Tex-Mex Migas (for breakfast or brunch)

I grew up in the deep Southwest along the border between Texas and Mexico.  I always remember my grandmother and my mom making Migas for breakfast.  They taste exceptionally good if you eat them with homemade flour tortillas.    I was reminiscing the other day and craving Migas so I whipped up this quick dish (see photo below) in no time.  

"Migas" is the Spanish word for "crumbs" and in Texas you can get very creative with this dish.

Ingredients (Serves 2 adults)

4 corn tortillas

1/2 cup of chopped onions 

1/2 cup of diced tomatoes (seeded)

1/2 of diced green and 1/2 of diced red bell pepper (seeded)

4 large eggs or 1/2 cup of Egg whites

dash of salt and pepper

1/2 cup cooking oil or olive oil

Optional: 

1/2 cup diced Polish/Turkey sausage, fried bacon bits, shredded cheese, sliced  avocados

your favorite hot peppers (for the brave souls out there)

your favorite picante sauce

In a large skillet, sauté the diced onions, bell peppers, and tomatoes.   Break the tortillas into bite-size pieces (1/2 in.) and sauté along with veggies.  Add dash of salt & pepper.   Sauté the tortilla chips until somewhat crispy (depending on your taste) add the eggs or Egg whites and give the mixture a little stir to cook the eggs with veggies and tortilla chips.   Sprinkle some shredded cheese on top.

Optional:   If you prefer, you can add the diced sausage or bacon bits while sautéing the tortillas, however, normally, this dish has no meat in it. 

Serve with your favorite picante sauce and some avocado slices on side.  Voilà, you're done.    Enjoy !!

I would love to hear from you if you have any other favorite versions of this dish. 

As always, I thank you for stopping by and visiting.

The HookDude

  

Exercise My Brain in Two Languages - Poner a Trabajar mi Cerebro en Dos Idiomas

I've decided to add a little bit of bilingual flair to my blog by posting in my two favorite languages, English and Spanish.    Several of my blog buddies had asked me if I had ever thought of doing a blog in Spanish.    The truth is that I had never given it much thought ... until now(though it's a lot more work for me to post in two languages).  However, it can be done.    So perhaps, in the future, you may see some posts in both languages.

Thank you for stopping by and visiting.

He tomado la decisión de añadir un estilo bilingüe a mi blog y hacer la redacción en inglés y en español.   Algunos de mis seguidores en este blog me han preguntado si acaso alguna vez había pensado hacerlo en español y la verdad es que nunca me había pasado por la mente ... hasta este momento(aunque me toma más trabajo hacerlo en dos idiomas).    Sin embargo, sí se puede realizar. Así que, tal vez en el futuro, verán algunas publicaciones de mi blog en los dos idiomas.

Gracias por hacer una pausa y pasar unos momentos aquí en mi página blog.

The HookDude

Fair Isle and Color Stranding . . . The Challenge . . .

Fair Isle is a unique knitting technique using yarn in multiple colors.   Usually you only use two colors per row or round while knitting.    It is named after Fair Isle, a small island in the northern part of Scotland.

This technique is very popular with knitters who create sweaters, hats, scarves, mittens, etc.    Usually you follow a pattern to create motif designs in fabric.   There's much out there in the form of books on this technique for knitting, but I have not found anything for crocheters with the exception of a few YouTube videos that touch on the basics of using Fair Isle in crochet.

Fair Isle motif designs done in crochet will never look like those in knit fabrics because of the nature of the stitches, but you can practice and explore different designs in your crochet work to add color to hats, scarves, etc.     Unlike tapestry crochet where you hide the secondary color in the working stitches, in fair isle crochet, you "float" the secondary color in back of the fabric that you're working with.   Below is a picture of what I mean. 

I have been experimenting with the use of color in crochet fabric, mostly making hats.   I'm still learning, working on perfecting this style and adapting it to my crochet.

Below you will see some finished items and some that are still in the works.

Written patterns will be released in the near future.

For some more free patterns, go to my link on Ravelry click here

(this is the inside of the hat with the purple, light blue and yellow yarn being "floated").

The finished project (above)

Another version

As always, I thank you for stopping by and visiting my page.  Stay safe!

The HookDude

Who am I (HookDude West)??

First off, an explanation of the quirky username ... "hookdude" was just an easy name to remember and "west" just something that popped into my head because whenever I make plans to travel, I always think of going west to Southern California, my favorite destination.   

I'm a native Texan and have lived all of my life in South Texas except for the nine months that I lived in Louisville, Kentucky while attending graduate school at U of L.    After I returned to Texas, I never considered leaving because I'm a person who enjoys the warmer and milder South Texas winters (no snow nor blizzards down here).    I experienced first hand the cold winter weather and snow in Kentucky when I lived there, and I really didn't like walking on slick and icy sidewalks.    Besides, we have just about everything (well, maybe not the ski slopes)here, the mountains in West Texas, the snow up in Abilene, Lubbock and Dallas, the beaches down by South Padre Island and the piney woods in East Texas.

My daily life in South Texas is patterned by two languages, English and Spanish.  Yes, I'm bilingual, and I feel very fortunate to have grown up speaking two languages.      

I have always gravitated towards colors, but unfortunately have never dabbled in artful activities like watercolor or acrylic.   It wasn't until I taught myself how to crochet and to knit that I really began paying attention to color and its nuances.    Of course, I'm still learning, and I still have a long ways to go.

If you've read some of my earlier blog posts, you know that many of my projects go to charity.    That's something that gives me much personal satisfaction, and I will continue to work on these projects as long as my health and my budget allow it.

Thank you again for taking the time to stop and visit.   

The HookDude

Reveal Your True Colors !!!

You can show your true colors in umpteen ways ... but I prefer to be meticulous about it.    I've always said that women are very lucky because they can throw on many colors to reveal their moods, their likes and dislikes ... while guys are still limited to wearing a colorful tie or shirt.

That's why I like working with yarn.   If you go on the hunt, you can find any shade imaginable from the color spectrum to add vitality and spice to any fabric that you create.

I haven't had time to go looking, so I played around with some colors that I had in my stash.   This is what I came up with. . . you can find the written pattern at my Ravelry page click here.   Some of these hats will be going to a local hospital's children's oncology unit.

As always I want to thank you for stopping by and visiting ... I know that there's much talent amongst you so please consider donating one item from your creations to a favorite charity.     Have a safe Labor Day holiday!!

The HookDude