Huevos Rancheros

My husband asked me to fix him hot cereal and eggs for Superbowl breakfast. I almost did it too. But then I thought, "I should surprise him with something better." My pantry is a little scrawny right now since I haven't gone shopping yet this month (yes, I basically shop once a month for staples) but saw corn tortillas and had an idea.

While my husband went outside to clean the backyard I went to work making Huevos Rancheros. I haven't made it in a long time (not sure why) so I knew my hubby would be really happy when I called him in to eat.

I keep it pretty simple (mostly because I like simple) and start by frying up my corn tortillas in oil. I then grate up my cheese, in this case pepper-jack. I like to use plain or home-made tomato sauce (see below) in my prep and give my hubby home-made salsa to top off his meal as I serve it to him. The final ingredient is fried egg. One of the big tips I can give here is to NOT over cook the egg. When I go to turn my egg I am very careful to turn it gently and not break the yolk. I also make sure it does not get crispy on the edges.

Then comes the plating... this is the fun part!

• I place about 5-6 tablespoons of heated tomato sauce on my plate
• and lay a tortilla in the center.
• then I center an egg
• and sprinkle with cheese... The heat from the egg will begin to soften your cheese
• drizzle with some more tomato sauce
• and lay another tortilla on top

I repeat the steps using about three (3) tortillas and Always end with a tortilla covered in tomato sauce sprinkled with cheese. If your cheese needs a little help melting just zap it in the microwave or place in the oven (on an oven safe dish) for a few minutes.

My husband will eat about three (3) eggs but you can adjust how many eggs you prefer. I eat maybe two (2) and even then my husband usually helps me finish mine.

The ingredients are dependent on your taste and will vary. I prefer making my own tomato sauce (see below tips) and at the table might spoon some home-made salsa (recipe to come ;-) on top if I want more heat... but they are yummy as is! I also top with cilantro and maybe some sour cream before serving.

A couple tips or tricks...

• If you want the consistency of tomato sauce but the heat of salsa in your dish you can take a can of Rotel tomatoes and green chiles and run it through your blender for a minute to get a tomato sauce that has amazing taste and heat... this is what I usually like to do, but if you're not sure about the heat stick with plain tomato sauce
• sauteed diced onions go well with this dish and can be added to the tomato sauce before you stack or just sprinkled on each layer
• you can add chipotle chili powder, adobo sauce or ground cumin to your tomato sauce (to taste) to add more flavor

Happy Eating!