growing up two hours from the boarder pretty much demands that you develop a taste for great mexican food. no, not taco bell, johnny's taco hut or that tex-mex place down the street from you. true, this land actually used to be mexico, mexican food.

now, don't be alarmed. i am not going to go out of bounds and say that i have a high SKILL level or a deep culinary understanding of all the different types of mexican foods, but i do love it in all its shapes, sizes, colors and flavors. their sauces are pieces of art to be studied. and i'm pretty much in kindergarden. but it is the most delicious kindergarden ever. 

i usually have some homemade salsa on hand (because there are many that are easy to make and store for future use and snacking). salsa verde and pico de gallo are my go to salsas, but if you like something with more of a punch this fire roasted tomato salsa will be right up your alley.
and salsas are the perfect addition to pretty much any breakfast in my book. i recently had some extra salsa verde and pico on hand after making enchiladas for weekly delivery but lately, i've really only had time to whip up breakfast. 

enter the chilaquiles. they are meant to be a leftover dish so you could sub the chicken for another protein or you could sub the chips for some tortillas. basically use what you have on hand!

chilaquiles verde
serves: 2
prep time: 5 minutes
active time: 20-30 minutes
total time: 35 minutes
ingredients: 4 cups tortilla chips. 2 cups salsa verde. 1 cup shredded chicken (or other leftover protein). 1 cup mexican blend cheese. 2 eggs. handful of cilantro leaves, roughly chopped. .25 cup pico de gallo. 1 tsp kosher salt. .5 tsp fresh ground pepper. 

start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees f. in a medium sized (oven safe) skillet, crush up your chips and make a nice even layer of chips. drizzle half the salsa verde over the chips and sprinkle with half the cheese. 

sprinkle with the shredded chicken. 

make two little nests. crack one egg into each nest and season hem well with salt and pepper. 

drizzle the remaining salsa verde around the eggs (not covering them) and top with the remaining cheese. bake until the cheese is melty and the eggs are set. about 20-30 minutes. 

when the eggs are set and cheese is melty, remove from the oven. garnish with cilantro. 

top with pico de gallo (or serve on the side if you prefer) and enjoy. 

xo, a

chilaquiles verde
serves: 2
prep time: 5 minutes
active time: 20-30 minutes
total time: 35 minutes
ingredients: 4 cups tortilla chips. 2 cups salsa verde. 1 cup shredded chicken (or other leftover protein). 1 cup mexican blend cheese. 2 eggs. handful of cilantro leaves, roughly chopped. .25 cup pico de gallo. 1 tsp kosher salt. .5 tsp fresh ground pepper.
start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees f. in a medium sized (oven safe) skillet, crush up your chips and make a nice even layer of chips. drizzle half the salsa verde over the chips and sprinkle with half the cheese.sprinkle with the shredded chicken. make two little nests. crack one egg into each nest and season hem well with salt and pepper. drizzle the remaining salsa verde around the eggs (not covering them) and top with the remaining cheese. bake until the cheese is melty and the eggs are set. about 20-30 minutes. when the eggs are set and cheese is melty, remove from the oven. garnish with cilantro. top with pico de gallo (or serve on the side if you prefer) and enjoy. 

over the weekend, i had a bit of a pinch me moment. sunday, wes and i did a thirty minute cooking demo at an athletic apparel store at a major mall. we drew a small crowd of people, and it was an athletic apparel store, but it was still AWESOME. 

seriously pinch me. is this my life now? 

we had two awesome volunteers come up and work with us, we gave out a ton of tasty brunch samples (it was a how to step up your brunch game demo) and chatted with a bunch of people about possible future business. including a possible second cooking demo. let's just say two full days later i'm still feeling the emotional high. 

one of the recipes we demonstrated was the signature granola i've been working on for our future restaurant. yes, you read that right... i'm just giving the recipe up. but the best part about this granola, is that it is a pretty simple base that you can easily adjust to your taste, what you have on hand or what is seasonal. you know... customize it! 

orange blossom granola
serves: 4 cups
prep time: 5 minutes
bake time: 30 minutes
cool time: 10 minutes
total time: 45 minutes
ingredients: 3 cups rolled oats. 1 cup slivered almonds (you could sub whatever nuts you prefer here). 3 tbs butter, melted. .33 cup honey. .25 cup orange juice. 1 tbs orange zest (you could sub other citrus). beans from .5 vanilla bean. 1 tsp salt. 

start by preheating your oven to 300 degrees f. 

in a large bowl, combine the oats, almonds, and the orange zest. 

mix well and set aside. 

then in another medium bowl combine the butter, honey, orange juice salt and vanilla bean together. 

whisk until completely combined. 

drizzle your liquids over the oat mixture. 

dig in and use your hands to combine well. 

spread your granola over a parchment lined baking sheet in an even layer. bake, stirring the granola about halfway through, until lightly golden brown. 

pull the granola out of the oven and allow it to cool. 

you can cool it till it's cool enough to eat and enjoy it warm, or you can store it in an airtight container for a week or two. 

xo, a

range blossom granola
serves: 4 cups
prep time: 5 minutes
bake time: 30 minutes
cool time: 10 minutes
total time: 45 minutes
ingredients: 3 cups rolled oats. 1 cup slivered almonds (you could sub whatever nuts you prefer here). 3 tbs butter, melted. .33 cup honey. .25 cup orange juice. 1 tbs orange zest (you could sub other citrus). beans from .5 vanilla bean. 1 tsp salt.
start by preheating your oven to 300 degrees f. in a large bowl, combine the oats, almonds, and the orange zest. mix well and set aside. then in another medium bowl combine the butter, honey, orange juice salt and vanilla bean together. whisk well to combine. drizzle your liquids over the oat mixture. dig in and use your hands to combine well. spread your granola over a parchment lined baking sheet in an even layer. bake, stirring the granola about halfway through, until lightly golden brown. pull the granola out of the oven and allow it to cool. you can cool it till it's cool enough to eat and enjoy it warm, or you can store it in an airtight container for a week or two.