Huevos Rancheros

I realize, I become inspired to create things when I experience or see great things, like it's almost automatic.  Give me a few hours or a few days, I'll come up with something equally satisfying (or better - naks) - may it be food, a piece of art, or even just a compilation of stories or pictures put together in an album... or this blog.  I guess that's just a natural reaction to most people, but somehow the inner competitive person in me comes out.  I just need to create something.

This morning, we did our just-turned-routine activity: have breakfast out where we have not gone before.  Why breakfast?  First of all, you can (almost) never go wrong with breakfast (shame on those who can't serve decent fried eggs and bacon).  Second, it's much more economical than lunch or dinner.  Third, at least for me, it prolongs the weekend (because we are forced to start our Saturdays early).  And lastly, we just love breakfast food!  So we went to a modest yet interestingly colorful place called Janik's Cafe which is at the Ukrainian Village area.  I've never had Mexican breakfast before, except for the McDonalds' breakfast burrito (or is it even?), so I tried the Huevos Rancheros.  It's made of crispy tostadas topped with fried eggs and green salsa, with refried beans and mexican rice.  I finished the whole plate - need I say more?  It's a refreshing change from the usual pancakes and benedicts and will definitely be something I'll start looking for when I find nice breakfast/brunch places.  It's quite reasonable at $7.50 and coffee was surprisingly good too.  Definitely a must try. (from left: huevos rancheros, waffle)

Bobby's choice, which is your typical waffle, sausage, bacon, and egg combo came out as "average" - nothing special really.  But he did enjoy the bacon because it was cooked perfectly crispy (not pictured).  But how can you go wrong with bacon? :-)  Anyway, overall it was an inspiring little cafe and it made me daydream about having one.  Who knows?
This experience definitely sparked my creativity and so I tried making a nice (supposedly) light pasta dish for lunch (neither Mexican nor breakfast).  Found some andouille sausage in the fridge, left over green bell peppers, cans of mushroom and diced tomatoes in the pantry.  Perfect for penne.  I added some spices - basil, oregano, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and chili pepper flakes.  Voila!  Spicy Penne Pasta with Andouille Sausage, Peppers, and Mushrooms topped with Italian 5-cheese blend.  It may be a little too spicy for Bobby, but he did eat a hearty portion!

Now what to do tomorrow...