Breakfast with the Caudills

I love the weekends because it gives me an opportunity to get creative with breakfast options. We don't necessarily do a lot of sweet breakfasts (except these amazing blueberry pancakes), so most of the meals we cook up fall on the savory spectrum. I am unapologetic about my love of eggs, so most meals will feature an egg or two per person. Over this long holiday weekend, I used the lazy mornings to cook up two great meals - one was incredibly easy, and the other took a bit more time and effort but was well worth all of the time it took.

First up ... Chilaquiles



I grew up eating a version of this Mexican breakfast staple that I did not like at all. In fact, when I started cooking for Alan and testing the waters of my culinary capabilities I told him that I would never make him chilaquiles. Looking back, I don't know how my stepmom managed to make them so gross because all of the ingredients are really great by themselves.

While you could start with a canned (or other pre-made) enchilada sauce, I didn't think I had any in the house so I made my own sauce.

Ingredients:
1 onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, whole (don't bother with chopping them - it's just a waste of time)
2 chipotle peppers, chopped (I use Herdez canned chipotle peppers)
1 can of diced tomatoes
6 corn tortillas
1/4 cube of queso, crumbled
cilantro, chopped
1 avocado, slides
2 fried eggs

Cook the first four ingredients on medium/high until all the ingredients are sufficiently ... cooked (sorry, I really don't know how to give better directions than than), and then puree in a blender or Cuisinart food professor. We have the Cuisinart Elite Collection 14-cup Food Processor and I use it probably once a week and love how sturdy it is. We had a different Cuisinart food processor several years ago but kept having to get new parts for it so we finally went with this version.

Once your sauce is ready, set it aside so you can begin making your tortilla base. You'll start with as many corn tortillas as you'll need to serve your group. For the serving above, that was 6 tortillas. Cut them in half and then cut them into triangles. Fry in your oil of choice until they resemble tortilla chips. (Note: If you're short on time, you can skip this step and instead use Casa Sanchez thick and crispy tortilla chips. Only use Casa Sanchez. Other tortilla chips suck and I don't know why you would want to eat anything else.)

Once your tortillas are properly fried, add the sauce back to the pan, and stir. Cook until the tortillas are a bit softened and have absorbed some of the sauce. Once done, plate and top with queso and cilantro. I would normally have added avocado as well, but we were out. Finish up by topping this beautiful tortilla creation with a fried egg and you're good to go.

Next up ... Avocado Toast



I don't have to give you the ingredients or directions for this one, right? I mean, it's pretty self explanatory. Make toast. Spread 1/2 an avocado on it. Add salt & pepper. Top with fried egg. Enjoy. It's a quick, simple and oh so tasty and satisfying breakfast that you could even make during the week. Just be sure to have a stack of napkins nearby when eating.