Mexican Gashouse Eggs

You know that game of ‘telephone’ we played as kids? We corral ourselves in a circle, I whisper something in your ear, you repeat the same something into the next person’s ear, all around the circle. Within a person or two, the ‘something’ turns into something entirely different. We all giggle, but absorb the grown-up lesson of how communication breaks down.

I love-love-love how a recipe ‘whispered’ into the ear of another cook inspires something entirely different. This isn’t a communication breakdown, it’s a culinary breakthrough!

So goes the joy of sharing a kitchen with a creative cook. When I raved about my dad’s Gashouse Eggs, the next morning what appeared but ‘Mexican’ Gashouse Eggs? Instead of frying an egg with bread, why not fry an egg inside a tortilla? Brilliant!

But creative cooks wield the whispers of their spoons and spatulas in their own ways.

My ‘Señora’ version is ladylike, it’s all about the tortilla as it curls and crisps in the skillet. Even so, I like to eat it with my hands, like pizza.

The ‘Señor’ version is manly, it’s all about the ‘stuff’ piled atop the tortilla, as much as it can hold so requires a fork.

The ‘Macho’ version is extra manly, adding the heft of a second tortilla and just might require a big fork forklift.

All three are delicious, there’s no arguing that one’s better, no choosing one over the other. Add Mexican Gashouse Eggs to your menu rotation – breakfast, lunch, supper, any one or all will do – and just see what creativity yields.