La Risa Cafe in Ribera, New Mexico

Ernest is holding down the fort at the Nickel and Dime Ranch while we do a little traveling.

Tom suggested we stop for lunch at La Risa Cafe,  a restaurant off I-25 N, about 43 miles from Santa Fe, which many people might overlook because it's not fancy and the signs directing people to the restaurant are hand painted and somewhat faded.

Do not pass this one by, though, because you would be missing out on some careful, flavorful home style cooking and attentive service. The cafe is in a 100 year old house which feels like you are dining in a living history museum.

One indicator of whether a restaurant is good is how many cars are outside and are the license plates from the home state. If there is a mix of work trucks and passenger vehicles, that's a plus. If an elderly abuela (grandma) supported by a daughter and granddaughter is just leaving, there's another plus. No one's going to take Grandma to a crummy place! All these indicators were in place, so we knew it was going to be good. Chef Laura Boyd-Martinez has worked at several notable restaurants in Santa Fe and La Risa is a family venture, with her husband and two sons working alongside her.

Because the weather was nice, we had our choice of inside or outdoor seating. Ms. Pearl was with us, and New Mexico has a law allowing dogs to dine with their owners on restaurant patios, so we ate outside in the screened patio.

The patio was an art and plant filled space, airy, with a flagstone floor that Ms. P thought was cool. She flopped right down. Overall clad workmen, Texas tourists, and a large family ate with gusto, served by an efficient server who happened to be the chef's son.

La Risa Cafe has a website, so you can check out what there is to offer,  food offerings to satisfy every palate. Breakfast is served all day, so for me the easy choice was migas, a scrambled egg dish that included chiles, cheese and scallions. Green chile and beans were served on the side.

Tom had his go-to lunch dish, beef tacos. The tortillas were the blue corn type, which look kind of weird but have a robust, corny flavor.

Tom's choice of side was Spanish rice,  a sometimes scary decision in New Mexico. I've seen gloopy catsup-like rice, dried, overcooked barely pink rice, and undercooked white rice with a few tomato pieces. This rice was cooked to perfection with tomatoes, scallions, and corn added to the mix.

Chef Laura likes to bake and if I weren't being careful about my food choices I would have had a piece of pie in a minute. I also spied some freshly baked brownies being frosted and smelled spicy cookies. Maybe next time, because there will definitely be a next time.

La Risa means The Smile Laugh, and that's how I felt after eating my lunch there.

Migas For One-Breakfast Eggs With a Crunch

Migas isn't necessarily a New Mexican food, since the first time I had them was in a strip mall Mexican restaurant in Temecula, California. All I know is they were like my dad's scrambled eggs with a chewy crunch. Some people call them Tex-Mex; I just call them a great way to start a day.

Migas (MEE-gahs) is Spanish for crumbs, which in this case are corn tortillas. In a pinch, feel free to substitute some tortilla chips for the sauteed tortilla if you found some stale Doritos in the cupboard.

Harry's Roadhouse in Santa Fe serves the best migas around here: crunchy tortilla bits, creamy scrambled eggs, onion, bell peppers, a  spicy, vinegary pop from some pickled jalapenos, all topped with a sprinkling of cheddar cheese.  I've always thought of pickled jalapenos as a topping for nachos or something added to a sandwich, but cooked in scrambled eggs is inspired!

Since I am the only one who likes migas at our house, my recipe is for solo you. Before you start cooking, though, have a nice place mat on your table, your plate ready to receive your splendid breakfast, and if you have some leftover black beans, nuke them in the nuker for a nice side dish.

Migas For One

2 eggs
1 T milk
1 corn tortilla cut in half, each half cut into strips
2 T each chopped onion and green pepper
1 T finely chopped pickled jalapeno (you can leave this out if you want or substitute chopped green chiles)
1T (or a little more) olive oil or butter
shredded cheese, a little or a lot, it's up to you
your favorite salsa

Whisk the eggs and milk together in a bowl. Add a little salt and pepper for seasoning.

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat and add your olive oil. Swirl it around like you know what you're doing. Add the tortilla strips and saute them until lightly browned, about 3 minutes.  Do not take a phone call and allow them to burn like I have done before. Remove tortilla strips from the skillet and set them aside on a paper towel. Add more oil if it's gone from the pan.

Saute the onion, green pepper and jalapeno over medium heat until onion is translucent and green pepper is crisp tender, about 3 minutes.

 Add the egg mixture to the pan where your onions and peppers are hanging out, waiting. Toss in the tortilla strips and gently scramble those babies!

When the egg mixture is almost scrambled to your liking, add some shredded cheddar.  Stir the eggs around the cheese so it starts to melt.  Slide your migas onto your plate, nuked black beans on the side.

Fancy people might add a dollop of sour cream.

Put on your Rodrigo y Gabriela cd and enjoy your Migas!