Mexican Scrambled Eggs, July 7, 2015

We had kind of a progressive dinner last night. I was out running errands in the late afternoon, way before my dear wife is usually home, when she called to ask if I wanted to go out for drinks & appetizers with her. Of course, I was delighted at the prospect. Once home, I discovered that she didn't have any particular place in mind. After suggesting some of her favorite chains that I usually nix, it became clear that she truly didn't care where we went, as long as we could get drinks and "some kind of cool appetizer."

Having had the veggie plate at 24th Street Grill (Oxford, MI) the week before for lunch---and having dreamt all week of the cool, crisp veggies and perfect ranch dip---I decided to take her there. I had a Raspberry Stoli & Sprite, which the waitress suggested when I said I wanted something "girly and sweet, no gin," while Jeannene stuck to domestic beer. I had no need of the menu whatsoever, with my tiny, little heart set on a giant platter of deep orange, juicy carrot sticks, crisp celery, and sumptuous cucumber ovals. They serve their veggies cold as a Himalayan spring. I just adore them. Jeannene, after asking the waitress' favorite appetizer and being told it was spinach and artichoke dip because the freshly made pita chips are soooo good, picked the buffalo chicken dip, which had the same chips but satisfied her meat tooth. It was terrific, too.

Since we'd already had appetizers, I didn't make the guacamole I was going to serve with chips when we got home. Since my appetizer, which Jeannene also dipped into, was basically salad, I didn't bother with a salad, either. I simply made Mexican scrambled eggs. They're basically a variation on my cousins' garbage skillet, scrambled eggs in which they toss whatever needs to be used up. In my case, it was a little more deliberate, but with the same yummy sort of result. I heated some Ro*Tel (tomatoes and green chiles) with some chopped scallions in just a smidge of butter. You could just use cooking spray. While it heated a bit, long enough to reduce the juice to practically nil, I whipped 4 eggs together. Then, I threw them into the skillet, too, along with a handful of Fritos that were on the verge of becoming stale and a little bit of Mexican-blend shredded cheese and cooked, stirring gently, until the eggs were done. We both loved the result!