actually eating the food in my refrigerator. (!!!). Last night's project consisted of ready-made omelletes! I decided I could probably make a mini omelette for every day of the week, only consuming 30 seconds in heat time, rather than 10-15 minutes of cooking in the morning. The project was a success aside from the minor oven burns. These are actually quite good and practical. They basically make themselves. Preheat oven to 350.

Get a muffin baking pan and line it with foil muffin sleeves.


Throw in about 5 eggs (I did a couple of only egg whites to balance out the cholesterol intake)


Chop up toppings of your choice (I wish I would have had some mushrooms)


Mix everything together


Don't forget the cheese!


Pour into mold and place inside the oven


30 minutes later - BAM! Let them cool, then refrigerate.


Try not to burn yourself.
Enjoy tomorrow morning! Total cost: about $8.50 (Less if youve already have some of the ingredients) - 6 days of breakfast! I've also noticed that if I eat one of these before leaving the house, I'm not really that hungry until about lunch time, as opposed to when I don't eat until arriving at work. By the time I get to work I'm so hungry I burn through about $6-10 in mediocre breakfast food from the cafeteria.

There's no sex in your violence. Breakfast.

Although my headline was probably no better than the ones Gizmodo listed, my excitement about owning one of these does not decrease. The guns are definitely going on my wish list.

[Laughing Squid]
As with everything else, where there's guns, there must be sex. I believe that's a direct quote from the unwritten book of Bad Ass (ancient religious text). The not as popular pick for your significant other, or your boss. These I could probably do without.



[Blushing Buyer]

Egg muffin sandwich for the Latino on the go (inside you)

Heart pumping. Adrenaline rushing. Palms sweating. 3 minutes left for getting everything done around the house, but no one can function on an empty stomach. Particularly not the fat Mexican kid.

So here's what you do. You pull out what's left in the fridge from last time you grocery shopped 6 weeks ago, and you throw it in the pan.

Crack some eggs and whisk 'em up from scrambles


Throw down for some omelette-like ingredients


Throw in the pan, along with some of them Mama Lycha refried beans from the other night


Melt some cheese on the junk


Toast up some English muffins


Serve up all sandwich like


Don't forget the fire

you're out of the house before you know it and well on your way to that place you hate going to that pays all your bills. And no, I don't mean your mom's house.

Hangover cure a-la-Mexicana

I blogged about being hungover a few days ago after drinking with a friend. Well, the day after that, being New Year's Eve, I continued on my binge and woke up on New Year's feeling a step up from defeated. At my friend's house I discovered that I had brought him, from my last trip to Mexico, a box of machaca.

Chihuahua Country machaca is by far the best dried, cured beef in the market. I grew up with it, and it's definitely high-end stuff (not just any machaca will taste as good and/or do the trick as this one does). Feeling like my innards would dissolve if I didn't stuff them with something fast enough, I cooked it up for the house that morning. I was out of it enough to feel like it all needed to be documented step by step.

Machaca!

Fried up some onions

Busted out the Mama Lycha

How many eggs will that be?

Whipped up some eggs

Threw down the beans and refried them

Machaca in the pan, searing with onions before the eggs.

Threw in the eggs and some tomatoes

And voila! Huevos y Machaca a la Mexicana
Sprinkle some citrus on that and eat with some fresh jalapeños and you're set to take on any kind of malnourishment from the night before. Definitely a must after drinking a bottle of tequila.

Wheat....Germ?

During winter time (something I only grew accustomed to since I moved to DC and never confronted with in Texas or Mexico) I've learned to appreciate certain things. Scarves, mittens, insulated shoes, my bed. Also, on a cold day, there's nothing better than a steaming bowl of Cream of Wheat (wheat germ). Something that took me a while of getting accustomed to. I mean it doesn't look very appetizing. If anything it reminds me of all the paste in kindergarten I was constantly reminded not to eat. It has, however, grown to hold a dear place in my heart and I now find myself eating a bowl almost every morning with a spoonful of brown sugar and a sprinkle of cinammon. I can't help but feel a tinge of politically incorrectness everytime I look at the box though. Yet not as bad as it was years ago.

Before

After
Nevertheless, it's an amazing discovery that I've learned to appreciate. You should try a bowl sometime. One of my winter favorites for sure.

How do you have yours?

Breakfast Culture

Everybody knows there should be three meals in a day. Not all of us are that disciplined. Everybody knows the most important meal of the day is breakfast. Again.

Although the fact that I don't always take the time out, during my rushed mornings of commute, to have a decent first meal should not, in any way, shape, or form, lead you to believe that breakfast is not my FAVORITEST meal of the day. EVER. In life. I love it. If I had a choice, I would probably eat breakfast three times a day. (Please note I can get quite inventive with breakfast).

I like going out to different places and choosing things that look interestingly delicious, and later on try to imitate them in my own kitchen. With a large percentage of success, this practice has been known to deliver some stomach-turning pieces.

Last item on the menu for Breakfast Imitation Project:

Banana Stuffed Challah French Toast from Ardeo on Connecticut past Cleveland Park.

Their brunch version was presented in fancy plates with not very much effort on the presentation. Then again, how much presentation can you really give French toast.



It was tasty, although I felt it something missing. So I took it upon myself to break it down in the kitchen and see how my duplication skills were working. The only thing I seemed to do differently was that I flambéed the bananas in vanilla extract which added a distinct and rich taste to the concoction. I've never really had Challah bread before these two times, but I can easily say it made great French toast.





It was delicious and it had some fans. Success!

Now, I have an incredibly huge sweet tooth, but I also love my eggs, and clearly my beans. My favorite breakfast ever (and this I could eat 3 times a day if it wasn't a guaranteed heart attack). Fried eggs, bacon, and refried beans with a side of tortillas and salsa verde (green hot sauce) or chipotle peppers. It makes me hungry just thinking about it. Not to say that I don't break a yoke every now and again. (particularly after a long night of drinking)



Nothing like this waking up after a long night of drinking. It'll heal ya right up. Most of the friends I've made up here (most, yet, not all) are a bit apprehensive to the refried beans. For whatever reason. La Sierra is my favorite brand of canned refried beans although not always available in the DC area. My second choice is always Mama Lycha. That's it. It's those two or they have to be made from scratch. Anything else I've tried here makes me want to gag. Nothing compares to just re-fried (like 5 times) beans. Straight from the slow cooker to the frying pan. (!)



I do not know. Maybe people here are afraid of gas. *shrug*