Huevos Rancheros

     Good morning, friends! Today I would like to invite you into my kitchen for a couple of home cooked meals. One of my favorite weekend activities is sleeping in then making my wife's infamous Huevos Rancheros.  I usually can count on Cayley's help for some/most of this dish since it is her own recipe but today she was a little preoccupied with the ticket release of the latest Twilight movie.  Hence, this one was all me, and I have to say, it came out pretty awesome.

For 2 servings, you will need:

4 eggs

1 tsp rice vinegar

2 Tbsp salted butter

1 small can refried beans

Tabasco to taste

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

2 medium size flour tortillas

sour cream

salsa or picante sauce

     Turn the broiler on in your oven at 500 degrees. Start heating a small pot of water to bring to a boil. While that is heating up, melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat and add refried beans.  Add Tabasco (I enjoy about 5-7 good shakes) and cook while stirring for about 3-5 minutes until beans are heated and the butter has been fully incorporated into the beans.  Remove the beans from the heat. Next, place the tortillas on a cookie sheet and place in the heated oven for 1-2 minutes until slightly crispy on the edges.  Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and spread a layer of beans on the tortillas. Continue to leave the oven on broil while you do this as you will use it again later. You may not use all of the beans, it is up to you and how much you enjoy. Cayley and I usually have a little bit of beans left that we save for a little snack some other time.

    The water should be boiling at this time. Add the rice vinegar to the water and turn down the heat to medium low until just not boiling.  Carefully crack the eggs into the water to poach for 3 minutes if you prefer a medium or a hard egg yolk the add 1-2 minutes for cooking time.  You may want to have a slotted spoon ready to strain off any egg white that does not stay with the eggs.  After 3 minutes remove the eggs using the slotted spoon and transfer to a paper towel lined plate to drain for 1 minute.  Next, carefully place the poached eggs on the beans, 2 per tortilla.  Place the cheddar cheese on top of the eggs and place back in the oven, keeping a careful eye on your huevos. Remove the cookie sheet once the cheese has been completely melted and allow to sit for one minute before transferring to your plate.  

     Now you can dress it however you choose.  I place a layer of sour cream on top the cheese and top it all off with a generous helping of picante sauce. Cayley likes to add fresh chopped green onions or chives as well.  The finished product should look like the picture above.  Once you cut into this masterpiece, the yolk should be perfectly cooked and run onto you plate as pictured below. Add salt and pepper to taste and enjoy this wonderful home cooked breakfast. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Just remember, taste is relative!