Difference

Sometimes, things you think are the same are actually different.  Take for instance, the breakfast taco and breakfast burrito.  Anyone who has ever eaten a breakfast taco and a breakfast burrito can probably tell you: they aren't the same thing.  It's about proportion, scale and sometimes ingredients.  But some people, even Texas Monthly prescribes the difference to regional nomenclature, suggesting a breakfast taco and burrito are identical.  But just about any child (in Texas anyways) can tell you that, besides proportion and scale, a burrito is rolled, whereas a taco is folded.

Which brings me to migas.  And chilaquiles.  ¿Cuál es la diferencia?

The Epicurious Food Dictionary definition says:

chilaquiles [chee-lah-KEE-lehs]
Because it was invented to use leftovers, this Mexican entree is sometimes called "poor man's dish." It consists of corn TORTILLA strips sautéed with other foods such as mild green CHILES, cheese, CHORIZO and shredded chicken or beef. The dish may also be layered like LASAGNA and baked.


The dictionary doesn't define migas, but Wikipedia offers the explanation for the Tex-Mex version, in addition to Spanish and Portuguese iterations:


migas [me-gus]
In Tex-Mex cuisine, migas [me-gus] are a traditional breakfast dish consisting of scrambled eggs mixed with strips of corn tortilla; the meatless version includes diced onions, sliced chile peppers, diced fresh tomatoes, and cheese, plus various spices and condiments (e.g. salsa or pico de gallo). Migas are typically served with refried beans, and corn or flour tortillas are used to enfold all of the ingredients into tacos. The tortilla strips can also be deep-fried until crunchy

And then some places serve chilaquiles with eggs.  So what is what?  Perhaps it doesn't matter, but I tend to think definitions are important.  We have so many words in the English language, many of them borrowed from other countries and cultures, so we have the opportunity to be very specific.  Like the difference between burrito and taco!  Blurring definitions is simply lazy, which probably makes me sound old.  You're probably hearing, "why don't they teach handwriting in the public schools anymore!"

Which brings me to: addiction.  And after my confession, perhaps you can tell me what I'm making?

After moving to West Texas, I quickly became addicted to Rosa's.  Located all across West Texas, and even as far away as Dallas, Rosa's makes pretty delicious fast, Mexican food--there is no reason to go to Taco Bell.  Never.  But, what makes Rosa's special is their tortillas, which are made fresh right there in each and every store.  You can watch.  And, that is how they elevate something as simple as a bean burrito (rolled!) with cheese and delicious salsa into a revelation: bean and cheese and salsa inside a warm, soft flour tortilla probably just pulled off of the line.  Seriously, I start thinking about it and my mouth begins to water.  I pass Rosa's and I start thinking about how long I can keep myself from it.

And their chips.  And their queso!  So good.  But then you end up with a bag full of leftover chips.  Chips that were made fresh in store and don't really keep.  Chips that are pretty stale the next morning.  What to do?  Migas/chilaquiles!

So here is easy, breezy morning migas/chilaquiles when you have leftover or stale chips, some salsa, a couple of eggs...and a little cheese.

Heat some vegetable oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat.  Add enough chips to cover the bottom of the pan in one layer.  The idea is to fry the chips so they crisp up again, so stir them and turn them until they start to get a little brown.

Meanwhile, crack and beat two eggs with a little salt.  Ready your salsa (I use about 1/3 cup), some garlic and fresh pico, about 1/4 cup if you have  it (at Rosa's, they have it, so I have it.).

Once the chips are lightly brown, take the pan off the heat and add the garlic (enough) and stir until it starts to cook.  Then, dump in the salsa and pico.  It's probably going to sizzle and splatter a little.  Return to the heat and cook until the salsa is reduced a little.  Lower the temperature, add the eggs and cook until they are scrambled right into that mess.

Top with cheese and a little more salsa and voila!  Migas.  Or chilaquiles with eggs.  Or something else, I don't know.  The bottom line is that it's an easy, delicious breakfast on Sunday morning and a perfect way to use up stale chips or tortillas with your favorite salsa.  This serves two!

Eggs Like a Cloud

When is the last time you learned to cook eggs in a new way?  I mean, there are basic ways to cook an egg, plus some fancier ones...but not that much in the way of innovation.  

Scrambled

Fried (over multiple ways)

Boiled (from soft to hard)

Coddled

Shirred

Baked

What else?

I remember when my mom taught me how to scramble eggs and suddenly I could feed myself.  There are still few things that taste as good to me as an egg sandwich on whole wheat bread slathered with mayonnaise.  Or as was served in our house, Miracle Whip.  But after you learned to scramble an egg, to fry an egg, to boil an egg; what next? Perhaps you can poach an egg like a pro, but have you ever done a scrambled-poached egg?!

I read about this method in Food & Wine and it is quite interesting: you whisk the eggs, then dump them into a swirling, boiling pot of water.  They cook for less then a minute, them just drain and serve.  The result is a light-as-a-cloud, omelet-ish egg that can be salted, sauced and enjoyed.  It's a simple technique and one you should try.  I served mine with a variation on the goat cheese sauce and some sautéed spinach.  Delicious!

Stuff and Things

I haven't posted for a while and I have quite a few 'this and that, stuff and things' sort of info to share with you that are food related in some bizarre ways, so here goes:

I was in Minnesota for a conference and had several wonderful food encounters, including this fantastic painting by Severin Roesen at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. He is one of my favorite painters and I'm not sure why. I'm not a big fan of still lifes, but there is something about the way he depicts all of the fruits and vegetation. And I love the way he hides his signature in the tendrils of grape leaves. Amazing.

They also had this fantastic coffee service on display. I desperately wanted it! I love the long spout, almost like a watering can, so you wouldn't even have to reach to refill your guests cup.

And this china from Sèvres is my new favorite. I'll take service for twelve. The original, hand-painted set had almost 400 pieces in it. And those are scattered in museums and private collection around the world. The object at the back of the arrangement is for serving ice cream and everyone knows how much I love a food-specific serving piece.

Here I am at the sculpture park by the Walker Art Center, with Spoon Bridge and Cherry by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen in the background. I love their work and while this isn't my favorite sculpture they have ever done, it's is quite brilliant and has become an icon for the city. On the other side of the park, you get a great view of downtown.

I didn't just look at food art and antique serving pieces, I also had some good things to eat in Minneapolis/St. Paul, including this green coconut curry with mock duck at a little Thai place that was just down the street from my hotel. It was just spicy enough and made me very happy! You should definitely try Ruam Mit Thai if you are in St. Paul.

I had one of the best breakfasts ever at the Downtowner Woodfire Grill which is also right by the hotel. This is a breakfast place, per se, but a very nice restaurant that also serves a very excellent breakfast. I had the veggie version of Moe's Cajun Breakfast which was sauteed onion, pepper and mushrooms topped with hash browns topped with cheese topped with an egg over easy topped with their special Hollandaise sauce. This is a HALF order. Honestly. It was so good.

Back to Terre Haute, we had a lot of fun with Shane and Melissa who were visiting from Kentucky so she could help out with a program the Swope was holding. It also happened to be Shane's birthday, so we picked up a guitar-shaped, Elvis-bedecked container of popcorn from Big Lots. It's also a coin bank once you eat all of the popcorn! No joke.

Jonah made Shane a birthday cake: carrot with cream cheese frosting. We went with a big group to Mogger's for dinner and a few drinks, which was a lot of fun.

Of course, seasonal change means it's time to change up the bar and make it ready for fall. I had the worst time trying to decide to what to use, but eventually decided on the pheasant ice bucket, the Georges Briard glasses with gold leaves, a mix of cocktail glasses and some other gold accents.

And fall also means it's time to tea, so I made the first pot on Tuesday after I caught a chill.

Last night we went to Jimmy and Ellie's for dinner and to watch Top Chef. Jimmy made two bowls of Asian deliciousness, including giant rice balls that were super yummy--and spicy!

Great, now you're all caught up.

Bistro 212

This morning, it was Sunday brunch at Bistro 212, where even the Bears in skirts can be seen in their natural environment, throwing back the omelets and mimosas. I split breakfast with Mitchell, and we were served a plate of breakfast chilaquiles large enough to feed a small village. We also sampled the Brick French toast, two slices of bread stuffed with cream cheese and fried together. So large, it put Texas toast to shame. Both were yummy and the salsa on the eggs just warm enough to flare, but not hot enough to burn.

Coffee Cup Cafe

Sal's Enchilada Eggs at the Coffee Cup Cafe, delicious! LGB, ya'll.

Recipe: Eggs Francisco

Last time I was in Austin, I had a breakfast at Kerby Lane. Since I had been mainlining breakfast tacos for about four days at that point, I decided to try something different and landed at Eggs Francisco. Hmmm? I had never noticed it before, perhaps distracted by migas and pumpkin pancakes. But, this was a total breakfast revelation and so I decided to prepare it for New Year's Day brunch along with the blintz casserole. Both absolute hits.

Recipe: Eggs Francisco
This isn't so much a recipe as it is direction:

• Toast English muffins
• Top with eggs scrambled your favorite way*
• Layer avocado and sliced tomato on the eggs
• Smother the entire thing with your best queso

Really? Simple, delicious.....sublime. The original at Kirbey had slices of bacon on it, so if you are omnivorous or want to use facon, by all means be my guest.

Mangez!

*I could go on a 15-minute diatribe on how to make the best, creamiest scrambled eggs, but I won't. Maybe later. Main tip: no matter what your mom, aunt Bessie or granny says, do not put milk, cream or water in your eggs. That's just economical cooking attempting to make eggs go farther. The best scrambled eggs are simply that: eggs that are scrambled.

Restaurant: Bev's

Saturday night, we had some drinks at the Black Angus with Jeff and Jen, which was a lot of fun. We talked about where to take out-of-town guests (got some new ideas) and of course, where to eat. I lamented the lack of a Sunday breakfast place, as my regular one is closed as are all of the other downtown establishments. They mentioned Bev's Country Kitchen, close to the Terre Haute Community Theater, where you can get a great breakfast for a bargain. We got up Sunday morning and gave it a shot: light, fluffy hotcakes; delcious fried potatoes; and hot, diner coffee. I'll be back Bev, don't you worry.

One question: where can you get cream gravy this side of the Mason-Dixon line?

Bev's Country Kitchen
1303 South 25th Street
Terre Haute, IN
(812) 232-5131

Pan-fried Deviled Eggs

Eggs. Good or bad for you? The debate rages on, but like everything else I'm sure the answer is moderation. A recent study said that men shouldn't eat more than seven eggs per week and that those who did would have problems as they got older. But does that count eggs in baked goods? And how does one quantify that amount? One cinnamon roll contains .35 egg?

I admit, I've probably been eating a few more eggs than I normally would. In the first place, eggs are simple to prepare when it's just you, and the possibilities are endless. I've also had a busy couple of weeks and have been stopping for breakfast on the way to work at the aforementioned Boo's. And eating eggs. And egg sandwiches. This morning, it was one egg over medium and a cinnamon roll. (One of the best cinnamon rolls around, I might add.) So I guess I had 1.35 eggs for breakfast? Who knows. The point is, I love eggs. It's probably the real reason I couldn't be a vegan, even though I usually say it's ice cream. In reality, I think I could get by on soy dream, sorbets and the lot. But, I'm not sure I could get by without eggs.

A few posts back, I mentioned Lynn Rosetto Kasper's inspirational chapter on eggs. So inspirational that it jazzed-up my tired pasta. But I kept thinking about what she did to those stuffed eggs. And then I read another article somewhere that mentioned the same idea: pan-fried stuffed eggs.

This isn't so much a recipe, as it is an thought of what to do with eggs. Perhaps you have some leftover deviled eggs from a party? I would find that hard to believe, personally, as I have never been to a party where there were leftover deviled eggs. In fact, at parties we used to have in Kansas, Molly would count the deviled eggs and determine how many would be allotted per person. It's really the only fair thing to do. I digress.

IF you had some leftover deviled eggs, or IF you bought some at the market and wanted to make yourself a quick lunch or dinner, this is a wonderful thing to do with them.

Recipe?: Pan-fried Deviled Eggs
Serves one
1. Take three deviled eggs and scrape the top portion of the filling into a small bowl.
2. Add enough vinegar, a dash of salt, a little garlic and a few twists of the pepper mill: whisk to blend. Slowly whisk in a little olive oil and taste. Adjust flavoring.
3. Meanwhile, heat a small pan with olive oil. When warm, place eggs in the pan cut side down. Fry until warm and slightly brown. Turn and fry opposite side until it begins to brown.
4. Toss enough salad greens with the dressing, top with the eggs and enjoy.

This give you wonderful eggs with a little bit of crust to them, the filling warm and runny. I added some sliced, baked tofu to mine. You could add:
Croutons
Fake bacon bits or slices (I had some bac-un bits I should have used!)
Diced tomato
Avocado
Whatever else you might have that would be good in a salad, but keep it simple.

Mangez!

Pasta and Eggs

The other night I made a delicious pasta dressed with garbanzo beans, lemons and roasted broccoli. But, as I got out the fourth and final helping for dinner, I was feeling a little was bored. I happen to be reading Lynn Rosetto Kasper's new cookbook, The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper. The Splendid Table is Kasper's NPR radio program on food and cooking, a wealth of tips and ideas. Of course, the idea of a public radio program on cooking has the makings for parody (Remember Alec Bladwin and his Schweaty Balls on SNL in the early 90s?), but Kasper has the personality and experience to pull the program off in an authentic way.

One of the chapters in the book is on eggs and is filled with wonderful ideas like pan-fried deviled eggs and salad with potato and hard cooked eggs. Reading the recipes and looking at the photos made me hungry for eggs, and as I looked at my plate of leftover pasta thought it might taste better topped with an egg fried in olive oil. I was right.

Recipe: Pasta with Broccoli, Garbanzo Beans and Lemon

1 16 oz can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 large lemon
Olive oil (flavored with citrus is you have it)
1 large head of broccoli
12 oz of tubish pasta such at ziti
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. While it warms, wash the broccoli and cut into small florets. Toss in a baking pan with 2 tbsp. Of olive oil, some salt and a little pepper. Roast in the oven until done, 12 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat water to boiling and cook pasta according to package directions.

In a big yellow bowl, place the garbanzo beans and 1 to 2 tbsp of olive oil. Grate the lemon zest directly into the bowl, then juice the lemon and add. Using a fork or potato masher, coarsely mash the beans and oil into a thick, chunky paste. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water, then drain the pasta. Add the water to thin the beans, then add pasta, tossing to coat. Add the Parmesan cheese in small amounts, tossing with each addition so it is well mixed and doesn't clump into the pasta. Toss in the cooked broccoli, taste and season with salt and pepper. Enjoy. Makes 4 servings.

(Top with a fried egg, if you wish.)

Mangez!

Boo!

Still life with check.

Boo's Crossroads Cafe is in the corner between the new place and the Swope. It's called so because the proprietress is named (or nicknamed, I assume) Boo and her establishment is located at what was once the crossroads of America: the intersection of the old interstate Highways 41 and 40, Wabash Avenue and 7th street.

Boo's serves a great breakfast and lunch, including egg sandwiches, salads and soups. She also has a case of fresh baked goods from the kitchen that rotate through the week: baked donuts sanded with sugar; cinnamon rolls with or without nuts on Friday; and cakes, cookies and pies too numerous to note. (In the evening, Boo's nephew runs a pizza joint in the same space, call La Familia de Jeshua, but that is for another post.)

Although they don't serve breakfast tacos, I still enjoy stopping at Boo's in the morning. I like to get an egg sandwich (the Yankee equivalent to breakfast tacos?) with Swiss cheese and a little mayonnaise. The coffee flows like the river Jordan, and the whole environment makes for a perfect way to start the day.

Woodland

Sunday, we joined up with April and Katie for brunch at Woodland. April promised a surprise, which turned out to be LESLIE! Fun, fun...

I'd never been to Woodland before, but it has a fun, funky feel and very good food. It's wasn't super-packed, so we didn't have to wait for a table or feel rushed about our meal. They basically have two breakfast choices, but in reality the choices are limitless. You can get Eggs Benedict with ham, spinach or salmon. There other choice is called 'the morning wood' and features two eggs any style (I had mine poached and they were perfect.) and four side choices from what seems like an endless list. I had tater tots, grits, homemade biscuit (the best biscuit I've ever had outside of my mother's kitchen, I might add.) and a fruit cup that was so much more. Every bite of fruit was perfect, even the cantaloupe. April and Leslie shared a 'mimosa for two,' which we decided was more like a mimosa for the table since it was a carafe of juice and a bottle of Cava. They also have pancakes, french toast and cinnamon rolls--which I intend to try on my next visit.

Woodland

1716 S Congress Ave
Austin, TX 78704
Phone: 512.441.6800

www.woodlandaustin.com

Polenta and Eggs

Tonight I took the leftover polenta with leeks from Monday, shaped it into little cakes and then topped it with an egg from Molly and David's hens that I fried to perfection. I tried to get the patties crisp by cooking them in a little olive oil. Since the polenta was originally a soft, I only succeeded in warming them, but the result was still a great use of leftovers. A little Parmesan cheese, some lettuce greens dressed in oil and vinegar, a twist of the pepper mill and a delicious and quick weeknight meal is complete.

Do You Say Tomato?

....I say tomatoes and eggs! We saw our friends Molly and David on Friday night and they have chickens! Yes, we have lots of friends with chickens and that, my dutiful readers, is a very good thing. I sliced the tomatoes, added a little salt and pepper and just enjoyed them. The eggs will be consumed very soon.

Thanks guys!

Not starving...

...but a little busy. Plus some technical difficulties. Here's a whirlwind update of some fun food things that happened in the past few months:

My friend Gabrielle left Austin for a new job at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego. Everyone in the office got together for a farewell bash at the house. My "contributation" was dessert: a three layered confection of chocolate cake and two different mousses.


Kristina and Gabrielle the night of the fond farewell.


I call it, "Chocolate au Gabrielle." It was inspired by a recipe I saw in a magazine and involved baking a double recipe of the Everyday Chocolate Cake in a 9x13 pan. From that, I cut circles with a biscuit cutter and wrapped them in strips of parchment paper. Then, I piped layers of dark and light chocolate mousse and topped with whipped cream. Sounds mighty rich? It was.

Over Labor Day weekend (yes, I'm that far behind!), I was in Holland, MI at the Monahan Compound. I had to work on Friday night and didn't get in until late on Saturday, but John, David and I still made dinner on Sunday night. John made a red sauce and I used to build a lasagna. We collaborated on a white chocolate raspberry tiramisu that was a perfect ending.


John adds the secret ingredient to his special sauce: a silly glance. I have the recipe somewhere and will post as soon as I find it. Of course, I'll probably be dead after John sees this picture, but oh well! It's not like its a photo of a giant bruise on someone's butt. You'll have to scroll down to see that!


The white chocolate raspberry tiramisu. Actually, I usually refer to it as Terrible Sue. The recipe started with one from Giada De Laurentiis, to which we added melted white chocolate to the whipped cream. It was out of site. John has prepared it again and I am going to in the very near future. Promise.

I also spent some time in Chicago with my friends Michael, Ryan and Emily. Ryan and I had breakfast at Victory's Banner, which is vegetarian restaurant run by sari-wearing cult members. I LOVE a restaurant run by a cult, because you always get great service! Anyway, their leader lifts people. That's just what he does.


Breakfast at Victory's Banner with some of the best eggs you will every taste and, of course, fake bacon.

Leslie's mom Lorna who I met over the summer sent me a wonderful stack of cookbooks from her collection. How did she part with them? I certainly don't know, but I really appreciated the package. (Did I send a note? If not, THANK YOU Lorna! Hope to see you in Austin soon.)


I found the charm book and etiquette book at the thrift store, the rest were gifts from Lorna and Mitchell.

For our first holiday party in Austin, we planned a giant bash with lots of appetizer and a punch bowl full of pomegranate champagne punch. Dessert was an array of dippers and chocolate fondue. Everyone made ornaments for the tree and I had a great time. I thought the food turned out perfect, but the thing I was most proud of was the giant serving piece I concocted from the table: a metal pot holder that Mitchell retrofitted to hold plates!


The tree, in all of its glory.


The table, laden with all kinds of savory treats and a very festive punch.


These pictures just don't do my giant server justice. You had to be there. You SHOULD have been there.


Dessert. An array of dippers for a delicious chocolate fondue.


Plates at the ready.


Everyone making ornaments and enjoying the food.


More ornament making.


David and Danette converse in the kitchen.


Some more peeps partying.

For my birthday, we had a potluck. Everyone brought something delicious and we put two tables together to form a giant one and ran every candlestick in the house down the middle: not enough to equal my age, but still quite a statement.


The candles down the center of the table. I think there were twenty-three.


Birthday fun.

Remember the diva chickens? They are a laying! Joel and Kay brought us some of their bounty: beautiful blue eggs with a rich, yellow yolk. I poached them for breakfast. Superb!


These eggs are a beautiful blue that doesn't quite photograph.


But the yolks. You get the picture? Super fresh eggs from friends. What could be better?


Poached on an English muffin with a little cheese and sausage on the side? A great breakfast. The cinnamon rolls are the orange bliss rolls from Whole Foods and they will certainly make your morning.

Are your eyes full? Is your mind brimming with ideas? I'm glad to be caught up...a little.

Mangez!

Diva Chickens

Friday night we went to Joel and Kay's for a delicious dinner. We started with pomegranate cocktails, frico and sauteed mushrooms on thick slices of bread. Dinner was a delicious salad, curried scewers of tofu and vegetables, and friendship black bean salad. Dessert? Homemade, rich, delicious amazing vanilla ice cream. Did I say amazing?



There was clever conversation in addition to the wonderful food, but the real highlight of the evening was meeting the newest additions to the Klump household: chickens! That's right, Joel and Kay are now the proud parents of five Araucana chicks from which they will hopefully get tons of eggs. The Araucana is (or was, I can't keep up) Martha Stewart's favorite chicken and they lay eggs that are a pale and distinctive blue. Before she entered her 'all gray' phase, she often incorporated this shade into her decor. (Araucana blue screen, egg garland, and Martha's chicken coop)



The new chicks are also named after country-music divas: Dolly, Patsy, Dottie, Reba and Loretta. Their house is decorated with inspirational photos of their namesakes. Will Kay and Joel play country music to encourage the girls to lay more eggs? Only time will tell. An exciting new venture, indeed. Look for more updates on the Nashville Chickies (as I'm dubbing them) in the near future.



Mangez? (Hopefully not the chickens.)