Spicing Up a Tuesday Morning

Here it is a beautiful Tuesday morning and Christmas is almost upon us. Are the presents all wrapped? Surely by now the tree is trimmed. You can almost feel the excitement of anticipation in the air. I love the smell of Christmas. The swirling scents of pine and fires burning.

Just remember, don’t light a fire on Christmas Eve. Santa might not appreciate singed whiskers. It’s funny the memories that come floating back when you least expect them. One year long ago I drove around the grocery stores late at night to find boxes that were just the right size to build a fireplace with. A little red spray paint on the outside, some black paint on the inside and masking tape to look like grout between the bricks. It just fit in my tiny apartment hallway. We made our own Christmas decorations out of colored paper that year. Times were lean, but we were happy.

I remember another Christmas Eve as a little girl laying in bed and listening to the sounds of what I now realize was the tapping of a tree against the top of our house. To my brother and I it was the sound of reindeer hooves on the roof. I think we even heard the jingle of bells as Santa took to the air. Oh the magic of a child’s imagination knows no limits. It’s a good thing we couldn’t tell time back then, since we went to Midnight Mass. It must have been just about two in the morning when Santa would come. To a child it was dark outsdie, so it was still Christmas Eve. Christmas Day doesn’t begin until the first golden lights of the coming sunrise stretches out across the land. Everyone knows that.

One thing I could count on growing up was a beautiful Christmas morning. It might rain the day before, but on Christmas the sun always shined. God was good that way – giving us clear blue skies on Christmas Morning. After all, we had new bikes to ride or try that new pair of roller skates waiting under the tree.

Christmas is nearly here. The child in me is filled with joyful anticipation. At midnight I will stand next to my husband, the love of my life, and celebrate the birth of Jesus. Oh what a glorious time this is.

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Make Ahead Spicy Breakfast Burritos
1/2 lb Jimmy Dean Spicy Sausage
4 Flour Tortillas
2 Jalapeño Peppers
1 tablespoon Spicy Olive Oil
8 Eggs
Salt to taste
Black Pepper to taste
4 tablespoons Hot Dices Green Chilies

Form sausage into 4 large sausage patties. Cook patties in a skillet with a little water until water has evaporated and the sausage is cooked through, turning once, about 10 minutes.

While the sausage cooks, stem and dice the Jalapeños. Set aside until ready to use.

Remove sausage from the skillet, wipe the skillet dry. Dice the sausage into small pieces, set aside. Warm tortillas, then wrap in foil to keep warm until ready to assemble.

Drizzle spicy olive oil into the now empty skillet. Warm oil over medium heat. Lightly beat eggs, season with salt and pepper. Pour into the skillet. Scatter Jalapeños and diced sausage over the eggs. Let cook undisturbed for a few minutes, until the eggs just begin to set, then scrambled. Remove skillet from heat.

Lay warm tortillas out on a work surface. Spread about a tablespoon of diced chilies on each tortilla. Divide spicy scrambled eggs among the tortillas, wrap tortillas around the filling.

Cut four sheets of foil to wrap burritos in. Place in a warm oven to hold until ready to serve. Now you have time to clean up the kitchen before calling everyone to a spicy breakfast table.

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Lift up your heads and see; your Redemption is near at hand.