Tiny House Creature #1

Eggdillas, rice snacks, and at-home trivia.

It’s Tiny House Creature time! The mini newsletter that comes out in-between regular House Creatures. The main subject of this issue is my favorite breakfast - the EGGDILLA.

I started making eggdillas after watching the episode of Nadiya Cooks where she makes egg rolls - not the filled, folded, and deep fried kind of eggrolls - a breakfast-ie eggy roll-up with mushrooms and herbs. Some steps are similar, but I don’t roll up my eggy tortilla. Instead, I leave it open as a canvas for even more delicious toppings.

After a couple years making eggdillas, my technique and ingredients have evolved away from Nadiya’s recipe, but the inspiration is still there. This is the most versatile breakfast I make. You can use leftovers and little bits and bobs from the fridge, go bonkers with fresh toppings when produce is good, and it takes about 5 minutes to make.

The base ingredients are:

• 1 Tbsp oil or butter

• 1/4 -1/2 cup mix-ins

• 2 large eggs

• salt and pepper

• 1 8” flour tortilla (corn tortillas don’t work well here, the eggs don’t adhere)

• 1/4 - 1/2 cup toppings

The magic happens with the mix-ins and the toppings. Here are some of my favorites:

The how-to: (or see my GIF above for a quick step by step!)

1. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs together with a fork until reasonably blended – it doesn’t have to be perfect. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Place a 10” skillet (I use cast iron) over medium heat and add your oil or butter.

3. Add the mix ins to the pan and sauté until softened and/or fragrant (depending on what they are.)

4. Working quickly, pour in the eggs, distributing them evenly across the pan and covering all of the mix in ingredients, then immediately place the tortilla on top, pushing down gently to make contact with the eggs.

5. Leave it for 2-3 minutes while the eggs cook, then peek underneath to check for light golden-brown-ness – when the eggs are done to your liking *confidently* flip the whole thing over (sometimes I use two spatulas!)

6. Cook the tortilla until you get some nice brown spots (about 1 minute) then slide onto a plate.

7. Cover it in your favorite toppings, and enjoy!

A note on cheese – In the past, I have tried adding cheese to the pan after the eggs and before the tortilla thinking it would just be additional glue to get the tortilla to stick to the egg mixture – this is not always the case. It totally depends on the moisture and fat content of the cheese you’re using. Basically, the meltier it is, the more it will assist in the gluing. Cheeses like feta and cotija are best left as toppings.

***I’d love to see your eggdillas – tag me on Instagram! @ttink.art

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And now… rice crackers

Rice Crackers are one of my absolute favorite crunchy snacks. They have sweet, umami, sour, salty, spicy - so they satisfy almost any craving. There are so many different rice cracker options out in the world. Some have peanuts, some have wasabi peas, some have sesame sticks… but recently, I found myself with three different rice cracker options in my home (by accident? maybe?) Here are my deepest reflections on this rice cracker experience:

Hot Mate purchased at United Noodle, $9 for 16oz (12 individual bags): Right off the bat, I generally find individual serving bags both wasteful and restrictive (who are YOU to tell me when to stop munching, bag!) But I can see how these would be nice for someone with a more “grab-and-go” lifestyle than myself. I liked that this mix included the large wavy crackers with seaweed flakes (my favorite), but the wasabi peas were too mellow and sparse. These are generally good 7/10.

Bulk Bin purchased at the Seward Friendship Co-Op, $6.67 per pound: I have never found a packaged rice cracker option with the little spicy half moons; they seem to be a bulk bin exclusive and they add a kick some other mixes lack. My co-op’s mix also includes a mini version of my favorite big wavy crackers, and while the idea is nice, they’re just not as good when they’re mini. One bonus for the bulk bin: way more wasabi peas. 8/10.

Rice Cracker Medley purchased at Trader Joes, $2.99 for 8oz: Yes, I saved the best for last. What makes these so amazing: rice vinegar. Those big white round pieces (you can kind of see them in the photo) have a rice vinegar coating that will wake your mouth right up. In all my years munching on rice snacks, I have never encountered anything like these rice vinegar rounds, and I’m telling you, they change the game. Plus they have my favorite large wavy crackers and a decent amount of wasabi peas. 10/10.

*** While writing this I thought to myself, “this is something Jess would do!” If you like snack reviews, check out her Instagram @coopsnackreview for lots of video reviews of snacks from her local co op.

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And finally, I leave you with a podcast rec for people that love pub trivia but also just want to stay home.

I am someone who is ok with being bad at trivia. I love trivia *so much* but I will never be good at it, and I don’t need to be good at it. I like a lot of trivia podcasts like Good Job Brain and Go Fact Yourself, but both of those have groups of hosts/participants answering the questions in real time, which doesn’t really give you a chance to join in.

Quiz Quiz Bang Bang is made just for you to yell out answers in the privacy of your own home. I mostly listen to the episodes labeled “general trivia.” They last 20-25 minutes, and the hosts are dorky and lovely. The structure is:

• 4 questions

• 4 questions

• Bang bang question (naming as many of something as you can within a certain amount of time)

• 4 questions

• 4 questions

• Big bang question (3 questions that all relate to a final answer)

Give it a listen, and let me know what you think!

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See you in two weeks for issue #2 of House Creature!