Breakfast Tostada

So, it's been about a month since I last created a blog entry and I decided to jump back into it. I don't have much of a reason for not blogging, just a lack of motivation. I'm not an awesome photographer so it takes me a little while to get good pictures of my food and I'm a slow writer. But the more I blog the better I should become so I want to keep working on it. I have about 5 1/2 more weeks of summer so that's plenty of time to get some entries in!

What I have been doing for the past month has been fun and simple. I was able to volunteer for the Des Moines Art Festival at the end of June. I volunteered for artist relations, aka booth sitting. My job was to let the artist have a break from sitting with their work for 10+ hours. It was really fun to interact with the artist and visitors. I really needed my t-shirt to say "I'm not the artist, they're on break". I had many people come up to me asking about the artwork and I could have told them just about anything and they wouldn't have known differently but I decided to be honest and say "I don't know, I'm just sitting in for the artist."

I've also been rock climbing at Climb Iowa in Grimes. I go 2-3 times a week.  Currently, I'm in the beginner movement class which teaches you about balance, footwork, movement (obviously) and the basics of climbing technique. People seem surprised to hear that there are classes for climbing. I think in Iowa, we are just naive to the world of climbing. Crazy I know, I mean look at the vast climbing terrain we have here;) It's a tough sport but great for anyone to try out!

This summer I've also been memorizing a small set of verses from the book of Proverbs. Chapter 4:20-27 is a passage I've loved for a long time. I thought I was doing really well with memorizing it but then I was trying to say it to my mom on vacation and I butchered it. So, I'm still working on keeping everything in order. I love that it touches on the most important parts of us as people; our hearts, minds, eyes, and mouth. 

Here it is:

"My son, pay attention to my words, listen closely to my sayings. Don't lose sight of them; keep them within your heart for they are life to those who find them and health to one's whole body. Guard your heart above all else, for it is the source of life. Don't let your mouth speak dishonestly and don't let your lips talk deviously. Let your eyes look forward; fix your gaze straight ahead. Carefully consider the path for your feet, and all your ways will be established. Don't turn to the right or to the left; keep your feet away from evil."

I bought a package of corn tortillas just over a week ago and the smallest size you can get at Fareway is like 3,000 tortillas. Ok, more like 30 but it's still way more than I need. So, I'm coming up with ways to use them. I could also freeze them if I get sick of them.

Tostadas are great. Its really just a toasted or fried tortilla with anything in the world on top. In my brief internet search, I read that the Tostada is mainly from Mexico but popular in most of Central America. The internet's always right you know, so I'm sure that's perfectly accurate;)

Here's how I made mine.

Breakfast Tostada

Makes 2 tostadas

1/2 cup browned ground breakfast sausage

1/2 pepper large diced

1/2 cup black beans

1 tsp ancho chipotle pepper

1 tsp cumin

2 large eggs

2 corn tortillas

1. Brown the breakfast sausage in a medium/large skillet

2. Turn oven on to 250° F to toast the tortillas. Leave the tortillas in for about 5 minutes.

3. Add the peppers to the skillet with the sausage and saute for a few minutes. 

4. While the peppers are sweating it out, add the cumin and pureed ancho chipotle pepper to the black beans. Add that mixture to the meat skillet.

5. Set the skillet to medium heat and crack the eggs over the meat, beans, and peppers. Allow the eggs to cook for a few minutes but keep the yolk runny. 

6. Remove the tortillas from the oven when they are lightly toasted and set on a plate. 

7. Use a spatula to place the egg and friends on the toasted tortilla.

If I had had an avocado I totally would have cut that up and put it on the dish too! There are many ways you can make this fit your taste so have fun trying it out!