This recipe was a mistake. And like most mistakes, I admitted it was a mistake with a slur of curse words, asterisks and exclamation points.
My shooting light was dying. The day was over. All I'd eaten was a slice of cake and cups of whipped cream from a spoon. My heart was hungry. It had been a busy day and I was exhausted. And now, this breakfast burrito idea, which I'd been conjuring in my mind all week was staring at me in the face, refusing to be wrapped and rolled as a good breakfast burrito should.
Recipe developer note: tortillas do not like to be filled-to-the-gills then baked until edges are crispy, then rolled into tidy burritos. Trust me here.
But the contents were begging to be eaten. Everything breakfast, sitting atop a slightly crunchy baked tortilla, cracked egg just hanging out on top, asking to be my friend forever.
And I didn't want to let it die. The breakfast burrito dream may have ended. But, like all good mistakes, there was something better waiting to be born.
And that thing was tacos. Instead of swirling up the baked contents of these insanez breakfasties, a quick fold and I suddenly had and easy-to-eat (kidding, they are a raging mess. Prepare yourself a napkin or eight) savory, salty, yolked up, trashed up breakfast taco.
The world stopped spinning. Birds started singing. All the stuff that happens when brilliant new things are created started happening.
So here we sit, you and I. Staring at Trashed Up Breakfast Tacos.
A mistake gone so right.
And ya know? That's how mistakes are. At first, there are curse words. There is panic. And OMGWHATAMIGONNADO?
But then, there is 1) take a step back, 2) take a breath and 3) get creative. That's what you'll do. That's what you always do.
When things don't work out according to plan, you make something new. You trash the outdated, disproven idea. And trash up a taco. And that doesn't mean you make mistakes. That means you rock at life.
I found John Pavlovitz this week. Fell instantly in love with his heart and writing and perspective. And couldn't help but share this on my Facebook wall:
...The real story is that there is a balance in this living; something born with each thing that dies, something found for each thing lost. Today I took a walk in the woods and I thought about the much younger me walking in the woods four decades ago.
I started to remember that it has never been only about losing:
I lost the skin on my knee and found the healing of my mother’s kiss.
I lost the girl I once thought I would marry and found the love of my life.
I lost my father and found compassion for the grieving.
I lost the bubble of my comfort and found fellowship with hurting people.
I lost my dream job and found my true calling.
I lost many fair-weather friends and found a few battle-tested kindred spirits.
I lost my buoyant grade school son and have found a middle schooler becoming a compassionate young man.
I lost my religion and found a far bigger God.
Some of the things I’ve let go of I do grieve over, but I do not want that to be all that I do. I want to celebrate the things I’ve been given too.
Life is supposed to be like this: mourning and dancing, failing and rising, lamenting and celebrating.
This is true of me, it’s true of you, and it’s true of everyone you share this space with right now.
We are all in the middle of both subtraction and addition simultaneously. We are all dying and being born second by second. We are losing and finding ourselves.
Maybe that's a little deep for a recipe about tacos. But they say "how you do anything is how you do anything."
And I'd like to remember that mistakes aren't a reason for curse words. They're causes for celebration. I want to remember that more.
Tacos = Life.
(But you already knew that).
Trashed Up Baked Breakfast Tacos
2 servings | 20 mins
- 2 tortillas
- 4-6 slices cooked bacon
- 2/3 cup shredded sharp cheddar
- 1/2 cup diced green onions
- 6 large, fresh leaves basil, chopped
- 1/4 red pepper, seeded and diced
- 1 avocado, pitted, peeled and sliced
- 2 eggs
- salt and pepper
- 1 teaspoon Korean chili flakes (or pink peppercorn) (or 2 Tbsp chili garlic paste)
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- juice of 1 lime
Heat oven to 350ºF.
Place tortillas on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Top with bacon, cheddar, onions, basil, pepper and avocado. Crack and egg on top. Salt and pepper. Bake for 20 mins, or until eggs become white. (If needed, you can turn the broiler on for the last 60 seconds to ensure the whites are cooked).
Stir together chili flakes, sour cream and lime juice.
To serve, top tortillas with sour cream. Fold in half, and enjoy!