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.

Mexican Survival Tactics 101

I'm 3 days from being paid, and the bank account is nothing but yet another large, empty void in my life.

The way to survive? Three words. Beans. Tortillas. Cheese. MUST HAVE AT ALL TIMES! These three little wonders can be arranged in a number of ways and doctored up to almost feel like a real dinner!(and almost help you forget you have not a dime in your pocket, at least temporarily)

Step 1. - Fry you up some beans.

Step 2. - Toast up some tortillas.

Step 3. - Melt some cheese up on that steez.

Step 4. - Top with beans and whatever surviving vegetables you can find in the fridge.


Delicious. Obvs.

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.

I would eat, but...

"I would eat, but I don't have the time or patience to get home and cook!" A pattern-line I've heard from more than a handful of my friends. Working in D.C. and living in suburban Virginia, I spend about a third of my time commuting. Leave early enough to withstand traffic and distance, and make it to work barely, if at all, on time. Drive back home through the same gridlock motorcade to arrive at ungodly hours when all I want is to grab a bowl of cereal and get to bed.

I try my best to keep my pots and pans active as often as possible, yet I too fall victim to the terrors brought by a mixture of fatigue and laziness. I have, however, given up on fast food altogether, scratched it from my routine. The only things I eat out of a can these days are corn and beans. Tortillas, cheese, and beans are a staple in my house and default breakfast, lunch, and dinner ingredients, if not the dinner itself.

I try to make my meals, even when out, as hearty and healthy as possible (with the obligatory exception every now and again when I fall weak at the sight of a gigantic Bacon Cheeseburger and fries), and ideally I would like to eat at home every night.

The best laid plans...

Killing time on the interweb, as I am known to do whilst bearing high and proud my Procrastinator Badge, trying to think of what to eat today, I bumped into an article full of fun eating facts for those of us that lack time, spirit, or even skill around a stove.

Preparing your own nutritionally balanced meals every night of the week does take effort and advanced planning. Naturally making your own is the preferred, but in a pinch, there are helping hands out there for all of us! [Start Cooking]

The post mentions a place by the name of Nutrition DeliverD, which promises to:

...help busy Bostonians who want to cook and eat more healthfully.

I'm trying to find a similar place in the D.C. area, but to no avail. (Any venture-capitalists out there?)

Another place, which I may drop into today, recently opened literally across the street from where I live:

Come in and select an entrée for dinner tonight, or take home a month's worth of hassle-free dinners. We make it or you make it — the choice is yours. [Super Suppers]

Oh man. Makes me miss Chihuahua. Where we had places like these with buffets and a pluthera of choices all in true Mexican form.



There's money to be made in this here land.

There's quite the number of options available for me. Now if only they had a Motivation Delivery for Rainy Days with No Food In the House Service, I think I'd be all set.

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*