22. Cupboard Challenge: eggs, potatoes, chipotles, onions, quinoa, spinach, garlic

The challenge is to make a late breakfast with what I have on hand.

I put a red potato in the oven and started sauteing some onions. I added garlic to them when they were getting brown, then two chopped chipotle peppers, about a quarter pound of baby spinach, a few T of cooked red quinoa,and a beaten egg. Then I took a potato out of the oven, sliced it, and finished it on the grill pan.

The dominant taste was chiptotle. I didn't mind, but for guests I would have used only one half of a pepper to let some of the other flavors shine. This dish was essentially San Francisco Joe with chipotles and quinoa, without the meat.

15. Feta and Olives with balsamic garlic sauce / 16. Caramelized onions with curry

I carmelized some onions, at the end adding a pinch of curry and cayenne, some cumin, both whole and ground.

I ate this meal with kalamata and Spanish olives and feta marinated with olive oil, garlic, and balsamic vinegar.

I had sauteed the finely chopped garlic briefly in the olive oil, to make the garlic milder and to make the oil absorb the flavor more.

The same dressing went on some sauteed spinach. I also made a simple omelet with eggs and cheese, and fried some slices of baked potato left over from the night before last. Accompanied by coffee, as you can see. I was cooking for 45 minutes, mostly because the onions took that long to carmelize properly. That allowed me to think about what else I was making. The omelet was fine, but the real star of the meal was the feta and balsamic.

3. Fried egg with white cheddar, grilled red potatoes, and poblano

I sliced two small red potatoes, grilled them on grill pan with olive oil and cayenne, then added a slice of poblano pepper, which I also grilled, meanwhile cooking an egg. I laid down some thin slice of cheddar on the egg as it was cooking. A patty of Italian sausage completed the breakfast.

1. "San Francisco Joe" with chipotle

I made San Francisco Joe, which is basically a skillet casserole of onions, garlic, ground beef, egg, and spinach (that's the order you add them to the pan). I used Italian sausage instead of ground beef, as my mom showed me over Christmas break, and added half a bell pepper, and one chipotle pepper chopped very fine. Parmesan cheese is the topper. Cook vegetables until soft, add sausage or ground beef to brown, add chipotles, one egg per person, and enjoy. Top with Parmesan. (Quantities depend on how much food you want1)