Breakfast is Ready

Darned Good Salsa on Cheese Omelet and English Muffin Batter Bread

Breakfast Burrito

No new recipes, just messing with my camera.

Previously posted recipes are here though.  Some recipes I just have to make over and over because they're that good.

https://cactuskateskitchen.blogspot.com/2018/04/darned-good-salsa.html

 https://cactuskateskitchen.blogspot.com/2017/09/english-muffin-batter-bread.html

Just a word about that salsa on the egg and cheese omelet.  Stop the train!  It was so darned good with the "darned good salsa."  Never thought I'd eat salsa on eggs, but boy am I glad I tried it.  Oooh the flavors. Swoon.  Swoon.  The salsa definitely kicked up the omelet to new heights.  I question whether I'll ever be able to eat a "plain" omelet again.  We've since been out to breakfast and I ordered the restaurant's omelet and salsa special, and all I'm going to say, in all humility, is they do't have anything over on me.  Going to save myself a bundle and make it at home.  Plus I get to eat breakfast in my pajamas.  Win-win all around I'd say.

And, of course, I love the buttery crunchiness of my English muffin batter bread and warm yeasty aromas.  It's a bread that has substance, not air.  Mmmm.  If I want to spoil myself, a little jam goes great.  My Sweetie Pie likes to dob on peanut butter and let its melty goodness just sink into it.

Nothing fancy with the breakfast burrito.  Just some scrambled eggs and diced ham rolled up in a tortilla.  A burrito makes everyday items look kind of fun and fancy, plus it's convenient to eat.    

Darned Good Salsa

Salsa

I have eaten more salsa in the last three years than the sum of all my life combined before that.  It's my current addiction.  I pass up ice cream for salsa and chips. When we want a simple snack, it's nachos with cheese and of course tons of salsa.  We have it bottles of it on the pantry shelf, must be that famine mentality or something.

And of course when we go to our favorite Mexican restaurants, they immediately pour out bowlfuls of salsa from huge pitchers and provide big baskets of hot tortilla chips.  Hot or mild, they ask.  We always ask for the mild and eat the salsa to the last drop.  We've had to force ourselves to stop to save room for our meals, grins.

This is my second attempt at making a homemade salsa and it's very good.  Allegedly this is a recipe that comes from a restaurant in Tucson, but I can't swear to it, but I wouldn't be surprised.  Are there better salsa recipes out there?  Perhaps, but I'm not going to go looking for it.  This one is a keeper.

SALSA

3 cans (15 ounce size) stewed tomatoes, undrained
1/2 white or yellow onion, chopped
4-5 stalks scallions (green onions), chopped
1 handful fresh cilantro, chopped, removing any thick stems
1 1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon crushed chili pepper and/or 1 jalapeno

Blend all together.  Refrigerate.  Let it sit for a while for flavors to develop and then indulge.

COOK'S NOTES:  I personally do not like big hunks of vegetables in my salsa, so I put my onions, and scallions and cilantro in a food processor and give them a few pulses.  I also pulse two of the cans of stewed tomatoes into an almost puree consistency and the third can I pulse but leave it fairly chunky.  You can do whatever pleases you, all chunky, all smooth.  No rules.

A note on the 1 tablespoon of crushed chili pepper.  That, truthfully, could be too much heat for some.  It is on the verge of being too much for us, so if unsure of your heat tolerance, I would probably start with 1 teaspoon, check for heat, and add to taste.  I have a friend who adds the 1 tablespoon of chili pepper and the jalapeno, but she was raised on fiery foods and as far as she's concerned, the more heat the better.

This recipe makes a two full quarts of salsa at least.  Keeps well for a few days in the refrigerator.

Tomato Gravy and Biscuits

Tomato Gravy and Biscuits

So here's a little something that you don't see everywhere, except maybe country diners and country kitchens, and that's just a shame because it's mighty satisfying.  Maybe tomato gravy and biscuits is a little too humble for the latte and cappuccino crowd, but for those of us who know good cookin', who may have a family to feed on a budget, or just crave a little nostalgia of simpler times, this is a plateful of delight.

My favorite no-fail biscuit recipe is here.

TOMATO GRAVY

4 slices bacon
2 tablespoons bacon grease (reserved from frying above 4 slices)
1 cup of onion, well chopped
1 teaspoon butter
2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
1 15-oz can of diced tomato (I think current can sizes are 14.5 ounces)
1 cup of chicken broth
1 tablespoon of tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 cup whole milk or heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste

Fry bacon in a large skillet, remove, crumble, and set aside.  Reserve 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat.  Add the onion and saute until the onions are translucent or with the tiniest bit of golden color.  Sprinkle in flour and add butter, stir and continue to cook until the flour is absorbed.  It's going to look a little lumpy but fear not it'll smooth out.  Add the remaining ingredients except the milk/cream and bring to a tender boil, stirring occasionally to smooth out the gravy and the gravy has thickened.  Add the crumbled bacon and milk/cream and heat through.  Adjust seasoning to taste and scoop generous portions over some nice hot biscuits.