Friday, May 15, 2009

Going home~Who says we can't go home?


The Spirit of Mexico may never leave us but we are certainly going to do just that & leaving Mexico to head back home...


















As we leave Mexico & return home I reflect on all the ways Mexico touches our lives. While it is true Texas is never far from Mexico both in distance & cultural connections. During the time we have both lived here & traveled to and from Mexico it has touched our lives in ways one cannot describe or even try to tell someone else. The friends we made in Mexico will be ours for a lifetime & the experiences we had will stay with us even longer. Texas will always be my home & birthplace but Mexico will always have a piece of my heart. **Besides all of the sentiment, I knew it was time to head home to Texas when my husband wanted ice cream & I paid 130.00 pesos for a carton of Blue Bell ice cream. Somethings are just sacred!





I spent last week running around visiting my friends, saying my goodbyes & having a few last cups of coffee. I was able to visit a Festival de Artesanias from Oaxaca which came to town just before we left Monterrey. The festival featured handmade products from across the state of Oaxaca. I was impressed as always by the quality of goods & the skills of the artist from that region. Most of the artist were very friendly & eager to show the wares they had made but one in particular impressed me when she gave me a demonstration of weaving with a traditional back strap loom. Alicia Gomez Navarro showed us several of the weavings she had made several of which depicted animals woven into the patterns. We of course bought some of her beautiful woven pieces, which are true treasures. Many of the typical Artesanias we saw from Oaxaca have been made for generations & the ancient traditions have been handed down from Nahua or Aztec heritage.




















A Typical Tex-Mex Breakfast good enough for a meal at any time.
More than once during our moving time period I made up Migas for a meal. When moving easy meals featuring whatever was on hand & didn't require making a run to the "Super" was the comida del día.
"Migas" means crumbs, in Spain the migas or crumbs are actual breadcrumbs mixed into the eggs & scambled. In Texas or Northern Mexico it's Tortillas which are the "crumbs" in the eggs.


Huevos con migas Omlette

3 large eggs
1 Tbsp. Poblano Chili Pepper, diced
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 6-inch corn tortillas, cut into small strips
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1 roma tomato, seeds and pulp removed, chopped
1/2 cup chopped avocado, sprinkled with a little lemon juice
2 teaspoons minced fresh cilantro
2/3 cup grated mild cheddar or Monterrey jack cheese
crema or sour cream

In a small bowl, lightly beat together the eggs, and set aside.

Warm the butter and olive oil in a heavy skillet. Add the tortilla pieces and sauté until softened. Add the chopped onion and sauté until it is transparent. Stir in the chopped Poblano chiles, tomato.

Pour the egg mixture into the skillet, and "scramble" gently eggs are done or set. Remove the skillet from heat, and sprinkle the cilantro and cheese into the eggs, fold Omelette over carefully making certain the cheese is in the center as you would with a regular omelette. the Tortillas add density to folding it over may require both a spatula & silicon spatula. Top with Crema & serve avocado to the side. This omelette serves 2. Serve at once with warm flour or corn tortillas & favorite salsa.

16 comments:

Heather S-G said...

I actually felt like I was the one leaving Mexico just now...I hope I can have a similar experience one day, living in a foreign country and immersing myself in the culture. Beautiful. And the migas...I'm hungry!

Dee said...

Girlichef~I hope you do too. It does tend to change one. I'll never be the same for all the good & bad it is like nothing else. Migas are a big fave at our home regardless of where we are living. ha!

Gloria Chadwick said...

Dee, so sad to be leaving Mexico, but so happy to come home to Texas. Breakfast looks delicious and I totally hear you on the Blue Bell ice cream. :)

Dee said...

Gloria,
Yes, sad but those memories will be with me forever & the Blue Bell....yes, only Texans would get that! ha!

Reeni said...

I've only had bluebell once - I was on a train to AZ and it made a stop in Texas. We only had ten minutes but someone had been talking about the bluebell ice cream machine in the train station. I made a mad dash to get some and get back. It lived up to its name!

The migas look delicious-so many goodies in there. Mexico is so beautiful! The weavings, too, gorgeous colors. Welcome home.

Chef E said...

Beautiful heartfelt words about your life, friends, and memories you will carry, and your children will have for the rest of their lives...

The migas...I have memories of them as well :)

Maybe now we will run into each other, like at Central Market!

Dee said...

Reeni~so glad you get the Bluebell reference. I love that you dashed off to get some:) It is addictive!
Chef E~ thank you! I'd love to run into you at Central Market. Hope you look us up when you are in Texas this June.

Julie said...

I've never had migas, but apparently I need to!

Tangled Noodle said...

I'm sure it's a bit of a bittersweet feeling to be leaving but I'm so happy for you that your family will be together again!

Now, about this 'migas' - I've never had it before but would love to try it!

Dee said...

Julie~no time like the present! They are delicious.
Tangled Noodle~You are right, it is bittersweet but we are very happy about being close to all of our family now.

Hornsfan said...

Tasty tasty migas....as for the coming home, I'm so happy you're back it's hard to express as well :)

Anonymous said...

Thank you for sharing these beautiful pictures! The breakfast sounds delicious!

Abby said...

You left before I had a chance to visit!

J/K. Hope you guys traveled safe. And you'll of course always have your blog entries to help you and your family remember your time there!

Teresa Cordero Cordell said...

Absolutely perfect breakfast my friend. Worthy of any true Texasan ..or Mexican..or Mexican American (like myself). I'm srry that lyu are leaving Mexico, but at least you are coming home to Texas. :)

Angie's Recipes said...

Never been to Mexico, but I am fascinated with what you have written and described here. The weaving demonstration is impressive.

leticia@galsintheknow.blogspot.com/ said...

yummy!
thanks for following me, now I follow you, yummy!!