Eggs-cellent Dish...

Perhaps you are wondering why I'm not showing an image of the meal I'm about to describe?

Here's why: a.) the said meal was made when the lighting wasn't good, and b.) said meal did not make a pretty picture regardless of the lighting... and therefore would not do justice to the wonderfulness of it all.

So, instead, here's a picture of the eggs I used to make said eggs-cellent meal. For those of you that won't cook without a recipe, please try, or at least enjoy this prose because the actual recipe posted below is just an approximation... not a bonafide, tested recipe suitable for publication, say, in a cookbook or magazine.

It's a guide...a mere suggestion for you as you whip up your own, late-night, eggcentric delish dish.

A little background: I had extra eggs and multi-grain bread (already cubed and dried for a savory bread pudding that, turns out, I didn't need) on hand ...Since I didn't need the extra dried bread cubes, I bagged them and put them in the fridge thinking, surely I'd come up for a better use for them than File 13. Turns out, I did, and here is the not-so-accurate recipe for a lovely egg dish, quasi-reminiscent of a Mexican chilaquiles, that I adore.

Make your own substitutions as you see fit...

Gwen's Eggs-cellent Adventure

Makes enough for 1 hungry girl

1 tablespoon butter (or olive oil if you prefer)
1/2 to 1 cup cubed, toasted bread (multi-grain or other...your call)
2 large eggs
1/4 cup (or a little less) jarred salsa (your favorite) or other condiment of your choice)
1/4 cup grated (or shredded) cheddar cheese (or other cheese of your choice)

Heat the butter or oil in a small skillet (8-inch works, so does 9-inch--if you make this in a 10-inch, I'd double the recipe, just my professional opinion) over medium to medium-high heat.

When hot, toss in bread cubes and leave alone! At least until they brown on one side -- about a full minute and a half, depending upon how high you turned up the heat -- and then toss to brown on other sides.

When cubes are brown enough for you (and the more brown the better as far as I am concerned, so live on the edge a little and brown those babies!) ... crack in the 2 eggs but don't stir for at least 30 seconds. (Yes, I said crack the eggs right into the pan and don't stir... seriously...)

Then, (as the edges of the eggs start to turn white, as egg whites will do, even though the yolks sit high and mighty and completely, sun-yellow!) gently start to stir for a couple seconds... you'll get the hang of it... stir again in 30 to 45 seconds, and as the eggs start to actually get done (think moist scrambled eggs), pour in your salsa or condiment of choice.... and just cook long enough to warm up the salsa or condiment...about 30-45 seconds more. Turn off the heat but leave in pan.

While the eggs are still in the pan, top with cheese... let it sit a couple minutes while you find your plate, fork and napkin... and then slide it all onto your plate. Eat slowly so you won't be tempted to jump up and make one more batch.

Salsa Bliss...

It's no secret that Mexican food is my favorite cuisine. I like gourmet Mex, Tex-Mex, and everything in between. I even tend to judge a Mexican restaurant first on it's salsa offerings.

El Chubasco in Park City, Utah gets high marks for its salsa bar. Sitting smack dab in the middle of the dining room of this cheap eats (one of the very few inexpensive restaurants in Park City that isn't a chain) is a salsa bar, featuring more than 15 different salsas, all made from scratch.

Each salsa is labeled with chiles to indicate the heat level, with one chile for mild and four chiles for set-your-pants-on-fire hot. Most are in the three chile range, and those were spicy enough for this gringo.

I felt like a kid in a candy store on my first visit, sampling nine of the 15 or so salsas. On subsequent trips, I showed only slightly more restraint by taking just four or five. My favorite was the arbol, a smoky roasted tomato and chile de arbol (a skinny - usually dried - chile similar to cayenne) salsa, but I also loved the fresh, pico de gallo, studded with enough fresh, minced serranos to wake up any slacker taste bud.

Pico de gallo is really a simple salsa to make. It's best to make it in late summer, when tomatoes are at their peak, but I make it all year, substituting Roma tomatoes for regular ones. It's a great accompaniment to grilled or baked fish.

Pico de Gallo
Makes 2 cups

1/2 of a large, white onion, finely chopped
2 pounds tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped
2-3 jalapenos or serranos, minced (remove seeds for less heat)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Juice of 1/2 or 1 lime (to your tastes)
Salt and pepper

Toss all ingredients together and let rest 10 to 30 minutes before serving. Keeps 3 days, covered in the refrigerator.