Breakfast Burrito

I haven't had the cooking bug in a while, but it's now finally starting to come back to me.  So instead of a Monster and piece of toast for breakfast, I decided to make something a bit more substantial and savory.  I present to you the Breakfast Burrito.

I love eggs in the morning, but I'm often too lazy or too much in a rush to cook them.  This morning I'm lounging around and decided to take advantage of the extra time.  I've also been in the cupboard diet as of late, and had some extra wild rice from a few days ago and a can of vegetarian chili; thus, the burrito idea was born.

On the stove I got everything ready while I raided the fridge for any other ingredients.  Cold cuts from yesterday's lunch gave me some tasty ham and white American cheese to add to the burrito.  Let me pause and say, I don't know what it is about white American, but it's just so damn good.   Back to the stove.

You may remember from previous posts that I don't have an extensive array of cooking ware. As you can see I don't have any lids for my frying pans. But, another frying pan on top does the trick.

With the cheese melted, I throw the rice and chili on top of the eggs and add a little Frank's red hot. Because I literally put that shit on everything.

And there you have it, the Poor Man's Breakfast Burrito. Better than anything you'll get at McDonald's, and a perfect precursor for a rigorous workout.

Disco Fries Chili

I've thought about naming this creation "Jersey Chili," a nod to the often off-menu item from our world famous diners here in the Garden State.

It started off with a chili recipe I found and used for Super Bowl a few weeks ago.  It came out so well, and was relatively inexpensive, that I've made two more pots of it since.

Last night I was down to the last of my current chili batch, and I had an idea.  I had some Burger King fries leftover from lunch (was going to use them for hash browns and eggs...that post will be coming shortly), but I decided to use them here.  I love french fries in things -- growing up, there was a place down the road that put french fries on their cheesesteaks and it was heaven.  Now, fast food fries do tend to go stale pretty fast, but throw them into a dry frying pan and you can toast them back to life. Never throw fries away again!

So, back to the chili...  I warmed up my last bowlful in a small sauce pan on the stove while I toasted up the fries.  When the chili was heated through, I put it in a bowl and covered it while I got everything else ready.  

I happened to have some gravy powder packets on hand from my birthday party -- stuffing balls with gravy dipping sauce -- so I mixed that up in the sauce pan and continued toasting the fries.  In the meantime I got out the sour cream and cheddar cheese from the fridge.  There was just enough sour cream left for a nice dollop on top of the chili.

Fries were done, they went on top...

Then time for gravy...

Finally, the cheese.  Now, typically disco fries are covered with shredded mozzarella.  I know this might be controversial, but this IS Poor Man's Cupboard, and we do need to improvise with what we have on hand.  And what I had on hand was the last of a package of shredded cheddar, so on it went.

Thirty to forty-five seconds under the broiler (make sure to watch...it can burn quickly), and we had perfection (with a parsley garnish).

The deep, rich taste of the chili, the melted cheddar, the crunchy fries smothered with gravy, the cool surprise of the sour cream -- this is is a bowl with complex flavored and textures that will absolutely delight you...especially before an impending storm.

And for dessert...