Appropriate Start...Southwest Breakfast Sandwich

This is clearly a brand new blog that is just getting off the ground. I have to say that I am not trying to be Julie and Julia here, but I would be lying if I said that it did not influence the construction of this blog. I have a deep passion for food, and not just any kind of food but high quality gourmet food that anyone can make at home. Life is too short to eat marginal food and as our lives become busier I think that we tend to settle for average food that simply fills the grumbling space behind their belly buttons. After talking with multiple friends about the food I make and how they too can be making the same food at home I am jumping into this project with both feet. My goal is to post at least one picture a day of something that I have prepared and eaten throughout the day. It may be one of the three main meals of the day, a snack, dessert, or beverage. If I make it and it is edible it is fair game for the blog. I am not sure where this blog will go or what it will do for me or anyone who reads it, but my hope is that it will inspire and challenge you to get creative in the kitchen. Stop settling for the quick and easy fix to your hunger pains and start creating. Start enhancing your life with great food that has come straight out of your kitchen.

Since this is the first post of the blog I thought it would be great to start with a breakfast item. This morning I decided to make a deluxe egg sandwich after spending two hours at the YMCA. I needed a balanced meal that would meat my post workout needs and leave me satisfied for the morning. Having just made fajitas the night before I thought that it would be great to use some of the ingredients still on hand to make this sandwich. I placed one slice of bacon on my cast iron pan and began to cook it over medium-high heat. Once some of the fat had rendered off I placed a quarter of a red pepper, skin side out, on the pan to cook. I then added some sliced mushrooms around the rest of the pan to begin to brown. Once the bacon was ready to be flipped I flipped the pepper and mushrooms with it. When the bacon and veggies were almost done I hit them with a little salt and pepper and moved them to the edge of the pan so that I had room to cook the egg. I cracked the one egg onto the pan where some of the bacon grease remained. As the egg cooked I added some diced green onion to the pan to start to heat. Right before flipping the egg I popped the English muffin in the toaster to brown. I have found that the time that it takes to toast your bread is equal to the amount of time that your egg needs on it's second side. After flipping the egg I sprinkled it with some salt and pepper and turned off the burner. While the muffin finished I sliced up one half of an avocado. When the toaster popped I knew the egg was ready and I began to assemble the sandwich: bottom of muffin, pepper, mushrooms, egg, bacon, avocado, green onion, salsa, and top of the muffin. I used the salsa for a little extra flavor and color. I opted to not use cheese for the extra fat and calories, but a little pepper jack would have been great on top. I would have placed it on top of the egg and slid it under the broiler to melt it slightly.

This blog is not about bragging about the things that I eat or make on a daily basis. It is my attempt to share with you what I think about when I cook and how you too can be doing the same things at home. I would appreciate any comments or questions that you might have for me and look forward to this culinary journey. Will you join me?

-Dedicated to my dear friend Matt and his New Years Resolution!!