Breakfast in Mexico

One of my favorite breakfasts of all time is Huevos Rancheros. Sunny-side up eggs, refried beans, a tortilla, maybe some rice and some sauteed ground chorizo - nothing like it. The first time I had it was on vacation with my mom in Cancun, in 1984. We ate Huevos Rancheros every morning in La Paz on our vacation earlier this year (see above), which served as both fuel for the day ahead and a cure for the night before.

When we went to Cabo San Lucas for our 10-year anniversary, we discovered another breakfast treat - chilaquiles. It's basically pieces of tortillas cooked with salsa and eggs - very simple and delicious. Surprisingly, good chilaquiles are hard to find in San Francisco, and bad chilaquiles are such a disappointment - no one should have to endure that first thing in the morning.

So, we taught ourselves to make them at home. All that you do is take a large handful of good tortilla chips (stale is fine), crush them slightly and add them to a frying pan with a little bit of oil or butter. Add your favorite salsa and cook until they start to soften. Meanwhile, fry 2-3 eggs until they just start to turn opaque (I do this in the same pan, moving the chips/salsa to one side), and then incorporate them into the chips mixture, cooking until the eggs are done. Serve with refried beans, guacamole, sour cream, hot sauce, or whatever you wish. If you can get the white, slightly dry Mexican cheese (or "farmers cheese"), it's great crumbled on top.


I made these this morning with a great heirloom tomato salsa from Swank Farms, eggs from the farmer's market, and Mission tortilla chips. The thing that's great about making chilaquiles at home is that you are using the ingredients that suit your palate, especially when it comes to the salsa, which can make or break this dish as far as flavor. I'm planning to make these for our 15-year wedding anniversary party, coming up this weekend, as it's easy for a crowd and we will probably have all of the ingredients on hand. It will be a nice ode to our Mexican vacation 5 years ago - another time of being surrounded by friends, a beautiful environment, and simple, delicious food.

Day of Kings

Today is Epiphany, or El Dio de los Reyes (the Day of Kings). We were wandering through La Paz on Saturday evening, and visited a local bakery where they were making the Rosca de Reyes, which is the traditional bread that they serve on this day. It is a slightly sweetened bread shaped into a ring, and baked with dried fruit on top. The woman in the shop was kind enough to let me take this picture, and she even had slices for us to try. In France, they make a similar cake called the galette des rois in which a small plastic crown is baked into the cake, and the person who received the piece with this in it is the king or queen for the day. They are then obligated to host a party sometime later in the year.

I talked to a young man in a shop today, who told me that in his village, on Epiphany many children receive presents, similar to our Christmas. Especially the poor children, who normally have no means to have new toys, can visit the houses of people in town who have presents for them. What a lovely tradition - it must be so wonderful to see the children's faces light up as they receive their new toys. And giving to those in need - there is no better reward than that.

An epiphany, indeed.

La Isla Bonita

Sometimes the world feels so small, but then you go somewhere that makes you feel like you have reached the end of the earth. In this case, we are at the very tip of Baja, looking at La Isla de Mujeres, and in the water is the kyack that I had just finished paddling. The beach was perfect, with only a few people around. We at lunch overlooking the sea, and spent the afternoon playing in the sand and water.

I forgot how much I love this part of Mexico. It's so different than what most people picture when they think of Mexico - instead of tropics, the landscape is a combination of desert and shore. Cactuses and palm trees fill the skyline, and in the late afternoon, you can see big pelicans swooping down to catch their dinner in the fish-rich Sea of Cortez.

We are in a very non-touristy part of this area, La Paz. Even though it is the capital, it is much lesser known and different than Cabo San Lucas, which is beautiful on the outskirts, but going out in town feels like you've landed in a Girls Gone Wild segment. Most of the people in the town here are locals, and there is a genuine pride in the local cuisine and heritage. It's very refreshing.

Our hotel, Hotel Perla, has been here since the 1940's. My brother Jonn stayed here several times when he was on an Outward Bound semester a few years ago. It is old-style, very simple and traditional, with a smiling staff and a breezy, laid-back style.

I can see why travelers fell in love with this part of the world years ago, and why surfers and travellers still feel the lure of the place. It's not just the beauty of the area, it is the feeling that you get when you put your toes in the sand, and take a sip of an ice-cold Pacifico. It's a little taste of heaven.