Huevos Rancheros, A Staple

If you are following this crazy train as an outsider, it has probably come to your attention most of the brand new meals are dinner. And you'd be right, partially. Breakfast at this table is not your standard All American Breakfast of eggs, hash browns, bacon, toast, coffee. It is more along the lines of hamburgers (lots of burgers), beef or vegetarian beef soft tacos/burritos (not the same as tacos as burritos always contain beans), enchiladas (cheese, chicken beef), potstickers now since having learned how to make them, and numerous other non breakfast meals. In fact, I would say the only real breakfast item eaten regularly are breakfast tacos (eggs, meat, potatoes, beans, cheese).

It is not as though we don't like the All American Breakfast, cause we do almost every day it is just that we like it in a different fashion. Egg fried, sausage, American cheese sandwiched between a biscuit or a hamburger bun with french fries on the side. I can and do literally eat this five to six days out of seven. Why, you ask. Because they are served at my local fast food joint and I am addicted to their breakfast sandwiches and unsweetened tea. Dinner, I got hands down. Cooking breakfast foods, not so much. Therefore we eat out breakfast and cook all the other meals. Besides, don't you know fast food breakfasts are cheaper than any other meal?

Anyhoo, if breakfast is at home and it not one of the aforementioned meals, there are few other standard breakfast foods we like: Omelets, Migas (without tomatoes, onions, and peppers), and Huevos Rancheros. Omelets are for when a healthy breakfast feels in order, Migas for when there is nothing else, and Huevos Rancheros for when breakfast was planned ahead as it takes time to cook
Easy Ranchero Sauce.

Modifications Made:
True ranchero sauce takes time to cook. Think stew, best cooked when low and slow. All ingredients are pilled into a sauce pot and cooked until consistency is reached. Occasionally tomatoes are given a good smashing to help break down and to keep from sticking. Salt is added as needed.

Scaled for Likability: Great
Ranchero sauce is a basically a thinner, chunkier version of salsa without the cilantro and served warm. At super fancy Mexican restaurants, a small bowl of warm ranchero sauce will be served alongside of chips and salsa. At this table, ranchero sauce is for topping fried eggs. Crispy fried eggs covered in warm smoky sauce served with a side of pan fired papas and a heaping pile of refried beans. Cut into the egg, the yolk mixes with the sauce and runs into everything. Clean your plate with a warm corn tortilla and your perfect. Delish.

Papas a La Mexicana (Ranchera)

It is a crying shame that there are six hens and not a egg in sight. What am I supposed to do with homemade ranchero sauce? Thankfully with a few quick searches of the internet a recipe from my hometown newspaper was discovered: Papas Ranchera . Not once in the thirty years I lived in my hometown did I ever eat at a local food joint serving papas rancheras. No time like the present to remedy this cultural dish. Because this recipe is hidden behind a paywall (grrr...) I have included it here for you: Servings: 4-6 Ingredients: 1 pound potatoes, diced 1/4 cup vegetable oil 1/2 large onion 1 1/2 medium tomatoes 3 jalapenos 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup juice from canned tomatoes Instructions: Fry potatoes in vegetable oil until lightly browned (about 4-6 minutes). Saute onions, tomatoes, jalapenos until soft. Add garlic powder and salt. Add tomato juice until vegetables are covered (may need to add water). Bring to a boil and then add po...

Better Than Campbell's Old Fashion Vegetable Soup

Went to the store with the hopes of gathering fresh produce for soup. With more than 45 people in line for two packages of any meat product and the produce section containing only avocado, orange, and most randomly, strawberries, I settled upon canned soup. Well not canned soup since that section was still void of food, too. Instead soup made from canned goods as the canned vegetable section had been mostly restocked. Soups like this 15 Minute Vegetable Soup are ideal in dire food situations such as current times. Modifications Made: Plain petite diced tomatoes omitted, frozen carrots instead of canned, green beans and corn undrained, peas omitted (gross, nasty little pods), one cup celery, three cups diced potatoes, one can tomato sauce, two beef and two pollo de tomate bouillon cubes, six cups water. Once onions were softened, carrots/celery/potatoes/juice of green beans and corn, sauce, bouillon cubes, water were added and allowed to simmer until carrots almos...

Sour Cream & Chive Scalloped Potatoes

Can't believe the Month of the Potato is over. There are so many more potato recipes saved. Guess I will have to work them into another month. Last week's scalloped potatoes were one of the best new recipes during the month of potatoes. With today being the last day in the Month of Potatoes, I decided to go out with a bang by cooking another batch of scalloped potatoes but this time sour cream and chive. The Best Scalloped Potatoes , or so they said. Modifications Made: Recipe was reduced by half. Mayo was omitted and one entire package of chives were chopped and added to sauce before pouring onto layers. Scaled for Likability: Good Betty Crocker Sour Cream and Chive Box Scalloped Potatoes were the standard for this recipe. These were a family favorite for years but have long since been discounted. Bummer. Trying to replicate this seemed easy enough. Alas, it was not. These had a nice texture but were too oily from the cheese ...

Eating Waffles

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